Bihar Public Service Commission Judicial Services

The BPSC Judicial Services exam, formally the Bihar Judicial Services Competitive Examination, is the route into the Bihar judiciary as a Civil Judge (Junior Division). It is conducted by the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC), Patna, for law graduates who want to begin a career on the bench. The current cycle is the 33rd Bihar Judicial Services Competitive Examination, advertised under Advt. No. 12/2026.

This page gives you one place to understand the exam: who can apply, how many posts were advertised, what the stages are, how selection works and how to prepare. Facts that belong only to the 33rd cycle are kept in labelled tables, so the preparation advice stays useful for later cycles too. Detailed pages on the syllabus, exam pattern, eligibility and cut-off are linked from here.

Table of Contents

Where the 33rd BJS stands right now

The 33rd BJS Preliminary Examination was first scheduled for 3 June 2026, but BPSC issued a notice on 25 May 2026 postponing it. We could not verify a revised date on the official website at the time of writing (23 October 2026). Until BPSC publishes one, treat every later date for Mains and the interview as not yet announced.

Keep the official website open for updates: Official BPSC website: https://bpsc.bihar.gov.in/

BPSC Judicial Services at a glance

Notification and important dates

BPSC released the 33rd BJS advertisement on 23 February 2026. Online applications opened on 25 February 2026. The original last date was 18 March 2026, but BPSC extended it to 30 April 2026 by a notice dated 18 March 2026, citing a Supreme Court order in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1110/2025. The notice stated that the other terms of the advertisement stay the same.

Dates here come from BPSC notices and from reports that quote them. They can change. Track the announcements section of the official website and your registered email and mobile number. Some websites still show 30 May 2026 or 3 June 2026 as the exam date, so follow only the latest BPSC notice.

Vacancy details

The 33rd cycle advertised 173 posts of Civil Judge (Junior Division). The category-wise distribution reported from the advertisement is below. Women are reported to have 35 per cent horizontal reservation within these categories, and posts reserved for persons with disabilities are filled as per the advertisement, so read the notice for the full roster.

Vacancy numbers can be revised. In the previous cycle too, the number of posts was revised after the first advertisement, so check the official notice before drawing conclusions about your category.

Eligibility in brief

Here is the short version. The full rules, with relaxations and common doubts, are on the eligibility page.

Educational qualification

You need a law degree (three-year or five-year LL.B.) from a university or institution recognised by the Bar Council of India. Final-year students can apply only if they hold the degree or provisional certificate by the date stated in the advertisement.

Age limit

The age range reported for the 33rd cycle is 22 to 35 years, with the upper limit relaxed for women, persons with disabilities and reserved categories. The reference date reported is 1 August 2025. Treat both as tentative until you check Advt. No. 12/2026.

Practice requirement

This has changed more than once. The Supreme Court restored a three-year practice requirement in its judgment of 20 May 2025. A later judgment of 21 August 2026 (Bhumika Trust v. Union of India) created a transitional window: for recruitment notified up to 31 March 2027, law graduates can apply without prior practice, and from 1 April 2027 one year of actual practice is required. The 33rd advertisement was issued on 23 February 2026, so it falls in the transitional window. Even so, confirm how BPSC applies this to your case in the official notice. Read the detailed BPSC Judicial Services eligibility guide.

Application fee and how to apply

The fee reported for this cycle is Rs. 600 for general and other candidates and Rs. 150 for Bihar SC and ST candidates, women candidates and other concession categories named in the notice. Most reports agree on these figures, but one portal listed a different amount, so confirm the fee on the application form itself.

1. Register once: Create a One Time Registration (OTR) profile on the BPSC online application system.

2. Log in and select the advertisement: Choose Advt. No. 12/2026, 33rd Bihar Judicial Services.

3. Fill and upload: Enter personal and educational details, then upload the photograph, signature and certificates as specified. A live photograph was reported to be required in this cycle.

4. Pay and submit: Pay the fee online and save the confirmation page.

Official candidate login and online application system: https://bpsconline.bihar.gov.in/candidate/login

The application window for the 33rd cycle has closed. If BPSC reopens it, the official site will say so.

Exam pattern and selection process

Selection has three stages. The Preliminary Examination only screens candidates. The final merit list is built from Mains and interview marks.

In Mains, General Hindi and General English are reported as qualifying papers needing 30 per cent each, so their marks are not added to the merit total. Question counts, durations and negative marking in the Preliminary are reported differently by different websites, so we have not stated them as fact. Check the advertisement. The exam pattern page explains each paper in detail. See the BPSC Judicial Services exam pattern.

Syllabus summary

BPSC names the papers in its advertisement and the Bihar judicial service rules, and the topic lists below are working checklists built from them and from the law subjects tested.

Note that recent criminal and evidence law changes (the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita) matter for current preparation. See the syllabus page for the paper-wise checklist. Open the BPSC Judicial Services syllabus.

Salary and career growth

The pay reported for Civil Judge (Junior Division) in Bihar is a pay scale of Rs. 77,840 to Rs. 1,36,520 a month, linked to the Second National Judicial Pay Commission, with dearness allowance, house rent allowance or government accommodation, medical benefits and pension. These are reported figures, not an official statement, so verify them in the advertisement and state rules. In-hand pay varies with allowances and posting.

Newly selected officers go through judicial training at the Bihar Judicial Academy, Patna, before posting. The usual career ladder runs from Civil Judge (Junior Division) to Civil Judge (Senior Division) and then to the District Judge level through promotion and the higher judicial service route. The Patna High Court administers the subordinate judiciary: https://patnahighcourt.gov.in/

How to prepare for the BPSC Judicial Services exam

Judicial services reward bare-act clarity more than coaching shortcuts. A practical order of work looks like this.

1. Weeks 1 to 8, build the law base: Read the core bare acts for Evidence, CPC, CrPC or its replacement, Contract, Transfer of Property and the Constitution, and make short notes while reading.

2. From week 3, add general knowledge: Give 30 to 40 minutes a day to Bihar-focused GK and current affairs, and keep monthly notes.

3. From week 6, start writing: Mains is descriptive, so practise answers to law problems and a Hindi and English essay every week.

4. From week 10, test yourself: Take topic tests, then full-length papers in the Prelims pattern, and keep an error log of every wrong answer.

5. Final phase: Revise from short notes, re-read landmark judgments on your optional subjects and rehearse interview answers.

Pick optional papers deliberately

Mains asks you to choose three optional papers out of five. Choose subjects you already understand from law school, because the Prelims Law paper covers all of them anyway. Constitutional law and Contracts and Torts are common comfortable picks, but your own strengths matter more than trends.

Use mock tests to stay exam-ready

Timed practice helps most while the exam date is uncertain, because it keeps your speed and accuracy from slipping. You can practise online tests and previous-year style papers on Testkart, and use the section-wise analysis to decide what to revise. Pair them with concise study notes for BPSC Judicial Services for daily revision.

Cut-off reference

BPSC publishes category-wise cut-offs after the final result, and they change every year with difficulty, vacancies and the number of applicants. Use previous figures only as a benchmark, and aim for a clear margin above them. Our BPSC Judicial Services cut-off page explains how to read them.