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Part A Bar Course / Examination

1. What is the Part A Bar Course and Examination?
Part A of the Singapore Bar Examinations is a conversion examination for overseas graduates who intend to apply for admission to the Singapore Bar. It replaces the previous Graduate Diploma in Singapore Law which was discontinued in 2009.

The preparatory Course for the Part A Examination will be conducted from 1 August to 11 November 2011 and the Examination will take place from 31 October to 11 November 2011.  The Bar Course is optional, which means that individuals have the option to take the Examination without undergoing the Course.

Please note that acceptance into and completion of the Part A Bar Course and Examination do not, in themselves, qualify a person as an Advocate and Solicitor in Singapore.
2.

Who is eligible to take the Part A Course and Examination?
To be admitted to the Singapore Bar, individuals must fulfil all the requirements of being a “qualified person” as defined in the Legal Profession Act read with the Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules. For most individuals, the “qualified person” requirements will include being a Singapore citizen or permanent resident, graduating from an approved university with an approved law degree read over at least 3 years as a full-time internal candidate, attaining at least Lower Second Class Honours or equivalent for that degree, passing Part A of the Bar Examinations and obtaining at least 6 continuous months of "relevant legal practice or work" and/or "relevant legal training" (as defined in the Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules).

You will be eligible to take Part A if you meet all the academic “qualified person” requirements. You can still take Part A even if you do not meet the following “qualified person” requirements (although please note that you would need to satisfy these requirements or obtain the necessary exemption prior to taking Part B of the Bar Examinations, commencing the practice training period, and being admitted to the Bar):

» the requirement to be a Singapore citizen or permanent resident; and / or
» the requirement to have obtained at least 6 continuous months of “relevant legal practice or work” and / or “relevant legal training” as defined in the Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules).

Please note that you do not need to take Part A if you are already a “qualified person”.

To check if you are or can become a “qualified person”, please use the online guide ‘Am I a Qualified Person?’ on the Ministry of Law’s website. This is a particularly important step for applicants with Juris Doctor degrees, dual degrees, joint/combined degrees, external or distance learning degrees, degrees of less than 3 years in length, and degrees obtained by way of a twinning programme, and degrees from universities that are not approved.
3. Can I appeal for an exemption if I am not eligible to take Part A?
If you are not eligible to take Part A (please see question 2 above), you can try appealing to the Minister for Law for an exemption. Details of the exemption procedure can be found on the Ministry of Law’s website.

As it can take 2-3 months for appeals to be processed by the Ministry of Law, you should submit your Part A application form to NUS before the application closing date while waiting for the decision from the Ministry of Law. Please note that NUS can make offers (including conditional offers) only AFTER the Ministry of Law has granted an applicant the exemption. Applicants will be required to submit a copy of the letter of exemption to NUS.
4. Can I apply to take Part A if I have not graduated yet?
Yes, you can submit an application to take Part A if you are graduating by July as you will be in time to start the course in early August. Please ensure that you submit your application to take Part A before the deadline on 30 April 2011. If you fulfil all the other relevant “qualified person” requirements (as outlined in question 2 above), we will give you a conditional offer subject to you obtaining the requisite standard for your degree. We will give you a firm offer after we receive your final transcripts, degree certificate and an Official Rank Certification Document (if applicable) by July 2011.
5. Where will the Course and Examination be offered?
The Course and Examination will be offered by the NUS Faculty of Law at its Bukit Timah Campus.
6.

What is the duration and dates of the Course and Examination in 2011?
The Course will run for a total of 16 weeks. There is only one intake per calendar year. There will be 12 teaching weeks, 1 recess week, 1 reading/review week and 2 examination weeks. The breakdown of the weeks is as follows (Please note that the schedule has been finalised on 17 March 2011.):

Teaching Week 1 01 – 05 Aug
Teaching Week 2 08 – 12 Aug
Teaching Week 3 15 – 19 Aug
Teaching Week 4 22 – 26 Aug
Teaching Week 5 29 Aug – 02 Sep
Teaching Week 6 05 – 09 Sep
Teaching Week 7 12 – 16 Sep
Recess Week 17 – 25 Sep
Teaching Week 8 26 – 30 Sep
Teaching Week 9 03 – 07 Oct
Teaching Week 10 10 – 14 Oct
Teaching Week 11 17 – 21 Oct
Teaching Week 12 24 – 28 Oct
Reading Week 31 Oct – 4 Nov
Main Examination 8 – 16 Nov (Tu, Th, Sa, M, W)
Results Release for Main Exam First Week of December
Supplementary Exam 12 – 16 Dec
Results Release for Supplementary Exam Week of 26 December
   
7. Must I attend the Course, i.e. can I just take the Examination?
The Course is optional. Hence, individuals may apply to sit for the Examination without undergoing the Course.
8.

What are the relevant fees?
The fees are reflected in the table below. The Course is subsidised by the Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE), and students pay subsidised rates as a result. For international students (if approved by the Ministry of Law), the relevant fees will depend on whether they take up a service obligation to work in a Singapore company upon completing the Course and Examination. Details relating to accepting the service obligation will be made available upon registration. Please also note that the fees payable may differ if the applicant has pursued an earlier MOE-subsidised tertiary programme in Singapore. The “Examination Only” fee is standardised for all categories of students, and attracts no MOE subsidy or service obligation. Students will be billed accordingly upon registration.

  Course & Examination Examination Only
Singapore Citizens
 S$2,550

S$1,000
Singapore Permanent Residents S$2,810
International Students
(with service obligation)*
 S$3,830
International Students
(without service obligation)*		 S$6,380
 

* The service obligation requires the applicant to work in Singapore-based companies for 3 years upon completing the Course and Examination. Singapore-based companies refer to local and international companies that have a base in Singapore that are registered with the Accounting & Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) as well as companies of such local and international companies registered with ACRA that are based overseas.

9. What are the subjects and teaching hours?
There will be five compulsory subjects in total. These are: Criminal Law, Singapore Legal System & Constitutional Law, Land Law, Company Law, and Evidence Law. Students must take and pass all five subjects. There will be 3 hours of classes per subject per week. Classes will primarily be conducted in the day during regular working hours. The exact schedule of classes will be made available upon registration.
10. How do I apply, and when is the deadline?
The application form is available on the NUS Law website. The deadline for submission of applications is 30 April 2011. 
11. What if I intend to take the Examination only? Do I use the same application form?
Yes, the same application form is to be used for those intending to take the Examination only. Please indicate your choice of “Course and Examination” or “Examination Only” on the application form and Application Acknowledgement letter. The same deadline for submission will apply. All supporting documents/transcripts must be submitted, even if you intend to take only the Examination.
12. If I register to take the Examination only, can I change my mind to enrol in the Course later?
No. We do need to plan for teaching spaces and arrangements, and we will only admit into the Course those who indicate explicitly that they wish to pursue the Course.
13. If I wish to take the Examination only, can I apply beyond the deadline?
No. We need to finalise the teaching and examination logistics, and we would appreciate your kind co-operation to decide by the relevant deadline.
14. If I wish to take the examination only, can I obtain the study materials?
We will make the syllabi and reading lists available. But there will be no "course pack" with cases, articles or commentaries.
15. Can the Examination be taken overseas?
No. The Part A Examination can only be taken at the NUS Faculty of Law’s Bukit Timah Campus in Singapore.
16. If anyone fails a relevant subject, will there be a supplementary examination? What happens if the person fails the supplementary examination as well?
Supplementary papers will be conducted in the week of 12 December 2011.  If a person fails any supplementary paper(s), he/she will have to re-take the relevant paper(s) in the next year, and will have to pay the full Examination fee again. The full Course fee (which incorporates the Examination fee) will apply if a person wishes to re-take the Course in the next year. This full Course fee is unsubsidised, and will amount to $10,200.
17.. Will students be graded, and will I be given a Certificate upon passing the Examination?
A certificate of completion will be awarded to candidates who pass the requisite subjects in the Part A Bar Examination. Candidates who do exceptionally well in the subject(s) will be awarded a distinction. The distinctions achieved will be reflected on the certificate of completion.
18.

Who do I contact for further enquiries?
You may email lawgradadm@nus.edu.sg. We will only be able to respond to queries on the Part A Bar Course and Examination.

For enquiries about the “qualified person” requirements, admission into the Singapore Bar, and appeals for exemption, please contact the Ministry of Law

 

 

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