Bar course mocks: Civil, Criminal and Ethics
£199.99
- Full mocks for the centrally set Civil and Criminal Litigation assessments and the Professional Ethics exam.
- Explained answers, answer plans and marking guides
- Saved to your account for 12 months
England and Wales · Bar training
Bar course practice questions: BPC and BTC centralised assessment mocks
Full mocks for the Bar Standards Board centralised assessments: Civil Litigation (both papers), Criminal Litigation, and the Professional Ethics exam taken in pupillage. Every answer is explained. Try five free questions first.
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Civil Litigation mock: Papers 1 and 2
£79.99
- A full 90-question mock in the two-paper format, with an explanation for every option.
- Explained answers and a score by subject
- Saved to your account for 12 months
Single papers
The exam
What the exam involves
| Civil Litigation | 90 questions over two papers: Paper 1, 50 questions in 2 hours, closed book; Paper 2, 40 questions in 2 hours 30 minutes, open book with the White Book |
|---|---|
| Criminal Litigation | 75 questions in 3 hours, closed book |
| Question style | Multiple choice and single best answer, four options, set by the BSB's Central Examination Board |
| Professional Ethics | Taken during pupillage: twelve scenario questions in 3 hours, answered in prose, with the BSB Handbook as the only permitted material |
| Course names | Providers call the vocational course the Bar Practice Course (BPC), Bar Training Course (BTC) or Bar Vocational Studies; the centralised assessments are the same for all |
Sources: BSB: Bar Qualification Manual, centralised assessments · BSB: vocational component providers. Check the official website for current rules and dates.
Try one
Sample question
Sample question · Overview of criminal procedure
You are a pupil barrister in chambers. Your supervisor hands you a charge sheet for a defendant aged 34 whose first appearance is listed next week. He faces three charges arising from the same evening: robbery of a mobile phone from a pedestrian, contrary to s.8 of the Theft Act 1968; theft of a pedal cycle left outside a café, contrary to s.1 of the Theft Act 1968; and common assault on a door supervisor, contrary to s.39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. Your supervisor asks you how each charge is classified for the purposes of mode of trial.
Which of the following correctly classifies the three charges?
- A Robbery is triable only on indictment; theft is triable either way, so it is not an 'indictable offence' as statutorily defined; common assault is a summary offence.
- B Robbery and theft are both triable only on indictment, because each is an 'indictable offence' as statutorily defined; common assault is a summary offence.
- C Robbery is triable only on indictment; theft is triable either way and is also an 'indictable offence' as statutorily defined; common assault is a summary offence.
- D Robbery is triable only on indictment; theft is triable either way; common assault becomes triable either way because it is charged with indictable offences.
Show the answer
C is correct. Under the Interpretation Act 1978 Sch 1, an 'indictable offence' is an offence which, if committed by an adult, is triable on indictment, whether it is exclusively so triable or triable either way. A 'summary offence' is one which, if committed by an adult, is triable only summarily, and an 'offence triable either way' is one which, if committed by an adult, is triable either on indictment or summarily. Robbery (Theft Act 1968 s.8) is triable only on indictment. Theft (s.1) is triable either way under Magistrates' Courts Act 1980 s.17 and Sch 1, which make offences under the Theft Act 1968 triable either way, subject to listed exceptions that include robbery. Theft is therefore both an either-way offence and an 'indictable offence'. Common assault is a summary offence under Criminal Justice Act 1988 s.39.
A is wrong because the statutory definition of 'indictable offence' expressly includes offences triable either way. B is wrong because theft is not triable only on indictment; it falls within MCA 1980 Sch 1 and is triable either way. D is wrong because charging common assault alongside indictable offences does not change its classification. Criminal Justice Act 1988 s.40 allows a count of common assault to be included in an indictment in limited circumstances, but the offence remains a summary offence.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What are the BSB centralised assessments?
They are the Civil Litigation and Criminal Litigation exams set by the Bar Standards Board for everyone on the vocational component of Bar training, whatever their provider calls the course.
How is the Civil Litigation exam structured?
It is one assessment in two papers on different days. Paper 1 has 50 questions in 2 hours, closed book. Paper 2 has 40 questions in 2 hours 30 minutes, open book with the White Book, mostly in developing case scenarios. The pass mark applies to all 90 questions together.
How is the Criminal Litigation exam structured?
One closed-book paper of 75 questions in 3 hours, covering procedure, evidence and sentencing.
Is Professional Ethics included?
Yes. Our Ethics mock follows the BSB Professional Ethics exam taken in pupillage: twelve scenarios answered in prose, each with a model answer and the points a marker looks for.