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Common Professional Examination (CPE) Syllabus
Law conversion qualification for non-law graduates, equivalent to the GDL, recognised across England and Wales.. The complete Common Professional Examination (CPE) outline — 7 subjects, 34 chapters and 121 topics — laid out so you can see exactly what has to be covered and tick each item off as you go.
Common Professional Examination (CPE) subjects
Each subject below has its own page with the full chapter → topic → sub-topic tree and a set of real exam-style flashcards.
5 chapters · 22 topics · 41 sub-topics
Tort Law5 chapters · 18 topics · 27 sub-topics
Criminal Law5 chapters · 18 topics · 26 sub-topics
Public Law (Constitutional and Administrative Law)5 chapters · 18 topics · 16 sub-topics
Land Law (Property Law)4 chapters · 15 topics · 16 sub-topics
Equity and Trusts5 chapters · 15 topics · 17 sub-topics
EU Law and Legal System Skills5 chapters · 15 topics · 15 sub-topics
Common Professional Examination (CPE) flashcard decks
426 question-and-answer cards across 7 decks, written against this syllabus. Preview any deck free.
How to work through the Common Professional Examination (CPE) syllabus
The outline on this page is arranged the way the syllabus itself is: subject, then chapter, then topic, then sub-topic. That last level is what most study plans skip, and it is where coverage actually goes wrong — a chapter marked "done" often has three sub-topics inside it that were never touched.
Weight your plan accordingly: Contract Law carries 22 topics while EU Law and Legal System Skills carries 15. Giving both the same number of weeks is the most common planning mistake for Common Professional Examination (CPE).
The ~120 hour estimate above is a first pass only: roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic. Revision cycles, past papers and mocks sit on top of that number.
Common Professional Examination (CPE) syllabus FAQ
What subjects are in the Common Professional Examination (CPE) syllabus?
Common Professional Examination (CPE) covers 7 subjects: Contract Law, Tort Law, Criminal Law, Public Law (Constitutional and Administrative Law), Land Law (Property Law), Equity and Trusts and EU Law and Legal System Skills. Together they contain 34 chapters and 121 named topics.
How much do you have to study for Common Professional Examination (CPE)?
The full Common Professional Examination (CPE) outline breaks down into 34 chapters, 121 topics and 158 sub-topics. Contract Law is the largest single subject with 22 topics across 5 chapters.
How long does it take to cover the whole Common Professional Examination (CPE) syllabus?
Roughly 120 hours for one full pass. That estimate allows about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, so it is first-pass coverage — revision, past papers and mock tests sit on top of it. At 3 hours a day that is about 6 weeks.
Are there Common Professional Examination (CPE) flashcards?
Yes — 426 question-and-answer flashcards across 7 decks, one per subject, written against this syllabus. A sample of every deck is readable on this site for free, and the complete decks are in the Examius app.
Is this Common Professional Examination (CPE) syllabus free to use?
Yes. Every page here is free to read, and importing the Common Professional Examination (CPE) syllabus into the Examius app to tick off topics as you finish them is free too, in United Kingdom and everywhere else. No account is needed to start.
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