Judicial Services Exam: Civil Judge Eligibility, Stages and Pay

16 Oct 2026

Qualification
Recruitment Process

Quick answer

Each state's judicial services exam recruits Civil Judges (Junior Division), and the Supreme Court changed who may apply twice in fifteen months — a three-year practice rule in May 2025, then a transitional scheme in August 2026. This guide explains the current rule, the exam's stages, pay under the Second National Judicial Pay Commission, and two current notices.

The judicial services examination is how a law graduate becomes a judge in India's district courts. There is no national examination. Each state recruits its own Civil Judges (Junior Division) through either its High Court or its Public Service Commission. The rules for who may apply have changed twice since May 2025, and many guides still describe the old position. This guide sets out the current rule from the Supreme Court's own judgments, then the exam itself, using two current notices.

For vacancies open now, browse civil judge vacancies or the wider judiciary vacancies, which had 37 published records on 16 October 2026.

Who Recruits Judges

The Constitution sets two different routes. District judges are appointed under Article 233 by the Governor "in consultation with the High Court". A person from outside government service must have been "for not less than seven years an advocate or a pleader". Everyone below that comes under Article 234: "Appointments of persons other than district judges to the judicial service of a State shall be made by the Governor of the State in accordance with rules made by him in that behalf after consultation with the State Public Service Commission and with the High Court."

That is why the entry-level examination is run by the High Court in some states and by the PSC in others, under rules each state makes for itself.

The Practice Rule: What Changed and What Applies Now

May 2025. In All India Judges Association v. Union of India (20 May 2025), the Supreme Court restored a minimum practice requirement. Candidates for Civil Judge (Junior Division) "must have practiced for a minimum period of 3 years to be eligible for the said examination". The three years were counted from provisional enrolment with the State Bar Council, and work as a law clerk with a judge counted towards them.

August 2026. On review, in Bhumika Trust v. Union of India (21 August 2026, a 2:1 decision), the Court kept the three-year requirement but changed how it is met. There are two phases.

Advertisement issued	Before applying	After selection
After 20 May 2025, up to 31 March 2027 (the transitional period)	"All law graduates shall be eligible to apply", and are "deemed to have completed one year of active practice" with no certificate needed	One year of training at the State Judicial Academy as a "Trainee Judicial Officer", then one year of structured law clerkship. Each year counts as a year of practice
On or after 1 April 2027	"at least one year of actual practice", shown by a Certificate of Practice that records presence and participation in judicial proceedings	The same one year of training and one year of clerkship

During training and clerkship, trainees are paid "one-half of the remuneration payable to a Judicial Magistrate First Class" in the state. They move to the regular post and pay scale only after the supervising High Court judge's evaluation report is "found satisfactory". The Court applied these directions to every advertisement issued since the May 2025 judgment and directed states to amend their rules within three months.

So for a notice issued now, a fresh law graduate can apply, but should expect two years as a trainee, on half pay, before the regular post. From April 2027, a year of actual practice at the Bar comes first.

Two Current Notices

Andhra Pradesh High Court, Notification No. 118/2026-RC (25 September 2026). This notice was issued under the new scheme:

Posts: 119 Civil Judge (Junior Division) posts, 96 by direct recruitment and 23 by recruitment by transfer.
Pay scale: "Rs.77840 - 136520".
Eligibility: "All Law graduates who have obtained Law Degree preceding one year as on the date of Notification", citing Bhumika Trust.
Age: direct recruits must not have completed 35 as on 1 September 2026, with five years' relaxation for SC, ST, BC and EWS candidates.
Last date: extended to 10 November 2026.

Stage	Detail
Screening test	100 objective questions, 100 marks, 2 hours; 40% to qualify. Candidates are shortlisted at 1:10, and the marks do not count towards merit
Written examination	Civil Laws, Criminal Laws, and English (translation and essay), 100 marks each, 3 hours each, answered in English. The translation is "from English to Telugu and from Telugu to English"
Viva voce	50 marks, for candidates called at 1:3

Bihar Public Service Commission, 33rd Bihar Judicial Services Competitive Examination (Advertisement 12/2026, 23 February 2026).

Posts: 173 Civil Judge (Junior Division) posts.
Eligibility: issued under the May 2025 rule, so it asked for three years' practice. Its preliminary, fixed for 3 June 2026, was postponed under the Supreme Court's interim order while the review was pending.
Status: under the August 2026 judgment it must now be brought in line with the new scheme. As of 16 October 2026 the Commission had not published a revised notice.
Preliminary: a General Studies paper (100 marks) and a Law paper (150 marks).
Main: compulsory papers in General Hindi and General English, which must be passed but do not count towards merit, plus General Knowledge, Elementary General Science, and Evidence and Procedure, plus three optional law papers chosen from five.
Interview: 100 marks.

The three notices in this guide share a broad shape: a screening or preliminary test, a written main examination in law, a test of the state's language, and an interview. Rajasthan's 2025 notice, for example, required "thorough knowledge of Hindi Written in Devnagari script" and of "Rajasthani dialects and social customs".

Pay

The Supreme Court accepted the recommendations of the Second National Judicial Pay Commission in orders from 27 July 2022 onwards. The states' orders implementing it, such as Rajasthan's, give these scales, effective from 1 January 2016:

Grade	Scale
Civil Judge (Junior Division), entry	₹77,840–1,36,520
Civil Judge (Senior Division), entry	₹1,11,000–1,63,030
District Judge, entry	₹1,44,840–1,94,660
District Judge, Selection Grade	₹1,63,030–2,19,090
District Judge, Super Time Scale	₹1,99,100–2,24,100

Judicial pay runs on its own scales, not on the central pay matrix that most government posts use.

Before You Apply

Your degree's date. Under the transitional scheme, Andhra Pradesh asks for a law degree obtained at least a year before the notification. Check your state's wording.
Enrolment and the AIBE. From April 2027, actual practice will be needed, and practice needs enrolment. The Bar Council of India describes the All India Bar Examination as "a qualifying exam which every practising advocate who has enrolled after 2010 must successfully pass in order to practice before the Courts". AIBE-XXII is scheduled for 29 November 2026.
The language. All three notices here test a regional language: Telugu translation in Andhra Pradesh, a Hindi paper in Bihar, and Hindi and Rajasthani knowledge as a condition of eligibility in Rajasthan.
Your state's rules. The state rules were to be amended within three months of 21 August 2026. Read the current notice rather than last year's.

For the other legal careers in government, see government law jobs and government jobs after LLB. For how state recruitment is organised, see how state recruitment works.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is three years of practice needed for the judicial services exam?

Not before applying, for notices issued up to 31 March 2027. Under the Supreme Court's August 2026 judgment, all law graduates may apply and are deemed to have one year of practice. A year of training and a year of law clerkship after selection make up the three years. For notices from 1 April 2027, one year of actual practice is needed before applying.

Can a fresh law graduate become a civil judge?

For notices issued up to 31 March 2027, yes, subject to the state's own conditions. Andhra Pradesh's 2026 notice, for example, asks for a degree obtained at least a year before the notification. The selected candidate then serves two years as a Trainee Judicial Officer on half pay before the regular post.

What is the salary of a Civil Judge (Junior Division)?

The entry scale is ₹77,840–1,36,520 under the Second National Judicial Pay Commission. During the two years of training and clerkship, trainees are paid half the remuneration of a Judicial Magistrate First Class.

Who conducts the judicial services exam?

Each state does, through its High Court or its Public Service Commission. Under Article 234 of the Constitution, the Governor makes the rules after consulting both. Andhra Pradesh's exam is run by its High Court and Bihar's by the BPSC.

What is the age limit for the judicial services exam?

It varies by state. Andhra Pradesh's 2026 notice allows direct recruits up to 35, and Rajasthan's 2025 notice up to 40, before relaxation.

In Summary

Civil Judges (Junior Division) are recruited state by state under Article 234, through the High Court or the PSC. After the Supreme Court's August 2026 judgment, any law graduate may apply to a notice issued up to 31 March 2027, subject to the state's own conditions, but then serves a year of training and a year of law clerkship on half pay before the regular post. From April 2027, a year of actual practice is needed first. The exam usually has a screening test, a written law examination, a language paper and an interview. Entry pay is ₹77,840–1,36,520.

Sources

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