Every year, lakhs of law graduates and practicing lawyers dream of joining the judicial service to work for the Indian judiciary. To realize this dream, you must pass the Indian / State Judicial Service Exams, which are held every year in different states throughout the country. Because of increased competition and the abundance of learning resources, it is evident that judicial services aspirants often enroll in expert-led courses, study notes, and practice with quality mock tests. Although there is no thumb rule for this, numerous aspirants ace judicial services exams without coaching as well, but not without hard work, and dedication. We are not justifying the need for mentorship, but even the best athletes need a coach. Having said that, let us check out what candidates are required to do to crack the judicial services exams.
How to Prepare For Judicial Service Exam | The Topper’s Way
The preparation for the Judicial Services Examination requires a structured approach and a focused mind. Candidates should plan daily study sessions to cover the entire syllabus in a limited amount of time. To crack the judicial services exams on their first attempt, especially, fresh graduates must study for 10-12 hours a day and revise all sections of the prelims exams. A few hours should also be devoted to general knowledge, important verdicts, and newspaper reading. Although all toppers have their success stories, there are two things that are common among all — patience and determination.
When to start making notes
Judiciary students may fall into one of two categories: those who already know from college that they want to be a civil judge, or those who are still considering their options. For current students, 4th year is the best time to take your first step towards clearing the judicial services exam. This allows you enough time to make notes and go off-beat to learn major topics like Domestic Violence, CrPC, Mercantile Laws, IPC, Personal Laws, CPC, Evidence Act, Constitution etc. Preparing notes during this phase will help you with quick revision before the mains examination. When you decide, begin planning as soon as you can. Everyone’s timelines are different and can lead to success if executed well.
Quick tip – Write down everything you need to remember, the old-school way. Make sure you highlight the most important points. Remember to leave space for any additional notes.
The Prelims
Your preparation for prelims should ideally begin as you enroll in a law program. According to experts, revising Bare Acts is sufficient for prelim preparation. Anyway, Judicial Exams do require wholesome preparation, which includes Bare Acts and your notes (important for mains as well). Additionally, covering sections and explanations, current affairs are equally critical. Base your prelims preparation on previous year papers, as different states have different judicial services exam patterns.
Almost all state judicial services prelims exams cover GK and Language sections. GK can be mastered with monthly current affairs, and by making notes related to important judgements, current happenings in the field of law from newspapers. Again, YouTube channels and previous year papers should give you a clear idea of what & how much you need to know.
Quick tip – It is near impossible to remember all recent case laws for many subjects, so make a note of what is exam-worthy, and revise them.
Try to understand the Concept instead of remembering the Section number. Remembering the numbers won’t help you if you don’t understand the concept. Come back to the sections again and again until you see the concept clearly. Repeat as necessary. A lot of help comes from discussing the concept with your friends/colleagues, preparing for Judiciary Exams.
Preparing for the mains exam
Keeping targets and creating a timetable are the two most significant steps during the mains preparation. You should start your day early in the morning to study and to reach your daily and monthly milestones. You should also include leisure time in your daily schedule. Likewise, you should study GK when your brain is too tired to absorb anything of law.
Prepare or purchase concept-specific notes, and ensure that you mention at least one case law per topic. You should be very specific when writing descriptive answers. You should not exceed two pages for 20 marks questions. Your answers should be clear and concise.
You can always write the essentials of the provisions to increase the length and quality of the answer. For instance, for a generic question on Discharge of Contracts, instead of a detailed account, you can go for a graphical representation and conclude the concepts and Case Laws in 2-3 lines.
You add an edge to your answers if you reference laws other than those in the question. For instance, for a question based on IPC, you can give references to laws from CrPC or the Constitution too. For each question, you should provide a case law reference.
Answer all questions, even if you have to shorten individual answers. Finishing the whole paper is also of critical importance. It’s natural to start writing what we know first, but instead of that, approach the paper with a timeline in mind. Give a certain amount of time to all questions. This is a practice that aspirants should start building from day 1.
Acing the Interview
Interviews are primarily used to determine a candidate’s suitability for a judicial position. During an interview, the interview board assesses a candidate’s confidence, ability, and commitment. There are a variety of questions during the interview process. The questions asked had to do mostly with procedural laws, such as Penal Codes, their context / implementation, Domestic Violence Act, family background, general knowledge of their respective state, especially your hometown, and why you want to be a judge. Having already studied enough during your preparation in general, only revision is enough for interviews. Stay updated with General Knowledge and Current Affairs as well.
Course or No Course? It is your call.
Judicial services examinations are conducted by the respective state public service commissions in three phases: the preliminary examination, the main examination, and the interview. Applicants must qualify for all three stages to be considered for selection. Mock tests and online courses make sure that aspirants remain on the hunt till the end.
Students receive live practice sessions, study notes, and live mentorship via these courses. There are no language or location barriers when learning online. You can better understand the curriculum and pattern of the State Judicial Services Exams by taking these online courses and practice tests.
Course or no course, you will need to self-study. You can be proud of yourself if you ace the exam studying on your own. It can be done, but it asks for discipline and perseverance. Many aspirants who have achieved success on their own feel that they could have done this earlier if they had mentorship in any form. And finally, no one can deny the importance of mock tests. So to take one can be a smart choice to make. The bottom line is – “Avoid distractions, work harder, analyze your mistakes and weaknesses, learn from them, and success will follow”.
Prepare for your Justice Exams with Oliveboard’s online courses, practice tests, online/offline study materials, and notes that will help you succeed in the most efficient way possible.
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