Bihar Judicial Service · BPSC
Bihar makes you write more law than any state — 900 marks of descriptive Mains.
No state asks for this much writing. We map where the marks actually sit, subject-by-subject across four prelims and five mains papers, the Bihar-only law nobody else tests, and the shift to the new criminal codes.
- Conducting body BPSC, Patna
- Post Civil Judge (Junior Division)
- Eligibility LLB from a recognised university
- Age 22–35 (up to 40 for women / reserved)
- Stages Prelims → Mains → Interview
- Language Hindi & English (translation papers in Mains)
Three stages, and only two of them count toward your rank.
Prelims is a pure filter. Your entire merit is built in the Mains and the interview — plan your time accordingly.
Stage 1 · Screening
Preliminary Exam
Objective · OMR
Two papers. Marks count only for short-listing — they are NOT added to your Mains total.
- Paper 1 — General Studies
- 100 marks · 1 hr 30 min
- Paper 2 — Law
- 150 marks · 2 hr
- Cut-off to clear
- 45% general · 40% reserved
Stage 2 · Selection
Main (Written) Exam
Descriptive · 10 papers
Six law papers carry 900 marks and decide your rank. General Hindi & English need 30% but do not count toward merit.
- 6 law papers
- 150 marks each · 900 total
- GK + Elementary Science
- 150 + 100 marks
- General Hindi + English
- 100 + 100 (qualifying)
Stage 3 · Final
Interview / Viva
Personality + law
Called on the basis of Mains marks. Final merit = Mains (written) + Interview.
- Basis of call
- Mains written score
- Merit
- Written + Viva
- Prelims weight in merit
- Zero (screening only)
Can you apply? Check this before anything else.
Qualification
A degree in Law (LLB) from a recognised university, held by the last date of application.
Age
22–35 years (as on 01.08.2025). Up to 40 for women & reserved categories; further relaxation for Bihar Government employees.
Bar enrolment
Not required — fresh law graduates may apply. You need not be an enrolled advocate.
Nationality
Indian citizen.
Language
Comfort with Hindi (Devanagari) — Mains carries a qualifying General Hindi paper.
Attempts
No attempt limit specified in the notification — only the age ceiling applies.
The full syllabus, paper by paper.
Prelims screens you on two papers; Mains tests the six law papers that build your rank.
Prelims
Indian History (Ancient/Medieval/Modern), Geography (India & physical), General Science, Indian polity & economy, and current affairs.
Constitutional & Administrative Law · Contracts & Torts · Transfer of Property, Equity, Trusts & Specific Relief · Hindu & Muslim Law · Commercial Law · Evidence & Procedure (CPC, BNSS, BSA, BNS, Arbitration, Provincial Small Cause Courts).
Mains — 10 papers
- Law of Evidence & Procedure150
- Constitutional & Administrative Law of India150
- Hindu Law & Muhammadan Law150
- Transfer of Property, Equity, Trusts & Specific Relief150
- Law of Contracts & Torts150
- Commercial Law150
- General Knowledge (incl. current affairs)150
- Elementary General Science100
- General Hindi (qualifying)100
- General English (qualifying)100
The six law papers, ranked by how hard prelims actually tests them.
Share of the 371 classified law questions across the 2009, 2013, 2016 and 2021 prelims. These six buckets are the exact six Mains law papers — so this is your map for both stages.
Constitutional & Administrative Law
29%Heaviest law subject
Fundamental Rights (14, 19, 20, 21, 25), basic structure & Art. 368, writs, federalism, emergency, delegated legislation, natural justice.
Contracts & Torts
19%Most predictable scorer
Consideration, free consent, minor’s capacity (Mohori Bibee), frustration, bailment, guarantee · tort maxims, Rylands v. Fletcher, negligence, vicarious liability.
Transfer of Property, Equity, Trusts & Specific Relief
17%Section-recall rewards you
Ostensible owner (s.41), lis pendens (s.52), perpetuity (s.14), part performance (s.53A), mortgages · equity maxims, trusts, specific performance, injunctions.
Hindu & Muhammadan Law
15%Rising — now core
Coparcenary & partition, succession (Class I heirs, 2005 amendment), valid Hindu marriage · Muslim sources, talaq, iddat, dower, hiba, wakf, pre-emption.
Commercial Law
11%Comes in tidy blocks
Company (MoA/AoA, indoor management, ultra vires), Sale of Goods (caveat emptor, unpaid seller), Partnership, NI Act (holder in due course, s.138).
Law of Evidence & Procedure
9%Light in prelims — huge in Mains
CPC res judicata, review/revision; Evidence dying declaration, estoppel, presumptions; Arbitration; CrPC bail, s.125, FIR. Bundles 4–5 codes.
What to study first, and what gives the most marks per hour.
- Do first Constitution + GS
Together they are the largest single chunk of the whole exam. Non-negotiable, near-certain marks.
- High return Contract · Torts · TPA
~45% of the law pool combined and the most predictable — maxims, leading cases, exact sections repeat.
- Now core Hindu & Muslim Law
Personal law is ~15% of the law pool and rising. Treat as a scoring subject, not a residual one.
- Cheap & narrow Equity · Trusts · Specific Relief · Arbitration
Tiny, repetitive question pools — a few guaranteed marks for little effort.
- Prelims-light, Mains-heavy CPC · CrPC · Evidence
Thin in prelims but they dominate the 150-mark Evidence & Procedure mains paper. Don’t skip.
The state-specific edge most all-India material skips.
Provincial Small Cause Courts Act, 1887
Bihar’s state-specific signal. Low volume (appeared in the 2021 prelims and the 2021 Evidence & Procedure mains paper) but high-certainty — definitions, jurisdiction, appeal/revision. Cheap marks if you revise it once.
Study the new codes — BNS, BNSS, BSA
The current syllabus lists Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (2023). Every available PYQ still uses IPC / CrPC / Evidence Act — re-map old section numbers; the concepts (bail, dying declaration, charge, presumptions) still recur.
Everything you need to practise Bihar Judiciary — free.
Past Bihar prelims papers (2009–2021), solved and arranged like the real exam.
Open Mains Mains Questions & SolutionsBihar mains papers (2000–2021) with model answers for the six law papers.
Open Notes Free Notes & LecturesSubject-wise notes — CPC, Constitution, Evidence, Hindu & Muslim Law and more.
OpenRead the actual Bihar papers this analysis is built on.
Start with the distribution files for the big picture, then solve full papers in timed blocks.
Method: every question in four prelims papers (695 total, 371 law) and five mains papers was read and classified by legal subject — not inferred from headings. The 2009 file under-captures General Studies and the 2021 file is partly merged, so treat exact counts as well-grounded estimates.
Bihar Judiciary — quick answers.
Who conducts the Bihar Judiciary exam?
The Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC), Patna, recruits for the post of Civil Judge (Junior Division) in the Bihar Judicial Service.
What is the eligibility for Bihar Judiciary?
An LLB degree from a recognised university and age between 22 and 35 years (up to 40 for women and reserved categories). Fresh law graduates can apply — bar enrolment is not required.
Does the Prelims score count in the final merit?
No. The Preliminary Exam is only a screening test. Final merit is built from the Mains (written) papers and the interview.
What is the Prelims cut-off?
The qualifying cut-off is 45% for unreserved candidates and 40% for reserved categories.
How many papers are in the Mains?
Ten papers. Six are law papers worth 150 marks each (900 total) and decide your rank; General Hindi and General English are qualifying only.
Should I study IPC/CrPC or the new criminal codes?
The current syllabus lists the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), 2023. Study the new codes and re-map old previous-year section numbers.
Is Hindi compulsory for Bihar Judiciary?
Yes. The Mains includes a qualifying General Hindi paper (minimum 30%), so working comfort with Hindi is essential.
Practise on questions built to this exact weightage.
Free mock series modelled on the BPSC pattern — GS + Law prelims, the six law papers, and BNS/BNSS/BSA-mapped questions.