Rajasthan Judicial Service Syllabus, Exam Pattern

Preliminary Examination

• 100 questions, 100 marks, 2 hours, on OMR sheets, in multiple question-paper series.
• 70% on the law subjects of Main Law Papers I and II; 30% on Hindi and English proficiency.
• No negative marking.

15 times the vacancies, category-wise, go through to the Main Examination, plus everyone tied at the last cut-off percentage, subject to the qualifying marks under Cut Off.

Main Examination

About three times the vacancies, category-wise, are called to interview, again subject to qualifying marks in each law paper and in aggregate.

You must sit every written paper and the interview. Miss any one and you won't be recommended for appointment.

The whole syllabus is in the detailed advertisement.

Preliminary

Law (70%) is the same as Main Law Papers I and II below; there's no separate list.

Hindi proficiency: word formation including sandhi and sandhi viched, samas, prefixes and suffixes; word types, covering tatsam, ardhatatsam, tadbhav, deshaj and videshi, and noun, pronoun, adjective, verb and indeclinables; word knowledge, covering synonyms, antonyms, differences in meaning between word pairs, one word for a phrase, similar-sounding words of different meaning, discrimination between synonyms, appropriate word choice and relational vocabulary; correction of words; grammatical categories covering case, gender, number, person, tense, mood, aspect and voice; sentence construction; sentence correction; punctuation; idioms and proverbs; and technical vocabulary, administrative and especially legal.

English proficiency: tenses; articles and determiners; phrasal verbs and idioms; active and passive voice; co-ordination and subordination; direct and indirect speech; modals expressing obligation, request, permission, prohibition, intention, condition, probability, possibility, purpose, reason, companions and contrast; antonyms and synonyms.

Main Examination, Law Paper I

Code of Civil Procedure 1908; the Constitution of India; Indian Contract Act 1872; Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 and the Indian Evidence Act 1872; Limitation Act 1963; Specific Relief Act 1963; Transfer of Property Act 1882; Interpretation of Statutes; Rajasthan Rent Control Act 2001; Hindu laws, namely the Hindu Marriage Act 1955, the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act 1956, the Hindu Succession Act 1956 and the Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act 1956; Rajasthan Court Fees and Suits Valuation Act 1961; Rajasthan Land Revenue Act 1956; Partnership Act 1932; Sale of Goods Act 1930; Registration Act 1908; Mohammedan law relating to succession, marriage, divorce, maintenance and adoption; and Order and Judgment Writing.

Main Examination, Law Paper II

Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 and the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973; Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 and the Indian Evidence Act 1872; Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 and the Indian Penal Code 1860; Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015; Negotiable Instruments Act 1881; Probation of Offenders Act 1958; Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005; Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act 1986; Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012; Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013; Rajasthan Excise Act 1950; Information Technology Act 2000; and Framing of Charge and Judgment Writing.

Note that the new criminal codes and the old ones are both listed, four Rajasthan statutes are named, and each law paper ends with a drafting exercise.

Language papers

An essay in Hindi and an essay in English, 50 marks and two hours each.

Qualification

A Bachelor of Laws (Professional) from a university established by law in India and recognised under the Advocates Act, 1961. You also need a thorough knowledge of Hindi in Devanagari script and of Rajasthani dialects and the social customs of Rajasthan.

Final-year students (final year or final semester of the LL.B.) may apply, but must hold the degree before the Main Examination and send proof to the Registrar (Examination), Rajasthan High Court, Jodhpur within seven days of the Main Examination.

Age

At least 21 and under 40 on the 1 January after the last date for applications. For 2025, with applications closing on 30 March 2025, that was 1 January 2026.

Only one relaxation applies, except the PwBD one, which adds on.

Nationality, health and character

You must be an Indian citizen and pass a medical by a government-notified authority. You need a good character certificate from the head of your last university, college or school, and two more from responsible people unconnected with it and not related to you, written no more than six months before you apply.

Disqualifications

You can't be appointed if you:

• have more than one living spouse;
• have been dismissed or removed from service by a High Court, the Government, a statutory body or a local authority;
• were or are convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude, or have been permanently debarred from any exam or interview by a High Court, the UPSC or a State PSC;
• have been found guilty of professional misconduct under the Advocates Act;
• have more than two children on or after 19 January 2010, subject to the provisos on multiple births, disabled children and remarriage; or
• have accepted dowry at your marriage.

Category certificates

A married SC, ST, OBC or MBC woman needs a caste certificate in her father's name and residence; one in her husband's name isn't accepted. Widow and divorcee reservation needs a death certificate or divorce decree by the last date for applications. A pending divorce case doesn't count.

1. Preliminary Examination, objective, 100 marks. A screen only.
2. Main Examination, four written papers, 300 marks.
3. Interview, 35 marks.

The qualifying marks for each step are under Cut Off.

The interview

It looks at your record at school, college and university, and your character, personality, address and physique. Questions can be general, not just legal, and cover current affairs. Marks are also given for proficiency in Rajasthani dialects and knowledge of Rajasthan's social customs.

The final list

Candidates are ranked on Main Examination plus Interview marks. Equal totals are ordered by general suitability for service, decided first on higher marks.

Reservation for women, including widows and divorcees, is horizontal within each category's vacancies. A rank won under an SC or ST relaxation can be cancelled if the claim proves invalid.

This is the judicial pay structure recommended by the Second National Judicial Pay Commission, not a state civil service grade.

Promotion runs to Senior Civil Judge and then the District Judge Cadre, which the High Court also recruits to directly.

Apply online through the portal linked from the Recruitment page on hcraj.nic.in. Read the advertisement, the Instructions for filling the Online Application Form and the 2010 Rules first.

Pay at an e-Mitra kiosk or Common Service Centre, or by net banking or card. No refunds, and the fee doesn't carry over to another exam unless a court orders it.

• Get every detail right. A wrong or incomplete form is cancelled, and candidature can be cancelled at any stage.
• Upload a clear photo, signature and photo ID. In June 2025 the High Court rejected forms for illegible ID proof.
• Submit one form. Duplicates were deleted in May 2025.
• Apply and pay early. The portal shuts at the deadline.

Category certificates must be issued by the last date for applications. An EWS Income and Asset Certificate is valid for one financial year; an older one can be accepted with a verified affidavit, for up to three financial years.

If you need a scribe, respond to the High Court's scribe notice separately for the preliminary and for the Main Examination. In 2025 they came on 1 July and 12 September.

The Rajasthan High Court, Jodhpur conducts the exam and recommends appointments. There's no commission involved. You join the Rajasthan Judicial Service as a Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate in the district judiciary.

Vacancies, 2025

Two of the 44 were for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities, with backlog vacancies of 2022, 2023 and 2024 carried separately. The number can go up or down during the recruitment without a fresh notice.

The High Court separately recruits to the District Judge Cadre, for advocates of standing. New Civil Judges train at the Rajasthan State Judicial Academy.

Both written exams are likely to be held at Jodhpur and Jaipur. If there are many applicants, other divisional or district headquarters may be added. The High Court can change the place and date, and tells candidates in advance.

The preliminary and Main Examination are separate events months apart, each with its own admission card and its own Instructions for candidates. Read the one for the stage you're sitting; they differ.

The Main Examination is four sittings: two three-hour law papers and two two-hour essays, on a schedule the High Court publishes as a separate notice.

Civil Judge Cadre 2025

Just under ten months end to end: advertised in late February, preliminary in July, Main Examination in the autumn, interviews and final result in December. The next cycle hasn't been advertised; it will appear on the Recruitment page.

Admission cards are uploaded to the online application portal, and the High Court posts a dated notice when they're ready, on the recruitment page for that year (for 2025, Civil Judge Cadre 2025). There are two: one for the preliminary (9 July 2025 last time) and one for the Main Examination (25 September 2025).

Each comes with its own Instructions for candidates. Those are the rules for the day.

An admission card doesn't confirm eligibility. Candidature stays provisional, and final-year candidates still owe proof of the LL.B. within seven days of the Main Examination.

Everything is posted on the year's recruitment page (2025):

• A model answer key for every series of the preliminary, open to objections, then the final key with the preliminary result.
• A statement of preliminary marks.
• The Main Examination result, and a statement of Main Examination marks for candidates who didn't make the interview.
• The final result.

Appointment follows a medical by a government-notified authority, and depends on the character certificates and the disqualifications in the Rules.

The Rules fix the qualifying marks at each stage.

To reach the Main Examination

Ex-servicemen get a further 5% where not enough are available. The real preliminary cut-off is whichever is higher: this minimum, or the mark that fills fifteen times your category's vacancies.

To reach the Interview

You can clear the aggregate and still fail on one law paper.

To be recommended for appointment

The actual marks are in the High Court's statements of marks for the preliminary and for Main Examination candidates who missed the interview, on each year's recruitment page (2025).

Prepare for the Main Examination from the start

Preliminary marks are thrown away. Clear it, but put most of your time into the 300 written marks and the interview.

Write essays in both languages

The Hindi and English essays are 100 of the 300 written marks. Write one in each language, timed, every week. Most candidates prepare only law.

Learn Rajasthan

Read the four Rajasthan statutes in the syllabus: the Rent Control Act 2001, the Court Fees and Suits Valuation Act 1961, the Land Revenue Act 1956 and the Excise Act 1950. Prepare for interview questions on Rajasthani dialects and social customs. Generic judiciary material won't cover either.

Practise drafting

Order and judgment writing ends Law Paper I; framing of charge and judgment writing ends Law Paper II. Work from real orders and judgments.

Know the old codes and the new

BNS with the IPC, BNSS with the CrPC, BSA with the Evidence Act. Build a section-by-section map between them.

Prepare both law papers evenly

You need the minimum in each law paper as well as overall, so a strong paper won't carry a weak one.

Answer everything in the preliminary

No negative marking. And the 30 language marks follow a detailed published grammar syllabus.

Write full papers by hand

Two three-hour law papers and two two-hour essays is a lot of writing. Build the stamina.

Set a target from real marks

The statements of marks from the last recruitment show the actual bar by category.

The Rajasthan High Court publishes past papers: see Previous Year Exam Papers on its site, under Civil Judge Cadre.

Each recruitment's page (for 2025, Civil Judge Cadre 2025) also carries the model and final answer keys for every preliminary series and the statements of marks. The 2025 model key came out in late July and the final key with the result in August.

• Rajasthan High Court
• Recruitment: Civil Judge and District Judge Cadre pages, each with every notice from advertisement to final result
• Civil Judge Cadre 2025: answer keys, statements of marks and the final result
• Civil Judge 2025 detailed advertisement (PDF): vacancies, fee, eligibility and the full scheme and syllabus
• Previous Year Exam Papers
• Rajasthan State Judicial Academy
• Principal Seat, Jodhpur: 0291-2888500 to 04, e-Services helpline 9414056204. Bench at Jaipur: 0141-2227124, e-Services helpline 7023103127

Who conducts the Rajasthan Judicial Service exam?

The Rajasthan High Court, Jodhpur, directly. Not a public service commission.

What post do I get?

Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate, on ₹77,840 to ₹1,36,520.

Do preliminary marks count?

No. Only the Main Examination (300) and Interview (35) count.

Is there negative marking?

Not in the preliminary.

Can I apply in my final year?

Yes, but you must have the LL.B. before the Main Examination and send proof to the Registrar (Examination) at Jodhpur within seven days of it.

What is the age limit?

21 to under 40 on the 1 January after the closing date. Women, SC, ST, OBC, MBC and EWS candidates get 5 years more; ex-servicemen 10 (to a cap of 50); PwBD 5 on top of their category.

Do I need to know Rajasthani?

Yes. It's an eligibility condition, and the interview gives marks for Rajasthani dialects and social customs.

What happens if I miss a paper?

You won't be recommended for appointment.

When is the next recruitment?

Not advertised yet. The last one was advertised on 27 February 2025 and finished on 19 December 2025.