BAR EXAM

Introduction of bar examinations in the Maldives

The Legal Profession Act 2019 (“LPA”) introduced two essential requirements for becoming licensed to practice as a lawyer in the Maldives:

  • completion of a licensing training program
  • passing a bar examination (“the Bar Exam”) administered by the Bar Council.

Objectives of the Bar Exam

The objective of the Bar Exam is to examine a law graduate’s capacity to practice law in the Maldives. The exam will assess skills at a basic level by addressing a candidate’s analytical abilities and understanding of the law and is intended to set a minimum benchmark for admission to practice.

The Bar Exam will be administered once every calendar year.

Eligibility requirements for the Bar Exam

Candidates wishing to sit the Bar Exam must:

  • be a Maldivian citizen.
  • have obtained a qualifying law degree from an accredited institution (foreign graduates must have a degree which is accepted as a qualifying law degree for the purposes of licensing in the jurisdiction in which it was issued);
  • have fulfilled all applicable registration requirements; and
  • have paid the examination fees.

Further details on these will be published closer to the exam date.

Exam Standards

Please find below the Exam Standards for the Bar Exam:

Bar Exam Standards

Bar Exam 2024 (BE2024)

Competency Requirements for Bar Exam 2024

  1. A competent newly qualified lawyer of the Maldives must be able to apply fundamental legal rules and principles to client problems which s/he might encounter in practice.
  2. In relatively straightforward and routine cases s/he will, without assistance, must be able to conduct a case from start to conclusion. In order to do this s/he must be able to identify the main legal issues a client matter raises. S/he must then be able to apply the law to demonstrably progress the client’s matter through its various stages while protecting the client’s interests. S/he must be able to represent the client in court, putting forward the client’s case and defending it reasonably effectively.
  3. In more complex cases s/he should be able to make an initial judgement about some aspects of the case and progress more routine aspects of it. S/he may need assistance from those with more experience with aspects requiring more sophisticated knowledge of the law, greater judgement and innovative solutions.
  4. S/he must be able to recognize common situations which raise issues of ethical conduct and ensure that s/he acts in a way which upholds the ethical standards of the profession.

Structure of the Bar Exam

The Bar Exam will be a multiple-choice exam, testing the knowledge to practice in the following areas:

  1. Tort Law
  2. Criminal Law and Procedure
  3. Constitutional and Administrative Law
  4. Contract Law and Practice
  5. Land Law and Practice
  6. Maldivian Legal System

Syllabus

The syllabus for the BE2024 is attached below:

BE2024 Syllabus

Reading Lists

Reading Lists for the six examinable areas have been developed to assist the preparation for the exam.

BE2024 Reading Lists

Disclaimer: The reading lists aim to address concerns of stakeholders regarding the lack of resources or platforms to be able to find the necessary materials for the examinees’ preparation for the BE2024. As such, the reading lists are prepared as a study aid for the BE2024.

Exam dates

BE2024 is scheduled to be held on October 2024.  The exact date and time will be announced in due course, closer to the date.

Practice Questions

The following sample questions illustrate the kind of questions that appear in the bar exam. Each question is followed by 4 suggested answers of which candidates should select the single best answer. The answer key is at the bottom of the PDF document.

The sample questions do not represent all the material that will be covered in an exam and may cover material about which there are no questions in the next exam.

To model the pacing required for these questions should be answered in 40 minutes.

Bar Exam Practice Questions

Registration

Registration for the BE2024 will be opened in due course.  

You will need to keep the following documents ready when submitting the registration form.
1. National ID card
2. Passport photo
3. Law degree certificate or completion letter issued by the graduating institution (stamped)
4. Full transcript

Location

Exact locations for the exam will be determined after the completion of the exam registration process and will depend on the total number of applicants seeking to take the exam in a particular location, and the feasibility of administering the exam in that location. Final locations and exam centers will be announced in due course, closer to the date.

Updates and queries

Please keep referring to this page for updated information related to BE2024.

All Bar Exam-related queries should be sent to bar-exam@maldivesbarcouncil.org

If you are a Maldivian law student or law graduate, the Bar Council invites you to join the Aspiring Lawyers Forum, the dedicated communications platform for all those seeking to join the legal profession to communicate directly with the Bar Council regarding all aspects of legal education in the Maldives, Licensing Training, the Bar Exam, and Admission to the Bar.

The Bar Council will be using the Aspiring Lawyers Forum as its primary communications platform to disseminate information to all those seeking admission to the Maldivian Bar, so all Maldivian law students and law graduates are urged to sign up to this platform.

Sign up for the Aspiring Lawyers Forum using this link: https://forms.office.com/r/DeUBZ1CyKr