AIBE (20) Eligibility Criteria 2025: Age Limit, Qualification, No. of Attempts, Minimum Marks

Candidates seeking Certificate of Practice (CoP) to practice law in India can check here the prescribed eligibility criteria for AIBE exam including, marks, degree, state bar council enrollment number and other requirements. 

AIBE 20 (XX) Eligibility Criteria 2025: The Bar Council of India (BCI) is responsible for framing the eligibility criteria for the All India Bar Examination, which is a mandatory qualifying examination for all lawyers. Only those candidates who will fulfill the AIBE 20 eligibility 2025 will be allowed to appear in the AIBE Exam 2025. The Bar Council exam eligibility criteria mention the minimum academic qualification, age limit, and registration with the state Bar Council etc. Candidates were advised to check  AIBE Eligibility Criteria 2025 before filling in the AIBE 20 application form in online mode. The Council revised the AIBE 20 Eligibility Critiera 2025. Candidates are no longer required to have enrolment certificates from a State Bar Council to appear for AIBE Exam.

The BCI also gave a nod to final-year LLB/ BA LLB students to appear in the AIBE Exam. AIBE 20 will be conducted in offline mode in pen-and-paper mode. Those who qualify as per AIBE results are issued COPs to practice law. BCI has announced the AIBE 20 Exam Date. All the candidates who meet the AIBE XX eligibility criteria 2025 for the exam must fill the application form for AIBE 20, without which they will not be issued AIBE 20 Admit Card. 

What’s New in AIBE 20 Eligibility Criteria (2025)

On September 20, 2024, the Supreme Court of India ruled that final-year law students are now eligible to register and appear for the AIBE. However, their results will only be valid if they successfully pass all subjects in their law programme. Additionally, the AIBE results will be valid for a limited period, as specified by the BCI.

As per the updated eligibility criteria:

• Final-Year Law Students (Without Backlogs)

Candidates in the final semester of a 3-year or 5-year LLB programme from a BCI-recognised law college or university are eligible to apply, provided they do not have any pending backlogs.

• Graduates Awaiting Degree Certificates

Law students from BCI approved colleges who have completed their course but have not yet received their degree certificates are also eligible to apply.

• Graduates Without Enrolment or Who Have Surrendered Enrolment

Candidates who have obtained their LLB degree but have not enrolled with any State Bar Council, or those who had enrolled but have surrendered their enrolment certificates, are also eligible to register for AIBE 20.

• Ineligible Candidates

Students or graduates from non-BCI-recognised institutions are not eligible to appear for AIBE. 

Note: Eligible candidates will be required to submit an undertaking and upload self-attested scanned documents during the AIBE 20 registration process.

AIBE XX Eligibility Criteria 2025-26

The AIBE 20 (XX) eligibility criteria remained the same. Here are the AIBE exam eligibility criteria in the table below:

Also Read:

AIBE 20 (XX) Syllabus 2025-26 (UPDATED) - Highest Weightage Topics, Questions and More

AIBE 20 (XX) Eligibility Criteria 2025: Exemptions 

BCI has also set eligibility criteria for candidates exempted from AIBE exam as mentioned below:

• Law graduates who have passed the three-year LLB or five-year LLB degree before 2009-2010, don't need to take the AIBE exam.
• These candidates can thus practice law in India without the CoP.
• Those who graduated in 2008 or earlier, and enrolled later (irrespective of year of enrollment), are also exempted from AIBE.

Note: For candidates graduating from academic year 2009-10 onwards, the AIBE exam is compulsory for practicing law in India.

Also Read: Family Law for AIBE 2025: Syllabus, Important Topics, Previous years' Questions, Books, Tips

AIBE 20 Eligibility 2025-26: Number of Attempts

AIBE aspirants often question whether there is any limit on the number of attempts for the bar examination. However, BCI has made it clear to all law graduates that:

• They can attempt AIBE examination multiple times until qualified. 
• They can attempt AIBE even after they fail several times.

Therefore, attempts for the AIBE examination is unlimited till they qualify for it as per the minimum marks required. However, candidates have to qualify for AIBE within two years of provisional enrollment with the State Bar Council. 

AIBE 20 Eligibility Criteria 2025: State Bar Council Registration Validity

After the Supreme Court order in 2024, candidates do not need to have compulsory enrollment as advocates with a state bar council to appear in the AIBE Exam. Earlier, candidates were eligible to appear for AIBE any number of times. The provisional enrollment was valid for two year to become an advocate. So, in case the candidate clears the exam after two years expiry, they have to enroll as an advocate with the state bar council again. 

Also Read: How to enroll with State Bar Councils for AIBE exam? Fees, Documents Required, Eligibility

AIBE Eligibility Criteria for Obtaining COP

Candidates who appear for AIBE exam have to obtain minimum qualifying marks as set by BCI, to be eligible for issuing a Certificate of Practice. The minimum marks requirement for AIBE COP Eligibility is as under: 

• Candidates belonging to General/ OBC category must obtain at least 40% marks from the total scores of the AIBE exam. 
• Candidates belonging to SC/ST/PWD category must obtain at least 35% marks in the AIBE examination. 

AIBE 20 Eligibility Criteria for Disabled/ Physically Challenged Candidates (PwD candidates)

The academic eligibility criteria for AIBE applicants who are physically challenged or disabled is the same, however, such candidates must ensure that they have: 

• A disability certificate is issued by a medical authority.
• The disability certificate should mention 50 per cent or more disabilities under specific categories like blindness, amputated arms, or any other physical incapability.

This is a requirement if candidates want to increase their exam duration by 20 minutes per hour i.e. they will be allowed an extra time of one hour for AIBE exam duration. 

Also Read: Bare Acts for AIBE (XIX) 20 Exam 2025: Important Bare Acts, Study Tips

AIBE Application form 2025

The AIBE XX Application Form 2025-26 for the certification exam has been closed. Candidates who met the academic requirements and registered as an advocate with a state bar council could fill the application process of AIBE 20.

How to fill the AIBE application 20 (XX) 2025 form:

1. Online Registration - The candidate have to get registered first and create an applicant account. At the time of registration, the candidate had to enter their Advocate Enrollment No.
2. Filling of the application form - The candidate must fill in various fields in the application form, including personal, academic, and contact details.
3. Uploading of documents - Essential documents that have to be uploaded include a photograph, signature, self-attested enrollment certificate, and self-attested photo id. The uploaded documents should be in jpg/jpeg format.
4. Exam center and language selection - The AIBE 2025 exam will be conducted in 11 languages. Pick one language and also an exam center.
5. Payment of application fee - The exam fee is INR 3500 for general/ OBC candidates and INR 2,500 for SC/ ST candidates.

Read More- AIBE FAQs covering all TOPICS 

AIBE (XX) 20 Exam Centres 2025

The AIBE (XX) 2025-26 exam will be conducted at the following centers:

Note: BCI issues COP to AIBE-qualified candidates within a month after the declaration of results. The candidates who 'passed' AIBE XVII were issued COP in online mode via the AIBESCOPE mobile application, available on Android and iOS phones. 

Read More:

• Best Books for AIBE 2025 Preparation: Topic-wise 
• Top 5 reasons why aspirants fail AIBE exam

AIBE 20 admit card

AIBE admit card 2025 will be released by the Bar Council of India (BCI). Candidates who will submit their AIBE XX (20) 2025 Application Form on time will be issued an AIBE 20 hall ticket. Candidates must note that the BCI will not send AIBE 20 Admit Card 2025-26 by post. Candidates will have to use their registration ID and date of birth to download AIBE 2025 Admit Card.

How to download AIBE 20 Admit Card 2025?

Candidates can check the steps to download the AIBE 20 admit card 2025 below.

1. Go to the official website of AIBE 20
2. Click on the “Admit Card (AIBE-XX)” link 
3. Enter AIBE 2025 registration ID and password
4. Click on the “Submit” button, admit card will appear on the screen
5. Cross-check the below-mentioned details on the admit card, if errors found report it to the exam helpdesk and also, download the admit card (keep a copy for future reference)