All you need to know about the Judicial Services Exam

Eligibility, Exam Pattern and Preparation Strategy

One of the most aspired field of Legal professionals is to appear for this exam and pass them too. This is a good way for those individuals who want to make a career in the field of Judiciary. This exam is conducted by the state government and The Union Public Service Commission which plays a huge role in appointing the candidates in the post of high authority and responsibility of civil judges and magistrates.

This exam is important to select deserving candidates for the judicial services in the country. That’s why the level of complexity is higher and judges an individual knowledge about the various legal aspects like constitutional law, civil law, criminal law and procedural law. The objective of this exam is to select judges who will serve the justice and truth.

Now, you may wonder about what are the eligibility or qualification criteria which one must have to appear for this exam.

 Below written are some qualifications to consider:-

1. He/she should be a citizen of India.
2. He/she must done a degree of LLB/LLM. Not mandatory to have LLM degree to appear for this exam.
3. He/she must have degree of LLB from a recognized university of India.
4. He/she must be an enrolled Advocate under the Advocate Act 1961 who must have a membership in the state Bar Council.

Different states have some different Eligibility criteria.

For an Example,

1. Madhya Pradesh:- Person applying for this exam must be between the age group of 21 years to 35 years.
2. Bihar:- They must be in between the age group of 22 years to 35 years. For the prelims the minimum marks should be 45% for general category and 40% for others.
3. Rajasthan:- The age criteria is between 21 years to 40 years. And qualifying marks like we read in Bihar.
4. Delhi:- They must be between 21 years to 32 years and with all the above criteria.
5. Uttar Pradesh:- The age should be between 22 years to 35 years. And the candidate must know the Hindi Language in Devanagari Script to apply for this exam.

Exam Pattern

Almost the states have same pattern of taking examinations and the difference is in number of papers and questions. Knowing the exam pattern is the second step after the eligibility criteria as it gives you an idea about how this exam will happen and help you in preparing in a right direction.

There are Three stages of this examination:–

1. Preliminary Examination:- The first stage of these Judicial services examinations is to qualify the Prelims which consists of multiple questions. If the individual clear this stage then only can enter into the second stage.
2. Mains Examinations:- The second stage of this examination is Mains. Under this stage there are three to four papers like Criminal Law, Civil Law-1, Civil Law-2 and also a Language paper.
3. Interview:- The final stage to qualify for this exam is to crack the personality test and the interview which is based on elements like general knowledge, aptitude and personality test.

For an Example:-

Bihar State:-

Some of the compulsory subjects are:-

1. General Knowledge which includes current affairs. Total Marks:-150
2. Elementary General Science [ Total Marks:- 100]
3. General Hindi. [ Total Marks:- 100]
4. General English. [ Total Marks:- 100]
5. Law of Evidence and Procedure [total Marks:- 150]

There are some Optional subjects too for the Mains examinations:-

1. Constitutional and Administrative Law of India.
2. Hindi Law and Muhammadan Law.
3. Law Of Transfer of Property and Principles of Eqity, Law of Trusts and Specific Relief
4. Law of Contracts and Torts.
5. Commercial Law.

Total Marks= 150 each.

[Note:- The compulsory and Optional Subject may vary from state to state.]

• Prelims:- Candidates are given two hours to give prelims exams almost in every state. Which have 100 total questions and 100 Total Marks. This is an objective type question paper with Mcqs and can be called as a type of screening test for mains. Generally it have two sections. Section one is about General Knowledge, English Language and Computer Knowledge and Section two have law related topics like Indian Penal code and Code of Civil Procedure.

• Mains:- People who have qualified above the cut-off criteria can be eligible to enter in this stage of examination. The total number of compulsory papers may vary from one state to another but this stage also consist of a qualifying paper. The time is between 3-4 hours. It have papers like Civil Law, Criminal Law, English and a regional Language. This stage have descriptive type of questions which will test your knowledge and aptitude. The subject varies from state to state.

• Interview:- After cracking above two stages candidates need to qualify the Personality test too. In this round they need to get the aggregate marks which can make them selected to the final merit list. This is the final and hence an important stage which can make or break your dream. It tests your Communications skills, Knowledge and Suitability. The candidate needs to understand the paper and be well-prepared to get qualified.

Preparation Strategy:

Understanding and choosing a right way of doing hardwork is what a powerful pillar of having a strong preparation strategy. Below written are the some elements which can be a part of your strategy:-

1. Understanding the syllabus and exam pattern:- Analyze the syllabus and the core of the examination and prepare according to the syllabus.  And know about the exam pattern. Hardwork and smart work are both an important aspects.
2. Use standard Textbooks:- For the deep understanding of the concepts use proper study materials and standard textbooks. Also, it’s advisable to read commentaries by legal experts gives an insight into practical law aspects.
3. Revise Regularly:- Consistent revision is far more important and as we forget things easily with time. Create a revision schedule and revisit the topics with time.
4. Practice PYQS:- Solving the previous year’s question papers are for almost every examinations. It will give to an idea, of the structure of questions and practice makes you perfect.
5. Stay updated:- Keep recent judgements, amendments and legal affairs in mind and stay update with the change.
6. Time Management:- Manage time with prioritizing, practicing and focusing is a critical and important part of whole journey.
7. Writing Practice:- Mains exams needs descriptive answers to writing skills are so important and that’s the way to solve PYQS and focus of quality and structure and format of answers too. Work on Presentation of your work too. Be Organized.
8. Analytical and Critical Thinking:- Develop a habit of reading, observing, analyzing and thinking deeply and evaluating and forming perspectives which will help you in answer writing in mains and during interviews too.
9. Referencing Leading Cases:- Quote and discuss some landmark cases relevant to the questions you are answering. This will show your awareness, knowledge and understanding of legal topics.
10. Practice Mock Interviews:- Participate in Judiciary mock Interviews and get adaptable to the environment of interview. This will help in making you more confident during the time of your interview.