Career · 9 min read · 2026-06-08
How to Build Your PSRAS Portfolio While Working Full Time
Many PSRAS candidates join firms while still employed elsewhere. Balancing unsocial custody hours, workbook quality, and exam preparation is demanding but manageable with firm communication, structured online revision, and realistic weekly goals.
Be honest with your firm about availability
Firms roster custody cover based on availability. If you cannot attend overnight sessions until you leave your current job, say so early. Some practices can phase training; others need immediate cover — better to align expectations before joining than to miss calls repeatedly.
Supervised attendances are not optional extras. Portfolio evidence from real cases demonstrates readiness in ways mock exams alone cannot. Protect at least two to three attendance windows per week once your firm confirms typical call patterns.
Workbook quality over quantity
Busy candidates sometimes rush workbook entries with thin narratives. Assessors prefer fewer attendances with strong Code C analysis over many pages describing “attended custody, advised client, left.”
After each attendance, note one PACE issue, one advice decision, and one reflection question. Link weak topics to PSR Train module scores — if identification questions fail repeatedly, reflect on Code D issues from your next ID-related attendance.
Online prep in small blocks
Full-time workers rarely have two-hour study blocks daily. Use twenty-minute sessions: ten timed MCQs, one CIT scenario branch, or one Code C paragraph with three bullet notes. PSR Train’s mobile-friendly practice suits commutes and lunch breaks better than attempting weekly cram sessions.
Timed mock exams on PSR Train fit best at weekends when you can simulate assessment conditions. Do not defer all revision until annual leave — consistency beats intensity for PSRAS knowledge retention.
Protect sleep and supervision time
Custody work is exhausting. Candidates who burn out before assessments underperform in CIT role-play and written papers alike. Build decompression time after night attendances before you attempt serious revision.
Use supervisor debriefs actively. Fifteen focused minutes after an attendance saves hours of guessing whether your interview advice matched firm standards. Full-time employment makes debriefs easy to skip — treat them as part of the portfolio, not an optional extra.
Balancing employment and accreditation is a marathon common in criminal defence. Firms have seen it before; communicate, document well, and use structured online tools to keep exam preparation moving between attendances.