The Bar Council of the Maldives Successfully Holds Maldives’ First BAR EXAM

On November 19, 2022, 176 candidates took part in the Maldives’ first-ever Bar Exam, which was successfully administered by the Bar Council of the Maldives (BCM). A 98.3% turnout was recorded for both the morning and afternoon sessions of the Bar Exam in both Male’ City and Addu City.

The Bar Exam will be given once every calendar year and will evaluate a candidate’s legal knowledge and analytical ability on a fundamental level. The Bar Exam establishes the minimal standard for admission to practice in the Maldives as a result.

The Bar Exam assesses knowledge of Tort Law, Criminal Law and Procedure, Constitutional and Administrative Law, Contract Law and Practice, Land Law and Practice, and Maldivian Legal System. It is led by key development support from USAID, ABA, Kaplan (UK), and NCBE (USA). The Bar Exam Committee of Experts created the syllabus for the Bar Exam , and 120 multiple-choice questions made up the dual-language test that was given in both English and Dhivehi.

The Bar Council of the Maldives also created Reading Lists for each of the six examinable topics with the assistance of volunteer lawyers to help with bar exam preparation. In order to assist candidates taking the bar exam, the Bar Council of the Maldives also offered example practice questions that represented the types of questions that will be on the Bar Exam , as well as delivered a total of 18 lectures in 2022.

Under the Legal Profession Act 2019, passing the Bar Exam is one of two mandatory prerequisites for obtaining a license to practice law, along with completion of a licensing training program.