United States
Hong KongSeminar versus self-study
A seminar delivers structure and an orientation to the references in a compressed period. Self-study delivers the index you retrieve from. For an open-book exam the index matters more, which makes self-study the core and a seminar the supplement.
A fair comparison has to start from what the exam actually rewards.
What the exam rewards
Finding things quickly in books you brought. Not recall, and not comprehension in the abstract.
That single fact decides most of this comparison.
What a seminar does well
- Forces a start, which is the hardest part for a busy contractor
- Introduces the reference set and where the important material lives
- Covers the contract and business material, which is where field experience helps least
- Gives you somebody to ask
What it does not do
Two or three days of instruction produces notes and understanding. It does not produce the several dozen tabs, placed by you while looking things up, that let you answer a lookup question in two minutes. That work happens at your own table over weeks and there is no substitute for it.
What self-study does well
Builds the index, spreads the work across a schedule that survives running jobs, and lets you spend time in proportion to the published weighting rather than to a syllabus somebody else designed.
What it does badly
Discipline and diagnosis. Nobody tells you that you are spending too long on safety and not enough on contracts, and nobody notices when you stop.
The sensible combination
A seminar early, to orient and start, then eight to ten weeks of self-study to build the index. Reversed, the seminar arrives after you already know where things are and adds much less.
If you can only do one, do the self-study. It is the one the exam is testing.
Common questions
Is a NASCLA seminar worth it?
As an orientation and a forced start, yes. It cannot build the index you retrieve from during the exam.
What does the exam actually reward?
Finding things quickly in books you brought, rather than recall.
What is self-study good at?
Building your index, fitting a working schedule, and spending time in proportion to the published weighting.
What is self-study bad at?
Discipline and diagnosis. Nobody tells you when your time is misallocated.
What is the best combination?
A seminar early to orient, then eight to ten weeks of self-study to build the index.