For several centuries, education at one of the Inns of Chancery was the first step towards becoming a barrister. A student would first join one of the Inns of Chancery, where he would be taught in the form of moots and rote learning. He would also be taught by Readers sent from the Inn of Court that his Inn of Chancery was attached to, who would preside over the moots and discuss cases with the students. At the end of each legal term, particularly promising students would be transferred to the parent Inn of Court and begin the next stage of their education. By 1461 there were approximately 100 students studying at the Inns of Chancery at any one time.