NCG Exam Study Plan: 8 Weeks to Exam Day
A realistic study schedule for working guardians — organized by NGA Standards domain, with daily session lengths and mock exam timing. No cramming required.
Before You Start: Take the Diagnostic
Before beginning any study plan, take the free 20-question diagnostic. It tells you which NGA Standards domains are already strong and which need the most time — so you can compress the 8-week schedule where you're already confident and expand it where you're not.
The 8-Week Schedule
Weeks 1–2: The Guardian's Legal Role (Standards 100s)
How guardianships are established. The scope and limits of the court order. The guardian's fiduciary duties. Notice requirements and due process. This is the legal foundation — get it right before moving on.
Daily: Read one Standards 100 section. Do 10 practice questions on that section.
Week 3: Personal Care (Standards 200s)
Medical decision-making, living arrangements, personal rights of the ward. Master the distinction between the substituted judgment standard and the best interest standard — this distinction appears repeatedly on the exam.
Daily: 10 practice questions. Focus on decision-making scenarios.
Week 4: Financial Management (Standards 300s)
Estate inventory, investment standards, real property management, income and benefits coordination, expenditure approvals. These questions test whether you know when court approval is required.
Daily: 10 practice questions. Pay special attention to expenditure approval thresholds.
Week 5: Court Reporting (Standards 400s)
Annual reports, accountings, record-keeping obligations. Shorter section — use the extra time to revisit your weakest domain from Weeks 1–4.
Daily: 10 practice questions on reporting. 10 review questions from your weakest prior section.
Week 6: Public and Family Guardianship (Standards 500s–600s)
Considerations specific to public guardian offices and family guardians. Caseload standards, coordination with social services, and family dynamics in the guardianship context.
Daily: 10 practice questions. Continue review of weakest domains.
Week 7: Ethics and Professional Conduct (Standards 700s)
Conflicts of interest, confidentiality, professional development, and self-dealing prohibitions. Ethics questions are scenario-based and often the most nuanced on the exam. Don't underestimate this section.
Daily: 10 practice questions. Focus on conflict of interest scenarios.
Week 8: Mock Exams and Weak-Area Reinforcement
Take two full-length 100-question mock exams under timed conditions. Review every wrong answer. In the final 2 days, do focused review only on topics where your accuracy is below 70%.
Daily: Mock exam (Day 1), full review (Day 2), targeted reinforcement (Days 3–7).
The Day Before the Exam
No new material. Do 20 practice questions to keep your mind warm, then stop. Rest is a study tool — sleep deprivation impairs recall more than any knowledge gap.
Start With the Diagnostic
The diagnostic tells you which weeks of this plan you can compress and which you need to expand.
Take the Free 20-Question Diagnostic