Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission Civil Judge

The CGPSC Civil Judge exam is the entry route into the Chhattisgarh judiciary. The Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC) recruits Civil Judges (Junior Division) through a three-stage process: a preliminary screening test, a descriptive main examination and an interview. Law graduates who want to start a career on the bench in the state prepare for this exam.

This page gives you the full picture in one place: where the recruitment cycle stands, who can apply, how selection works, what to study and how to prepare. The last confirmed cycle was advertised in December 2024. A smaller recruitment for the next cycle has been reported, but dates are not announced yet, so treat every date below as tentative until the commission publishes its advertisement.

Table of Contents

CGPSC Civil Judge at a glance

Where the recruitment cycle stands

The 2024 cycle was advertised in December 2024 for 57 posts. A High Court order in April 2025 put the process on hold while a related Supreme Court case on the minimum practice requirement for Civil Judges was pending. The process later went ahead: the preliminary exam was held on 21 September 2025 and the main exam on 21 December 2025. The final result was reported in February 2026.

Since January 2026, coaching and news pages have reported a fresh recruitment for 30 posts. We could not confirm a full advertisement for it on the commission's website at the time of writing, so the vacancy number, category split and dates are all tentative. Check the recruitment section of the CGPSC website before you plan around any date.

Important dates

Tentative dates come from the notification schedule and can change. Track the recruitment page on psc.cg.gov.in and your registered email for the final schedule.

Vacancy details

The 2024 cycle advertised 57 posts. For the next cycle, 30 posts have been reported, but the category-wise split (General, OBC, SC, ST, women and persons with benchmark disabilities) has not been confirmed. Reservation in Chhattisgarh judicial recruitment follows state rules, so the split can only be read from the official advertisement.

Vacancy numbers are indicative until the commission publishes the advertisement. They can also be revised before the preliminary result.

Eligibility in brief

The full rules are on the eligibility page. The headline conditions are below.

Qualification and practice condition

• Degree: An LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws) from a recognised university.

• Enrolment: Enrolment as an advocate under the Advocates Act, 1961 was required in the 2024 cycle. A High Court order allowed non-enrolled candidates to apply provisionally in that cycle, subject to the final outcome of the case.

• Practice rule: The Supreme Court has been reshaping the minimum bar-practice requirement for Civil Judge entry. Its recent transitional directions are summarised on the eligibility page. The advertisement will state what applies to the cycle you are applying for.

Age limit

The age range reported for recent cycles is 21 to 35 years as on 1 January of the advertisement year. Relaxation is available for reserved categories, women and state government employees as per the notification. Read the exact figures in the advertisement before you apply.

Application fee and how to apply

For the 2024 cycle, candidates from Chhattisgarh were reported as exempt from the application fee, and candidates from other states paid Rs. 400, plus a small portal charge. A paid correction window also carried a fee. These are indicative figures from the previous cycle, not a promise for the next one.

Applications are online only. The usual steps are:

1. Open the recruitment section of the official CGPSC website and read the full advertisement.

2. Register with a valid mobile number and email address.

3. Fill in personal, educational and category details exactly as in your certificates.

4. Upload your photograph, signature and any required documents in the stated size and format.

5. Pay the fee if applicable, submit the form and save the confirmation page.

Keep your LL.B. mark sheets, enrolment details, category certificate and domicile certificate ready. Mismatched names, missing certificates and wrongly claimed categories are common reasons for rejection.

Selection process and exam pattern

Selection has three stages. The detailed marks and timing are on the exam pattern page; the summary is below.

Candidates are shortlisted for the main exam in a ratio of roughly ten times the number of vacancies, and for the interview in a smaller multiple of the vacancies. These ratios are as reported for earlier cycles, so confirm them in the new advertisement.

What this means for you:

• Prelims is a gate, not a score: Its marks do not add to your final merit, so use it to clear the cut-off safely and save your best effort for the main exam.

• Mains carries the weight: Mains is 100 of the 115 marks that decide the final rank, and 80 of those 100 marks are for civil and criminal judgment writing.

• Writing practice cannot be postponed: Judgment writing and translation are skills that need weeks of timed practice, not last-minute reading.

Syllabus summary

A detailed topic-by-topic syllabus was not available from an official source we could check, so the table below is a working checklist compiled from statutes commonly listed in earlier CGPSC advertisements and secondary sources. It is not an official list, so compare it with the advertisement for your cycle. The syllabus page expands each row.

Criminal law in India moved to new statutes in July 2024. Check the advertisement to see which criminal statutes the commission lists for your cycle.

Salary and career path

The pay scale reported for the post is Rs. 77,840 to Rs. 1,36,520 per month. This is a reported range from coaching and news pages, not a figure we verified on an official pay document, so confirm it in the advertisement. In-hand pay depends on allowances and the place of posting.

A Civil Judge (Junior Division) begins a long judicial career. With service and performance, officers move up to senior-level civil judge posts and, after the required service and selection, to the higher judicial service. Promotion rules are set by the High Court and state service rules, so read them directly if long-term planning matters to you.

How to prepare for the CGPSC Civil Judge exam

Build the base first

Start with the bare acts. The prelims questions test precise section-level knowledge, and the main exam needs the same sections applied to facts. Read a statute, make short notes, then solve questions on it the same week.

A phased plan

1. First phase: Cover the core civil and criminal statutes and the Constitution from the bare acts and one standard commentary or textbook per subject.

2. Second phase: Add Chhattisgarh statutes and start topic-wise objective practice. Begin translation practice, one passage a day in each direction.

3. Third phase: Start writing judgments. Draft at least one civil and one criminal judgment a week from decided case summaries, framing issues and charges first.

4. Final phase: Attempt full-length prelims mocks, review every error the same day and revise from an error log.

Notes and revision

Short notes, section tables and a case-law list save time in the last month. The study notes page explains what to include and how to revise them.

Previous cut-off reference

The commission published category-wise cut-offs for the 2024 cycle. Open-category minimum marks were reported at about 87 out of 100 for the preliminary stage and 65 out of 100 for the main stage. Treat these as a benchmark only: cut-offs change every year with difficulty, vacancies and the number of applicants. The cut-off page lists the category-wise figures with their caveats.

Explore more on this exam

• CGPSC Civil Judge syllabus for statute-wise topics

• CGPSC Civil Judge exam pattern for marks and timing

• CGPSC Civil Judge eligibility for age, degree and practice rules