Judicial Service Exams 2026: State-Wise Patterns, Eligibility, and Key Dates Announced

Law graduates and aspiring Civil Judges across India are preparing for the Judicial Service Exams 2026, which aim to recruit Civil Judges for subordinate judicial services. The examinations, conducted state-wise, include preliminary, main, and interview stages, with specific schedules already announced for some states like Gujarat.

A significant change impacting eligibility for these examinations is the Supreme Court’s 2025 ruling in All India Judges Association v. Union of India, which mandates a minimum of three years of legal practice for Civil Judge (Junior Division) examinations initiated after May 20, 2025, fundamentally altering the career path for fresh LLB graduates.

Judicial Service Exams 2026: Key Eligibility Changes

The Supreme Court’s judgment in All India Judges Association v. Union of India (2025 INSC 735), decided on May 20, 2025, has introduced a crucial eligibility criterion for aspiring Civil Judges. This ruling restores a mandatory minimum of three years of legal practice before any candidate can appear for the Civil Judge (Junior Division) examination. This 3-year practice rule applies specifically to recruitment processes initiated after May 20, 2025. That’s why, a fresh LLB graduate who enrolls in July 2026 will only be eligible to appear for judiciary exams from July 2029 onwards, directly impacting the timeline for many candidates.

Gujarat Judiciary Exam 2026: Schedule and Pattern

The Gujarat High Court has released the tentative schedule for the Gujarat Judiciary Exam 2026. The Preliminary Examination is scheduled for March 23, 2026. This objective-type test carries 100 marks and has a duration of 2 hours, with each correct answer fetching 1 mark and a negative marking of 0.33 marks for each wrong or multiple answer. The Main Written Examination is tentatively scheduled for June 15, 2026, and consists of two descriptive papers, each worth 100 marks with a 3-hour duration. The Viva-voce (Oral Interview) Test is tentatively scheduled for August/September 2026 and carries 50 marks.

Candidates for the Gujarat Judiciary Mains Exam must secure 50% marks for the Unreserved category and 45% marks for SC, ST, SEBC, EWS, and PwBD categories to qualify for the Viva-Voce. Also, candidates must secure at least 40% marks in the interview to be considered for the final merit list.

Uppsc Pcs-J 2026: Exam Structure and Vacancies

The Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) PCS-J 2026 examination follows a three-stage process: Prelims, Mains, and Interview. The Prelims Paper 1 (General Knowledge) is 150 marks for 2 hours, while Paper 2 (Law) is 300 marks for 2 hours, making the total prelims marks 450. The Mains examination comprises 6 papers, totaling 1000 marks, and the interview carries 100 marks. As of December 2025, over 1,000 posts were reported vacant for UP PCS J, indicating substantial recruitment opportunities.

Bihar Judicial Services 2026: Pattern and Age Limits

The Bihar Judicial Services Competitive Exam, conducted by the Bihar Public Service Commission, also features Prelims, Mains, and a Personal Interview. Prelims Paper I (General Knowledge & Current Affairs) is 100 marks, and Paper II (Law) is 150 marks, bringing the total prelims marks to 250. The Mains examination consists of 5 compulsory papers and 3 optional papers out of 5, totaling 1050 marks. The interview is conducted for 100 marks. The minimum age for Bihar Judiciary is 22 years, and the maximum age is 35 years, with an extended upper age limit of 40 years for women and physically disabled persons.

Haryana and Rajasthan Judiciary Exams 2026: Detailed Patterns

The Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) PCS J prelims exam will consist of 125 questions, each carrying 4 marks, with a deduction of 0.8 marks for every wrong answer. The Mains exam will have 5 papers: Civil Law I (200 marks), Civil Law II (200 marks), Criminal Law (200 marks), English (200 marks), and Hindi (100 marks). The personal interview for Haryana PCS J will be held for 200 marks. Haryana PCS J typically has 50–150 posts per cycle.

For the Rajasthan Civil Judge Preliminary Examination, candidates face 100 objective questions for 100 marks, with a duration of 2 hours. The Mains Exam comprises 4 papers: Law Paper I, Law Paper II, Paper III (Hindi Proficiency), and Paper IV (English Proficiency). Each Law Paper has a duration of 3 hours, while each Language Paper is 2 hours. The total marks for the Rajasthan Civil Judge Mains Exam are 300, and the interview is for 35 marks. Rajasthan (RJS) is expected to have 100–250+ vacancies in the 2026 cycle.

Judiciary Exams 2026: Expected Vacancies and Interview Criteria

Beyond Uttar Pradesh, other states are also anticipating significant vacancies. Madhya Pradesh Judiciary is expected to have 100–300+ vacancies in the 2026 cycle, and Bihar Judiciary is looking at 200+ vacancies. Delhi DJS, however, typically has limited vacancies, approximately 40–80 posts per cycle. Across various states, the minimum qualifying marks in the viva-voce, or interview, are generally 20 out of 50, as seen in many judicial service examinations.

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

View all posts →