AIBE · CLAT · State Judicial Services · Prosecution Officer Exams · Bank/PSU Law Officer Posts
OVERVIEW: The legal examination calendar is unusually busy from late August 2026 through the year-end. Two nationally significant exams have just opened for registration: AIBE 22 (Bar Council of India), open 19 August – 27 October, for the mandatory Certificate of Practice exam on 29 November; and CLAT 2027 (Consortium of NLUs), open 3 August – 31 October, for admission to 26 NLUs on 6 December. On the judiciary front, four states have already announced Civil Judge vacancies this cycle — Bihar (173), Gujarat (237), Maharashtra (286) and Odisha (78) — with Maharashtra’s Prelims already held (2 August) and Gujarat’s detailed notification expected by the last week of August. Jharkhand’s Civil Judge Mains falls on 6–7 September, and Delhi’s Higher Judicial Service Mains is awaited after Prelims held 26 July. Bigger states — Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab — are expected to notify judiciary vacancies between August and December 2026. For law graduates eyeing government legal posts outside the bench, RPSC’s Assistant Prosecution Officer Prelims (371 posts) falls on 2 September, while the banking sector has just run back-to-back Law Officer exams: SBI’s written test (49 posts) was held on 23 August, and IBPS SO Law Officer Prelims (part of 1,035 Specialist Officer posts) falls on 29 August. Read carefully and track official portals, since judiciary exam dates are routinely revised.
📋 Legal Exams at a Glance — August 2026 Onwards
Exam / Post
Vacancies / Seats
Key Date
Status
SBI Law Officer (SCO) 2026
49
Written Exam: 23 Aug 2026
Exam held
IBPS SO Law Officer 2026 (CRP SPL-XVI)
125 (of 1,035 SO)
Prelims: 29 Aug 2026
Upcoming this week
AIBE 22 (All India Bar Examination)
Qualifying exam
Exam: 29 Nov 2026;
Regn. to 27 Oct
Registration open
CLAT 2027 (UG & PG)
~3,520 UG seats,
26 NLUs
Exam: 6 Dec 2026;
Regn. to 31 Oct
Registration open
JPSC Civil Judge (Jharkhand)
Adv. 22/2023
Mains: 6–7 Sept 2026
Mains upcoming
RPSC Assistant Prosecution Officer
371
Prelims: 2 Sept 2026
Prelims upcoming
Maharashtra Civil Judge / JMFC
286
Prelims held 2 Aug 2026
Result awaited
Gujarat Judiciary (GJS) — Civil Judge
237 (approx.)
Detailed notification expected late Aug 2026
Awaited
Delhi Higher Judicial Service (DHJS)
27
Prelims held 26 Jul 2026
Mains awaited
Delhi Judicial Service (DJS)
53 (44 existing + 9 anticipated)
Detailed notification awaited
Awaited
BAR ENROLMENT & LAW ENTRANCE EXAMS
⚖ AIBE 22 (All India Bar Examination) 2026
🆕 REGISTRATION OPEN
BAR COUNCIL OF INDIA (BCI) │ Qualifying Exam for Certificate of Practice (CoP)
Notification Released
18 July 2026
Registration Window
19 August – 27 October 2026
Fee Payment Deadline
28 October 2026
Eligibility
Advocates enrolled with a State Bar Council seeking the Certificate of Practice; no minimum LLB percentage required
Exam Mode
Offline, pen-and-paper, across designated test centres
Admit Card
Expected from 14 November 2026
Qualifying Marks
42% for General/OBC; 37% for SC/ST/PwD (based on AIBE 21 norms)
Note
BCI has informed the Supreme Court that AIBE will now be conducted twice a year
🗓 Notification: Expected in the coming months — track official UPPSC portal
Also on the radar: Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab judiciary vacancy notifications are expected between August and December 2026, following the pattern already set by Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Odisha this cycle. Bihar Judicial Service (BPSC, 173 vacancies) held its Prelims on 30 May 2026 and is progressing through subsequent stages. Aspirants should note that the Supreme Court’s 3-year advocate/law-clerk practice rule now applies to most fresh Civil Judge (Junior Division) recruitment cycles, though individual state notifications should be checked for exact applicability.
PROSECUTION & GOVERNMENT LEGAL POSTS
⚖ RPSC Assistant Prosecution Officer (APO) 2026
🔔 PRELIMS UPCOMING
RAJASTHAN PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (RPSC) │ 371 Vacancies
Advt. No.
03/EXAM/APO/EP-1/2026-27, released 27 May 2026
Application Window
8 June – 7 July 2026 (closed)
Correction Window
18 – 24 July 2026 (closed)
Qualification
Degree in Law (Professional) or Integrated Law Course; working knowledge of Hindi (Devnagari) and Rajasthani dialects/customs
Age Limit
21–40 years (General Male); relaxations up to 45–48 years for reserved/women categories
⚠ Disclaimer: Judiciary and law-officer exam dates are frequently revised by the respective High Courts, Public Service Commissions, and recruiting bodies. Always verify details from official websites before applying or appearing for an exam.