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Andhra Pradesh Judicial Service exam

May 17, 2024

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This article is written by Sahiba Chopra and Diksha Paliwal. This article, in an elaborate manner, discusses and answers all doubts that invade the minds of the Andhra Pradesh Judiciary aspirants, including but not limited to the application process, frequency of Andhra Pradesh Judiciary notifications, syllabus, pay scale, stages of examination, scheme of examination, books to prepare from, tips and tricks to ace the examination, etc. The article also discusses the requisite strategy to ace this examination and what happens once you successfully manoeuvre through the three stages of this examination, namely, prelims, mains, and the interview stage. The information in this article is as per the notification released by the High Court of Andhra Pradesh on 12th January 2023, to notify 39 (as per the notification for vacant posts released on 08.01.2024) vacancies for Civil Judge (Junior Division) in the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Service.

Table of Contents

Andhra Pradesh Judicial Service exam : an overview

Greetings to all the aspirants of the Andhra Pradesh Judiciary! Before we delve into every aspect of the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Services Examination, we wish you all the best to crack this examination with flying colours and enter the prestigious career path of the judiciary.

Andhra Pradesh is one such state wherein the notification for recruiting Civil Judges (Junior Division) to the State’s Judicial Service is released every year by the High Court of Andhra Pradesh.

The recruitment of Civil Judges (Junior Division) in Andhra Pradesh is made by the following two means as per the Andhra Pradesh State Judicial (Service and Cadre) Rules 2007:

Direct Recruitment – This recruitment is made for persons who are not serving either the Government of India or the Government of the State.
Recruitment by Transfer – This category is meant for candidates who are already confirmed members of the service or are approved probationers. As to who shall be considered confirmed members of service or approved probationers, a detailed list of such posts is prescribed by the Andhra Pradesh High Court for the same. This list, along with the eligibility criteria for both means, has been discussed at length later in this article. Click here to read about the eligibility criteria.

Just like other competitive examinations, the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Service too has a three-stage examination process:

Preliminary Examination (Screening Test) (Objective)
Mains Examination (Written Examination) (Subjective)
Viva Voce (Interview)

Note: Whether recruitment is made directly or through transfer, the three-stage examination process applies to both. Also, please note that, until the completion of the entire recruitment process, the candidates willing to appear and who have filled out the application form should often visit the official website of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, to keep themselves updated.

Recent and past year vacancies for Andhra Pradesh judiciary exam

The recent notification released by the Andhra Pradesh High Court has invited applications for the post of Civil Judge (Junior Division), with a total of 39 vacancies, for the recruitment period spanning 2024 to 2025. Of these 39 posts, a total of 32 vacancies are notified for Direct Recruitment, whereas, 7 vacancies have been notified for Recruitment by Transfer. Please find below, a tabular representation of the vacancies for each category of the candidates for the recruitment cycle of the year 2024 to 2025.

Division of vacancies under direct recruitment (2024-2025)

Category	Total No. of Posts Notified
OC (Open Category/ General)	11 ( out of these 11 vacancies, 3 posts are for women and 1 post for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities {Orthopaedically Handicapped (lower portion of the body)}
Economically Weaker Section (EWS)	07 (out of these 7 vacancies, 2 posts are for women)
BC – A	02
BC – B	02
BC – C	02
BC – D	01
BC – E	02
SC	03 (Of these 3 posts, 1 post is for woman)
ST	02
Total	32 (6 women)

Division of vacancies under recruitment by transfer (2024- 2025)

Category	Total No. of Posts Notified
OC (Open Category/ General)	05
SC	01
ST	01
Total	07

Total vacancies notified in past few years

Recruiting Cycle	Direct Recruitment	Recruitment by Transfer	Total
2023-2024	24	6	30
2021-2022	25	6	31
2020-2021	55	13	68
2019-2020	31	7	38
2018-2019	21	5	26

Note: It is pertinent to note that, the notification of 2024 has expressly held that the High Court of Andhra Pradesh, has the complete right ti amend in the number of vacancies in the aforementioned vacant posts, be it increase or decrease the number of posts, without assigning any reason whatsoever. The release of notification does not accrue any right to the candidate by virtue of the release of the notification dates 12.01.2024.

Further, the selection against the vacant post under the category BC-E will be subject to the decision that the Hon’ble Apex Court delivers in the Civil Appeal No. 2628-2637/2010. Furthermore, in relation to the provisionally selected candidates it has been notified that if the candidate does not join the post, the candidate next in line (as per merit) will be selected for provisional selection.

Important dates regarding Andhra Pradesh Judiciary exam (Recruiting cycle 2024-2025)

Particulars	Important Dates
Starting Date for Online Application Submission	31.01.2024
Closing Date for Online Application Submission	01.03.2024 (up to 11:59 PM)
Preliminary exam Hall Tickets download	15.03.2024
Date of computer based preliminary test	13.04.2024
Putting preliminary question paper and answer sheet on the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s website to call for objections	28.04.2024
Result of Preliminary Examination	Not announced
Release of Marks List of Preliminary Examination	Not announced
Mains examination Hall Tickets download	Not announced
Paper I (Civil law) Mains Written Examination	Not announced
Paper II (Criminal law) Mains Written Examination	Not announced
Paper III (English translation and essay writing test)	Not announced
Viva voce/Interview	To be scheduled

Note: Please note that the above dates mentioned can be changed by the High Court of Andhra Pradesh by publishing the changes on the website of the Court.

Eligibility criteria for Andhra Pradesh Judiciary exam

The candidates who possess the qualification as prescribed under the Andhra Pradesh State Judicial (Service and Cadre) Rules 2007 in Rule 5(2) are only eligible for applying to the post of Civil Judge (Junior Division). Further, it is to be noted that as far as the number of attempts a candidate can appear for the examination Judicial Services, there is no maximum number of attempt, till the candidate fulfils the eligibility criteria. The criteria is mentioned as under:

Qualifications prescribed for candidates applying under direct recruitment

As per the Rule 5(2)(a) of the aforementioned 2007 Rules, the candidates must possess a Bachelor’s degree in Law from a university established by law in India. Along with this, a person applying for the post of Civil Judge (Junior Division) shall not be above the age of 35 years. Further, he should be of sound health and active habbits, and should not have any infirmity that renders him unfit for the post. It is to be noted that the age limit of 35 years, is relaxable by 5 years for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled tribe, and Backward classed.

Qualifications prescribed for candidates applying under transfer recruitment

The candidates applying under this category must fulfil two conditions. Firstly, they must possess a Bachelor’s degree in Law from a university established by law in India. Secondly, they must either be a confirmed member or an approved probationer in any one of the following prescribed categories:

Section Officers and Deputy Section Officers, Accounts Officers, Scrutiny Officers, Court Officers, Personal Secretaries to Registrars/Judges, Translators, Overseers, Computer Operators, U.D. Stenos, Readers, Assistant Librarians, Assistants, Telex/Telephone Operators, Examiners, Typists/Copyists of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh;
Section Officers working in the Legislature Department of the State of Andhra Pradesh;
Section Officers working in the Law Department of Secretariat of the State of Andhra Pradesh;
Chief Administrative Officers, Superintendents and Senior Superintendents, Stenographers of Grades I, II, and III, Senior/Junior Assistants, and Typists covered under the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Ministerial and Subordinate Service Rules, 2019;
Managers of the Office of the Advocate General;
Public Prosecutors and Government Pleaders, Editor, I.L.R. of the State of Andhra Pradesh;
Assistant Public Prosecutors, Senior Assistant Public Prosecutors, and Additional Public Prosecutors of Grade II belonging to the Prosecution Services of the State of Andhra Pradesh.

Note: A person to be appointed as a Civil Judge by transfer has to maintain good character and conduct. A person facing a charge in any disciplinary inquiry or one who has undergone punishment for causing any irregularity in the discharge of his/her duties shall be rendered ineligible to become a Civil Judge (Junior Division) through Recruitment by Transfer. The notification released on 12.01.2024, debars the following below-mentioned candidates for appointment to the post of the Civil Judge (Junior Division):

i) If the candidate applying for the post is not a citizen of India;

ii) If the candidate applying for the aforesaid post does not possess good character, and is not free from any infirmity, which renders the candidate, unfit for such appointment;

iii) If the candidate applying for the aforesaid post was dismissed from service by any High Court, Government and Statutory or Local Authority;

iv) If the candidate has been convicted of any offence involving moral turpitude;

v) If the candidate has been permanently debarred or disqualified by the High Court or Union Public Service Commission or any State Public Service Commission from appearing for examinations or selections conducted by them in the selection process for any post in public service;

vi) If the candidate by any means, be it direct or indirect tries to influence or persuade the Recruiting Authority for its candidature;

vii) If the candidate is not of sound health and active habits;

viii) If the candidate has more than one wife living; and

ix) being a woman, she marries knowingly a person that is having a wife already; and

X) If the candidate has been arrested in connection with any crime involving moral turpitude.

Common eligibility grounds applicable to candidates applying directly or through transfer

The candidate must be a person of good character and there should not be any infirmity making him/her unfit for being appointed as a Civil Judge;
He must be a citizen of India;
He must not be dismissed from his service by any High Court or any Government/Statutory/Local Authority;
He must not have faced a conviction or an arrest for an offence or crime involving moral turpitude;
A candidate’s candidature is cancelled if he/she directly or indirectly attempts to influence the Recruitment Authority;
The candidate must have sound health and active habits;
A male candidate having more than one wife living is not eligible to be appointed as a Civil Judge;
A female candidate who knowingly marries a married person is not eligible to be appointed as a Civil Judge;
The candidate must not be permanently debarred/disqualified by the Union/State Public Service Commission, or High Court from appearing in examinations conducted by them.

Age criteria for Andhra Pradesh Judiciary exam

Age criteria for direct recruitment

Candidates applying under direct recruitment must not have completed 35 years of age as of 1st January 2024 (this is the month in which the latest recruitment notification was issued).
The candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes/Tribes, Backward Classes, and Economically Weaker Sections of the society have been given age relaxation of 5 years; that is, they should not have completed 40 years of age.
The Physically Disabled Persons with locomotor disabilities have been provided an age relaxation of 10 years; that is, they should not have completed 45 years of age.
An applicant who has rendered his services in the Union defence forces and is fulfilling other eligibility criteria of the Civil Judge (Junior Division) will enjoy the exclusion of his period served in the defence service in the computation of his upper age limit for direct recruitment to the post of Civil Judge (Junior Division).
Age criteria for recruitment by transfer
The applicants applying by this means must not have completed 48 years of age as on 1st January 2024 (this is the month in which the latest recruitment notification was issued).

Following is a tabular representation of the age criteria to be fulfilled by the candidates:

Category	Must not have attained (years)
Open (General) (direct)	35
SCs/STs/BCs/EWSs (direct)	40 (Inclusive of 5 years of age relaxation)
Physically Disabled Persons (locomotor disability) (direct)	45 (inclusive of 10 years of age relaxation)
Those who have served in defence forces of the Union (direct)	Period of service in defence to be excluded in computing the upper age limit
Recruitment by Transfer	48

Reservation- directions as per the notification if you fall under any of the reserved categories

The notification dated 12.01.2024 enlisted a few points for the candidates appearing under the reserved category, or to simplify, the candidates who have filled the form mentioning that they belong to Backward Classes (A, B, C, D & E), Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and horizontal reservation for Women and Persons with Benchmark Disability [Orthopaedically Handicapped (Lower portions of the body)], which are listed as under;

The vertical reservation in respect of the aforementioned categories shall be in accordance with the A.P. State Judicial (Service & Cadre) Rules, 2007 read with amended Rule 22 and 22-A of the A.P. State and Subordinate Service Rules, 1996 (issued vide G.O.Ms.No.77, General Administration (Services-D) Department, dated 02.08.2023).
The applicants who wish to apply under the respective aforementioned category shall mention the same in their form along with enclosing the necessary details/certificate as asked.
The applicants who fall under Backward Classes (A, B, C, D & E) shall submit the latest certificate issued in the year 2023-2024, o the effect that they belong to non-creamy layer in terms of G.O.MS. No.3, Backward Classes Welfare (C2) Department (dated 04.04.2006 and G.O.Ms.No.26), Backward Classes Welfare (C) Department, (dated 09.12.2013) and as per the income ceiling which is in force on the date of notification, i.e., 12.01.2024. In case of non-submission of the latest non-creamy layer certificate, their candidature will be considered against Open Category only.
The applicants who intend to claim reservation under EWS shall submit the latest EWS Certificate (i.e., as issued either in the year 2023 or 2024 which will be issued by the Tahsildar concerned mentioning therein that the gross annual family income from all sources is below Rs.8,00,000/-).

Scheme of examination and strategy to ace the three levels of Andhra Pradesh Judiciary exam

The exam shall be conducted in three phases, namely, Preliminary, Mains, and Interview.

Andhra Pradesh Judiciary Preliminary examination (screening test)

This examination shall be conducted by the Andhra Pradesh High Court in order to screen/shortlist candidates for the Mains examination, which shall be the second phase of the recruitment process. Important points to be noted by candidates for this screening test are:

It will be a Computer Based Test (CBT) or Screening Test.
The test shall contain 100 multiple choice questions carrying 1 mark each; thus, the maximum marks for this screening test shall be 100.
The candidates shall be given two hours to complete the test.
The candidates need to secure at least 40% marks to be shortlisted for the Mains written examination. This cut-off of 40% is the same for all categories of candidates.
There is no negative marking.
The marks secured by the candidates in this screening test shall not be used for determining the final merit of the candidate; that is, the marks of this phase will not be added to the marks secured in the written examination and interview.
Candidates shall be shortlisted in the ratio of 1:10 of the available vacancies; that is to say, for every one seat, there will be shortlisting of 10 candidates.
In case, more than one candidate secures the same marks in the screening test, all such candidate(s) shall be shortlisted for the Mains examination.
As per the 2024 notification, the candidates can choose 3 out of the 6 given centres and rank them in the order of their preference. These centres were: Guntur, Kurnool, Rajahmundry (Rajamahendravaram), Tirupati, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam. However, the High Court of Andhra Pradesh may allot a centre other than the centre chosen by the candidate in the application form.

Note: Once the application process is over, details as to the venue and time of the screening test are uploaded on the official website of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, and candidates can download their respective Hall Tickets from the same website (on the date as declared by the High Court of Andhra Pradesh, and for the 2024 examination the dates on which the candidates will be allotted the Hall Tickets is yet to be scheduled). Here is the link to the official recruitment page of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, from where you can browse the latest notifications- aphc.gov.in.

Syllabus for Preliminary examination

The multiple choice questions in the screening test shall be from the following areas of law.

Civil Laws

Indian Evidence Act, 1872
Civil Procedure Code, 1908; Civil Rules of Practice, 1990
Transfer of Property Act, 1882
Indian Contract Act, 1872
Specific Relief Act, 1963
Hindu Acts

Hindu Marriage Act, 1955
Hindu Succession Act, 1956

Indian Easements Act, 1882
Indian Stamp Act, 1899
Limitation Act, 1963
Registration Act, 1908
Andhra Pradesh Land Encroachment Act, 1905

Criminal Laws

Criminal Procedure Code, 1973; Criminal Rules of Practice, 1990
Indian Penal Code, 1860
Indian Evidence Act, 1872
Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881
Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015
Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005
Andhra Pradesh State Acts

Andhra Pradesh Excise Act, 1968
Andhra Pradesh Gaming Act, 1974

Preparation strategy for preliminary examination

It is crucial that the moment you decide to appear for Judiciary Examinations, you start familiarising yourself with every single aspect of law. Get a hold on every subject of law as per the syllabus, not just for the purpose of clearing the examination but rather to have a practical approach, learn and understand the law. Please be very mindful that rote learning will under no circumstances help you in the long run. Start your journey of preparation, by first having a thorough look at the syllabus as to what all subjects will demand extra attention and what subjects that you feel are easygoing and easily understandable. Before you move on to solving the previous year’s question papers, thoroughly study the subjects, and understand the language of the statutes.

Keep in mind that you retain reference books of the concerned subjects along with the Bare Acts. While you are reading the Bare Act, you might feel like the language of the Bare Act is a bit complicated, in this, reading from the Reference books will help you. The Reference books simplify the Sections with the help of case laws and the law that has evolved through the judicial precedents. Understanding laws and provisions with the help of case laws makes it easy to understand and remember the provisions.

However, once you are done reading the subjects at least one time using reference books and Bare Acts, then you can take the help of the Previous Year’s Questions. Give the past year’s question papers a read and try to understand the pattern of questions. Once you get a hold of that, it will be easy for you to understand what areas you need to emphasise more and how exactly should you read the contents of the syllabus. For instance, the questions will be asked in a more practical way rather than in a theoretical manner. The questions are framed in a manner so as to assess whether you are able to apply the law to practical scenarios and whether you will be able to do justice by correctly interpreting the provisions. The question will be framed in a manner so as to check whether you are able to clearly understand the meaning of the provision through a practical approach or not.

However, if you are somebody who has started the preparation with not much time left for the examination, then, the simplest formula for cracking the Screening/Preliminary test of the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Services Examination is “Previous Year Question Papers + Bare Acts”. Let’s decode some easy steps that will help you ace the examination. You have started your preparation right after you came across the notification or you have been preparing for the exam for a while now, with these steps, success will be yours, you just have to work hard and follow these steps.

If you have a few months before the final examination, make sure you first read the law through the Bare Acts and reference books alongside, so that you understand the law. Also, you must understand that there is no specific mode or way through which can clear the examination. The strategies will definitely be different for different people, at the end, it is you who will have to work on your minus points and make them your plus points, while simultaneously making sure that you make the most out of your plus points. However, you can definitely get help from coaching institutes, especially those who cater to your needs personally rather than just teaching a large bunch of students together, and if you want to save your time of travelling you can also opt for online classes for the judiciary, there are several platforms that provide courses and help you ace these tough exams by providing you one on one consultation and doubt clearing sessions as well.
Get the previous years’ question papers of the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Service and thoroughly analyse them along with side by side reading the Bare Act. For instance, if you come across a question pertaining to the Indian Penal Code, now after you read the question and comprehend it, read the concerned provision of the IPC with which it relates, this relative study will help you remember the provisions and understand it at the same time. Also, note that while you reading and analysing the previous year’s questions, you search for the answer yourself first rather than checking the answer key. This introspection of the question opens up your mind and helps you think logically. Your understanding must be the guide of your thoughts. This simultaneous analysis of the papers and the Syllabus (enlisted above) will definitely give positive results.
The importance that reading a Bare Act holds, must never be forgotten, however, reading and taking the help of textual or reference books when you face any difficulty in interpreting the difficult language of provisions, will get you closer to your goal. Referring, to the textual books in case of any confusion or further elaboration of the sections given in the Bare Act will make you understand the law from a broader perspective. The Bare Acts should be read in such a manner that the wording of each section should be broken down into parts, considering the punctuation marks. For the correct understanding of sections, the literal rule of interpretation should be followed unless and until there is any precedent by an Indian court to defer from the literal wording of the section.
An added advantage of the Andhra Pradesh Judiciary Preliminary Examination, direct section-based questions, definitions, exceptions, and illustrations are quite popular, thus, sometimes such questions are an easy target to achieve more marks and get you closer to the cut-off. For example, in Section 300 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, various clauses are given to explain when culpable homicide is murder and when it is not. Similarly, many definitions are given in the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, Transfer of Property Act, 1882, etc. Aspirants need to lay deep focus on those sections of the bare act that have clauses defining an offence or any other concept. Thoroughly learn the defining clauses of a section, explanations (if any) attached to the sections, illustrations, and exceptions too, as many times these explanations/exceptions are twisted by the examiner and are set as options in multiple choice questions.

Example of an illustration-based question asked in Andhra Pradesh Civil Judge (Junior Division) 2022-2023:

A agrees to transfer one lakh rupees to his nephew, B, if he deserts his wife. With reference to Section 25 of the Transfer of Property Act, 1882, this transfer is………..

Voidable
Unlawful
Void ✔
Valid

It is advisable to go through at least the previous 10 years’ question papers of the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Service in order to understand the difficulty level of the examination and to effectively locate the areas of law from which the bulk of questions are asked.
Going through Previous Years’ Questions (PYQs) saves much time, as they will act as a compass for starting the preparation.
The previous years’ question papers for the years 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 are available on the official website of the Andhra Pradesh High Court (aphc.gov.in). Access the notification dated 16.02.23 and download the previous year’s papers. These, along with more PYQs, can also be procured through any book of good publication or through coaching institutions (if the candidate has joined one).

Words of Caution: Many times, the answers to PYQs in books or other materials are wrong. Watch out for such questions. Only mugging up answers to PYQs won’t work. You need to be well-versed with the statutes, using Bare Acts primarily. Firstly, go through PYQs to narrow down focus areas from highly asked questions to rarely asked questions. Then start completing the Bare Acts. As you keep on completing portions of the Bare Acts, come back to the PYQs asked from the portions of the syllabus you completed studying from the Bare Act. This way, you can practise and also pinpoint wrong answers.

Those subjects and areas of law that make up the bulk of the PYQs should be completed first.
It is advisable, that you devote the last two weeks before the Screening Test, to revising the syllabus. Do not waste much time on the topics that you won’t be able to finish in one reading at this last time, first revise your strong areas and then move forward to those topics in which you feel that with some hard work, you will be able to ace those topics. In this manner, you will be able to cover a wide range of topics.
In the end, just note that where have you begun or how much time you are left with, is immaterial, if with the right guidance and hard work you are working towards achieving your goal, then success will definitely be yours.

Focus areas

The tables below mention the number of questions asked from each subject of law in Andhra Pradesh Civil Judge (Junior Division) for the recruiting cycle 2022-23 which was conducted on 7th January 2023.

S.No.	Criminal Law Subjects	No. of Questions
1.	Criminal Procedure Code, 1973	10
2.	Indian Penal Code, 1860	10
3.	Indian Evidence Act, 1872	13
4.	Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881	5
5.	Protection Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005	5
6.	Andhra Pradesh Excise Act, 1968	2
7.	Andhra Pradesh Gaming Act, 1974	3
8.	Juvenile Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015	2
9.	Criminal Rules of Practice, 1990	5
	Total	55 Marks

S.No.	Civil Law Subjects	No. of Questions
1.	Civil Procedure Code, 1908	5
2.	Indian Contract Act, 1872	5
3.	Hindu Succession Act, 1956	5
4.	Hindu Marriage Act, 1955	3
5.	Indian Easements Act, 1882	2
6.	Specific Relief Act, 1963	3
7.	Limitation Act, 1963	2
8.	Transfer of Property Act, 1882	8
9.	Civil Rules of Practice, 1990	7
10.	Registration Act, 1908	3
11.	Indian Stamp Act, 1899	0
12.	Andhra Pradesh Land Encroachment Act, 1905	2
	Total	45 Marks

A total of 9 judgment-based questions were also asked from both civil and criminal laws.

An analysis of the Surprise elements of the PYQ paper of the Andhra Pradesh Civil Judge Examination – Criminal and Civil Rules of Practice occupied a weightage of 12 marks. Questions from these areas of law were seldom asked before. Also, every year there was a good weightage of the Civil Procedure Code, 1908 in the preliminary examination, which was reduced to only 5 marks in the 2022 examination. You can get the previous years’ question papers for the years 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 (both prelims and mains) on the official website of the Andhra Pradesh High Court. Click on this link, aphc.gov.in and scroll to find the notification dated 16.02.23. Download the previous year’s papers.

Nevertheless, the aspirants preparing for the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Service should first complete the following subjects –

Indian Penal Code, 1860
Criminal Procedure Code, 1973
Civil Procedure Code, 1908
Indian Evidence Act, 1872
Transfer of Property Act, 1882
Indian Contract Act, 1872, and Specific Relief Act, 1963
Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881
Hindu Marriage Act, 1955
Hindu Succession Act, 1956
Limitation Act, 1963
Indian Easements Act, 1882

It has been observed that major Acts (which are general in nature) like the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, Civil Procedure Code, 1908, and Indian Penal Code, 1860 etc. occupy more space in the Preliminary examination. Questions from minor Acts (dealing with some particular area of law) like the Indian Stamp Act, 1899, and Registration Act, 1908 appear comparatively lesser (or may sometimes be absent from the question paper, like the Indian Stamp Act, 1899, was not asked in the preliminary examination of Andhra Pradesh Civil Judge, 2022-2023) than the major Acts, and finally, questions from state Acts like Andhra Pradesh Gaming Act, 1974 etc, though asked, but their weightage fades before the major and minor Acts. So, the focus areas for the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Service Preliminary examination can be understood through the following depiction.

Major Acts ＞ Minor Acts ＞ State Acts of Andhra Pradesh

Subject-wise, topic-wise MCQs and PYQs of other States

The aspirants are advised to solve as many multiple-choice questions (MCQs) as possible. Let’s say in a day a candidate completes Chapter I (Preliminary) and Chapter II (The Relevancy of Facts) of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872. Once the Bare Act provisions of these chapters have been clearly understood and learned, an aspirant must solve previous years’ topic-wise MCQs so as to make sure that he/she is clear with concepts like may presume, shall presume, etc. Many books are available in the market that provide subject-wise and topic-wise PYQs. MCQs solving will provide you with an edge in handling and solving all sorts of questions relating to an area of law. While selecting such a book, choose the one popular in South India, as there is more focus on the PYQs from state judiciaries of the southern states. This is advised since the Judiciary Services Examination pattern is more or less the same in neighbouring states, especially if such states have been a single state in the past.
If you solve PYQs of the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Service followed by subject/topic-wise PYQs of other states, you won’t be required to spend thousands on purchasing test series. If facing time constraints, first focus on the PYQs of the Andhra Pradesh Judiciary and then other states. Solving PYQs of the past 10 years of the Andhra Pradesh Judiciary will provide you with around 1000 focus areas for the preparation of the screening test.

Revision is the key

Dedicating an ample amount of time to revising what you learnt and solved is absolutely necessary.
As you keep getting ahead with preparing subjects, you are bound to forget things. Solely completing the syllabus is of no use if you fail to revise the previous topics. So, aspirants must be regular in revising what they have completed. Fruitful time on a daily basis has to be dedicated to revision apart from moving ahead with the syllabus.

Some types of questions asked in Andhra Pradesh Civil Judge (Junior Division) 2022-2023

(A) Fill in the blank questions (directly asked from the bare act) –

I. As per Section 22A of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, oral admission of contents of electronic records are not required unless……..

(a) Parties give their consent

(b) Approved by the court

(d) The genuineness of the electronic record produced is in question ✔

II. As per the Transfer of Property Act, 1882, ‘Where with the consent, expressed or implied, of the person interested in an immovable property, a person is the ostensible owner of such property and transfers the same for consideration, the transfer shall ……… on the ground that transferor was not authorised to make it.”

(a) Be void

(b) Not be voidable ✔

(d) Be illegal

(B) Judgement based questions

I. With reference to the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 (as amended), in which of the cases given below did the Supreme Court make the following observation? “The fact that details in the cheque have been filed up not by the drawer, but by some other person would be immaterial. The presumption which arises on the signing of the cheque cannot be rebutted merely on the report of a handwriting expert.”

(a) Oriental Bank of Commerce v. Prabodh Kumar Tiwari 2022 LiveLaw, Sc 714 ✔

(b) Goa Plast Pvt. Ltd. v. Chico Ursula D’ Souza, (2003) 3 SCC 232

(d) K Bhaskaran v. Sankran Vidhyan Balan (1997) 7 SCC 5110

II. In which of the following leading cases did Lord Atkin hold, “A contract cannot be enforceable by nature if the parties to the same do not intend to create a legal relationship”?

(a) Harvey v. Facey (1893) AC 552

(b) Carlil v. Carbolic Smoke Ball Co. (1893) 1 Q.B. 256

(d) Spencer v. Harding 1870 LR 5 CP561

III. With reference to the Transfer of Property Act, 1882, in which case did the court firmly lay down the principle of ‘once a mortgage, always a mortgage’?

(a) Cooper v. Cooper 49 Cd. 2d. 30

(b) Rosher v. Rosher (1884) 26 Ch.D. 801

(d) Bellamy v. Sabine (1857) 1 D&J 566

(C) Section based questions

– these questions are asked directly from the bare acts and are kind of bonus questions for the aspirants, as being thorough with the important section numbers would fetch them easy marks.

I. Under which Section of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 (as amended) are the rules as to compensation payable in case of dishonour of a promissory note, bill of exchange or cheque by any party liable to the holder or any indorsee determined?

(a) Section 116

(b) Section 114

(d) Section 117 ✔

II. With reference to Section 12 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (as amended), a magistrate shall fix the date of hearing, which shall not ordinarily be ……. from the date of receipt of application by the Court.

(a) Beyond ten days

(b) Beyond three days ✔

(d) Beyond seven days

III. Section 326-A as inserted into the Indian Penal Code vide the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013 deals with the offence of …….

(a) Voyeurism

(b) Stalking

(d) Sexual Harassment

IV. In which of the following Sections of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 have the conditions for a Hindu marriage been laid down?

(a) Section 10

(b) Section 5 ✔

(d) Section 4

(D) Correct/Incorrect statement based questions

– such questions held a good weightage in the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Service Civil Judge exam of 2022-2023.

I. With reference to the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (as amended), read the following statements and select the correct option from those given below.

(i) Prohibition or restriction to continue access to resources or facilities which the aggrieved person is entitled to use by virtue of domestic relationship would amount to domestic violence.

(ii) Humiliation with regard to not having a child or male child does not amount to domestic violence.

(a) Statement one is correct, but statement two is incorrect ✔

(b) Both statements one and two are incorrect

(d) Both statements one and two are correct

II. With reference to the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, read the following statements and select the correct option from those given below.

(i) If a marriage has not been consummated owing to the impotency of the respondent, the petitioner can get the marriage declared as a nullity.

(ii) If either party to marriage has a spouse living at the time of marriage, such marriage is void.

(a) Statement one is correct, but statement two is incorrect

(b) Both statements one and two are correct ✔

(d) Statement one is incorrect, but statement 2 is correct

III. Select the correct statement with reference to the Specific Relief Act, 1963.

(a) Preventive relief is granted at the discretion of the court ✔

(b) The court cannot engage experts under the act (Tip – Such type of extreme statement is usually eliminated)

(d) Only the parties to a contract may sue for rescinding of the contract

(E) Questions from Civil and Criminal Rules of Practice

– unexpected area to ask questions but occupied an important weightage in the 2022-23 exam. The questions asked, though, were of an easy level.

I. As per Rule 8 of the Rules of Criminal Procedure, 1990, the summons to the accused person shall be signed by ………

(a) The Chief Ministerial Office with the prefix ‘By the Order of the Court’

(b) The Magistrate ✔

(d) The Chief Ministerial Office of the court

II. As per Andhra Pradesh Civil Rules of Practice, 1990, every pleading or other document filed in the court shall bear the date on which signatures of parties are affixed, the date of presentation, and the date ………

(a) Of final submission

(b) Of filing in the Court ✔

(d) Of its execution

III. The new provision for connected pleading has been provided in ………. of A.P. Civil Rules of Practice, 1990. (This can also be put into the category of ‘Questions Relating to Recent Developments.’ Candidates are advised to make a list of the latest developments in the subjects of law mentioned in the syllabus, to tackle such questions and gain an edge over their competitors. Words of Caution: However, lay focus on such types of questions once you are done with the rest of the syllabus as such questions occupy no to less weightage in the exam.)

(a) Rule 26

(b) Rule 25 ✔

(d) Rule 31

(F) ‘Match the correct pairs’ type questions

– such questions can easily be solved if you are thorough with bare acts.

I. With reference to the Transfer of Property Act, 1882, select the correct pairing of sections with their subjects.

(a) Section 64: Renewal of mortgage deeds

Section 65: Right to foreclosure

(b) Section 67: Right to foreclosure or sale

Section 68: Right to sue for mortgage money ✔

Section 44: Transfer by unauthorised person

(d) Section 60-B: Right of mortgage to redeem

Section 59: Right to the usufructuary mortgagor to recover possession

(G) Illustration based questions

– such types of questions can be solved easily if one is well-versed with the illustrations in the Bare Act.

I. A, who has been suffering from covid infection, has deliberately contacted B and C and this has caused covid infection to B and C also. Under which section of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (as amended) is A liable to be punished?

(a) Section 271

(b) Section 272

(d) Section 273

II. A sells by auction to B a horse, which A knows to be of unsound mind. A says nothing to B about the horse’s unsoundness. As per Section 7 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872, this is

(a) Not a fraud on part of A ✔

(b) An undue influence on part of A

(d) Fraud on part of A

III. A promises for no consideration to give rupees 10,000 to B. As per Section 25 of the Indian Contract Act, 1872, this is a/an

(a) Void contract ✔

(b) Illegal contract

(d) Voidable contract

(H) Easy heading based questions

– such types of questions can be solved easily if one is thorough with the index of the bare acts.

I. Chapter XVI of A.P. Civil Rules of Practice, 1990 deals with the:

(a) Costs

(b) Special procedure in particular cases

(d) Certified copies

II. Which chapter of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (as amended) deals with the ‘Burden of Proof’?

(a) Chapter X

(b) Chapter VI

(d) Chapter VII ✔

Final words regarding 2022-23 paper

The question paper for the Andhra Pradesh Civil Judge (Junior Division) for the recruiting year 2022-23 can be termed an ‘easy to moderate’ level paper that can be solved easily if one is well versed with the Bare Acts. The only unexpected region from where questions were asked was the Civil and Criminal Rules of Practice. However, the questions from these rules were of an easy nature. Overall, Bare Acts are the foundation of the civil judge examination. Also, when the paper is of an easy to moderate level, the cutoff is pushed higher, so the aspirants are advised not to commit any mistakes while choosing an option to the question.

What may NOT work for cracking the preliminary examination of Andhra Pradesh Judicial Services Examination

Watching only the marathon sessions of law subjects on YouTube and not devoting requisite time to self-study. Without any doubt, these YouTube series and videos help you prepare, but please don’t just rely on them. Also, make sure the videos you are watching are reliable. Watch videos of those channels which have a sound experience in the
Not setting a proper timetable (including time meant for revision of already completed topics). Giving due consideration to time constraints is important, time is of the essence.
Not observing the trend of PYQs of the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Services Examination. It is crucial that you properly analyse and comprehend the past year’s questions along with the syllabus of the exams so that you get an idea as to the weightage of the subject areas and the pattern of the questions.
Gathering too many conceptual books but ignoring Bare Acts.
Exhausting oneself in subjects that occupy very little weightage in the preliminary exam and not setting the correct chronology of subjects and topics to be studied first (it has been discussed above as to what areas of law should be studied first).
Devoting a major chunk of time to answer writing practice for the mains examination and ignoring the preliminary exam thinking preparation for the mains would suffice for prelims preparation as well. Remember, both preliminary and main examinations are of completely different natures.
Ignoring simple concepts, definitions, explanations, and exceptions given in Bare Acts and running after rare concepts that are seldom asked or are least important from the preliminary point of view.
Remember, simple to moderate questions decide the cut-off in examinations, not the difficult ones.

Note: Though a list of subjects to be prepared first has been provided above, it is never advisable to leave any portion of the syllabus. Describing focus areas and chronology is meant to safeguard aspirants from exhausting themselves in the initial stages of preparation.

Andhra Pradesh Judiciary Mains exam (written subjective test)

After the qualifying screening test, candidates are called for mains written examination at the venue specified by the High Court. This examination shall consist of three papers:

Civil Laws (Paper I)
Criminal Laws (Paper II)
English (Paper III)

Each of these three papers shall be of 100 marks and 3 hours will be allotted for each paper. Except for the Translation Test (part of the English Paper), all questions shall be answered in English language only.

Prescribed syllabus and marking scheme

Civil Laws and Criminal Laws: The syllabus for these laws is the same as for the preliminary examination. The subjects from which questions shall be framed have already been enlisted above under the heading “Syllabus for Preliminary Examination.”
English: This paper includes the following two tests

S.No.	Test	Marks Allotted
1.	English Translation (test of translating English to Telugu and vice versa only)	25
2.	Essay Writing (on legal subjects only)	75

The following table shows the minimum qualifying marks for each paper under the Direct Recruitment

Paper	Subject	Minimum Passing Marks (for direct recruitment)
		Open Category (General) and EWS	BCs	SCs/STs
I	Civil Laws	Not less than 55%	Not less than 50%	Not less than 45%
II	Criminal Laws	Not less than 55%	Not less than 50%	Not less than 45%
III	English	Not less than 55%	Not less than 50%	Not less than 45%

Requirement of Aggregate Marks under Direct Recruitment:

The candidates belonging to the open category and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) of the Society, must apart from scoring minimum passing marks in each paper, score an aggregate of not less than 60% marks in the written examination.
The candidates belonging to the Backward Class category must, apart from scoring minimum passing marks in each paper, score an aggregate of not less than 55% marks in the written examination.
The candidates belonging to the SCs and STs categories must, apart from scoring minimum passing marks in each paper, score an aggregate of not less than 50% marks in the written examination.
The following table shows the minimum qualifying marks for each paper under Recruitment by Transfer:

Paper	Subject	Minimum Passing Marks (for recruitment by transfer)
		Open Category (General)	SCs/STs
I	Civil Laws	Not less than 55%	Not less than 45%
II	Criminal Laws	Not less than 55%	Not less than 45%
III	English	Not less than 55%	Not less than 45%

Requirement of Aggregate Marks under Recruitment by Transfer:

The candidates belonging to the open category, i.e., general, must, apart from scoring minimum passing marks in each paper, score an aggregate of not less than 60% marks in the written examination.
The candidates belonging to the SCs and STs must, apart from scoring minimum passing marks in each paper, score an aggregate of not less than 50% marks in the written examination.

Preparation strategies for the mains examination

Usually, there is not much gap between the preliminary examination and the mains examination and hence you should prepare for the two exams together. The examination tests the candidates’ knowledge of the law, their analytical skills, and their ability to write clear and concise answers. Thus, the candidate must go beyond just rote learning. The candidates should be thorough with the syllabus and focus on the core topics and concepts. It is crucial that the candidates when they are done with reading and understanding the syllabus for one time simultaneously practice writing answers to previous year’s papers and mock tests, and get feedback from experts or peers, which you can also get from online coaching and courses if you do not wish to join offline coachings and save your time from travelling. This will help to improve the speed, accuracy, and presentation of the answers. Reading and understanding judgments of the Supreme Court and High Courts, along with relating them to the relevant provisions so as to analyze their implications and applications.

While you study the syllabus keep a note of topics that you feel are difficult so that before you finally appear for the examination you can revise these topics at the end, just to get a good hold.

It is important to understand the types of questions that are asked in the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Service Mains Examination. The nature of questions asked in the mains examination is different in comparison to the prelims; that is, while the former is subjective in nature, the latter is objective in nature. Questions in written examinations, most of the time, fall into any one of the following categories –

Definition-based questions: These questions require answers in the statutory language as much as possible, that is to say, the Bare Act wordings. The scope of writing in one’s own language is limited to negligible in these questions. No personal opinions or views are to be written here.

Example:

What is escheat?
Define the terms ‘cognates’, ‘agnates’, ‘full blood’, ‘half blood’ and ‘uterine blood’
What is the right of preemption? (3*2 = 6 Marks) (Asked in Andhra Pradesh Civil Judge, Junior Division, 2019.)

Differentiating questions: These questions require answers distinguishing one concept from another. It is advised to use tables in order to present differentiation properly. Tabulating the differences will help you in fetching good marks.

Example:

Briefly explain the difference between culpable homicide and murder. (2 Marks) (Asked in Andhra Pradesh Civil Judge, Junior Division, 2021-22).

Elaborative/Explanatory questions: These questions require detailed answers reflecting all scenarios of what has been asked by the examiner. To get good marks, such questions must be linked with proper sections, correct and relevant case laws, important judgements, and illustrations. Many times, the examiner details a scenario and asks to explain the scenario in light of the relevant provisions of law and judgements.

Example:

What is the duty of the Court when an instrument, which is liable to be stamped but not duly stamped, is produced before the Court and is tendered for being marked as an exhibit? What is the collateral purpose? Whether such a document can be permitted to be exhibited for collateral purposes? And if so, when? (10 Marks) (Asked in Andhra Pradesh Civil Judge, Junior Division, 2019.)

Comment-based questions: Use your own analysis to answer such questions and relate them to the relevant area of law. The scope of using one’s own language here is quite flexible. Such types of questions have rarely been seen in the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Services Examination, though may come as a surprise element in future examinations.

Mixture questions: Such questions are a combination of two or more types discussed above.
For English essay writing, general legal topics are asked; for example, in Andhra Pradesh Civil Judge, Junior Division, 2021-2022, the following two essay writing topics of 35 Marks each were asked to be written upon –

What are the causes for the delay in the disposal of civil/ criminal cases in Junior Civil Judge/ Magistrate courts? What are the suggestions/ improvements you would give to speed up the disposal of cases.
What are the various laws that exist to punish perpetrators and protect women from violence/ abuse in regular life, married life, and in their jobs? Are they adequate to protect women from violence/ harm etc.? What are your suggestions to speed up such cases?

For such essay writing questions, newspaper reading, and keeping a check on recent developments of the legal world and the syllabus already prescribed would suffice. You may prepare pointers to be elaborated on in the exam for topics asked in the past 10 years of the Andhra Pradesh Judiciary Examination.

For translation from English to Telugu and vice-versa, again, English and regional language newspaper reading and dedicating around half an hour to translation exercises will prove fruitful. Such exercises of translation can be undertaken using PYQs of 10 years.

Here are a few do’s and don’ts that the candidates must keep in mind to excel in the mains examination:

Do not get stuck on one question in the exam. Avoid spending too much time on one question. To secure good marks, candidates should be able to attempt as many questions as possible. It has been observed that the success ratio is much higher for those who attempt all questions with average but correct answers than for those who attempt a few questions extraordinarily and then have no time to even attempt or answer questions in an average manner.
Solve and thoroughly go through the past year’s question papers of Mains written examination. Firstly solve the past 10 years papers to get an idea of the paper pattern and then you can continue solving more PYQs. PYQs will help in covering a large part of the syllabus. Previous Years’ Mains papers of Andhra Pradesh Judiciary will act as a lighthouse to your preparation. Analyse and solve them and you won’t need to spend on procuring practice questions from other sources.
Do not use flowery language. Be crisp and clear in your answers.
Never write wrong case laws or sections. If you do not remember them, skip writing them rather than writing fictitiously, which would cast a bad impression on the examiner.
In this level of exam, Bare Acts would be supplemented by conceptual books too, since elaborative answers are asked. Nevertheless, do not keep on preparing one topic as if you are pursuing a Ph.D. for the same.
Make your answer sheet presentable:

You are given A4 sheets to write answers. Leave a border (not unreasonably thick) on all four sides of the sheet.
Though good handwriting casts a good impression on the examiner, someone with poor handwriting too can make the paper presentable by writing with proper spaces (between words, sentences, and lines), using headings, and using tables where possible. Avoid writing too tightly. Your handwriting must be legible. Answer writing will develop your paper presentation skills.
Do not make silly spelling errors.
Introduce and conclude your answers properly. The introduction and conclusion should not overburden your answer.
Make headings, sub-headings, and tables wherever possible.
Understanding with word limit:

For every 10 marks question, write around 500 words. Now, it is not possible for a candidate to count the number of words. So, the simple rule is to write around two pages for a 10 marks question since 500 handwritten words produce approximately two pages (A4). If you are putting a lot of headings and subheadings, your answer would take half or more of another page too. So, for every 10 marks question, limit yourself to 2- 2½ pages.
Divide the word limit properly when a question has more than one part or has been divided into sub-questions.

Andhra Pradesh Judiciary interview (Viva Voce)

The final stage of the examination is the interview, wherein

The interview carries 50 marks.
The total number of candidates to be called for an interview shall be in the ratio of 1:3, that is, for every vacancy notified, there shall be three candidates called for an interview.
In case of candidates securing the same cut-off in the mains examination, all such candidates shall be called for an interview.
The absence from the interview renders a candidate disqualified.

Do’s and don’ts for Interview

Wear modest and tidy clothing, and set a neat hairstyle.
Be polite but confident in answering questions.
If you do not know the answer, just politely apologise for not recollecting or knowing the answer rather than answering incorrectly.
Maintain good posture. Do not cross your arms or keep fidgeting in your chair.
If you have previous work experience, be prepared to answer questions relating to your previous employment.
Stay up-to-date with current affairs.
Go through the syllabus prescribed for civil and criminal laws to handle legal questions.

Remember, this stage is not merely to check your subject knowledge but rather to analyse your personality as a whole on various parameters like communication skills, clarity of thought, alertness, the balance of judgement and ethics, and other personality traits.

Preparation strategies for the viva/ interview

The interview or viva, is the final hurdle that you must excel so as to get this prestigious post of Civil Judge. In the interview, the authorities assess your knowledge, skills, and personality and then finally decide as per the promptness of your answers and your professional conduct and body language your suitability for the role. You must be crystal clear with your aspirations, dreams, your good points and your areas of improvement. You might also be interrogated about the court system, procedure and other aspects of the jurisdiction for which you are applying. Being thorough with all this will be an added advantage, as this will reflect your practical knowledge. Below are a few points that will help you ace the interview:

You can opt for mock interviews to make yourself confident before the interview panel. There are many videos of mock interviews available on the internet from which you can learn how to answer promptly and intellectually to the questions asked by the jury.
You can also be a part of mock interviews to hone your skills and develop confidence so that when you finally appear for the interview you are prepared to give your best.
Additionally, you can also prepare by yourself by posing questions before a mirror and answering confidently as if the jury is right before you. Pose yourself questions like ‘What are your hobbies?’, ‘Why should we choose you to become part of Andhra Pradesh Judicial Service?’ etc., and practise them in front of the mirror.

Subject-wise preparation strategies for Andhra Pradesh Judiciary Preliminary and Mains examination

One thing you must note is that you prepare for both the Preliminary and Mains Examination simultaneously as you will not get much time after you clear your Prelims to prepare for the Mains. The added advantage is that there is no separate syllabus for the two. Although, the pattern is different for the two examinations, however, if you prepare for the subjects thoroughly while you are preparing for your Prelims this will definitely give you positive results and will ensure that you reap more benefits.

It is crucial for the candidates preparing for the judiciary examination, which is considered to be one of the most toughest yet prestigious examinations, to formulate a strategy that is exclusive to cater to their requirements, however, there are a few points that every candidate should remember while preparing separately for the subjects, like what subjects require more attention than the others, the pattern of the questions asked from different subjects, etc.

Ensuring a strategy for all the subjects as per the pattern of the paper will surely ensure that you ace the exam with flying colours. Let’s have a look at some crucial factors and strategies that you must keep in mind while you study separately for the different subjects of the syllabus of the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Services Examination.

Civil Procedure Code

Civil Procedure Code (CPC) is a vast and complex subject along with being one of the most important procedural laws of the country. It basically is the one-stop procedural law pertaining to civil suits. Hence, as a Civil Judge, it is important that the candidate appearing for the judiciary examination has a thorough understanding of the legal principles and procedures involved in civil litigation. Students appearing for the judiciary and otherwise often find this subject boring and difficult in comparison to other law subjects. However, with proper strategy this common belief regarding the difficulty level of the subject may be changed.

CPC, enacted in 1908, is composed of 158 sections along with 51 Orders and Rules. It must be noted that barely memorizing the aforementioned Sections, Rules, and Orders while practising rote learning won’t help you. It is crucial that you relate the Section mentioned with the Orders and the Rules.

For instance, the law pertaining to a plaint is enumerated under Order VII along with it for issues like what parties should be made, and other such related matters you will have to read the Sections. In this establishing a correlation between the Section, Order, and Rules will make the study of this difficult subject very easy. Basically how the matter related in the Section will be governed is enumerated in the concerned Order and its Sub-Rule. Further, while reading and understanding the provisions make sure you try to remember the keywords, in this way, it will be easy for you to grasp it and overcome the hurdles including the complexity of the subject. Furthermore, it is important to focus on the application of CPC in different scenarios and situations. Analyze the questions (if the framing of the question is not straightforward), identify the issues involved, apply the relevant provisions and rules of CPC, and arrive at a logical conclusion.

Constitutional law

Constitutional law is the supreme law of the country. Every single law, ordinance, rule, etc. ultimately derives its authority from the Constitution. Thus, the importance this subject needs no further emphasis. Firstly, make a table consisting of the title of the Section and the Parts of the Constitution in a chart format on a white sheet, for instance, Part III- Fundamental Rights (Articles 14-32), Part XVIII- Emergency (Articles 352-356), etc. and stick it above your study table. This way, you will be able to memorise the provisions easily as you will come across them many times.

Further, analyse and introspect the previous year’s questions and extract the important articles that you find are coming often in the examination. The Constitution has around 448 Articles, but not every Article is important. Some Articles pertaining to Fundamental Rights, Citizenship, Directive Principles of State Policy, Fundamental Duties, and others that are related to the functional machinery of the country hold greater importance from the perspective of judiciary examination.

Always break down the Articles into smaller parts while you read and memorise them from the Bare Act and take the help of Reference Books as simultaneously you will get to read about the relevant case laws and interpretation of that particular provision. This makes learning easy.

Criminal laws

Criminal laws, i.e., the IPC, CrPC, and Evidence Act are the most interesting subjects of the syllabus. Bet it IPC, i.e., the substantive law or the CrPC, i.e., the procedural law or the Evidence Act, all these are very important not just for the examination but for your future after you pass this exam with flying colours and hence it is important that you study these subjects properly and get a good hold on these subjects. You can do so just by following a few important steps and by keeping a few important points in mind as discussed below.

These subjects are practical and hence don’t just try to practice rote learning, try to understand the meaning of the provisions using the help of judicial precedents, illustrations, etc. Apply logic and analyse the provisions, thus you will remember the provision for the long term. Further, by learning and understanding in this way you will be able to kill two birds with one stone, i.e., simultaneously prepare for prelims as well as mains.

First chose to study IPC, as it is interesting and less complicated compared to the other two subjects. Understand and study the subject by breaking the sections as per the different categories of offences like the offences relating to the body, self defence provisions, etc. Learn the definitions, and relate them with the relevant sections, simultaneously refer to legal textual books or references for a better understanding of the law. Also, take note of the explanation and illustrations provided in the Bare Act. Thereafter, learn the procedural law, i.e., the CrPC. for every crime and the punishment that you have read in the IPC, you will find the relevant procedures in the CrPC. Try to use patterns in your learning to memorise it easily. After you are done with the CrPC and IPC switch to Evidence in the similar manner.

You can divide these subjects into different parts, for instance first you try to learn and memorise the important definitions enumerated in these Acts and then learn the relevant provisions in which these terms are used. Thereafter, learn the procedural law along with the Evidence Law so as to understand how one can prove one’s own case. Whether the parties have put forth sufficient materials on record in a lawful manner before the court so as to prove their case or not.

Contract Act, Specific Relief Act, Transfer of Property Act, personal laws and other state and central acts

Start reading for these subjects from the Bare Acts first and then take the help of commentaries, digest, and reference books. Taking help from these supplemental books will help you learn and understand these subjects more effectively. Make sure you also memorise the definitions provided in the Acts along with learning other provisions. Additionally, try to apply these Sections in real-life instances so as to make the learning process easy.

Books one can refer to crack the Andhra Pradesh Civil Judge Examination

Prelims: Start with Bare Acts along with one or two books of previous years’ question papers. Here, you can go for ‘Singhal’s Solved Papers for Judicial Service Preliminary Examination’ published by Singhal Law Publications.
Prelims: For subject wise objective PYQs, one can buy ‘Universal’s Multiple Choice Questions for Judicial Service’ by Vinay Kumar Gupta. Alternatively, one can also buy ‘A Compendium of Multiple Choice Questions for Judicial Services Exams’ by Samarth Agarwal. Tip: Remember to lay more emphasis on the PYQs of the Andhra Pradesh Judiciary.
For descriptive written examination, the following books are suggested –

Remember, Bare Acts are the foundation for mains written examination too! Purchase the latest bare acts (with short notes) and the latest editions of books too.

Subjects	Books
Indian Evidence Act, 1872	The Law of Evidence by Batuklal	Bare Act	Solved PYQs by Singhal Law Publications
Civil Procedure Code, 1908 + Civil Rules of Practice, 1990	Civil Procedure Code by C. K. Takwani.	Bare Act + Download the Civil Rules of Practice, 1990 from the official website of the government. Here is the link Microsoft Word – civilrulescircularorders _1_.doc (tshc.gov.in)	Solved PYQs by Singhal Law Publications
Transfer of Property Act, 1882	The Transfer of Property Act by S.N. Shukla	Bare Act	Solved PYQs by Singhal Law Publications
Indian Contract Act, 1872	Indian Contract Act by RK Bangia	Bare Act	Solved PYQs by Singhal Law Publications
Specific Relief Act, 1963	Specific Relief Act by Dr. Avtar Singh	Bare Act	Solved PYQs by Singhal Law Publications
Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, and Hindu Succession Act, 1956	Modern Hindu Laws by Paras Diwan/ Hindu Law by Mulla	Bare Act	Solved PYQs by Singhal Law Publications
Indian Easements Act, 1882	Indian Easements Act, 1882, by J.D. Jain	Bare Act	Solved PYQs by Singhal Law Publications
Indian Stamp Act, 1899	Taxmann’s guide to Indian Stamp Act, 1899	Bare Act	Solved PYQs by Singhal Law Publications
Registration Act, 1908	Commentary on the Registration Act by Malik	Bare Act	Solved PYQs by Singhal Law Publications
Andhra Pradesh Land Encroachment Act, 1905	Bare Act would suffice along with solved PYQs by Singhal Law Publications
Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 + Criminal Rules of Practice, 1990	R.V. Kelkar’s Criminal Procedure Code/ The Code of Criminal Procedure by S.N. Mishra	Bare Act + Download Criminal Rules of Practice, 1990, from the official website of the government. Here is the link Microsoft Word – crlrulescircularorders1990 _2_.doc (tshc.gov.in)	Solved PYQs by Singhal Law Publications
Indian Penal Code, 1860	Textbook on Indian Penal Code by K.D. Gaur	Bare Act	Solved PYQs by Singhal Law Publications
Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881	Negotiable Instruments Act by R.K. Bangia	Bare Act	Solved PYQs by Singhal Law Publications
Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015	Bare Act would suffice, along with the solved PYQs by Singhal Law Publications
Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005	Lexmann’s Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005	Bare Act	Solved PYQs by Singhal Law Publications
Andhra Pradesh Excise Act, 1968	Bare Act would suffice along with the solved PYQs by Singhal Law Publications
Andhra Pradesh Gaming Act, 1974	Bare Act would suffice along with the solved PYQs by Singhal Law Publications

Application process for Andhra Pradesh Judicial Services Examination Civil Judge (Junior Division)

Application and examination fee

The following tabular representation showcases fees to be paid by candidates from different categories. The mode of payment for such fees is online only, and under no circumstances will there be a refund of such fees.

Category	Fees (Rs.)
General/EWS/BC	1500
SC/ST/PH	750

Note: Only the candidates belonging to a community being recognised as SC/ST in the state of Andhra Pradesh are entitled to pay only Rs. 750/- and not all candidates belonging to the SC/ST category.

Documents required to be uploaded while submitting the online application form

For Direct Recruitment:

Certificate evidencing candidate’s date of birth or Secondary School Certificate.
Candidate’s Law Degree.
Community Certificate (duly issued by competent authority), if a candidate wants to take advantage of reservations under the SC/ST/BC categories or the Physically Disabled Persons (lower part of the body) certificate or EWS certificate. The certificate should specifically mention the classification of the group.
Latest community certificate along with a non-creamy layer certificate by candidates who want to apply under Backward Classes (BCs) A, B, C, D, or E categories. Candidates failing to furnish the latest community certificate will be considered against the open/general category.
EWS candidates are to upload the latest certificate issued either in 2022 or 2023 in terms of G.O.Ms. No. 66, General Administration (Services-D) Department, as of 14.07.21 and G.O.Ms. No. 73, General Administration (Services-D) Department, as of 04.08.21, EWS certificate is to be issued by the concerned Tehsildar, mentioning that the candidate’s family’s gross annual income from all sources falls below Rs. 8,00,000.
Those who want to claim reservation under the Physically Disabled category (lower part of the body) shall upload the certificate for the same to be issued by the Medical Board specifying the percentage as well as nature of the disability being suffered by the candidate.
Those who want to claim a reservation under the Ex-servicemen category shall upload the Discharge Certificate.
In case, the candidate was employed somewhere before, he/she shall upload a No-Objection certificate from the previous employer as well.

Recruitment by Transfer:

Certificate evidencing candidate’s date of birth or Secondary School Certificate.
Candidate’s Law Degree.
Community Certificate (duly issued by competent authority), if a candidate wants to take advantage of reservation under SC/ST/ categories. The certificate should specifically mention the classification of the group. The candidates are required to upload the proof of declaration of Probation in the eligible category of reservation.
The candidates shall upload the proceedings of the employer permitting the candidate to prosecute a law degree after entering the service.
Latest Service and Conduct Certificate issued by the competent authority to the candidate.
Latest No-Objection Certificate issued by the previous employer.

Note: The selected candidates under Recruitment by Transfer or by way of Direct Recruitment shall be obliged to produce the aforementioned documents in original on the day fixed by the Andhra Pradesh High Court for the verification process. Candidates failing to comply with the original document production will face cancellation of their candidature.

How to fill out an online application form for the Andhra Pradesh Civil Judge (Junior Division)

Step 1: Open the official website of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

Step 2: Click on the ‘recruitment icon’. You will be directed to a new page wherein you have to scroll down and click on the “Click Here to Apply” adjacent to the subject “Online application for recruitment to 30 posts of Civil Judge (Junior Division) vide notification dated 07.03.2023.”

Step 3: Next, you need to register yourself by clicking on “Click here” adjacent to “New Registration”.

Step 4: You will now land on the instructions page. Go through the instructions and scroll down, wherein you have to provide information like the applicant’s name, gender, date of birth, category under which you want to apply, and contact details. Tick the checkbox below the declaration and click on Reverify. Your ID and password will be sent to your email address, using which you have to login by clicking on “Click here” adjacent to the link “Already Registered? to login” (see the above image).

Step 5: Enter user ID and password sent to your email address. Click login.

Step 6: Fill out the form as per the details asked. The documents to be uploaded should be saved on your device beforehand. Here is the list of documents to be kept ready.

Steps to download the admit card for the Prelims Exam

Go to the official website, https://aphc.gov.in/
You will be directed to the Home page. On the Home page, you need to click on the “Notifications” panel.
Click on the notification that has the link to download the Hall Ticket.
Enter your credentials. Your admit card will appear on the screen. You can download it and take a print of it.

How to check results, answer key, or any other update regarding Andhra Pradesh Civil Judge (Junior Division)

Step 1: Open the official website of the Andhra Pradesh High Court – aphc.gov.in.

Step 2: Click on the notifications tab. Scroll through the ‘Subject’ list to find the information you are looking for like results, answer key, etc.

Step 3: Access the information needed.

What happens once you clear the 3-stage examination

Once you have cleared the examination and fulfilled some formalities, there shall be a paid judicial training period of around one year at the Andhra Pradesh State Judicial Academy, after which you will be posted in your allotted city. A civil judge (junior division) is entitled to the following –

Pay scale

The pay scale for a Civil Judge is Rs. 77,840/- to Rs. 1,36,520/-. This means that in the year a candidate joins the service, his basic pay would be Rs. 77,840, which will keep increasing at a certain rate year-on-year until he reaches the basic pay of Rs. 1,36,520.

Allowances and other benefits

Apart from the basic pay, there are many additions to the pay of the civil judge and he is entitled to the following benefits and perks –

Residential Accommodation of minimum 2000 sq. ft. plinth area and funds for maintenance.
Home Guards, but without guns.
Fuel Allowances and loans on easy terms to purchase your own vehicle.
One office clerk, one bench clerk, and one of these clerks will act as a Personal Assistant (PA) of the civil judge.
Free electricity and water usage up to a prescribed level.
Rs. 20,000 to purchase a mobile phone, which can be replaced once every three years.
Medical Allowance – Rs. 3000 per month.
Medical reimbursement on showing bills.
Dearness Allowance
Transfer Grant
Three advanced increments to pursue higher qualifications like LL.M. or Ph.D.

Words of Caution: The candidates are advised not to spend much time reading more about the perks and allowances associated with the post of Civil Judge. It is better to study rigorously for this exam rather than to build castles in the air thinking about what you may get after being appointed as a judge. It is enough to know that the salary of a civil judge is handsome. Remember, with great power, comes great responsibility.

Promotions: A newly appointed Civil Judge (Junior Division) usually retires as a district judge. But there have been a few instances wherein civil judges (junior division) reached the Supreme Court as well, like Justice Prafulla Chand Pant and Justice M. Fathima Beevi. The hierarchy of promotion for a civil judge (junior division) can be understood through the following depiction:

Transfers: In every three years, civil judges in Andhra Pradesh are transferred to a new city in Andhra Pradesh and are provided with a transfer grant too.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

General Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) relating to Andhra Pradesh Judicial Services Examinations

Are questions from areas not prescribed in the syllabus asked in the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Services Examination?

Yes, questions not prescribed in the syllabus may be asked at any stage of the examination; however, the number of such questions is very less or may not be asked at all.

Can I target other states’ judicial examinations along with the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Services Examination? If yes, how many?

Yes, in all judicial examinations across Indian states, the major part of the syllabus remains the same. Major Acts like IPC, CrPC, Evidence, etc. occupy a large portion of all judiciary examinations. The difference lies in some minor Acts, state Acts, and language requirements. Usually, candidates can easily target the judicial exams of neighbouring states, especially if such a state was once a part of the state you are preparing for. So, Andhra Pradesh judiciary aspirants can easily go for the Telangana Judicial Service, which won’t require much extra preparation. If you know the local languages of south India or can at least qualify for the local language test, target those states too. As to how many other states you can target, it can be decided by analysing the PYQs of other states and going through translation paper requirements. You may find the below pointers useful in deciding this question:

Most of the north Indian states like Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand have a Hindi language test.
In Kerala Judicial Service, translation tests from Malayalam to English and vice versa is conducted in language paper.
In Karnataka Judicial Service, translation from Kannada to English and vice versa is conducted in language paper.
In Tamil Nadu Judicial Service, translation from Tamil to English and vice versa is conducted in language paper.
In Arunachal Pradesh, there is no regional language exam and only an English language test is conducted.

Should I prepare notes?

Yes, but only the highlights and pointers should make up your notes. Do not waste time preparing lengthy notes, which you won’t be able to revise when the exam gets near.

Do I need to leave my job to prepare for Andhra Pradesh Judicial Services Examination?

Not necessarily, there have been many candidates who prepared for judicial service while working. But you need a proper timetable and strategy to crack the exam.

When and how to start preparing for this examination? How much time is required to complete the syllabus?

Law students in their third year should start preparing for this examination, as it would give a candidate a comfortable time for preparation without any hotchpotch. The starting point of preparation is always the PYQs. Bare Acts and PYQs are the foundation of this examination. A minimum of 1-2 years of preparation is required to crack this exam. However, there have been candidates who have cracked this exam in a shorter period of 4-5 months. But 1-2 years is generally applicable to a majority of candidates, especially if they want to target other states too.

Should I prepare for prelims and mains collectively?

If you are starting preparation a year or two before the exam, start with the mains preparation and dedicate a few hours of the day to objective preparation. Carry on with your 60% focus on mains and 40% on prelims for approximately 8 months. When only 3-4 months are left for the prelims exam, shift your focus entirely to prelims. Once you give prelims, do not wait for results and start revising the syllabus for mains. However, if you are starting preparation altogether before 3-4 months of prelims (in case you decide later to give this exam), focus on prelims only. Do not go for answer writing practice when prelims are 3-4 months away. Starting preparation late may prove quite hectic, but it is doable with the right strategy focusing on PYQs.

Should I enroll for coaching?

You may or may not. If you can tame yourself and study daily without fluctuations within a strict timetable, there is no need for coaching. But if preparing subjects, setting the right timetable, making revisions, and practically solving questions is proving tedious for you, go for coaching.

Should I start preparation once the notification is released?

No, if you are certain of giving the examination, why delay preparation?

How many mock papers should I solve for prelims and mains?

Firstly, diligently solve the past 10 years’ question papers. After that, you may opt for a test series. There is no specific number as to the number of mocks. Once done with the prescribed syllabus and PYQs in a diligent manner, you can go for as many tests from external sources as time permits. But remember, PYQs act as a lighthouse for your preparation. Some test series or mocks prepared by external sources cannot replace PYQs.

FAQs relating to recruitment and notification of Andhra Pradesh Judiciary Exam

Is the recruitment for Civil Judges (Junior Division) made every year by the Andhra Pradesh’s High Court?

Yes, the notification of the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Services Examination is released every year.

Is there a reservation for women in the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Services Examination?

Yes, women are provided reservations in the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Services Examination.

How many vacancies are notified every year?

The number of posts keeps changing year-to-year. There is no fixed number of posts notified every year.

Frequently Asked Questions relating to eligibility criteria

Can final year law students apply for the Andhra Pradesh Civil Judge (Junior Division)?

No, it is absolutely mandatory that you possess a law degree to apply for the Andhra Pradesh Civil Judge (Junior Division). So, final year law students cannot apply for this post.

Is it necessary to practise as an advocate for some minimum years to apply for the Andhra Pradesh Civil Judge (Junior Division)?

No, practise as an advocate is not prescribed in the official notification.

How many attempts can I take to clear this examination?

There are no number of attempts prescribed for this examination. You just need to fulfil the eligibility criteria mentioned above.

Frequently Asked Questions relating to the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Service prelims examination

Is there a negative marking in the Preliminary test of the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Services Examination?

No, the exam has no negative marking.

How many questions should I attempt to clear the Preliminary test?

Since the exam has no negative marking, attempt all questions.

Are prelims conducted on an OMR sheet?

No, the preliminary examination is a Computer Based Test (CBT).

Frequently Asked Questions relating to the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Services mains examination

My handwriting is not good. Can I get good marks in the mains examination?

Yes, you can still clear the mains examination with good marks, provided you make your handwriting at least legible through practice. Correct content and legible handwriting with headings, subheadings, tables, etc., making the answer sheet presentable, outweigh aesthetic handwriting with poor and incorrect answers. Make your handwriting legible and enrich your answers with relevant sections, case laws, illustrations, exceptions, and explanations attached to the sections.

Should I practise answer writing?

Yes, answer writing is important to develop a presentable style of writing with correct answers and to ensure timely completion of the paper. If you start preparing a year or two before the exam, a proper timetable is needed for time division between prelims and mains preparation, with proper slots of your day dedicated to revision, answer writing, etc. When prelims are 3-4 months away, leave answer writing practice. Resume it when you give prelims without waiting for prelims results. Practice answering questions using a timer.

Is language paper merely a qualifying paper in the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Services Examination?

Language paper has been placed at par with other subjects in the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Services Examination. Unlike other states, the language paper is not merely qualifying, but there is a minimum mark requirement for different categories of candidates. Also, there is an aggregate mark requirement for different categories to clear the mains examination. So, the language paper cannot be ignored as it occupies equal weightage to the Civil and Criminal laws papers. The requirements of the language paper have been discussed here.

Frequently Asked Questions relating to Andhra Pradesh Judiciary interview stage

Does answering a question wrong lead to a deduction of marks in the interview?

If you readily and humbly accept your lack of knowledge with a spirit to, later on, get updated with the posed question, rather than giving a wrong answer, most of the time there is no marks deduction.

What type of questions are asked in the interview?

Your legal knowledge may not suffice in the interview stage, as many times the interviewer asks questions relating to personality, family, hometown, previous experience, qualification, etc. So, be ready for surprises.

Words of Motivation

The Andhra Pradesh Judicial Examination, though not a cake walk, is not a hard nut to crack. Follow the right strategy, make a feasible timetable to which you strictly adhere, and don’t forget to revise. The exam can be cracked with flying colours by those students too who were average in their studies. All you need is the right strategy, revision, and, most importantly, consistency in your studies. All the very best!

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