Singapore Bar Exam Part A

Part A of the Singapore Bar Examinations, set by the Singapore Institute of Legal Education (SILE), is a conversion examination for graduates of overseas scheduled universities who intend to apply for the Part B Course and Examinations; passing it is one of the requirements for becoming a qualified person under the Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules. It has six compulsory subjects: five examinable papers (Company Law, Criminal Law, Evidence Law, Land Law and Singapore Legal System), all in the open-book format, and Ethics, an online quiz on which candidates must score 100% before they may sit the papers. SILE holds two sessions of the Part A Examinations a year. Who may sit: SILE’s guide for the 2027 Session 1 examinations requires Singapore citizenship or permanent residence and an applicable law degree from an overseas scheduled university, with at least lower second-class honours or a ranking among the highest 70% of the graduating batch, as applicable; final-year students may apply in the application period if they graduate, meet the academic requirement and submit the supporting documents by the date the guide sets. Applicants who do not meet the citizenship or permanent-residence requirement, or the degree requirement, may seek an exemption from the Minister for Law: it must have been applied for or obtained when they apply to SILE, and the approved exemption must be submitted by the date the guide sets (26 February 2027 for Session 1), failing which the candidature is withdrawn.