AIBE previous year question paper: how to practise for the bar exam

Quick recap of the bar exam pattern

The AIBE is a single written paper of 100 multiple choice questions spread over 19 subjects. A right answer is worth a mark, and the BCI deducts nothing for errors, so an empty bubble is a mark thrown away. You may carry bare acts that have no notes or commentary, which is why the paper rewards speed of reference more than memory.

Timing has varied. AIBE XX, held on 30 November 2025, ran from 1 pm to 4 pm, while some earlier notices printed a duration of 3 hours 30 minutes. Read the time on your own admit card and practise to that limit. General and OBC candidates qualify at 45 out of 100; SC, ST and disabled candidates need 40. The full subject list with question counts is on our AIBE syllabus page.

What past AIBE papers show

Old papers follow the subject split in the BCI syllabus closely. The three heaviest subjects, the Constitution, CrPC or BNSS and the CPC, bring roughly ten questions apiece, and the eight question blocks on crimes, evidence, family matters and contract plus property are next in line. The eleven smaller subjects, from cyber law to land acquisition, contribute two to five questions each.

• Section based questions: "Which section of the Code of Civil Procedure deals with res judicata?" style items are the most common type.
• Short fact situations: two or three lines describing a dispute, followed by the correct legal outcome.
• Landmark cases: the principle a well known Supreme Court judgment laid down.
• Professional ethics: duties of advocates under the Advocates Act and BCI rules.

Recent rounds have also included items framed on the three new codes (BNS, BNSS and BSA) which now stand in place of the IPC, the CrPC and the old evidence statute, so papers from before the new criminal laws need care. In AIBE XX the final answer key withdrew a few questions after objections, a reminder that keys can change between the provisional and final stage.

Practise with an AIBE previous year question paper and your bare acts

Take each AIBE exam previous year question paper through three rounds of work.

1. First pass, closed book: attempt a full old paper without opening any act. Mark each answer as sure, fairly sure or guess.
2. Second pass, open book: check every guess using your bare acts, and time how long each search takes.
3. Tab the slow areas: wherever a search took over two minutes, add a plain index tab or learn the chapter order of that act.
4. Repeat with new papers: after three or four rounds, aim to answer about 70 questions from memory and use the acts only for the rest.
5. Final mock: one complete paper in the exact time printed on your admit card, filling a printed OMR sheet.

Sample questions in the bar exam style

We drafted the five questions below in the AIBE manner; they are not reproduced from any BCI paper.

1. Which Article guarantees the fundamental right to move the Supreme Court for enforcing fundamental rights? Options: 19, 21, 32 or 226. Correct option: Article 32.
2. A suit is barred because the same matter was finally decided between the same parties earlier. Which principle applies? (a) Res sub judice (b) Res judicata (c) Estoppel (d) Laches. Answer: (b) res judicata.
3. An agreement made without consideration is generally void. Which Act lays down this rule? (a) Specific Relief Act (b) Indian Contract Act (c) Transfer of Property Act (d) Sale of Goods Act. Answer: (b).
4. Which body has the power to frame rules on standards of professional conduct for advocates? (a) Supreme Court (b) State Government (c) Bar Council of India (d) Law Commission. Answer: (c).
5. A seat of arbitration has not been agreed. Under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, who decides it? (a) The arbitral tribunal (b) The High Court (c) The claimant (d) The Central Government. Answer: (a).

Where the BCI publishes papers and keys

The Bar Council of India runs the exam through its dedicated AIBE portal, allindiabarexamination.com. After each round it posts a provisional answer key, usually along with the question booklet sets, opens a short window for objections, and then publishes a final key on which results are based. Recent rounds used four sets, A to D, with the same questions in a different order, so always match the set code on your booklet with the key you check.

• Store each round's previous year question paper of AIBE, and its key, as soon as each is posted, since links are sometimes replaced when a new round begins.
• Use the final key, not the provisional one, to mark your practice.
• You pick the paper's language, Hindi or English or a listed regional one, in your form; one key covers all language versions.

Using old bar exam papers if you write in Hindi

A large share of candidates sit the bar exam in Hindi; this short note, in Hindi, sums up how to use an old paper's Hindi version.

बार काउंसिल ऑफ इंडिया हर दौर के बाद अपने एआईबीई पोर्टल पर प्रश्न पुस्तिका और उत्तर कुंजी जारी करती है। हिंदी माध्यम के उम्मीदवार हिंदी संस्करण का पुराना पेपर लेकर पहले बिना किताब के हल करें, फिर अपने बेयर एक्ट से हर संदिग्ध उत्तर जांचें। जिस धारा को ढूंढने में ज्यादा समय लगे, वहां सादा टैब लगाएं। सौ प्रश्न हैं, हर सही उत्तर पर एक अंक मिलता है और गलत उत्तर पर कोई कटौती नहीं होती, इसलिए कोई प्रश्न खाली न छोड़ें।

After the paper: using your score

Compare your practice scores with the pass mark rather than with toppers. Clearing 45 or 40 is the only goal, so a steady 60 in mocks gives a comfortable margin for nerves and tricky sets. Once you pass, the Certificate of Practice follows through your State Bar Council. If you later aim for the bench or for teaching, look at the RJS syllabus for judicial service and the law paper of UGC NET for lectureship, and the CLAT PG syllabus covers the LLM route.