Maharashtra Judiciary Exam Pattern 2026: Structure And Marking Scheme

The Maharashtra Judiciary exam 2026 notification (Advt. No. 013/2026, 286 posts) has been reopened for law graduates with a degree dated before 22 August 2025.

Applications are open from 26 October to 9 November 2026. The exam pattern hasn’t changed, but the prelims, first set for 2 August 2026, was postponed and a new date is awaited.

The Maharashtra Judiciary exam has three stages.

• The prelims has 100 MCQs for 100 marks in 2 hours, with 0.25 negative marking, and is qualifying only.
• The mains has two descriptive papers of 100 marks each, and the interview carries 50 marks.
• Candidates final rank depends on your mains and interview marks out of 250.

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Maharashtra Judiciary Exam Pattern 2026 Overview

MPSC selects Civil Judges (Junior Division) and JMFCs in three stages: a 100-mark objective prelims, a 200-mark descriptive mains, and a 50-mark interview. The prelims is only a screening test, with 0.25 marks deducted for each wrong answer. Your final rank comes from your mains and interview marks, out of 250.

Particulars	Prelims	Mains	Interview
Nature	Objective (MCQs)	Descriptive	Viva voce
Papers	1	2 (Civil and Criminal)	—
Marks	100	200 (100 per paper)	50
Duration	2 hours	3 hours per paper	—
Medium	English only	English or Marathi	English / Marathi
Negative marking	0.25 per wrong answer	No	No
Minimum to qualify	Category-wise screening cut-off	50 marks in each paper (45 for Backward Class / PwD)	40% (35% for PwD)
Counts in final merit?	No	Yes	Yes

Maharashtra Judiciary Exam Pattern 2026 for Prelims

As per the Maharashtra Judiciary Exam Pattern the prelims exam will have a single-question paper and shall be objective in nature. The paper will have a total of 100 MCQs for 100 marks, which means each question carries one mark.

Also, there is a negative in the prelims exam. For each wrong answer, 0.25 marks will be deducted. Candidates can expect questions on both the old and the new criminal laws. Cases that started before July 2024 still run under the IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act, so examiners test both. For the full topic list, see the Maharashtra Judiciary syllabus.

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Civil Laws	Criminal Laws	Other
Code of Civil Procedure	Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Indian Penal Code	Constitution of India
Indian Contract Act	Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and CrPC	Limitation Act
Specific Relief Act	Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) and Indian Evidence Act	Maharashtra Rent Control Act
Transfer of Property Act
Sale of Goods Act
Partnership Act

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Maharashtra Judiciary Exam Pattern 2026 for Mains

Those who qualify in the prelims exam are eligible to appear for the mains examination and practise Judiciary Exams Question Papers. In the main exam, there are two papers: Paper 1 and Paper 2. Both papers are descriptive in nature.

The exam will be conducted in both English and Marathi languages. Therefore, it is a good opportunity for those who want to give the Maharashtra Judiciary Exam in the Marathi language. Both papers are conducted for 100 marks each. The time duration of the paper is 3 hours.

Paper	Subjects	Marks	Duration	Minimum to Qualify
Paper I (Civil)	CPC, Transfer of Property Act, Specific Relief Act, Contract Act, Sale of Goods Act, Partnership Act, and related civil laws	100	3 hours	50 (45 for Backward Class / PwD)
Paper II (Criminal)	BNS/IPC, BSA/Evidence Act, BNSS/CrPC, and an essay on a current legal topic	100	3 hours	50 (45 for Backward Class / PwD)

Read Also - Maharashtra Judiciary Application Form

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Maharashtra Judiciary Exam Pattern 2026 for Interview

Candidates will qualify for the interview only if you score above the cut-off marks in the main examination. The interview is the last stage of the selection process. It is conducted for a total of 50 marks. 

In an interview, you will be tested on your character, personality, and suitability for the job. Also, you will be tested on general knowledge, including the acquaintance of current affairs and issues. Following Maharashtra Judiciary Preparation Tips will help you better understand how to prepare for the interview round.

Candidate will need at least 40% in the interview (35% for PwD candidates) to be considered for selection. The final merit list is made from your mains and interview marks out of 250. Prelims marks aren’t included. Expect part of the interview in Marathi, since every selected judge must be able to work in it.

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Maharashtra Judiciary Exam Date 2026

The prelims was scheduled for 2 August 2026 but MPSC postponed it.

• As of 27 October 2026, no new Maharashtra Judiciary exam date has been announced.
• The application window for new law graduates closes on 9 November, so the prelims is unlikely before late November.

Check whether you qualify on the Maharashtra Judiciary eligibility criteria page, and use these preparation tips to plan your time.

Candidates needs to know two things in the Maharashtra Judiciary exam pattern which will shape how you prepare.

• First, prelims marks don’t count in your final rank, so treat the prelims as a gate and give most of your effort to mains answer writing.
• Second, the mains has a minimum of 50 in each paper, so one weak paper can end your attempt even if your total is good.

Practise both papers equally, revise the BNS, BNSS and BSA alongside the old codes, and get comfortable speaking Marathi before the interview.

If you want a structured guidance, take a free demo online class or talk to a Judiciary Gold counsellor about the course.