AIBE (All India Bar Examination)
Bar Council of India
Complete guide to passing the AIBE (All India Bar Examination) exam on your first attempt.
Rs 3,500 plus Rs 60 bank charges (General/OBC); Rs 2,500 plus Rs 60 (SC/ST)
65.92% (AIBE XXI, June 2026)
Does not expire
India
Bar Council of India
INR 6.7L-19L
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Complete Overview
The All India Bar Examination is the qualifying test conducted by the Bar Council of India that every law graduate enrolled with a State Bar Council after 2010 must pass before practising before the courts. It is an open book paper of 100 multiple-choice questions over three hours, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, and the registration fee is Rs 3,500 plus Rs 60 in bank charges for General and OBC candidates and Rs 2,500 plus Rs 60 for SC and ST candidates. The Bar Council of India holds the examination under the direction of the Supreme Court in SLP No. 22337 of 2008 in Bar Council of India versus Bonnie Foi Law College and Others. Passing produces a Certificate of Practice, after which an advocate may appear in any court in India. The paper is delivered offline on OMR sheets. For AIBE XXI, held on 7 June 2026, the Bar Council of India used 292 examination centres across 60 cities. The syllabus published by the Bar Council of India Trust on 2 March 2026 divides the 100 questions across 19 subjects, with Constitutional law at 10 questions, the Code of Criminal Procedure together with the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita at 10, the Code of Civil Procedure at 10, the Indian Penal Code together with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at 8, the Evidence Act together with the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam at 8, Family Law at 8, and the Law of Contract group at 8. Because every question carries one mark, those published counts are also the exact percentage weights. Qualifying marks are set by notification. The Bar Council of India Trust notification dated 10 February 2026 fixed the passing percentage at 45 percent for General and OBC candidates and 40 percent for SC, ST and specially abled candidates. For AIBE XXI the Monitoring Committee headed by Justice Hima Kohli, former judge of the Supreme Court of India, reviewed the question paper and result summary and moderated the outcome by reducing the qualifying marks by three. The examination is open book in a narrow sense: candidates may carry bare acts without notes and comments, and nothing else. Mobile phones, smart watches, calculators, bags, papers, books and annotated material are all barred. Markings must be made in blue or black ballpoint pen, and using a pencil leads to disqualification. Candidates report by 11:30 AM and are not admitted after 1:15 PM. Scale and outcome are both published. In AIBE XXI, 1,75,701 candidates appeared, 1,15,805 qualified and 59,876 did not, giving an overall pass percentage of 65.92 percent. AIBE XXII follows on 29 November 2026, with registration open from 19 August to 27 October 2026, fee payment to 28 October, form correction to 30 October, admit cards on 14 November 2026 and results between 7 and 10 January 2027. The Bar Council of India has told the Supreme Court that the examination will be held twice a year. There is no cap on attempts. The Bar Council of India's 2017 resolution allows a provisionally enrolled person to take the examination as many times as necessary, though rights of practice under provisional enrolment run for two years.
Why Get AIBE (All India Bar Examination) Certified?
Passing is compulsory for every advocate enrolled with a State Bar Council after 2010 before appearing in court, under the Supreme Court's direction in SLP No. 22337 of 2008.
The Certificate of Practice issued on qualifying allows appearance in any court in India and does not expire.
In AIBE XXI, 1,15,805 of 1,75,701 candidates qualified, an overall pass rate of 65.92 percent, so it is a competence threshold rather than a ranking contest.
Qualifying marks are fixed at 45 percent for General and OBC candidates and 40 percent for SC, ST and specially abled candidates, so the target is absolute and known in advance.
The syllabus lists exact question counts for all 19 subjects, which makes 100 percent of the paper's weighting public before you open a book.
Candidates may carry bare acts without notes into the hall, so preparation is partly about lookup speed rather than pure recall.
There is no attempt limit under the Bar Council of India's 2017 resolution, and candidates who failed AIBE XX or XXI can reuse their existing login for AIBE XXII without registering afresh.
Exam Format & Structure
Duration
3 hours, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM in a single shift
Questions
100 multiple-choice questions
Passing Score
45 percent for General and OBC candidates and 40 percent for SC, ST and specially abled candidates, per the Bar Council of India Trust notification dated 10 February 2026
Question Types
- Multiple-choice questions on statutory provisions and section numbers
- Application questions built on short factual scenarios
- Questions on leading case law and settled principles
- Questions on professional ethics and cases of professional misconduct under Bar Council of India Rules
Delivery Method
Offline pen-and-paper examination on OMR answer sheets. AIBE XXI used 292 examination centres across 60 cities.
- Open book in a narrow sense: only bare acts without notes and comments may be carried inside the examination centre.
- Mobile phones, digital and smart watches, bags, handbags, calculators, electronic gadgets, papers, books and notes are all barred.
- All markings on the answer sheet must be made with a blue or black ballpoint pen. Using a pencil leads to disqualification.
- Errors or omissions in the question booklet set code, roll number or other OMR entries lead to direct rejection of the answer sheet.
- Candidates report by 11:30 AM and are not allowed into the centre after 1:15 PM.
- No candidate may leave the examination hall before the examination concludes or without handing over the answer sheet.
How scoring works
Score scale
100 marks, one mark per question across 100 multiple-choice questions
Score needed to pass
45 percent for General and OBC candidates and 40 percent for SC, ST and specially abled candidates, per the Bar Council of India Trust notification dated 10 February 2026
Roughly what that means raw
45 correct answers out of 100 meets the General and OBC threshold and 40 correct answers meets the SC, ST and specially abled threshold, before any moderation the Monitoring Committee applies.
When results arrive
About six weeks. AIBE XXI ran on 7 June 2026, the provisional answer key appeared on 10 June, the final answer key on 10 July and the result on 18 July 2026.
How the scale is built
Each of the 100 questions carries one mark, so the raw score is the number of correct answers. The Bar Council of India's published syllabus and examination guidelines do not provide for negative marking. Results are computed on the final answer key issued after subject experts review objections raised during the tracker window. The Monitoring Committee may moderate the outcome, as it did for AIBE XXI by reducing the qualifying marks by three.
- Errors or omissions in the question booklet set code or roll number lead to direct rejection of the answer sheet.
- Results are published on the AIBE portal and accessed with the candidate's user ID and password.
- An online OMR rechecking portal opens after each edition for candidates who wish to contest their result.
- Candidates who qualify under the undertaking-based eligibility framework must upload an enrolment certificate within the deadline the Bar Council of India sets, which for AIBE XIX and subsequent examinations was extended to 6 January 2027.
- Malpractice cases are recorded separately. Twenty were pending decision at the time the AIBE XXI result was declared.
Pacing and time budget
100 questions in 180 minutes gives you 108 seconds per question at an even pace across the 180-minute paper per question.
| At this point | You should have answered |
|---|---|
| 45 min | 25 questions, one quarter of the paper |
| 90 min | 50 questions, the halfway mark on both time and questions |
| 135 min | 75 questions, leaving 45 minutes for the last quarter |
| 165 min | All 100 questions, with 15 minutes left to check the OMR entries |
- Answer everything you know without opening a bare act first, then return to the questions that need a lookup. This protects the questions you can already score.
- A tabbed bare act should give you a provision in under 20 seconds. Anything slower turns the open book from an advantage into a time cost.
- Budget lookups. If you consult a statute for more than about a third of the paper you will not finish inside 180 minutes.
- Fill the question booklet set code and roll number before you start, not at the end, because an error there causes direct rejection of the sheet.
- Candidates with more than 40 percent disability receive 20 minutes of extra time per hour, which extends the 180-minute paper by 60 minutes and ends the session at 5:00 PM and moves each checkpoint out proportionally.
Where the marks are
| Topic | Weight | Why it scores |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal law and procedure | 18% | The Code of Criminal Procedure with the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita carries 10 questions and the Indian Penal Code with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita carries 8. Together they are the joint largest block in the paper. Because the syllabus names both the old and new codes, a section mapping sheet earns marks twice over. |
| Civil procedure and evidence | 18% | The Code of Civil Procedure carries 10 questions and the Evidence Act with the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam carries 8. These are the most section-dense areas in the paper and the ones where a well-tabbed bare act converts directly into marks, because the questions often turn on the exact order, rule or section number. |
| Constitutional and administrative law | 13% | Constitutional law is the single largest subject at 10 questions and Administration Law adds 3. Fundamental rights, writ jurisdiction under Articles 32 and 226 and the Seventh Schedule cover most of what is asked, and the bare Constitution is the easiest statute in the pile to search under time pressure. |
| Contract, property and commercial laws | 12% | The Contract, Specific Relief, Property and Negotiable Instruments block carries 8 questions, with Company Law and the Land Acquisition Act adding 2 each. It spans the most statutes of any grouping, so the return comes from covering high-frequency principles across all of them rather than mastering any single act. |
| Professional ethics, PIL and ADR | 12% | Professional ethics, public interest litigation and alternative dispute redressal carry 4 questions each. This is the highest return per study hour in the paper: the Bar Council of India Rules on professional conduct are short enough to read in one sitting, and the questions come directly from them and from reported misconduct cases. |
| Taxation, environmental, cyber and intellectual property law | 10% | Taxation carries 4 questions and Environmental Law, Cyber Law and Intellectual Property Laws carry 2 each. Individually each looks too small to prepare, which is exactly why candidates skip them and lose 10 marks. The questions are largely definitional, so a weekend across the four is enough. |
| Torts, consumer and labour law | 9% | The Law of Tort including the Motor Vehicle Act and Consumer Protection Law carries 5 questions and Labour and Industrial Law carries 4. Tort questions test general principles and statutory compensation schemes rather than deep case law, and the Consumer Protection Act definitions repeat across editions. |
| Family law | 8% | Eight questions, equal to the Indian Penal Code block and the Evidence Act block, and drawn from personal law across communities. Candidates who prepare only the tradition they know lose marks that a few hours on the Special Marriage Act, Muslim personal law and the maintenance statutes would have secured. |
The numbers
65.92%
Overall pass percentage, AIBE XXI
Source: Bar Council of India press release dated 18 July 2026
1,75,701, of whom 1,15,805 qualified and 59,876 did not
Candidates who appeared, AIBE XXI
Source: Bar Council of India press release dated 18 July 2026
292 centres across 60 cities
Examination centres and cities, AIBE XXI
Source: Bar Council of India press release dated 18 July 2026
45 percent for General and OBC, 40 percent for SC, ST and specially abled candidates. Moderated down by three for AIBE XXI, making the effective cut-offs 42 and 37.
Qualifying marks
Source: Bar Council of India press release dated 18 July 2026
100 questions across 19 subjects, one mark each
Questions and subjects in the paper
Source: Bar Council of India Trust, Syllabus for All India Bar Exam-XXI, dated 2 March 2026
Unreserved 59,709 of 87,145; OBC 36,210 of 58,804; SC 16,462 of 24,127; ST 3,424 of 5,625
Category-wise qualification, AIBE XXI
Source: Bar Council of India press release dated 18 July 2026
Single shift, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, three hours; reporting from 11:30 AM and no entry after 1:15 PM
Exam timing and duration
Source: Bar Council of India, AIBE admit card and exam-day guidelines for AIBE XX, XXI and XXII
Registration 19 August to 27 October 2026, fee payment to 28 October, correction to 30 October, admit card 14 November, examination 29 November 2026, result between 7 and 10 January 2027
AIBE XXII schedule
Source: Bar Council of India, AIBE XXII notification dated 18 July 2026
If you fail
Wait before retaking
Until the next edition of the examination. The Bar Council of India held AIBE XX on 30 November 2025 and AIBE XXI on 7 June 2026, opened the AIBE XXII application portal on 19 August 2026 and will hold AIBE XXII on 29 November 2026, so the recent interval has been about six months. The Bar Council of India has told the Supreme Court that the examination will be conducted twice a year.
Attempt limit
None. Under the Bar Council of India's 2017 resolution, a provisionally enrolled person may continue to take the Bar Examination as many times as is possible, although rights of practice under provisional enrolment run for two years from provisional enrolment.
Retake fee
The full examination fee again for each attempt: Rs 3,500 plus Rs 60 bank charges for General and OBC candidates and Rs 2,500 plus Rs 60 for SC and ST candidates.
Candidates who failed AIBE XX or XXI are not required to register afresh for AIBE XXII and may log in with their existing user ID and password to complete the application. Candidates who qualified under the undertaking-based eligibility framework introduced from AIBE XIX must still upload an enrolment certificate within the Bar Council of India's deadline, which was set at 6 January 2027 by BCI letter number BCI:D:4035/2026 dated 23 June 2026. Candidates found resorting to unfair means are ordinarily debarred from taking the exam.
Exam Domains & Topics
The Code of Civil Procedure carries 10 questions and the Evidence Act together with the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam carries 8, per the Bar Council of India Trust syllabus dated 2 March 2026. These are the two most section-heavy areas in the paper and reward candidates who have tabbed their bare acts by order and section rather than trying to recall provisions cold.
Key Topics to Master:
- CPC: jurisdiction, res judicata, res sub judice and place of suing
- CPC: pleadings, plaint and written statement, and orders on parties to suits
- CPC: temporary injunctions, appeals, review and revision
- Evidence: relevancy of facts, admissions and confessions
- Evidence: burden of proof, presumptions and estoppel
- Evidence: examination of witnesses and documentary evidence under the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam
The Code of Criminal Procedure together with the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita carries 10 questions and the Indian Penal Code together with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita carries 8. The paired old and new statutes matter, because the syllabus names both, and candidates need to know where a familiar section has moved in the new codes.
Key Topics to Master:
- Constitution of criminal courts and their powers
- Arrest, bail, anticipatory bail and remand
- FIR, investigation, charge and framing of charge
- Trial procedure before Sessions and Magistrate courts
- General exceptions, offences against the human body and offences against property
- Section mapping between the Indian Penal Code and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
Constitutional law carries 10 questions, the single largest subject in the paper, and Administration Law carries 3. Together they account for 13 marks. Constitutional questions lean on the fundamental rights chapter, the writ jurisdictions and the distribution of legislative powers rather than on obscure articles.
Key Topics to Master:
- Fundamental rights and their enforcement under Articles 32 and 226
- Directive principles and fundamental duties
- Union and state legislative relations and the Seventh Schedule
- Emergency provisions and amendment of the Constitution
- Principles of natural justice and administrative discretion
- Judicial review of administrative action, delegated legislation and ombudsman institutions
The combined paper on Law of Contract, Specific Relief, Property Laws and the Negotiable Instruments Act carries 8 questions, Company Law carries 2 and the Land Acquisition Act carries 2. This is the widest single grouping by number of statutes, so cover the frequently tested principles rather than attempting depth everywhere.
Key Topics to Master:
- Formation, consideration, capacity and free consent under the Indian Contract Act
- Breach, remedies and quasi-contracts
- Specific Relief Act: specific performance, injunctions and declaratory relief
- Transfer of Property Act: sale, mortgage, lease and gift
- Negotiable Instruments Act including dishonour of cheques under Section 138
- Company Law basics and compensation and rehabilitation under land acquisition legislation
Professional Ethics and Cases of Professional Misconduct under Bar Council of India Rules carries 4 questions, Public Interest Litigation carries 4 and Alternative Dispute Redressal including the Arbitration Act carries 4. The ethics questions come from Bar Council of India Rules and reported disciplinary cases, which makes them the most learnable block in the paper.
Key Topics to Master:
- Advocates Act 1961: enrolment, rights and disciplinary proceedings
- Bar Council of India Rules on standards of professional conduct and etiquette
- Leading cases of professional misconduct
- Public interest litigation: locus standi, scope and limits
- Arbitration and Conciliation Act: arbitration agreement, award and setting aside
- Mediation, conciliation and Lok Adalat under the Legal Services Authorities Act
Law related to Taxation carries 4 questions, Environmental Law carries 2, Cyber Law carries 2 and Intellectual Property Laws carries 2. Each is worth few marks on its own, but together they are 10 percent of the paper and the questions tend to be definitional, which makes them cheap marks for a candidate who spends a weekend on them.
Key Topics to Master:
- Income tax basics: residential status, heads of income and assessment
- Goods and Services Tax structure and key definitions
- Environment Protection Act, Water Act, Air Act and the National Green Tribunal
- Information Technology Act: offences, intermediaries and data provisions
- Copyright, trademarks and patents: subject matter, term and infringement
- Remedies and enforcement across intellectual property statutes
The Law of Tort including the Motor Vehicle Act and Consumer Protection Law carries 5 questions and Labour and Industrial Law carries 4. Tort questions test general principles and the statutory compensation schemes rather than case-heavy English authority, while labour questions concentrate on the industrial dispute machinery.
Key Topics to Master:
- General principles of tortious liability, negligence and defences
- Vicarious liability and strict and absolute liability
- Motor Vehicles Act: claims tribunals, no-fault liability and compensation
- Consumer Protection Act: consumer, deficiency, unfair trade practice and forums
- Industrial Disputes Act: strikes, lockouts, layoff and retrenchment
- Factories Act, minimum wages and payment of wages provisions
Family Law carries 8 questions, equal in weight to the Indian Penal Code block and to the Evidence Act block. Questions span the personal law statutes across communities, which means candidates cannot afford to prepare only the tradition they are most familiar with.
Key Topics to Master:
- Hindu Marriage Act: conditions, restitution, judicial separation and divorce
- Hindu Succession Act and coparcenary rights after the 2005 amendment
- Muslim personal law: marriage, dower, divorce and maintenance
- Indian Divorce Act and the Special Marriage Act
- Guardianship, adoption and maintenance statutes
- Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act
Recommended Study Plan
- 1Buy clean bare acts with no notes or comments for every subject in the syllabus
- 2Tab each bare act by chapter and key section so a lookup takes under 20 seconds
- 3Write the 19 subjects and their question counts on one page and keep it visible
- 4Register on the AIBE portal and confirm your enrolment or undertaking status
- 5Take a diagnostic set of 100 previous year questions to find your baseline
- 1Work through fundamental rights article by article with the bare Constitution open
- 2Cover writ jurisdiction under Articles 32 and 226 and the differences between them
- 3Cover Union and state legislative relations and the Seventh Schedule lists
- 4Study emergency provisions and the amendment procedure
- 5Drill 60 previous year constitutional law questions and log every lookup you needed
- 1Map the constitution and powers of criminal courts
- 2Cover arrest, bail, anticipatory bail and remand provisions
- 3Cover FIR, investigation, charge and the sequence of a Sessions trial
- 4Build a two-column sheet mapping old CrPC sections to their BNSS equivalents
- 5Drill 60 questions and time how long each bare act lookup takes
- 1Cover jurisdiction, place of suing, res judicata and res sub judice
- 2Cover pleadings, plaint, written statement and parties to suits
- 3Cover temporary injunctions, execution, appeals, review and revision
- 4Learn the order and rule numbering pattern so you can find provisions quickly
- 5Drill 60 CPC questions with the bare act open, as you will have it on exam day
- 1Cover general exceptions, offences against the human body and offences against property
- 2Build the IPC to BNS section mapping sheet for the offences you meet most
- 3Cover relevancy of facts, admissions, confessions and dying declarations
- 4Cover burden of proof, presumptions, estoppel and examination of witnesses
- 5Drill 80 mixed questions across both subjects
- 1Cover the Hindu Marriage Act on conditions, restitution, judicial separation and divorce
- 2Cover the Hindu Succession Act including coparcenary rights after the 2005 amendment
- 3Cover Muslim personal law on marriage, dower, divorce and maintenance
- 4Cover the Special Marriage Act, guardianship, adoption and maintenance statutes
- 5Drill 50 family law questions spread across every personal law tradition in the syllabus
- 1Cover formation, consideration, capacity, free consent, breach and remedies
- 2Cover the Specific Relief Act on specific performance and injunctions
- 3Cover sale, mortgage, lease and gift under the Transfer of Property Act
- 4Cover Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act and Company Law basics
- 5Cover the Land Acquisition Act on compensation and rehabilitation
- 6Drill 70 questions across the group
- 1Read the Advocates Act 1961 on enrolment, rights and disciplinary proceedings
- 2Read the Bar Council of India Rules on professional conduct and etiquette in full
- 3Study reported cases of professional misconduct and the sanctions imposed
- 4Cover PIL on locus standi, scope and the limits courts have drawn
- 5Cover the Arbitration and Conciliation Act and the Legal Services Authorities Act
- 6Drill 60 questions across the three subjects
- 1Cover general principles of tortious liability, negligence and defences
- 2Cover vicarious liability and strict and absolute liability
- 3Cover Motor Vehicles Act claims tribunals and no-fault liability
- 4Cover the Consumer Protection Act on deficiency, unfair trade practice and forums
- 5Cover the Industrial Disputes Act on strikes, lockouts, layoff and retrenchment
- 6Drill 50 questions across the group
- 1Cover income tax basics on residential status, heads of income and assessment
- 2Cover the structure and key definitions of the Goods and Services Tax
- 3Cover the Environment Protection Act, Water Act, Air Act and National Green Tribunal
- 4Cover the Information Technology Act on offences, intermediaries and data provisions
- 5Cover copyright, trademark and patent subject matter, term and infringement
- 6Drill 60 definitional questions across the four subjects
- 1Sit two full 100-question papers in 3 hours with only your tabbed bare acts
- 2Record how many questions needed a lookup and how long each one took
- 3Retab any bare act where you lost more than 30 seconds finding a provision
- 4Score against the 45 percent and 40 percent thresholds, not against a rough guess
- 5Rebuild your revision list from every question you got wrong
- 1Revise only your own notes, section maps and error log
- 2Check that every bare act you plan to carry has no notes, comments or handwriting
- 3Print the admit card and pair it with a government-issued photo ID
- 4Buy two blue or black ballpoint pens and pack no pencil at all
- 5Visit the examination centre address a day in advance so reporting by 11:30 AM is safe
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Best Study Resources
Syllabus for All India Bar Exam
Official syllabusThe Bar Council of India Trust publishes a one-page syllabus listing all 19 subjects with exact question counts, signed by the Secretary of the Bar Council of India. The AIBE XXI version is dated 2 March 2026. Since every question carries one mark, this table is the complete weighting map for the paper.
Free
Examination Guidelines for AIBE
Official rules documentThe Bar Council of India's guidelines set out reporting by 11:30 AM, no entry after 1:15 PM, bare acts without notes as the only permitted material, blue or black ballpoint pen only, the pencil disqualification rule and the scribe and compensatory time provisions for candidates with disabilities.
Free
Bare acts without notes or comments
Primary statutesThe only material you may carry inside. Buy clean editions with no commentary, because an annotated copy is barred and will be confiscated. Tab them by chapter and section so a lookup during the paper costs seconds. Priority statutes are the Constitution, CrPC and BNSS, CPC, IPC and BNS, and the Evidence Act.
Roughly Rs 50-300 per statute
India Code, the official statute repository
Government databaseThe Government of India's repository of central legislation, useful for confirming current section text and for reading the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam against the codes they replaced. The AIBE syllabus names both the old and the new statutes.
Free
Bar Council of India Rules on professional conduct
Official rulesChapter II Part VI of the Bar Council of India Rules on standards of professional conduct and etiquette. Four questions come from professional ethics and cases of professional misconduct under these rules, and the source text is short enough to read end to end in an evening.
Free
AIBE previous year question papers and answer keys
Past papersThe Bar Council of India publishes provisional and final answer keys for each edition, along with the objection tracker, on the AIBE portal. Working past papers with your bare acts open trains the lookup habit that decides pace on exam day, which reading alone does not.
Free
AIBE objection tracker
Official post-exam facilityAfter each edition, the Bar Council of India publishes provisional answer keys with an objection window, then a final answer key on which results are computed. For AIBE XXI the window ran from 10 June 2026 at 20:00 hrs to 17 June 2026 at 23:59 hrs, and the final key followed on 10 July 2026.
Free to view
AIBE mobile app
Official appThe Bar Council of India publishes an official AIBE app on Google Play and the Apple App Store, used for Certificate of Practice details and for correcting name, father's name and enrolment number entries with supporting documents attached.
Free
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Carrying an annotated or commentary edition as your bare act
The guidelines permit bare acts without notes and comments only, and list books and notes among barred items. Buy a clean edition, check it page by page for previous handwriting, and remember that possession of unauthorised material makes a candidate liable to summary disqualification.
Treating open book as a substitute for preparation
You have 180 minutes for 100 questions, which is 108 seconds each. If you look up more than about a third of the paper you will run out of time. Use the bare acts to confirm section numbers and exact wording, not to learn the subject during the exam.
Leaving bare acts untabbed
Tab each statute by chapter and by the sections you know are tested, so a lookup takes under 20 seconds. Practise mock papers with the same tabbed copies you will carry, and retab any statute where a lookup cost you more than half a minute.
Studying only the old criminal codes
The syllabus names the Indian Penal Code together with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Code of Criminal Procedure together with the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Evidence Act together with the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam. Build a section mapping sheet between each old and new pair, because 26 of the 100 questions sit in these three areas.
Spreading effort evenly across all 19 subjects
The published counts are the weights. Constitutional law, CrPC with BNSS and CPC carry 10 questions each, while Company Law, Environmental Law, Cyber Law, the Land Acquisition Act and Intellectual Property Laws carry 2 each. Six subjects account for 54 of the 100 marks.
Marking the OMR sheet with a pencil
The guidelines state that all markings must be with a blue or black ballpoint pen and that using a pencil leads to disqualification of the exam. Carry two working ballpoint pens and leave every pencil at home so the mistake cannot happen under pressure.
Filling the question booklet set code carelessly
The guidelines warn that errors or omissions in the question booklet set code, roll number and other required entries lead to direct rejection of the answer sheet. Fill these entries first, in your own handwriting, and check them once before you answer a single question.
Arriving close to the start time
Candidates must report by 11:30 AM and are not admitted after 1:15 PM. The Bar Council of India advises visiting the examination centre at least one day in advance. A late arrival means waiting for the next edition of the exam, which can be six months away.
Assuming the scribe will be arranged at the centre
The guidelines state that no scribe shall be provided by the examination centre. A candidate entitled to one must bring a scribe who is an undergraduate not studying law or any other humanities course, carrying a school or college identity card and age and address proof such as an Aadhaar card, with the proforma completed.
Skipping professional ethics because it is only four questions
Professional ethics is the highest return per hour in the paper. Four questions come from Bar Council of India Rules and reported misconduct cases, and the source material is short. Combined with PIL and ADR at four questions each, this block is 12 percent of the paper for a fraction of the study time of CPC.
Exam Day Tips
- 1
Report at the examination centre by 11:30 AM. No candidate is allowed to enter after 1:15 PM.
- 2
Carry the printed admit card together with one government-issued photo ID. Candidates without admit cards are not allowed to enter.
- 3
Carry only bare acts with no notes and no comments. Books, notes, papers, calculators, mobile phones, smart watches, bags and handbags are all barred.
- 4
Carry two blue or black ballpoint pens and no pencil, because pencil markings lead to disqualification.
- 5
Fill the question booklet set code, roll number and every other required OMR entry before you start answering, since an error there causes direct rejection of the sheet.
- 6
Answer the questions you know without opening a book first, then spend the remaining time on the ones that need a lookup.
- 7
Track your pace against the 108 seconds per question that 180 minutes across 100 questions allows, and note the paper ends at 4:00 PM sharp.
- 8
You may not leave the examination hall before the exam concludes or without handing over the answer sheet, so plan to use the full session.
- 9
If you have more than 40 percent disability, submit a certified copy of the disability certificate to the invigilator to receive the 20 minutes of extra time per hour you are entitled to.
- 10
Visit the centre address at least one day in advance, as the Bar Council of India advises, so the reporting deadline is never in doubt.
Career Paths & Salary Ranges
Practising advocate in trial and district courts
The direct outcome of passing. The Certificate of Practice allows appearance in any court in India and does not expire. The Bar Council of India does not publish earnings data for advocates, and income in early independent practice depends on chamber, city and brief flow rather than on any scale.
Not published by the Bar Council of India
Associate at a law firm after a national law university degree
NLSIU Bengaluru reported a median salary of INR 19 lakh a year in its NIRF 2026 submission, with 96.51 percent of students receiving job offers. This is the top of the Indian law school distribution rather than a typical graduate outcome, and firm recruitment usually happens before the AIBE is even sat.
INR 19 lakh median
Civil Judge, Junior Division, in a state judicial service
The Second National Judicial Pay Commission raised the entry pay for a Junior Civil Judge or First Class Magistrate from Rs 27,700 to Rs 77,840, as recorded in the Press Information Bureau release on the Commission's report. Entry is through a separate state judicial services examination, not through the AIBE.
Rs 77,840 basic per month
Legal officer in a central government department
Group B and equivalent legal posts in central government sit at Pay Level 10 of the 7th Central Pay Commission matrix, where the Comptroller and Auditor General's published pay scales record a minimum pay of Rs 56,100 a month before allowances. A law degree and enrolment are the usual eligibility floor.
Rs 56,100 basic per month
Prerequisites & Requirements
- A three-year or five-year LLB degree from a college recognised by the Bar Council of India.
- Provisional enrolment as an advocate with a State Bar Council under Section 24 of the Advocates Act 1961, subject to the undertaking-based framework the Bar Council of India applies to recent editions.
- For final-year and final-semester candidates without backlogs, registration under the undertaking route set out in the Bar Council of India's superseding notification, with the enrolment certificate uploaded later.
- An online registration on the AIBE portal with photograph, signature and supporting documents.
- Payment of the examination fee online during the registration window.
- A government-issued photo ID to carry with the admit card on exam day.
- For candidates claiming compensatory time or a scribe, a disability certificate and, where required, a certificate issued after medical examination by the Chief Medical Officer, Civil Surgeon or Medical Superintendent of a government healthcare institution.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions are on the AIBE and how long is it?
One hundred multiple-choice questions in three hours, run as a single 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM shift. The Bar Council of India Trust syllabus dated 2 March 2026 distributes those 100 questions across 19 subjects, and because each question carries one mark, the published counts are also the exact percentage weights of the paper.
What is the passing mark for the AIBE?
Forty-five percent for General and OBC candidates and 40 percent for SC, ST and specially abled candidates. These are the thresholds the Bar Council of India fixed for AIBE XXI, and its press release of 18 July 2026 restates them. They can be moderated downward after the paper: for AIBE XXI the Monitoring Committee cut both by three, so the effective cut-offs became 42 and 37.
Is the AIBE really an open book exam?
In a narrow sense. Candidates may carry bare acts without notes and comments inside the examination centre, and nothing else. Books, notes, papers, calculators, mobile phones, smart watches, bags, handbags and electronic gadgets are all barred, and possession of unauthorised material makes a candidate liable to summary disqualification.
What is the pass rate?
The overall pass percentage for AIBE XXI, held on 7 June 2026, was 65.92 percent. The Bar Council of India's press release dated 18 July 2026 records that 1,75,701 candidates appeared, 1,15,805 qualified, 59,876 did not qualify and 20 malpractice cases were pending decision.
How much does the AIBE cost?
Rs 3,500 plus Rs 60 in bank charges for General and OBC candidates and Rs 2,500 plus Rs 60 for SC and ST candidates. The bank charge is a flat Rs 60 on top of the examination fee in both bands, so the totals are Rs 3,560 and Rs 2,560. Payment is made online during the registration window, which for AIBE XXII closes on 28 October 2026.
Is the fee different by region or for candidates abroad?
No. The AIBE is a single national examination conducted only in India, with fees set by category rather than by state or by country. AIBE XXI used 292 examination centres across 60 cities within India, and there is no overseas centre or overseas fee band.
How many times can I take the AIBE?
There is no limit. Under the Bar Council of India's 2017 resolution, a provisionally enrolled person may continue to take the Bar Examination as many times as is possible. Rights of practice under provisional enrolment run for two years from provisional enrolment, which is the practical pressure rather than an attempt cap.
How long do I wait before retaking it?
Until the next edition. The Bar Council of India held AIBE XX on 30 November 2025, AIBE XXI on 7 June 2026, and will hold AIBE XXII on 29 November 2026, so recent gaps have run around six months rather than a full year. The Bar Council of India has told the Supreme Court that the examination will run twice a year.
Do I have to register again if I failed?
No. The Bar Council of India's notice for AIBE XXII states that candidates who failed in AIBE XX or XXI are not required to register again and may log in with their existing user ID and password to fill and submit the AIBE XXII application form. The fee for the new attempt still applies.
What happens if I fail?
You do not receive a Certificate of Practice and cannot appear before the courts until you pass. You reapply for the next edition using your existing credentials. Since practice rights under provisional enrolment run for two years from provisional enrolment, a failed attempt uses part of that window rather than ending your candidature.
Does the Certificate of Practice expire?
No. The Bar Council of India states that on clearing the examination a candidate receives a certificate of practice and becomes eligible to practise in any court in India. There is no periodic recertification requirement attached to the AIBE itself, though enrolment obligations with the State Bar Council continue separately.
What ID do I need on exam day?
One government-issued photo ID proof, carried together with the printed admit card. The guidelines are explicit that candidates without admit cards shall not be allowed to enter the examination centre. Check the ID is current and that the name matches your registration before the day.
Can I take the AIBE online or under remote proctoring?
No. The AIBE is an offline pen-and-paper examination taken at a physical centre on OMR answer sheets. AIBE XXI used 292 examination centres across 60 cities. The one exception the Bar Council of India has implemented is a screen reader option on a computer for eligible blind and low vision candidates, following a Supreme Court order dated 13 November 2025.
What materials can I bring into the hall?
Bare acts without notes and comments, your admit card, a photo ID and blue or black ballpoint pens. Mobile phones, digital and smart watches, bags, handbags, calculators, electronic gadgets, papers, books and notes are all barred, and any candidate found in possession of unauthorised material is liable to be summarily disqualified.
Are accommodations available?
Yes. Candidates with more than 40 percent disability receive 20 minutes of extra time per hour on submission of a certified copy of the disability certificate to the invigilator. Candidates whose disability prevents them from writing may use a scribe, who must be an undergraduate not studying law or any other humanities course. The centre does not provide the scribe.
How is the AIBE scored?
Out of 100 marks, one mark per question. The Bar Council of India's press release for AIBE XXI states that the result was directed to be calculated on the basis of 100 marks. Results are computed on the final answer key published after the objection window closes.
Can the qualifying marks change after the exam?
Yes. For AIBE XXI the Monitoring Committee, headed by Justice Hima Kohli, former judge of the Supreme Court of India, examined the question paper and result summary and unanimously decided to moderate the result by reducing the qualifying marks by three, against the fixed thresholds of 45 for General candidates and 40 for SC, ST and PwD candidates.
When do results come out?
Roughly six weeks after the paper. AIBE XXI was held on 7 June 2026, the provisional answer key appeared on 10 June with an objection window to 17 June, the final answer key followed on 10 July, and the result was declared on 18 July 2026.
Can I get my answer sheet rechecked?
Yes. The Bar Council of India opens an online OMR rechecking portal after each edition. For AIBE XX, applications for rechecking of the OMR sheet were accepted from 14 January 2026 to 23 January 2026, and rechecking results were declared on 24 February 2026. A similar portal opened for AIBE XXI in July 2026.
How does the AIBE compare with a state judicial services examination?
The AIBE is a qualifying threshold with fixed pass marks of 45 and 40 percent and an open book format, and it is compulsory for court practice. A state judicial services examination is a competitive recruitment test with a merit list, subjective papers and interviews, and it leads to a Civil Judge post at Rs 77,840 basic per month under the Second National Judicial Pay Commission.
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