BPSC Judicial Services Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility

Preliminary

Held only if the number of candidates rises sharply.

Multiple choice with one correct answer, on OMR. Up to ten times the vacancies go through, with a floor of 45% for unreserved and 40% for reserved candidates.

Main: five compulsory papers

Main: three optional papers out of five

All papers are subjective. Counted written marks: 150 + 100 + 150 + 3 × 150 = 850.

Interview

100 marks, pass at 35%. Candidates are called at 1:3 on written marks, and you must attend. Final merit is written plus interview, out of 950.

The Preliminary uses the syllabus of the Main's General Knowledge, General Science and Law papers. The Main covers:

1. General Knowledge, including current affairs
2. Elementary General Science
3. Law of Evidence and Procedure
4. Constitutional and Administrative Law of India
5. Hindu Law and Muhammadan Law
6. Transfer of Property, with Principles of Equity and the Law of Trusts and Specific Relief
7. Contracts and Torts
8. Commercial Law

The last five are the optionals; you pick three.

Law of Evidence and Procedure, revised in 2026

The Bihar Civil Service (Judicial Branch) (Recruitment) (Amendment) Rules, 2026 set this paper as:

• Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023
• Code of Civil Procedure, 1908
• Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996
• Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023
• Provincial Small Cause Courts Act, 1887
• Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023

Only the new criminal and evidence codes are listed, not the IPC, CrPC or Evidence Act. The Arbitration Act and the Small Cause Courts Act are unusual for a judiciary paper.

The detailed syllabus for every other paper is on BPSC's Syllabus page.

Qualification

A law degree, or equivalent, from an institution recognised by the Bar Council of India. You also need a certificate from the principal or university confirming the institution was BCI-recognised in your academic session.

Three years' practice

At least three years as a legal practitioner on the date of the advertisement, counted from provisional enrolment with a State Bar Council. The practice certificate must come from:

• the Principal Judicial Officer of the court where you practise, or
• an advocate with at least ten years' standing authorised by that officer (or, for the High Court or Supreme Court, authorised by that court).

Law clerk work with any judge or judicial officer in India counts. Applications without the qualification and experience certificates are not accepted.

Age

As printed for the 33rd examination, with two reference dates:

Judicial officers retire at 60. Unreserved men get five attempts at most.

Fitness

You must be physically fit for judicial work, as judged by a medical board. Defective colour vision can't be used to declare you unfit.

Reservation

• Only for original residents of Bihar, and only if claimed in the form with a certificate already in hand.
• 35% horizontal for women, 1% for orthopaedic disability, 10% EWS, all for Bihar residents.
• Married women must produce caste, residence and non-creamy-layer certificates in their father's name and address.

Every certificate must be issued on or before the last date to apply. Extending that deadline doesn't extend this.

1. Preliminary, if held: screening only.
2. Main: eight subjective papers, 850 counted marks.
3. Interview: 100 marks, called at 1:3.

Selection is on Main plus Interview. The Patna High Court, with BPSC's consent, can fix the pass mark for any or all Main papers. Reserved candidates, including women and orthopaedically disabled candidates, get five percentage points lower on each paper and on the aggregate.

Document verification

Bring originals of everything to verification and interview: Class 10 certificate for date of birth, law degree and marksheet, the BCI recognition certificate, proof of enrolment, the experience certificate stating the certifying advocate's ten years' standing, a conduct certificate, category and residence certificates, an NOC if you're in government service, photo ID, four passport photos and a printout of your application.

If something's missing or wrong, you get one final week and can sit the interview provisionally. If it still isn't fixed, your eligibility is re-examined from the start.

A Civil Judge who leaves within three years must give three months' notice or pay three months' pay and allowances.

The 33rd examination is before the Supreme Court. Follow BPSC's Court Cases page and notices, not secondary reports.

Pay follows the National Judicial Pay Commission structure adopted by the state. The advertisement doesn't print a scale.

Vacancies, 33rd examination

Two more posts fall under the 1% orthopaedic disability reservation. The numbers came from a General Administration Department requisition of 29 October 2025 and can change if it's amended.

Apply online at bpsconline.bihar.gov.in. For the 33rd examination the window closed on 18 March 2026.

• Claim reservation in its column on the form, with the certificate already issued. If you don't claim it there, you can't get it later.
• Only relaxations written in the advertisement can be claimed.
• All certificates must be dated on or before the closing date.

The certificate that takes longest is the practice certificate from the Principal Judicial Officer or a ten-year advocate. Start on it early.

BPSC: 15 Nehru Path (Bailey Road), Patna 800001.

No participating institutes. BPSC recruits on a requisition from Bihar's General Administration Department, and the posts are in the district judiciary of Bihar.

The Patna High Court supervises the service and can, with BPSC's consent, fix the pass marks for the Main papers.

BPSC's exam programme of 13 May 2026 put the 33rd preliminary at centres in Patna, in two sittings on 3 June 2026:

That date was postponed. The Main runs over several days with its own programme, and verification and interviews are at BPSC's office in Patna.

Practice is counted to the advertisement date (23 February 2026 here) and certificates to the closing date. Watch BPSC's Exam Calendar and Court Cases pages for the new date.

BPSC posts admit cards on bpsc.bihar.gov.in before each stage, announced by notice. The Preliminary and Main have separate cards, and interview letters are published in their own section.

Read the exam programme notice with it for the sittings and timings. In this cycle the programme was withdrawn twelve days after it came out, so an admit card doesn't guarantee the date.

General Hindi and English aren't in the total. The 1:3 interview ratio comes from a GAD letter of 4 October 2019.

BPSC publishes results, mark sheets and question booklets for each exam on bpsc.bihar.gov.in. The 33rd examination has no result yet because no paper has been held.

BPSC publishes fixed qualifying marks, not cut-off figures:

In a big year the real Preliminary cut-off is whichever is higher: the floor, or the mark that fills ten times the vacancies. Actual marks are in the mark sheets BPSC publishes after each exam.

1. Get your certificates sorted first. No three-year practice certificate or BCI-session certificate, no application.
2. Don't over-prepare Hindi and English. Clear 30 in each comfortably and spend the rest on the 850 that count.
3. Pick optionals you know. They're 450 of the 850.
4. Take GK and General Science seriously. They're 250 of the 850, subjective, and practising lawyers tend to neglect them.
5. Read the Arbitration Act and Small Cause Courts Act properly. They're in the compulsory paper and missing from most judiciary material.
6. Write full three-hour papers. Eight subjective papers over several days is a stamina test.
7. For the Preliminary, practise 150 Law questions in two hours on OMR.
8. Use BPSC's mark sheets to set a target score.
9. Count your attempts if you're limited to five.

BPSC publishes question booklets, answer keys and mark sheets for its exams in their own sections on bpsc.bihar.gov.in. No papers exist yet for the 33rd examination because none has been held.

The Advertisement No. 12/2026 sets out the full scheme, and the Syllabus page has the detailed syllabus for each paper.

• Bihar Public Service Commission: bpsc.bihar.gov.in
• Advertisements, including Advertisement No. 12/2026 for the 33rd examination
• Syllabus
• Exam Calendar
• Court Cases
• Postponement notice of 25 May 2026
• Online application
• BPSC, 15 Nehru Path (Bailey Road), Patna 800001

Can a fresh law graduate apply?

No. You need three years' practice, counted from provisional enrolment.

Does law clerk work count?

Yes, with any judge or judicial officer in India.

Do General Hindi and General English count?

No. You must score 30 in each, but the marks aren't added to merit.

What are the merit marks?

950: 850 written and 100 interview.

What does it cost?

₹100, plus ₹200 if you don't give an Aadhaar number.

How many attempts do I get?

Five, unless you're reserved category, a woman or orthopaedically disabled.

Can colour blindness disqualify me?

No.

Can candidates from outside Bihar claim reservation?

No. It's only for original residents of Bihar.

When is the next exam?

The 33rd examination is postponed after a Supreme Court interim order, with no new date as of 10 September 2026. Watch bpsc.bihar.gov.in.