This article is written by Neeli Neelay Shah, Senior Legal Content Writer at LawSikho.

Every year, thousands of law graduates compete for just 90 Supreme Court Law Clerk positions. If you’re considering this path, you’re probably wondering whether the exam lives up to its intimidating reputation. The short answer is yes, it’s challenging, but the difficulty varies dramatically based on your background and preparation approach.

Unlike typical law exams that test memorization, the Supreme Court Judicial Clerkship Exam evaluates your ability to apply legal principles to real-world scenarios. This three-tier selection process combines objective questions, subjective legal writing, and personal interviews with Supreme Court judges. Understanding what makes each component difficult helps you prepare strategically rather than spending months on generic preparation that doesn’t address the actual challenges.

Understanding the Supreme Court Judicial Clerkship Exam’s Three-Tier Structure

Part I: The MCQs

Part I consists of 100 Multiple Choice Questions conducted online over 2.5 hours, covering Reading Comprehension, Analytical Questions on core legal subjects (Constitution, CrPC, CPC, IPC, Evidence Act, Contract Act), and Recent Developments in Law. According to the notification released by the Supreme Court, each correct answer earns 1 mark with 0.25 negative marking for wrong answers, and you need a minimum 40% to qualify for Part II evaluation.

Here’s the catch: wrong answers cost you 0.25 marks through negative marking. Based on candidate experiences, attempting 80-90 questions with 70-75% accuracy typically yields 55-65 marks after deductions, comfortably clearing the threshold. The time pressure combined with deliberately ambiguous answer options makes this more challenging than the percentage suggests.

What trips up most candidates is the Recent Developments in Law section, which now comprises approximately 15-20 questions out of 100. This section gained significant prominence from 2023 onwards, replacing the earlier General Aptitude and Awareness section. You cannot prepare this from textbooks or coaching materials; it requires consistent engagement with Supreme Court decisions throughout your preparation period, particularly constitutional bench judgments and larger bench decisions.

Part II: The Subjective Writing Test

Part II is a 3.5-hour examination (including 30 minutes reading time) of 300 marks that truly separates serious candidates from the rest. Questions appear on a computer screen, but you write answers in pen-and-paper mode. The three question types test distinctly different skills: preparing a case brief/synopsis (maximum 750 words), drafting a legal research memo (500-750 words), and answering an analytical question (350-500 words).

Evaluation criteria include identification of relevant facts, recognition of legal issues, comprehensive analysis of impugned decisions, understanding of ratio decidendi, and ability to condense information logically. You need minimum 50% marks in Part II to qualify; higher than Part I’s threshold, reflecting the importance placed on writing skills. These are professional skills typically developed through quality internships or litigation practice, not classroom learning.

Part III: The Interview with Supreme Court Judges

After clearing both written papers, approximately three times the number of vacancies are called for interview; roughly 270 candidates for 90 positions. The interview assesses your legal acumen, articulation ability, and overall suitability for working directly with a Supreme Court Judge.

The interview experience varies dramatically based on panel composition. Interview questions could range from a straightforward conversation about your motivation and background to intense technical questioning where you’re asked to give your opinion on a legal crisis on the spot. This unpredictability makes specific interview preparation challenging but emphasizes the importance of having genuine, deep legal knowledge rather than surface-level familiarity.

How Hard is the Supreme Court Judicial Clerkship Exam? 

Applicants vs Available Seats

For the 2024-25 term, the Supreme Court announced 90 vacancies for Law Clerk positions. While exact application numbers aren’t officially published, estimates from legal forums suggest thousands of law graduates apply each year. What makes this competition distinctive is the quality of applicants; you’re competing against final-year NLU students, LLM candidates, and practicing advocates who understand the career value of apex court exposure.

The minimum qualifying thresholds are fixed at 40% for Part I and 50% for Part II, but actual competitive cut-offs run significantly higher. Based on forum discussions and candidate experiences, scoring 60+ in Part I and 150+ in Part II typically puts candidates in competitive territory for interview calls.

What Past Candidates Say About Difficulty

Compared to previous years, the 2024 paper represented a significant jump in difficulty level. Candidate discussions on legal forums paint a revealing picture: where earlier years allowed well-prepared candidates to comfortably score 80 marks, the 2024 iteration made even reaching 50 a struggle. One aspirant candidly shared getting around 30 marks despite thorough preparation, attributing the difficulty to unclear answer choices and questions heavily drawn from the latest judicial pronouncements.

Prominent articles point to structural changes that contributed to this difficulty: the examination window shrank from 3 hours to 2.5 hours, recent constitutional bench decisions received disproportionate weightage, and the Part II questions deviated considerably from the specimen papers the Court had released. Multiple candidates flagged the Constitutional law dominance as particularly challenging.

Comparing the Supreme Court Judicial Clerkship Exam with Other Legal Exams

SC Clerkship vs CLAT-PG

If you’ve prepared for CLAT-PG, you have a meaningful head start. The legal reasoning sections overlap considerably, and your familiarity with application-based questions translates well. However, the Supreme Court exam places heavier emphasis on procedural laws, particularly CPC, which CLAT-PG doesn’t cover at all.

The significant difference lies in Part II. CLAT-PG tests only through MCQs, while the Supreme Court exam requires you to draft case briefs and legal memos under time pressure; skills that require separate practice. Additionally, the Recent Developments emphasis is stronger, demanding consistent judgment reading rather than the current affairs approach sufficient for CLAT-PG.

SC Clerkship vs State Judiciary Prelims

State judiciary preliminary examinations cover similar substantive areas but typically feature more provision-based, direct recall questions. The Supreme Court CJudicial Clerkship exam leans toward analytical application; you’re tested on whether you can apply legal principles to novel factual scenarios rather than reproducing section contents.

The key differentiators are Part II (state judiciary mains have descriptive papers, but the specific skills of brief preparation and legal memo writing are unique to SC Clerkship) and the Recent Developments section. Judiciary aspirants often focus on procedural law provisions more than recent judgments, requiring adjustment in preparation approach.

Which Part of the Supreme Court Judicial Clerkship Exam is Hardest?

Part I MCQ: Where Most Eliminations Occur

Despite its objective format, Part I is where most eliminations occur. The combination of negative marking, time pressure, and application-based questions catches many candidates unprepared. Based on previous year analysis, question distribution has evolved significantly.

The Constitution of India consistently receives high weightage with 15-20 questions. CPC and CrPC together account for approximately 20-21 questions. IPC and Evidence Act contribute roughly 20 questions combined. Contract Law gained prominence from 2023 onwards with 10-12 questions. Notably, English Comprehension was reduced from 30 questions (2018-2021) to approximately 15 questions (2023-2024).

The Recent Developments in Law section catches many candidates off-guard because you cannot prepare it through textbooks or coaching materials. It requires consistent reading of Supreme Court judgments, with priority to recent constitutional bench decisions and larger bench judgments.

Part II: The Real Differentiator

Many candidates clear Part I but stumble on Part II. The 50% qualifying threshold is higher, and the subjective nature means there’s no partial credit for “almost correct” answers. Question 1 requires you to prepare a synopsis of a case file; a Special Leave Petition, Appeal, or Writ Petition in maximum 750 words.

You must identify relevant facts, recognise legal issues, analyse the impugned decision’s ratio, and condense everything logically and clearly. These are skills typically developed through quality internships or litigation practice, not classroom learning. If you’ve never actually read and summarized a case file during internships, this format will feel unfamiliar and intimidating.

Question 2 asks you to draft a reasoned legal memo based on a factual dispute with relevant statutes and precedents provided: some relevant, some deliberately irrelevant to test your filtering ability. You must produce 500-750 words of quality legal writing under exam pressure, a skill that requires dedicated practice beyond subject knowledge.

Preparation Time Required for the Supreme Court Judicial Clerkship Exam

If You’re Already Preparing for CLAT-PG or Judiciary

The syllabus overlap works significantly in your favor. You’ll primarily need to add CPC if coming from CLAT-PG preparation, intensify focus on recent developments in law and constitutional bench judgments, and develop Part II writing skills through dedicated practice. 

If You’re Starting Fresh

Candidates starting from scratch need substantially more time for comprehensive coverage. You’ll need to cover the complete syllabus across Constitution, IPC, CrPC, CPC, Evidence Act, and Contract Act, build application skills through extensive practice with previous year papers, develop Part II writing skills through consistent brief and memo practice, and create a daily habit of following recent Supreme Court judgments. A realistic timeline is 3-6 months of systematic, disciplined preparation depending on your learning pace and existing legal foundation.

Practical Strategies to Handle the Difficulty

Mastering Previous Year Papers

Previous year papers are your most valuable preparation resource. They reveal not just what topics are tested, but how questions are framed and what level of application is expected. Detailed analysis shows significant evolution in question patterns.

Solve at least 3-5 previous year papers under timed conditions (2.5 hours, no breaks, no reference materials) before the actual exam. Track your time allocation per section and identify where you’re losing time. Analyse mistakes categorically: conceptual errors need subject revision, careless mistakes need attention practice, and time management issues need strategy adjustment.

Building Legal Awareness for Recent Developments

Build a daily reading habit using reputed legal news sources: Live Law, Bar and Bench, SCC Online, and Supreme Court Observer provide reliable coverage. Spending 15-20 minutes daily on legal updates is more effective than cramming before the exam.

Create brief notes of significant judgments: ratio, key facts, and constitutional provisions involved, for quick revision. For candidates appearing in 2025, focus on recent Constitution bench judgments readily available here. 

Developing Part II Writing Skills

Practice reading actual case files during internships and preparing concise summaries following the examination format. Focus on fact identification (what happened and when?), legal issue recognition (what question of law arises?), impugned decision analysis (what did the lower court/tribunal hold and why?), and grounds before the Supreme Court (why should SC interfere?).

Request seniors or mentors to review your practice briefs and provide feedback on clarity, structure, and completeness. The ability to distinguish relevant from irrelevant facts, identify the core legal issue among peripheral matters, and present everything in logical sequence within word limits requires deliberate practice.

Why This Exam is Worth the Effort

The career value of Supreme Court Clerkship extends far beyond the one-year assignment. Working directly with a Supreme Court Judge provides unparalleled exposure to apex court functioning, judicial decision-making processes, and interactions with the country’s finest legal minds.

The networking benefits are substantial: you build relationships with your assigned Judge, fellow clerks who often pursue distinguished legal careers, senior advocates who appear regularly,and the broader Supreme Court community. These connections accelerate career growth whether you pursue litigation, academia, or judicial services. For those considering foreign LLM programs, many prestigious universities explicitly give preference to candidates with judicial clerkship experience.

The current consolidated monthly remuneration is ₹80,000. Beyond monetary compensation, the experience value: Supreme Court exposure, judicial mentorship, and credential building, typically exceeds what the stipend alone represents.

Conclusion

So, is the Supreme Court Judicial Clerkship Exam hard? The honest answer is: it depends on your starting point and preparation approach. For candidates with CLAT-PG or judiciary examination backgrounds, the syllabus overlap makes it manageable with 6-8 weeks of focused additional preparation. For those starting fresh, the breadth of subjects, emphasis on application-based questions, Part II writing requirements, and recent developments section create genuine challenges requiring 3-6 months of systematic preparation.

What’s objectively clear is that the exam has become progressively harder in recent years. The 2024 examination saw candidates who previously scored 80+ struggling to cross 50 marks. Competition is real; you’re facing serious aspirants from top law schools for limited positions. But the exam rewards genuine legal engagement over coaching-dependent preparation, and thousands have cleared it without expensive courses.

Your success depends on systematic preparation prioritising high-weightage subjects, consistent engagement with recent Supreme Court judgments, deliberate practice of Part II writing skills, and honest assessment of your starting point to set realistic timelines. The challenge is significant, but worth taking if working at the apex court aligns with your career aspirations.

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