AIBE (21) 2026 FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions for All India Bar Exam (With Answers)

A: The All India Bar Examination has been conducted every year from 2011 onwards.

A: Yes, state bar council enrollment is one of the eligibility criteria for taking the certification exam.

A: Please check your email inbox or spam. You would have receive User Name &Password to login from BCI.helpdesk@cbtexams.in

A: There is no minimum percentage of marks that candidates need to secure in the graduation (or qualifying exam) to take the AIBE exam. That being said, the candidate does need to secure the minimum percentage required in the graduation exam or meet any other requirement that may be prescribed by the university.

A: The registration process for the AIBE exam is conducted in online mode.

A: There is no limit to the number of attempts. So, the candidate may appear in the exam as many times as may be required to qualify.

A: No, to appear for AIBE 21 (XXI) 2026, you must already be enrolled with a State Bar Council under Section 24 of the Advocates Act, 1961.

A: No, there are special benefits for candidates belonging to reserved categories.

A: The AIBE exam will cover the same topics that are prescribed by the Bar Council of India (BCI) for the 3-year and 5-year LLB programs. The emphasis of the AIBE exam will be on:

• Reasoning 
• Analysis

These abilities will be tested through multiple-choice questions. However, the exam will not test the candidate’s ability to memorize large blocks of text.

A: The candidate needs to apply to the Bar Council of India; it will deliver the prep material to you two weeks after receiving your application.  In case of any delay or similar other problems, you can write to barexam@barcouncilofindia.org.

A: The bar examination is available in 23 languages -  1) Assamese, (2) Bengali, (3) Gujarati, (4) Hindi, (5) Kannada, (6) Kashmiri (F) Konkani, (8) Malayalam, (9) Manipuri, (10) Marathi, (11) Nepali (12 Oriya, (13) Punjabi, (14) Sanskrit, (15) Sindhi, (16) Tamil, (17) Telugu, 18) Urdu (19) Bodo, (20) Santhali, (21) Maithili and (22) Dogri. The candidate can opt for preparatory material in the same language that they intend to appear in the exam.

A: The BCI allows candidates to use bare acts with short notes/comments. Previously, the BCI had banned bare acts with notes, along with textbooks and notes inside the exam hall. The relaxation was done after complaints from students that they are finding it difficult to procure Bare Acts without short notes/comments. This year, the BCI may not allow students to carry Bare Acts with notes unless the same situation prevails in the market (which is a scarcity of Bare Acts without notes).

A: The test will be of three hours and thirty minutes (3 hours 30 minutes). The candidate can’t exit the exam hall until they have completed the paper.

A: The candidate needs to secure 40% (that is, 40 out of 100) for clearing the All India Bar Examination.

A: No, there are no separate sectional cutoffs.

A: The candidate needs to bring with them the following items:

• Black/blue ballpoint pen for properly shading the OMR answer sheet
• Admit card 
• A valid photo identity card
• Bare acts with notes (based on previous year's notification)

The following items are not allowed:

• Electronic devices, such as laptop computers, mobile phones, 
• Device equipped with a radio transceiver (such as pagers) 
• Textbooks, written notes

A: During the AIBE, the candidate has to enter their answers by darkening bubbles in the OMR answer sheet. The full form of OMR is optical mark recognition. The OMR sheet is machine-readable. 

A: Yes, the candidate can carry home the question paper after completing the exam and submitting the OMR sheet to the invigilator.

A: No, the BCI will not release the percentage/percentile/ranking score. The results of the All India Bar Examination would simply be released as pass or fail.

A: The application fee is INR 3500 for general/ OBC and INR 2,500 for SC/ST candidates. In addition, there is a bank charge of INR 60.

A: No, the language opted for the AIBE exam will have no bearing on the candidate's score.

A: The BCI is authorized to prepare the syllabus for the AIBE exam. Check the topics and number of questions asked from these topics from the table below. AIBE syllabus - Topics and topic-wise number of questions

A: The BCI will send comprehensive preparatory material to all registered candidates. No extra payment has to be made for obtaining these preparatory materials.

A:  No, the candidate doesn’t need to qualify the AIBE exam or the CoP certificate for appearing in the Judicial Services examination.To appear in the Judicial Services examination, the candidate simply needs to have passed a bachelor’s degree in law (3-year or 5-year LLB) and must be enrolled as an advocate with a State Bar Council.

A: In the scenario, the candidate fails to qualify the AIBE exam, he or she can appear in the next editions of the certification exam. Note that there is no cap on the number of limits for appearing in the All India Bar Examination.

A: No, the CoP is mandatory to practice in a court of law. Also, the CoP is issued only to AIBE qualified candidates.

A: The BCI uploads the year-wise question papers and answer keys on the official AIBE website; alternately, you can download here all AIBE question and sample papers.

A. During registration, you will get the OTP through email and mobile number. Please note you have to mention both OPT Email and phone number OTP at the same time. OTP is only three digits on phone and email both. Please ensure you have entered Email OTP in Email box and Phone 

A. You should contact the helpdesk. The BCI will check from your id if there is any problem. In the meanwhile, candidate can try again after 7 pm

No, you are not allowed to appear for bar council exam without LLB. Also, candidates need to get enrlled in any State Bar Council in the country to appear in the AIBE Exam.

No, once the AIBE 2026 application form is submitted, you cannot make changes to most details. Personal details like name, date of birth, or category usually cannot be edited after submission.

Contact information (like phone number or email) can be updated once the BCI opens a correction window, which is officially announced on the AIBE website. Uploaded documents cannot be changed once the form is submitted and payment is done.

Yes, it is mandatory for all graduates to clear AIBE exam to pratice law in India. However, this is valid for only those who graduated before 2010.

AIBE Exam is held in offline; pen-and-paper mode. 

AIBE Exam is conducted by Bar Council of India once a year. 

Before filling out the AIBE form, keep the following documents ready:

• Passport-Size Photograph: A recent, clear photo in JPG format, usually under 50 KB. No selfies are allowed. Get a proper studio shot.
• Scanned Signature: Sign on white paper with a black or blue pen, scan it, and keep it under 50 KB in JPG format.
• State Bar Council Enrollment Certificate: Proof that you’re enrolled as an advocate. If you don’t have this yet, upload a signed undertaking (available on the AIBE website).
• LLB Degree Certificate or Mark Sheets: To verify your educational qualification.
• Valid Photo ID: Aadhaar card, voter ID, passport, or driver’s license.
• Category Certificate (if applicable): For SC/ST/OBC candidates, self-attested and in the required format.
• Disability Certificate (if applicable): For candidates with 80% or more disability, which qualifies you for an extra 20 minutes during the exam.

No, there is no provision to fill AIBE Application in offline mode. Candidates must note that AIBE Application Process is completely online. 

No, there is no age limit to appear in the All India Bar Examination. 

Once you clear AIBE Exam, you will be issued Certificate of Practice which is mandatory to practice law in the country.

No, in order to practice law in the country it is mandatory to clear AIBE after which you will be issued Certificate of Practice. 

The BCI will release the AIBE Schedule 2025 on its official website; i.e.allindiabarexamination.com