Checked 11 November 2026. Read from the JAC vacancy page for JAC00356 and the JAC 2023 Deputy District Judge test report on 11 November 2026. The JAC hopes to issue qualifying test results by 16 December 2026 and make selection decisions by the end of July 2027; selection days are set for 17 March to 6 April 2027, with no dates outside that period. The instructions the JAC emails you by 17 November are the final word on your test.
The Deputy District Judge qualifying test is on Tuesday 24 November 2026, open from 7am to 9pm. It is the only shortlisting stage the JAC lists for this exercise (JAC00356): an online, multiple-choice test in two parts, a situational judgement test and a critical analysis test. The Judicial Appointments Commission has been asked to find 130 candidates, which it anticipates will be 80 immediate and 50 future appointments. Registration closed at 1pm on 27 October; the JAC says the test instructions will reach registered candidates by email by 17 November (JAC vacancy page).
This guide sets out what the JAC has published for this exercise, what its report on the last Deputy District Judge test (2023) shows, and a day-by-day plan for the week before the test. Our advice is marked as ours. It covers the civil and family Deputy District Judge exercise; Deputy District Judge (Magistrates' Courts) is a separate JAC exercise with its own test and feedback reports. Independent practice. Not affiliated with the Judicial Appointments Commission. ProSyllabus is an independent study site; the JAC did not write and does not endorse our questions.
JAC vacancy page JAC00356 (read 11 November 2026) and JAC 00184 Deputy District Judge qualifying test evaluation report (April 2024).
FreeTests: Communication Skills · Personal Qualities · Effective Working
JAC Qualifying Test Practice · Free sample: 3 situational judgement questions: free sample
Answer 3 questions against the clock, like the real exam. You then see the right answer, the reason and your time on each. About 8 minutes · free · no sign-in.
3 questions to answer▶ Start nowThis one is free · no sign-in neededYour result shows how long each question took you.The 2026 Deputy District Judge timeline
The JAC runs the whole exercise remotely, and assesses you against the Judicial Skills and Abilities Framework at every stage. These are the steps and dates on the vacancy page:
Dates from the JAC vacancy page for JAC00356, read 11 November 2026. The results and selection-decision dates are ones the JAC hopes to meet; selection days are fixed for 17 March to 6 April 2027. Placement on the line is by date.
| Step | Date (JAC00356) | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | 1pm 13 October to 1pm 27 October 2026 (closed) | A short online registration form for the qualifying test |
| Instructions | By email by 17 November 2026 | Test instructions. If nothing has arrived by noon on 18 November, the JAC asks you to email the exercise team (DDJ356@judicialappointments.gov.uk) at once |
| Qualifying test | 24 November 2026, 7am to 9pm | Situational judgement and critical analysis, both multiple choice. This is the shortlisting stage |
| Test results | Hoped by 16 December 2026 | By email to every candidate. Those who pass are invited to selection day, subject to a full application and eligibility checks |
| Full application | 1pm 16 December 2026 to 6 January 2027 | Legal experience and qualifications, a career history, a self-assessment against the framework, a 300-word statement on hearing private law family cases (for deployment only), up to two independent assessors |
| Selection day | Remotely, 17 March to 6 April 2027 | A roleplay with actors, usually with pre-reading, then follow-up questions. No skills and abilities-based interview. No other dates offered |
| Selection decisions | Hoped by the end of July 2027 | After character checks, the Commission decides which candidates to recommend for appointment |
Source: the JAC vacancy page for JAC00356, read 11 November 2026. The JAC and the Appropriate Authority have also agreed to waive statutory consultation for this exercise.
What is different from the 2023 test
In 2023 the qualifying test was the first of two shortlisting stages: the JAC planned to take the top 800 to a scenario test and invited 811 (ref 184 report). For 2026 the vacancy page says the exercise "will be shortlisted by way of an online qualifying test" and lists no scenario test: those who pass the qualifying test go to selection day, subject to the full application and eligibility checks. The page also points to a JAC plan for faster judicial recruitment, which it says affects this exercise.
| Item | 2023 exercise (ref 184 report) | 2026 exercise (JAC00356) |
|---|---|---|
| Posts | A request to fill 125 posts | 130 candidates, anticipated as 80 immediate and 50 future appointments |
| Time per part | 40 minutes, 20 questions each | The JAC qualifying test page now gives a standard 50 minutes a part; it gives no question count. Your instructions will confirm |
| Critical analysis text | A speech by Mr Justice Fordham on the Human Rights Act 1998, released one week before the test | Not yet known. The JAC practice tool page says the real text is sent before the test day |
| After the test | A scenario test for 811 candidates, then selection day (around 313 planned) | Straight to selection day for those who pass; no scenario test listed |
| Selection day | Format not described in the test report; about 313 invitations planned (2.5 per post) | A roleplay and follow-up questions, remotely, 17 March to 6 April 2027 |
What that means for you (our reading): the qualifying test is the only shortlisting test listed for 2026, before selection day. In 2023 the JAC said it usually invites 2 or 3 candidates to selection day for each vacancy. If it used that ratio for 130 candidates, about 260 to 390 people would reach selection day, against the 811 who passed the first stage last time. That range is our arithmetic, not a JAC figure; the JAC has not published how many it will invite in 2026. These figures do not show whether the 2026 cut-off will be higher: that depends on how many sit the test, how they perform and how many places there are at the next stage.
Part 1: situational judgement
You read situations a Deputy District Judge might face and, for each, pick the most appropriate and the least appropriate of five possible actions. Each correct choice scores one mark, so two a question; there are no marks for any other answer, and you are not tested on legal rules or procedure (JAC practice tool page, ref 184 report). In 2023 this part assessed Exercising Judgement, Working and Communicating with Others, and Managing Work Efficiently, under the competency framework then in use; the 2026 exercise uses the newer Judicial Skills and Abilities Framework.
The 2023 report names the best and worst answered questions. Both were about litigants in person: one who was not putting their best legal argument forward (67% of candidates got both choices right) and one taking too long over cross-examination (only 10% did). That fits the role the vacancy page describes: civil and family lists made up mostly of several short hearings a day, face to face and remote.
Worked example 1: situational judgement (written by us, not a JAC question)
- Situation: You are hearing a fast track trial listed for one day. The claimant, a litigant in person, has spent forty minutes cross-examining the defendant's only witness, mostly repeating the same questions about a phone call. Half the day is gone and the defendant's representative is looking at the clock.
- A. Tell the claimant they have ten minutes left and must then finish, without saying anything more.
- B. Explain neutrally the issues you have to decide, ask the claimant which points they still want to put to the witness, help them frame those questions, and agree a fair time to finish.
- C. Let the claimant carry on for as long as they wish, so they cannot say they were cut short, and adjourn the trial part-heard if it runs over.
- D. Invite the defendant's representative to object whenever a question is repeated.
- E. Tell the claimant, in front of the witness, that you have already heard enough to know how the case will turn out, so there is no point in asking more.
- Our key: most appropriate B, least appropriate E. B manages the time while keeping the claimant's fair chance to put their case, and helps a party without a lawyer to focus. E is least appropriate because it announces a view of the outcome before the evidence and submissions are complete, in front of the witness, which undermines the fairness of the trial and the claimant's confidence in it. A imposes a limit with no explanation or help to use the time well. C gives up control of the hearing and accepts an adjournment without asking whether it is needed, at the cost of the defendant, the witness and the rest of the list. D relies on one side's lawyer instead of the judge managing the hearing.
Our own illustration in the JAC format, on a theme the 2023 report names. It does not represent any JAC test question.
Part 2: critical analysis
You answer questions on a written document, such as a speech or a judgment, each with four options and one correct answer. The JAC practice tool page says that in a real test you get the text before the test day. In 2023 it was a speech by Mr Justice Fordham marking 25 years of the Human Rights Act 1998, given on 9 November 2023 and released one week before the test (ref 184 report). The highest-scoring question was answered correctly by 98% of candidates; only 32% answered the hardest correctly, a question on what the speaker meant by a case having "failed at home".
Worked example 2: critical analysis (our own short passage and question)
- Passage: "Most people meet the civil courts in a short hearing, not a trial. A list of fifteen ten-minute applications is not a lesser kind of justice: for each party, that hearing is the whole of their case that day. A judge who gives the fifteenth matter less care than the first has not saved time. The parties will be back, and another judge will hear it again."
- Question: Which statement best describes the writer's argument?
- A. Short hearings should be made longer so that each party has more time. B. Giving less care to short hearings is a false economy, because the matter is likely to be heard again. C. Most litigants would rather have a short hearing than a trial. D. Judges should be given fewer applications in each list.
- Answer: B. The passage argues that less care "has not saved time" because the case returns. A and D are remedies the writer never proposes. C turns a statement about how often people meet short hearings into a claim about what they prefer.
Our own passage and question in the JAC format.
Try the format under time. The box below runs 3 situational judgement questions in our practice player, with the reason for every answer, so you can check your most and least choices against a key before the 24th.
FreeTests: Communication Skills · Personal Qualities · Effective Working
JAC Qualifying Test Practice · Free sample: 3 situational judgement questions: free sample
Answer 3 questions against the clock, like the real exam. You then see the right answer, the reason and your time on each. About 8 minutes · free · no sign-in.
3 questions to answer▶ Start nowThis one is free · no sign-in neededYour result shows how long each question took you.What the 2023 Deputy District Judge test showed
The vacancy page links the JAC report on the most recently completed Deputy District Judge qualifying test, from 2023, and the vacancy page says the JAC will publish an evaluation and feedback report for this exercise too. The 2023 report is history, not a forecast: the 2026 arrangements are the ones on the vacancy page and in your instructions.
JAC 00184 Deputy District Judge qualifying test evaluation and feedback report (April 2024). 448 invited candidates withdrew or did not sit. The 811 includes 15 candidates progressed under the equal merit provision.
JAC 00184 report: the lowest, highest and average candidate score in each part.
The JAC sets no fixed pass mark. Anyone under 30% in either part is removed; the rest are ranked by a composite of standard scores, 60% situational judgement and 40% critical analysis, and the cut-off is set by the places at the next stage. In 2023 that line fell at a composite score of 0.33 (ref 184 report, About online tests).
What that means for you (our advice): in 2023 the situational judgement average was 57% against 81% for critical analysis, and situational judgement carries 60% of the composite. These figures do not show which part practice will improve most for you, so practise both, timed, and let your own wrong answers decide where to spend the rest of the week. On critical analysis, where most candidates scored well, a few careless answers on the pre-reading text can cost you ground.
Who sits it and what the role involves
The exercise is open to barristers, solicitors and Fellows of CILEX with five years' post-qualification experience by 24 June 2027; solicitors, and salaried judicial office holders who were formerly solicitors, must appear on the Roll. Deputy District Judges are fee-paid. They hear civil and family cases, from trials of several days to short interlocutory and case management applications, though the bulk of the work is lists of short hearings, face to face and remote. Posts are across England and Wales, with a large need on the South Eastern Circuit. The fee is £671.40 a day, or £690.00 in London (JAC vacancy page).
FreeTests: Communication Skills · Personal Qualities · Effective Working
JAC Qualifying Test Practice · Free sample: 3 situational judgement questions: free sample
Answer 3 questions against the clock, like the real exam. You then see the right answer, the reason and your time on each. About 8 minutes · free · no sign-in.
3 questions to answer▶ Start nowThis one is free · no sign-in neededYour result shows how long each question took you.A 7-day plan for the week before 24 November
Our plan, for a candidate whose instructions arrive by 17 November: seven days of preparation from 17 to 23 November, then the test on the 24th. It splits the week between the two parts and leaves the last day light.
| Day | Focus | What to do (our advice) |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 17 Nov | Instructions | Read the instructions email in full. Note what may be with you during the test and when any pre-reading arrives. Check your device and browser; the JAC asks government and CPS lawyers not to use work devices or work email |
| Wed 18 Nov | Check and baseline | No email by noon? Contact the exercise team at once, as the JAC asks. Take the JAC practice tool (5 + 5 questions, 10 minutes each) to see the platform |
| Thu 19 Nov | Situational judgement, timed | One full timed situational judgement part. Afterwards, review every wrong most and every wrong least separately |
| Fri 20 Nov | Conduct and fairness | Read the Guide to Judicial Conduct, above all on impartiality and fair treatment. Redo the questions you got wrong and say why the key fits |
| Sat 21 Nov | Critical analysis | If your text has arrived, read it slowly once and write one line on what each paragraph does. Then a timed critical analysis part on a different practice text |
| Sun 22 Nov | Second timed set | A second timed situational judgement part. Re-read your pre-reading notes, checking them against the text itself |
| Mon 23 Nov | Rest and set up | No new practice. Choose your time slot and which part to sit first, test the room and connection, and keep the instructions to hand |
| Tue 24 Nov | Test day | Start after 7am and finish both parts before 9pm. Questions come one at a time; you can skip and return before you submit |
The AI rule. The JAC says you must not use AI in any qualifying test, selection day or other live assessment, and you must not enter any selection material into an AI tool (JAC AI guidance). A pre-reading text sent to you for the test is selection material, so do not put it into an AI tool, including while you prepare. Our advice is to finish your practice before test day.
After the test: results, feedback and selection day
The JAC hopes to email results to every candidate by 16 December 2026. If you are not successful, you get your score in each part as a percentage and a combined Z-score showing where you stood against the other candidates; there is no individual feedback beyond that, but the JAC publishes an evaluation report on the test. If you pass, the full application opens at 1pm on 16 December and closes on 6 January 2027. Its self-assessment must give specific examples linked to the Judicial Skills and Abilities Framework, not a repeat of your career history.
Selection day, between 17 March and 6 April 2027, is a roleplay: a challenging situation like a court hearing, with actors and a range of legal or procedural issues to resolve between the parties, usually with pre-reading. Follow-up questions focus mainly on your thinking in the roleplay. The JAC says there will be no skills and abilities-based interview. Candidates for posts in Wales and Welsh-speaking posts have extra assessments (JAC vacancy page).
Practise both parts before 24 November
Our JAC qualifying test practice has full-length timed mocks of both parts: original situational judgement questions where you pick the most and the least appropriate action, set in courts and tribunals including civil and family lists, and critical analysis questions on an invented judgment or speech, 50 minutes a part, in either order. It is marked with our own keys on the scheme the JAC practice tool describes, with the reason for every answer and your marks by skill area. Try 3 situational judgement questions free below; the free sample can be taken once. Independent practice. Not affiliated with the Judicial Appointments Commission. ProSyllabus is an independent study site; the JAC did not write and does not endorse our questions.
FreeTests: Communication Skills · Personal Qualities · Effective Working
JAC Qualifying Test Practice · Free sample: 3 situational judgement questions: free sample
Answer 3 questions against the clock, like the real exam. You then see the right answer, the reason and your time on each. About 8 minutes · free · no sign-in.
3 questions to answer▶ Start nowThis one is free · no sign-in neededYour result shows how long each question took you.Frequently asked questions
When is the Deputy District Judge qualifying test in 2026?
On 24 November 2026, from 7am to 9pm. The JAC says registered candidates will get the test instructions by email by 17 November 2026, and asks anyone who has not by noon on 18 November to email the exercise team.
What is in the Deputy District Judge qualifying test?
Two multiple-choice parts: a situational judgement test, where you choose the most and the least appropriate of five actions, and a critical analysis test on a written document such as a speech or judgment, with four options and one correct answer. The JAC qualifying test page gives a standard 50 minutes a part, taken in either order.
How many questions are in the Deputy District Judge qualifying test?
The JAC has not published a number for 2026. In 2023 each part had 20 questions in 40 minutes. The JAC now gives a standard 50 minutes a part, and its 2025 and 2026 reports for other exercises describe 20 questions a part. Your instructions are the final word.
Is there a scenario test for Deputy District Judge in 2026?
None is listed. The vacancy page says the exercise will be shortlisted by an online qualifying test, after which successful candidates are invited to selection day subject to a full application and eligibility checks. In 2023 there was a scenario test after the qualifying test.
What percentage pass the Deputy District Judge qualifying test?
In 2023, 811 of the 2,267 candidates who took it went on to the next stage, which is about 36% (our arithmetic from the JAC report). The figure for 2026 depends on how many the JAC invites to selection day, which it has not published.
What is the pass mark?
There is no fixed pass mark. You need at least 30% in both parts; candidates are then ranked by a composite of standard scores, 60% situational judgement and 40% critical analysis, and the cut-off depends on the places at the next stage. In 2023 the cut-off was a composite score of 0.33.
How many Deputy District Judge posts are there?
The JAC has been asked to identify 130 candidates, which it anticipates will be 80 immediate and 50 future appointments, across England and Wales.
How much is a Deputy District Judge paid?
The JAC vacancy page gives a fee of £671.40 a day, or £690.00 in London. The role is fee-paid.
What happens at the Deputy District Judge selection day?
It takes place remotely between 17 March and 6 April 2027 and consists of a roleplay, with actors and usually pre-reading, followed by questions mainly about your thinking in the roleplay. The JAC says there will be no skills and abilities-based interview.
Can I use AI to prepare for or during the test?
Not during it: the JAC says you must not use AI in any qualifying test, selection day or other live assessment, and you must not enter any selection material into an AI tool. Do not enter the JAC's pre-reading text into an AI tool, including during preparation. Our advice is to finish practice before test day.
Are your practice questions real JAC questions?
No. Our situations and texts are our own original practice material, written to the JAC's published description of the format. Our keys and reasons are our own judgement.
More on JAC qualifying tests: JAC qualifying test: format, scoring and free practice.
More in this series
Sources
- official — JAC vacancy: Deputy District Judge (JAC00356), read 11 November 2026
- official — JAC: 00184 Deputy District Judge qualifying test evaluation and feedback report (April 2024)
- official — JAC: Qualifying test
- official — JAC: About online tests (the 30% minimum, ranking, no fixed pass mark)
- official — JAC: Practice qualifying test tool
- official — JAC: Using artificial intelligence (AI), updated August 2026
- official — JAC: Judicial Skills and Abilities Framework
- official — Judiciary of England and Wales: Guide to Judicial Conduct (revised July 2023)
- official — JAC: Deputy District Judge (Magistrates' Courts) qualifying test feedback report (ref 234)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
