Exam Guide by Akinchan Aggarwal, Advocate — B.A. (Hons.) Gold Medalist, LL.B. (University Rank 2), LL.M. (Dispute Resolution), UGC–NET, Ph.D. (Pursuing)
Registration is live from today.
The Bar Council of India has opened online registration for the All India Bar Examination XXII (AIBE 22) on 19 August 2026. Applications close on 27 October 2026, fee payment closes 28 October 2026, and the examination is on Sunday, 29 November 2026.
That gives you 69 days to apply and 102 days to prepare.
Most AIBE guides will give you the dates and stop. This one starts with something more useful: five things on the registration portal that will cost you time, money or your application if you get them wrong — all of them verified on the live portal today, and none of them obvious from the notification.
Five Registration Traps — Read Before You Click Anything
1. Your mobile number can never be changed. Choose it now, carefully.
The registration page states it in terms: "Your mobile number entered during registration will be used throughout the portal and cannot be changed later." It also becomes your login ID. If you register on a number you are about to lose — a hostel SIM, a number tied to a job you are leaving, a parent's phone — you will be locked out of your own admit card. Use the number you will still hold in December 2026.
2. You must clear TWO separate OTPs before the form even opens.
Both the mobile number and the email ID are validated by separate six-digit OTPs at the authentication stage. You cannot proceed to the application form until both show as validated. Have both devices in front of you before you start — not the phone alone.
3. The portal is still showing old AIBE XX and XXI notices. Do not panic.
As of today the AIBE site still carries a banner about the AIBE XX objection tracker from December 2025, and its schedule tables still display the AIBE XX and AIBE XXI timelines. This is stale content that has not been cleared, not an indication that AIBE 22 registration is closed or postponed. The registration link itself is live and working. Go directly to the registration page rather than reading the dates off the home page.
4. Registering is not applying. Paying is what completes it.
The portal's own instructions separate the two steps: you first register and receive a registration number by SMS or email, then log in again to complete form submission, and the fee is mandatory for all candidates to complete registration. A registration number in your inbox does not mean you have applied. If you cannot see a completed application and a fee receipt, you have not applied.
5. Check your spam folder immediately.
The portal warns expressly: "Please check your E-Mail Spam Box, if message is not received in your Inbox." The registration number email is the single most commonly missed communication in this process. Mark the sender as safe on day one, and note the Help Desk on +91 8655701484 before you need it.
AIBE 22 (XXII) 2026 — Key Dates
| Event | Date | Days from today |
|---|---|---|
| Online registration opens | 19 August 2026 | Live now |
| Last date to register | 27 October 2026 | 69 days |
| Last date for fee payment | 28 October 2026 | 70 days |
| Date of examination | Sunday, 29 November 2026 | 102 days |
Note on the correction window and admit card. In previous cycles the BCI has provided a form-correction window and an admit card release roughly a week to ten days before the examination. Those dates for AIBE 22 should be announced separately — watch the official site rather than assuming last year's schedule repeats.
Examination Fee
| Category | Fee (including bank charges) |
|---|---|
| General / OBC | Rs. 3,500 |
| SC / ST | Rs. 2,500 |
Payment is online. The fee is not refundable, and it is mandatory for every candidate — there is no fee waiver route through the portal.
Who Can Apply
The AIBE is not a law-school examination. It is the qualifying examination an enrolled advocate must clear to obtain the Certificate of Practice.
- You must hold an LL.B. degree — three-year or five-year — from a Bar Council of India recognised institution.
- You must be enrolled as an advocate with a State Bar Council under Section 24 of the Advocates Act, 1961.
- There is no age limit and no cap on the number of attempts. A candidate who does not clear it may sit again in a subsequent edition.
- Final-year students awaiting enrolment should confirm their State Bar Council's position before applying; the enrolment requirement is the one that most often trips people up.
The point about AIBE that gets forgotten.
This is a qualifying examination, not a competitive one. There is no merit list, no rank, and nobody is competing against you for a limited number of seats. You need the pass mark and nothing more. Historically the BCI has set the qualifying threshold at 40% for SC/ST candidates and 45% for all others, and it has been an open-book examination. Both should be confirmed against the AIBE 22 notification, but if they hold, the strategic implication is large: your objective is 45 correct answers out of 100, not 90. Candidates who prepare as though this were a judiciary prelims are optimising for the wrong target.
Examination Pattern
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Mode | Offline, pen and paper (OMR) |
| Questions | 100 multiple choice questions |
| Marks | 100, one mark per question |
| Duration | Three hours and thirty minutes |
| Negative marking | None — attempt all 100 |
| Books permitted | Bare Acts without commentary or notes, subject to the notification |
Because there is no negative marking, leaving a question blank is strictly worse than guessing. A blank OMR bubble is a guaranteed zero; a guess is a one-in-four chance of a mark. There is no situation in this examination in which not attempting a question is the better choice.
Subject Weightage
The AIBE syllabus runs to nineteen subjects, but the marks are not spread evenly. The heavier heads — on the pattern of recent editions — are broadly these:
| Subject | Indicative marks |
|---|---|
| Constitutional Law | 10 |
| Criminal Procedure (CrPC / BNSS) | 10 |
| Civil Procedure Code | 10 |
| Indian Penal Code (IPC / BNS) | 8 |
| Evidence Act (IEA / BSA) | 8 |
| Professional Ethics and Advocates Act | 4 |
| Family Law, Contract, Torts, Company Law, Labour Law and others | Remaining marks, mostly 2 to 5 each |
Read that table as a plan. The top five subjects alone account for roughly 46 marks — at or near the entire qualifying requirement. A candidate who genuinely masters Constitutional Law, CrPC, CPC, IPC and Evidence, and treats the remaining fourteen subjects as bare-act lookups on the day, is already at the pass mark before touching anything else.
How to Register — Step by Step
- Step 1. Go to the registration page on the official AIBE portal and choose Registration.
- Step 2. Enter your mobile number and verify by OTP. Remember: this cannot be changed later and is your login ID.
- Step 3. Enter your email ID and verify by a second OTP.
- Step 4. Enter your name and set a password. Note both down.
- Step 5. You will receive a registration number by SMS and email. Check the spam folder.
- Step 6. Log in again using the Applicant Login and complete the full application form.
- Step 7. Upload the photograph, signature and required documents in the prescribed format and size.
- Step 8. Pay the fee online. The application is not complete until payment succeeds.
- Step 9. Download and print the completed form and the fee receipt. Keep both.
Two housekeeping points from the portal itself: always use the Logout button and close the session window rather than simply closing the tab, and note that the site records and monitors IP addresses for security. Do not share your login credentials — the portal makes the candidate responsible for their privacy.
A 102-Day Plan That Actually Fits
You have until 29 November. Here is a schedule that assumes you are working or in practice and cannot study full time.
| Phase | Dates | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 19–25 Aug | Register and pay. Do not wait for October. Then buy your bare acts and tab them |
| Weeks 2–6 | 26 Aug – 29 Sep | The big five: Constitution, CrPC/BNSS, CPC, IPC/BNS, Evidence/BSA. One subject a week |
| Weeks 7–9 | 30 Sep – 20 Oct | Professional Ethics, Contract, Torts, Family Law, Company Law, Labour Law |
| Week 10 | 21–27 Oct | Registration deadline — 27 Oct. If you have not applied, stop everything and apply |
| Weeks 11–13 | 28 Oct – 17 Nov | Past papers under timed conditions. This is the phase that decides your result |
| Final 11 days | 18–29 Nov | Revision, bare act navigation drills, admit card, and confirm your centre |
The skill nobody tells you to practise.
In an open-book examination, the binding constraint is not what you know — it is how fast you can find it. Three and a half hours for 100 questions is roughly two minutes each, and a candidate who has never navigated a bare act under time pressure will burn five minutes on a single section. Tab your bare acts by subject, then practise looking up random sections against a stopwatch. This is worth more marks per hour invested than any amount of additional reading, and almost nobody does it.
Free Practice Material on Lawizard
Past papers are the highest-return preparation for this examination, because the BCI repeats concepts heavily across editions. We have published complete solved papers with explanations for every question:
- AIBE XXI (21) Question Paper Set D — all 100 questions solved with explanations
- AIBE 21 (XXI) Official Final Answer Key — Sets A, B, C and D, with subject-wise analysis
- AIBE XX (20) Question Paper Set A — all 100 questions solved with explanations
- AIBE 19 (XIX) Question Paper Set A — all 100 questions solved, including the 7 withdrawn and 3 revised in the final key
For the substantive subjects, these may help:
- Law of Torts Chapter 1 — Nature and Definition of a Tort
- Law of Torts Chapter 2 — General Defences
- Law of Torts Chapter 3 — Capacity
- IPC to BNS Section Converter — essential now that questions straddle both codes
- AIBE 22 Notification 2026 — our earlier post on the notification itself
The New Codes — What to Expect
Since 1 July 2024 the three new criminal codes have been in force, and AIBE papers have begun to reflect the transition. Expect questions that may use either numbering, and prepare the mapping for the provisions that carry marks:
| Old | New |
|---|---|
| Indian Penal Code, 1860 | Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 |
| Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 | Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 |
| Indian Evidence Act, 1872 | Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 |
Carry both sets of bare acts if the notification permits it. A question framed under the old numbering when you have only the new Sanhita in front of you is an avoidable loss.
Frequently Asked
Can I apply if I have not yet enrolled with a State Bar Council?
The AIBE is meant for enrolled advocates seeking the Certificate of Practice. Confirm your State Bar Council's position before applying.
How many attempts do I get?
There is no limit. Candidates who do not qualify may appear in a later edition.
Is there negative marking?
No. Attempt every question.
Is it really open book?
AIBE has been conducted as an open-book examination, with bare acts permitted but commentary and handwritten notes prohibited. Confirm the exact permitted-materials rule in the AIBE 22 notification, because this is checked strictly at the centre.
What if I miss 27 October?
There is no offline route and no late-fee window. Apply early — ideally this week.
The One Thing to Do Today
Register. Not because the deadline is near — it is 69 days away — but because registration is the only part of this process with a hard cut-off you cannot recover from. Preparation can be compressed; a missed application cannot be fixed at any price, and you would then wait for the next edition.
Take twenty minutes today, use a mobile number you will still have in December, clear both OTPs, pay the fee, and print the receipt. Then start on the Constitution tomorrow.
Disclaimer: This post is a guide to the All India Bar Examination XXII (AIBE 22) registration process and is provided for general information and educational purposes only. It is not an official publication and has no connection with the Bar Council of India. The dates, fees, eligibility, examination pattern, qualifying marks, subject weightage and permitted materials stated above are compiled from the official AIBE registration portal as accessed on 19 August 2026 and from reports of the AIBE 22 notification; the subject weightage and qualifying-mark figures reflect the pattern of recent editions and are indicative only. All particulars are liable to change or correction by the Bar Council of India, which may modify the schedule or the scheme of examination at any time. Candidates must read the complete official AIBE 22 notification and verify every date, fee, eligibility condition and permitted-materials rule on the official website before applying or appearing. Nothing here should be relied upon in place of the official notification, and this is not legal or career advice. Please read our Disclaimer for more details.
