Telangana State Judicial Service · High Court of Telangana
In Telangana, clear the screening, clear Telugu — then the real exam starts.
The screening MCQs only get you to the merit papers, where the Telugu requirement is a hard gate. We map it subject-by-subject from three screening and three mains papers, the Telangana-only Acts, and the shift to the new criminal codes.
- Conducting body High Court for the State of Telangana
- Post Civil Judge (Junior Division)
- Eligibility LLB + Bar enrolment + 3 yrs practice
- Age 23–35 (up to 40 for EWS/SC/ST/BC)
- Stages Screening → Written → Viva Voce
- Language Answers in English; Telugu reading/writing required
Three stages, and only two of them build your rank.
The screening test is a pure filter and Paper III only qualifies. Your entire merit comes from the two written law papers and the viva — plan your time accordingly.
Stage 1 · Screening
Screening Test (CBT)
Objective · 100 MCQs
A pure filter. 100 marks in 2 hours, same Civil + Criminal syllabus. Marks do NOT count toward final merit.
- Format
- 100 marks · 2 hr · CBT
- Cut-off to clear
- 40% and above
- Shortlist ratio
- 1:10 of vacancies
Stage 2 · Selection
Written Examination
Descriptive · 3 papers
Only Papers I and II (200 marks) build your aggregate. Paper III (English) is qualifying — 50% in each part or you are out.
- Paper I — Civil Laws
- 100 marks · 3 hr
- Paper II — Criminal Laws
- 100 marks · 3 hr
- Paper III — English
- 100 (qualifying only)
Stage 3 · Final
Viva Voce
Personality + law · 30 marks
Called at 1:3 of vacancies on Papers I + II. Final merit = Written (Papers I + II) + Viva Voce.
- Viva marks
- 30
- Basis of call
- Papers I + II aggregate
- Screening weight in merit
- Zero (filter only)
Can you apply? Check this before anything else.
Qualification
A degree in Law from a recognised Indian university, held by the date of the notification.
Age
23–35 years as on the notification date (up to 40 for EWS, SC, ST and BC categories — the 35-year ceiling is relaxable by 10 years).
Bar enrolment & practice
Must be enrolled as an Advocate and have at least 3 years’ practice before the Telangana High Court or courts under it (Law Clerk / Research Assistant experience counts).
Nationality
Indian citizen.
Telugu language
Must be able to read and write Telugu fluently and pass the prescribed Telugu test — tested in Paper III, Part-I.
Attempts
No attempt limit specified in the notification — only the age ceiling applies.
The full syllabus, paper by paper.
The screening test and the written papers share one Civil + Criminal syllabus; the written exam splits it into Paper I and Paper II, which alone build your rank.
Screening
A Computer Based Test of 2 hours drawing on the SAME Civil + Criminal syllabus as the written papers. Securing 40% shortlists you at 1:10 of vacancies; the marks do not count toward final merit.
Written — 3 papers + viva
- Paper I — Civil Laws100
- Paper II — Criminal Laws100
- Paper III — English (Part-I Telugu translation 30 · Part-II essay, grammar & vocabulary 70 — qualifying, 50% in each part)100
- Viva Voce (final merit = Papers I + II + Viva)30
The top subjects, ranked by how hard the screening paper actually tests them.
Share of the 300 classified screening MCQs across the 2019, 2020 and 2023 papers. The same syllabus drives Paper I (Civil) and Paper II (Criminal) in the written exam — so this is your map for both stages.
Code of Civil Procedure (CPC)
20%The make-or-break subject
Rising every year — 13 → 19 → 27 MCQs (27% of the 2023 paper). Execution (s.47, s.60), rejection/return of plaint (O.VII), res judicata (s.11), ex-parte decrees, appeals, review, caveat (s.148A).
Indian Evidence Act
12%Stable, heavy, tested in BOTH papers
A steady 10–14 MCQs/year. Dying declaration, electronic records (s.65B), estoppel, expert opinion, burden of proof, examination & cross-examination. Recurs in Paper I and Paper II.
Indian Penal Code (IPC)
11%Large but volatile
Fell 12 → 5 across 2019–2023. Culpable homicide vs murder (s.300), private defence, common intention vs common object, robbery vs dacoity, criminal breach of trust, dowry-death presumption.
Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC)
11%Surging where IPC fell
Jumped 9 → 16 by 2023 — criminal weight shifted from substantive to procedural. Charge, bail (anticipatory/regular), s.125 maintenance, s.313, s.164, s.319, FIR, plea bargaining.
Indian Contract Act
6%Reliable mid-tier scorer
Competence to contract, free consent, coercion, void agreements & public policy, damages for breach, force majeure (the COVID-19 lockdown-rent problem recurs in mains).
Negotiable Instruments Act (s.138–148A)
5%Fading — cover basics only
11 MCQs in 2019 collapsed to 1 by 2023. s.138 complaint via power of attorney, offence by a company, territorial jurisdiction, non-signatory spouse. Don’t over-invest.
What to study first, and what gives the most marks per hour.
- Do first CPC
Single biggest subject, ~20% average and rising to 27% in 2023. Dominates Paper I. Non-negotiable.
- The big four CPC · Evidence · IPC · CrPC
Together ~53% of every screening paper. Command these four alone and you clear the 40% cut-off.
- Tested in both papers Indian Evidence Act
Steady 10–14 MCQs and a recurring section of BOTH mains law papers. Master s.65B, s.32, s.27, burden of proof.
- Emerging Constitution of India
Absent until 2020, then a 13-question block in 2023. Prepare it even though it is not in the express syllabus.
- Cheap & certain Telangana Rent · Land Encroachment · Excise · Gaming
Narrow, repetitive pools worth ~5–6 guaranteed marks. Revise once; bank them.
- Don’t skip Drafting + Telugu
Mains tests plaint/written-statement drafting and issue-framing. Paper III demands 50% in Telugu translation AND essay/grammar.
The state-specific edge most all-India material skips.
Telangana local Acts — guaranteed easy marks
Telangana Buildings (Lease, Rent & Eviction) Control Act 1960, Telangana Land Encroachment Act 1905, Telangana Excise Act 1968 and Telangana Gaming Act 1974 each yield 1–2 MCQs a year — collectively ~5–6 certain marks from a narrow pool. In mains they appear as full descriptive questions (a 2021 Land Encroachment judgment-writing problem; 2023 Rent Act and Excise Act questions).
Telugu is mandatory — Paper III can end your attempt
You must read and write Telugu fluently. Paper III is only qualifying, but you need 50% in EACH part: Part-I (30 marks) is English↔Telugu translation, Part-II (70 marks) is legal-topic essays, grammar and vocabulary. All other answers are in English. Miss either part and you are eliminated despite strong law papers.
Study the new codes — BNS, BNSS, BSA
The syllabus now lists Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (in force 1 July 2024). Every analysed 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 Telangana Judiciary — free.
Past Telangana screening papers (2019–2023), solved and arranged like the real CBT.
Open Mains Mains Questions & SolutionsTelangana written papers (2019–2023) with model answers for the Civil and Criminal law papers.
Open Notes Free Notes & LecturesSubject-wise notes — CPC, Evidence, IPC, CrPC, Contract and the Telangana local Acts.
OpenRead the actual Telangana 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 three screening papers (300 MCQs, 100/year) and three mains papers was read and classified by legal subject — not inferred from headings. A few 2020 and 2023 questions carry official ambiguity notes or are garbled in the source; they are still counted, so treat exact counts as well-grounded estimates.
Telangana Judiciary — quick answers.
Who conducts the Telangana Judiciary exam?
The High Court for the State of Telangana recruits Civil Judges (Junior Division) for the Telangana State Judicial Service under the Telangana State Judicial (Service and Cadre) Rules, 2023.
What is the eligibility for Telangana Judiciary?
A law degree, enrolment as an Advocate, and at least 3 years’ practice before the Telangana High Court or courts under it; age 23–35 (up to 40 for EWS/SC/ST/BC). Fresh graduates are not eligible — the practice requirement is mandatory.
Is Telugu compulsory for Telangana Judiciary?
Yes. You must read and write Telugu fluently — Paper III, Part-I (30 marks) is English↔Telugu translation and you need 50% in each part of Paper III to qualify, even though all other answers are in English.
Does the Screening Test score count in the final merit?
No. The Screening Test is only a filter to shortlist candidates at 1:10 of vacancies. Final merit is built from the written Papers I and II and the Viva Voce.
What is the Screening Test cut-off?
Candidates securing 40% and above are shortlisted in the ratio of 1:10 of the available vacancies for the Written Examination.
How many papers are in the Written Examination?
Three, of 100 marks each. Paper I (Civil Laws) and Paper II (Criminal Laws) decide merit; Paper III (English) is qualifying only.
Should I study IPC/CrPC or the new criminal codes?
The syllabus now lists the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), in force from 1 July 2024. Study the new codes and re-map old previous-year section numbers.
Practise on questions built to this exact weightage.
Free mock series modelled on the High Court of Telangana pattern — the 100-MCQ screening test, the Civil and Criminal law papers, Telangana local Acts and BNS/BNSS/BSA-mapped questions.