West Bengal Judiciary Syllabus 2026 [Prelims & Mains] Download Pdf

The West Bengal Judiciary Syllabus 2026 has 3 stages: a 200-mark objective Prelims, a written Final (Mains) examination of eight compulsory and three optional papers worth 100 marks each, and a Personality Test. 

• West Bengal Judicial Service (WBJS) exam conducted by the Public Service Commission, West Bengal (WBPSC) for Civil Judge (Junior Division) posts.  
• The latest cycle (WBJS 2023, Advt. No. 19/2023) held its Prelims on 7 December 2025, and the result came out on 12 February 2026. WBJS 2023 and 2024 together advertised 108 Civil Judge posts (54 each).

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West Bengal Judiciary Syllabus 2026 Overview

Check recent information on West Bengal Judiciary exam dates 2026. 

Particulars	Details
Exam	West Bengal Judicial Service (WBJS) Examination
Conducting body	Public Service Commission, West Bengal (WBPSC)
Post	Civil Judge (Junior Division)
Stages	Preliminary, Final (written), Personality Test
Prelims	One objective paper, 200 MCQs, 200 marks, 2½ hours
Negative marking	Yes, for each wrong answer in Prelims
Final (Mains)	8 compulsory + 3 optional papers, 100 marks each, 3 hours each
Do Prelims marks count in the final merit?	No. Prelims is a screening test only
Final merit list	Final examination marks + Personality Test marks
Criminal law in the syllabus	BNS, BNSS and BSA (in place of IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act)

What Changed in the WBJS Syllabus: BNS, BNSS and BSA

WBPSC has removed the IPC, CrPC and Indian Evidence Act from the WBJS syllabus. The official advertisement says that because BNSS, BNS and BSA came into force on 1 July 2024, the Preliminary and Final syllabus was modified by substituting the new laws for the old ones.

Old law (removed)	New law (now in syllabus)	Sections	One conversion to remember
Indian Penal Code, 1860	Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023	511 → 358	Murder: IPC 302 → BNS 103
Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973	Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023	484 → 531	Anticipatory bail: CrPC 438 → BNSS 482
Indian Evidence Act, 1872	Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023	167 → 170	Dying declaration: Evidence Act 32 → BSA 26

West Bengal Judiciary Syllabus 2026 for Prelims

The Prelims is one objective paper of 200 multiple-choice questions for 200 marks, to be finished in 2½ hours. It covers nine subjects. Seven are law; the other two test English and general awareness.

Subject	Marks	Topics
English Composition	30	Synonyms, antonyms, idioms and phrases, vocabulary, phrasal verbs, words with more than one meaning, appropriate and qualifying words
General Knowledge, Current Affairs and Test of Reasoning	40	National and international current events, general knowledge, reasoning questions
Indian Constitution	20	Constitutional provisions and constitutional law
Law of Contracts and Torts	20	Indian Contract Act and general principles of torts
Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA)	20	Law of evidence
Civil Procedure Code	20	Code of Civil Procedure, 1908
Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)	20	Criminal procedure and substantive criminal law
Personal Law	10	Hindu law and Muslim law
Law of Limitation	20	Limitation Act, 1963
Total	200

West Bengal Judiciary Syllabus 2026 for Mains

The Mains examination has eleven written papers: eight compulsory and three optional. Each paper carries 100 marks and runs for three hours, for 1,100 written marks in all.

Compulsory papers

Compulsory paper	Marks	Duration
English Composition, Essay and Précis Writing	100	3 hours
Bengali / Hindi / Urdu / Nepali / Santali Composition, Essay and Translation from English	100	3 hours
General Knowledge and Current Affairs	100	3 hours
Civil Procedure Code	100	3 hours
BNSS and BNS (earlier CrPC and IPC)	100	3 hours
Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (earlier Indian Evidence Act)	100	3 hours
Law of Contracts and Torts	100	3 hours
Transfer of Property Act	100	3 hours

Three of the eight compulsory papers are not law: English, the regional language paper and General Knowledge. Together they are worth 300 marks, the same as all three optionals combined.

Arbitration Notes Hand Written by Kanishk Sir

Optional papers (choose any 3)

• Hindu Law
• Muhammadan Law
• Partnership Act
• Jurisprudence and Principles of Legislation
• Indian Law relating to Companies and Insurance
• Principles of Equity, including the Law of Trusts and Specific Relief
• Law of Limitation and Law of Prescription
• The Indian Constitution and Constitutional Law

How to choose your three optionals

Some optionals overlap with subjects you already study for Prelims. Picking those means one round of preparation serves two stages.

Optional paper	Overlaps with
Law of Limitation and Law of Prescription	Prelims: Law of Limitation (20 marks)
The Indian Constitution and Constitutional Law	Prelims: Indian Constitution (20 marks)
Hindu Law / Muhammadan Law	Prelims: Personal Law (10 marks)
Principles of Equity, Trusts and Specific Relief	Remedies you study in Law of Contracts and Torts
Jurisprudence; Companies and Insurance; Partnership Act	Little overlap; stand-alone preparation

Check: How to Prepare for West Bengal Judiciary Exam

Download 1 Year Preparation Strategy for 2026 Judiciay Prepartion

West Bengal Judiciary Personality Test (Viva-Voce)

Candidates are called to the Personality Test on the basis of their Final examination results. The final merit list is prepared on total marks in the Final examination and the Personality Test.

WBPSC sets no separate qualifying marks for any individual paper or for the Personality Test. The Commission has discretion to fix qualifying marks in the aggregate.

The board typically asks about current legal developments, constitutional questions, your understanding of the new criminal laws, and your own background. It tests judgement and clarity as much as recall.

Who Can Apply

For West Bengal Judiciary eligibility criteria candidates need a law degree from a recognised university and the ability to read, write and speak Bengali (subject to the exceptions the advertisement lists). The age limit is 23 to 35 years on the date of advertisement, with relaxations for reserved categories.

Download: West Bengal Judiciary Question Papers

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How to Use West Bengal Judiciary Syllabus 2026 to Plan Your Preparation

• Read BNS, BNSS and BSA before any commentary, and build your conversion sheet as you go.
• Prelims rewards speed and accuracy at 45 seconds a question; Mains rewards structured writing for three hours at a stretch, eleven times over.
• The regional language paper is 100 marks. Practise translation from English regularly if your written Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Nepali or Santali is rusty.
• Solve West Bengal Judiciary previous year question papers, then rewrite each criminal law answer with the new section numbers.
• Fix your optionals in the first month. Switching later wastes revision cycles.

For a month-by-month plan, read how to prepare for the West Bengal Judiciary exam. 

Preparing for the West Bengal Judiciary Syllabus 2026 requires a well-planned approach and focused study. Divide the syllabus and cover compulsory and optional papers to boost your chances of success.

• Familiarise yourself thoroughly with the West Bengal Judiciary Syllabus 2026 to tailor your preparation effectively.
• Emphasise mastering the compulsory subjects as well as carefully selecting optional papers that play to your strengths.
• Utilise the study materials on this page to improve your performance in the WBJS examination.

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