U.P. Judicial Service · UPPSC
UP’s prelims alone carries 450 marks — and its own revenue law you won’t find in any other state.
A heavyweight prelims with 1/3 negative marking, then three law papers. We map where the marks sit subject-by-subject from two prelims and two mains sittings, UP’s own revenue and local Acts, and the shift to the new criminal codes.
- Conducting body UPPSC, Prayagraj
- Post Civil Judge (Junior Division)
- Eligibility LLB / enrolled Advocate + working Hindi (Devanagari)
- Age 22–35 (relaxations for reserved categories)
- Attempts Four chances maximum
- Stages Prelims → Mains → Viva-voce
Three stages, and only two of them count toward your rank.
Prelims is a pure filter that short-lists 1:10. Your entire merit is built in the Mains and the viva — plan your time accordingly.
Stage 1 · Screening
Preliminary Exam
Objective · MCQ · two papers
Pure short-listing filter. Prelims marks are NOT added to your final merit — only the 1:10 cut-off matters.
- Paper I — General Knowledge
- 150 marks · 2 hr
- Paper II — Law
- 300 marks · 2 hr
- Negative marking
- 1/3 (0.33) per wrong answer
Stage 2 · Selection
Main (Written) Exam
Descriptive · 6 papers · 900 marks
Three 200-mark Law papers (600 marks) build your rank. GK is 200; English & Hindi Language are 100 each.
- 3 Law papers
- 200 marks each · 600 total
- General Knowledge
- 200 marks
- English + Hindi Language
- 100 + 100 marks
Stage 3 · Final
Viva-voce (Interview)
Personality + law · 100 marks
Called from Mains in a 1:3 ratio. Final merit = Mains (written) + Viva. Prelims contributes nothing.
- Interview
- 100 marks
- Merit
- Written + Viva
- Prelims weight in merit
- Zero (screening only)
Can you apply? Check this before anything else.
Qualification
An LLB from a recognised university, OR an Advocate enrolled under the Advocates Act, 1961, entitled to practise — held by the last date of application.
Age
22–35 years (as on 1 July of the relevant year). Relaxation of 5 years for SC/ST/OBC of U.P., 15 years for Persons with Disabilities; 40 has not been adopted by the High Court.
Bar enrolment
Not separately required — a fresh LLB graduate qualifies. An enrolled advocate entitled to practise also qualifies.
Eligibility bar
Persons dismissed from Government service, debarred by a Bar Council, or convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude are not eligible.
Language
A thorough knowledge of Hindi in Devanagari script is mandatory — Mains carries a 100-mark Hindi Language paper.
Attempts
A maximum of four (04) chances is permitted — beyond the age ceiling, the attempt cap applies.
The full syllabus, paper by paper.
Prelims screens you on two papers; Mains tests six papers, with three Law papers that build your rank.
Prelims
Indian History & Culture, Geography, Polity, Economy, India & the world, International Affairs, Science & Technology, and social-welfare statutes (POCSO, DV Act, Dowry Prohibition, PCPNDT, MTP).
Jurisprudence · International Organisations & Current International Affairs · Indian Constitution · Transfer of Property · Evidence · IPC · CPC · CrPC · Law of Contract, plus current legal happenings. Negative marking of 1/3 applies.
Mains — 6 papers
- Paper 1 — General Knowledge200
- Paper 2 — English Language (qualifying scope)100
- Paper 3 — Hindi Language100
- Paper 4 — Law-I (Substantive Law; Constitution 50)200
- Paper 5 — Law-II (Procedure & Evidence)200
- Paper 6 — Law-III (Penal, Revenue & Local Laws)200
The prelims law subjects, ranked by how hard they are actually tested.
Share of the 293 classified questions across the 2018 and 2023 prelims papers. UP spreads its marks unusually evenly — there is no single dominant subject to lean on.
Civil Procedure Code (CPC)
13%Largest single subject
Jurisdiction, decree/order definitions, execution, commissions, res judicata, pleadings, Order–Rule matching. Very stable across years — old PYQs revise perfectly.
Law of Evidence
12%Rising sharply
Confession/admission, dying declaration, expert opinion, burden of proof, examination of witnesses, and electronic-evidence provisions (Ss. 65A/65B, 85A–85C).
Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC)
12%Strong & growing
Arrest, bail, charge, cognizance, jurisdiction of courts, sentencing powers of magistrates, FIR/investigation case law.
International Law / Organisations
12%UP’s distinctive block
UN Charter articles, ICJ, sources of international law (Art. 38), organs of the UN, current international affairs. UP weights this far more than most states.
Indian Penal Code (IPC)
12%Heaviest substantive subject
Property offences (theft, extortion, criminal breach of trust), offences against women, general exceptions, joint/constructive liability. Match-the-list and illustrations.
Contract · TPA · Constitution · Jurisprudence
10%Steady scorers (~8–10% each)
Contract formation, consideration, frustration · TPA lis pendens, part performance, vested/contingent interest · FR & Art. 21, DPSP · schools of law, Austin/Kelsen/Salmond. Match-the-list friendly.
What to study first, and what gives the most marks per hour.
- Do first CPC · CrPC · Evidence
The procedural + evidence trio is ~37% of all prelims questions and rising every paper. It is also Mains Law Paper II. Master it first.
- High return IPC
~12% of prelims and the heaviest substantive subject. Property offences and offences against women recur every year — and it anchors Mains Paper III.
- UP edge International Law & Organisations
~12% — UP’s distinctive heavy block, far larger than other states. UN Charter, ICJ and current international affairs are easy marks most aspirants skip.
- Reliable marks Contract · TPA
~10% each, stable and match-the-list friendly. Disciplined revision turns these into guaranteed scoring subjects.
- Mains-critical UP Revenue & Local Laws + drafting
Absent from prelims but 150 marks of Mains Paper III, plus the compulsory plaint/charge/judgment drafting in Paper II. Non-negotiable for the written stage.
The state-specific edge most all-India material skips.
UP local & revenue laws own Mains Law Paper III
Paper III gives 150 of its 200 marks to UP statutes — UP Revenue Code 2006, UP Urban Buildings (Letting, Rent & Eviction) Act 1972, UP Regulation of Urban Premises Tenancy Act 2021, UP Municipalities Act, UP Panchayat Raj Act, UP Consolidation of Holdings Act, and the UP Urban (Planning & Development) Act 1973. Answers to the Local Laws questions are compulsory.
Statutory transitions you must track
Revenue law already moved from the UP Zamindari Abolition & Land Reforms Act 1950 (used in 2018) to the consolidating UP Revenue Code 2006 (used in 2023) — prepare from the 2006 Code. And the IPC / CrPC / Evidence Act content migrates to BNS, BNSS and BSA (2023): the doctrines carry over, the section numbers do not.
Everything you need to practise UP Judiciary — free.
UP prelims papers (2018 & 2023), solved and arranged like the real UPPSC objective exam.
Open Mains Mains Questions & SolutionsUP mains Law papers (2018 & 2023) with model answers across the three 200-mark papers.
Open Notes Free Notes & LecturesSubject-wise notes — CPC, CrPC, Evidence, Constitution, Contract, TPA and UP local & revenue laws.
OpenRead the actual UP 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 the 2018 and 2023 prelims papers (293 total) and the three Law papers of both mains sittings was read and classified by legal subject — not inferred from headings. The source files carried no original question numbers and the 2023 prelims file appears to be the Law paper only, so treat exact counts as well-grounded estimates and GK as under-sampled.
UP Judiciary — quick answers.
Who conducts the UP Judiciary (PCS-J) exam?
The Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC), Prayagraj, conducts the U.P. Judicial Service Civil Judge (Junior Division) Examination under the U.P. Judicial Service Rules, 2001.
What is the eligibility for UP PCS(J)?
An LLB from a recognised university, or an advocate enrolled under the Advocates Act entitled to practise, plus a thorough knowledge of Hindi in Devanagari script. Age must be 22–35 years on 1 July of the relevant year.
How many attempts are allowed for UP Judiciary?
A maximum of four (04) chances is permitted. Beyond the attempt cap, the upper age limit of 35 years (with category relaxations) also applies.
Is there negative marking in the UP Judiciary prelims?
Yes. One-third (0.33) of the marks for a question is deducted for each wrong answer in both prelims papers; multiple answers count as wrong, and unattempted questions carry no penalty.
Does the Prelims score count in the final merit?
No. The Preliminary Examination is only a screening filter (short-listing 1:10). Final merit is built from the Mains (written) papers and the viva-voce.
How many papers are there in the UP Judiciary Mains?
Six papers worth 900 marks — General Knowledge (200), English (100), Hindi (100) and three Law papers of 200 marks each (600 total). The three Law papers decide your rank.
Should I study IPC/CrPC or the new criminal codes?
The doctrines now sit in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), 2023. Prepare the new codes and re-map old previous-year section numbers.
Is Hindi compulsory for UP Judiciary?
Yes. A thorough knowledge of Hindi in Devanagari script is an eligibility condition, and the Mains includes a dedicated 100-mark Hindi Language paper.
Practise on questions built to this exact weightage.
Free mock series modelled on the UPPSC pattern — GK + Law prelims, the three law papers, UP revenue & local Acts, and BNS/BNSS/BSA-mapped questions.