Page updated on 4 June 2024
The Victorian Bar Readers’ Entrance Exam aims to ensure every Bar Reader has a base level of core knowledge common to key areas of practice as a barrister.
At a Special Purpose meeting on 26 March 2024, the Victorian Bar Council resolved to make substantial changes to the Entrance Exam. From October 2024, the Exam will be conducted twice annually, with each ‘sitting’ held approximately every six months. It will comprise three separate papers designed to ensure that candidates have a base level of core knowledge of ethics, evidence, and procedure.
Candidates will be required to pass all three papers to gain admission to the Readers’ Course but will elect to sit either a civil or criminal procedure paper and will have the option of sitting the papers on different exam sittings. Candidates will be given credit for any paper that they pass. They will have the opportunity to sit papers at a scheduled Exam on topics that they fail within a 'permitted exam period' that commences on the first occasion that they undertake to sit any one of the three papers, and expires on the third occasion thereafter that an Exam is conducted.
The Bar Council has also resolved to shorten the duration of the Readers’ Course and to increase its capacity to 60 Readers per Course in March and September each year, with the possibility that a third course will be offered from time to time. The Bar Council is confident that a shortened course focusing on advocacy will serve Readers well. At the meeting of the Bar Council in May 2024, it was resolved that the Readers’ Course would be six weeks in duration. The changes to the Readers’ Course will come into effect in 2025. The September 2024 Readers’ Course will remain unchanged.
In conjunction with the changes that have already been announced, the Bar Council is currently consulting with Members and other relevant stakeholders about suggestions that the reading period should be increased from 9 months to 12 months, that the reading requirements should be bolstered in various ways, including by requiring Readers to undertake compulsory CPD sessions during the Reading Period which will include some of the sessions that will no longer be taught in a six-week in the Readers’ Course.
2024 Bar Entrance Exam (date to be advised)
The 2024 Bar Entrance Exam will be the first to be conducted in the new way.
To gain admission to the Victorian Bar Readers' Course, applicants must first sit and pass the Exam and meet suitability requirements. The key areas to be examined are Ethics, Evidence and Civil or Criminal Procedure. Candidates must pass all three papers to gain admission to the Readers’ Course. The minimum pass mark is 75%.
Successful candidates are offered a place in the Readers' Course as per regulation 6(7) of the Bar’s Application and Reading Regulations (Regulations). Please note that the Application and Reading Regulations are currently under review to reflect the changes to the Exam and the Readers' Course.
The Victorian Bar 2024 Entrance Exam date is yet to be determined. However, it is anticipated to be held in mid-October 2024.
The Education Team is unable to respond to individual emails asking about examinable material - the Reading Guide and other exam resources will be provided when this is available.
To receive update receive updates about the Entrance Exam when this is available, please register your interest in sitting the exam via this link: CLICK HERE