Checked 27 October 2026. The format, permitted materials, headings and changes were read in the BSB’s Bar Qualification Manual Part 3C, Chair’s Report Part 1 and the Civil Litigation Syllabus 2026-2027 (24 June 2026) with its summary of changes on 27 October 2026.
The BSB Civil Litigation exam is two papers marked as one: Paper 1, 50 questions in two hours, closed book; Paper 2, 40 questions in two and a half hours, with the White Book open in front of you. You pass on your total across all 90 questions, with no minimum on either paper. The 2026-2027 syllabus, dated 24 June 2026, is based on the White Book 2026 with a cut-off of 6 April 2026, and on the Jackson ADR Handbook (Fourth Edition, 2025) for Paper 1 only. This page compares the two papers, quotes exactly what you may take into Paper 2, sets out a routine for finding a rule fast, does the time arithmetic, lists the 24 headings and this year’s changes, and works through three questions, one from a rolling case scenario. Independent — not affiliated with the Bar Standards Board. ProSyllabus is an independent study site and nothing here is official. Every exam fact and figure below is quoted or summarised from the BSB’s own documents, read on 27 October 2026.
BSB Bar Qualification Manual Part 3C, Chair’s Report Part 1 and Civil Litigation Syllabus 2026-2027, read 27 October 2026.
FreeTests: Default judgment and summary judgment · Commencing proceedings · Case management, sanctions, striking out and relief
BSB Civil Litigation Essentials: 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 10 minutes · free · no sign-in.
3 questions to answer
Start nowabout 10 minThis one is free · no sign-in needed
Your result shows how long each question took you.
Paper 1 vs Paper 2
| Feature | Paper 1 | Paper 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Time | 2 hours | 2.5 hours |
| Questions | 50 MCQ and SBA questions | 40: the first 5 stand-alone, then 35 in 5 rolling case scenarios of 7 questions each |
| Books | Closed book | Open book: Volumes 1 and 2 of “Civil Procedure” (the White Book) |
| Coverage | “all topic areas of the extended syllabus” | “again covering all topic areas of the extended syllabus” |
| Jackson ADR Handbook | Examinable (Paper 1 only) | Not a Paper 2 source |
| Average time per question (our arithmetic) | 120 ÷ 50 = 2.4 minutes | 150 ÷ 40 = 3.75 minutes |
From the Bar Qualification Manual Part 3C, Chair’s Report Part 1 (section 1.2.2) and the introduction to the Civil Litigation Syllabus 2026-2027.
Chair’s Report Part 1 describes Paper 2 precisely: “candidates have two and a half hours to attempt 40 questions, the first five are stand-alone MCQ and/or SBA questions, and the remaining 35 take the form of rolling case scenarios – each with seven questions that track a developing narrative.” And on scoring: “Candidates attempting the Civil Litigation assessment simply need to achieve a pass mark across the 90 questions. There is no requirement to achieve a minimum number of marks on either paper 1 or paper 2.” The Manual adds that you must attempt both parts and “cannot bank your result for part of the attempt.”
What you may take into Paper 2
The Bar Qualification Manual, Part 3C, lists the permitted materials for Paper 2, word for word:
- “A copy of the White Book, which can be highlighted and annotated”
- “Sticky page markers, which can be used to mark sections of the White Book”
- “Sticky notes with annotations in the White Book but may not interleave the pages with loose sheets or other material.”
“You are not permitted to use any additional loose material.” Bar Qualification Manual, Part 3C. The syllabus names “Volumes 1 and 2 of ‘Civil Procedure’ (the White Book)”.
Paper 1 is closed book. The syllabus’s cut-off note matters for which edition you work from: “the cut-off date for syllabus content is 6 April 2026, the date to which the material in the White Book 2026 is up to date. Students assessed on the current syllabus will not be tested upon material appearing in the White Book 2026 Supplements.”
A White Book routine that saves minutes
At 3.75 minutes a question, a look-up that takes four minutes uses more than one question’s average time. The routine below is ours; it follows how the syllabus itself cites material: the rule, then its Practice Direction, then named commentary paragraphs.
| Step | What to do (our suggestion) |
|---|---|
| 1. Name the Part from the facts | Before opening the book, decide which CPR Part the question turns on: service (Part 6), default judgment (Part 12), summary judgment (Part 24), case management and sanctions (Part 3), disclosure (Part 31), Part 36 offers, costs (Parts 44 to 47), appeals (Part 52). |
| 2. Go to the rule | Read the rule itself first. Most time-limit and test questions are answered in the rule’s own words. |
| 3. Then its Practice Direction | If the rule leaves a procedural detail open (what goes in a notice, how service is effected), check the Practice Direction that supplements that Part. |
| 4. Commentary last, and only the examinable paragraphs | The syllabus names specific commentary paragraphs. Highlight those in advance, so you can find the one you need without reading around it. |
| 5. Tab before the day | Sticky page markers are allowed: tab the start of each examinable Part and Practice Direction, colour-coded by syllabus heading. |
| 6. Do not look up what you know | Paper 2 still rewards recall. Answer from memory where you are sure, and save the book for the questions where a detail decides it. |
FreeTests: Default judgment and summary judgment · Commencing proceedings · Case management, sanctions, striking out and relief
BSB Civil Litigation Essentials: 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 10 minutes · free · no sign-in.
3 questions to answer
Start nowabout 10 minThis one is free · no sign-in needed
Your result shows how long each question took you.
Time arithmetic for a rolling case scenario
A rolling case scenario is a set of facts followed by seven questions that move the case on step by step. At the paper’s average of 3.75 minutes a question, one scenario has about 26 minutes; the five stand-alone questions at the start have about 19 (our arithmetic). The April 2026 Chair’s report shows the five stand-alone questions were, as a group, the hardest part of Paper 2:
BSB Chair’s Report Part 2, April 2026, section 3.2.3. Questions are numbered 51 to 90 across Paper 2.
| Part of the exam | Time available | Per question (our arithmetic) |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1, all 50 questions | 120 minutes | 2.4 minutes |
| Paper 2, 5 stand-alone questions | About 19 minutes at the paper’s average | 3.75 minutes |
| Paper 2, one rolling case scenario of 7 questions | About 26 minutes at the paper’s average | 3.75 minutes |
| Paper 2, all 40 questions | 150 minutes | 3.75 minutes |
The report found “no clear evidence of candidate fatigue being a factor” on Paper 2, and on Paper 1 an average passing rate of 57% across the first 25 questions and 63% across questions 26 to 50. Read the scenario’s opening facts carefully once: every one of its seven questions builds on them, and a date you misread could affect more than one answer.
The 24 headings
| No. | Heading | What it tests (our summary of the examinable material) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Matters | The overriding objective, the court’s duty to manage cases, and ADR principles and timing (Halsey and Churchill). |
| 2 | Limitation | Accrual, and the periods for tort, latent damage, personal injury, fatal accidents, contract and contribution under the Limitation Act 1980, including date of knowledge and the section 33 discretion. |
| 3 | Pre-action Conduct | The Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct and Protocols, the Personal Injury protocol, non-compliance and ADR before issue. |
| 4 | ADR: Adjudicative Options | Arbitration (now including section 9 Arbitration Act 1996) and expert or neutral determination. |
| 5 | ADR: Non-Adjudicative Options | Early neutral evaluation, conciliation and mediation. |
| 6 | Commencing Proceedings | Part 7 and Part 8 claims; validity, extension and service of claim forms; service of other documents. |
| 7 | Parties | Partnerships, sole traders, LLPs, companies, trusts, deceased persons, children and protected parties. |
| 8 | Statements of Case | Claim forms, particulars, acknowledgement of service, defences, replies and counterclaims. |
| 9 | Multiple Causes of Action, Counterclaims and Other Additional Claims | Joinder of causes and parties, counterclaims, contribution notices, third and fourth party claims. |
| 10 | Amendment | Amending with permission or consent, and the costs of amendment. |
| 11 | Further Information | Requests for further information and responses. |
| 12 | Default Judgment and Summary Judgment | Obtaining and setting aside default judgment; summary judgment. |
| 13 | Case Management, Sanctions, Striking Out and Discontinuance | The four tracks, allocation, case and costs management, directions, relief from sanctions (Denton), striking out and discontinuance. |
| 14 | Disclosure and Inspection of Documents | Standard and specific disclosure, collateral use, pre-action and non-party disclosure (Norwich Pharmacal), privilege and without prejudice communications. |
| 15 | Interim Applications | With and without notice applications, documents, notice periods and full and frank disclosure. |
| 16 | Interim Payments and Security for Costs | The court’s powers to order each and the conditions for doing so. |
| 17 | Interim Injunctions | American Cyanamid, its exceptions and variations, and undertakings. |
| 18 | Settlement (including offers to settle) | Negotiation, Calderbank and Part 36 offers, changing offers, and the consequences of acceptance and of failing to beat an offer. |
| 19 | Evidence of Fact | Witness statements, witness summonses, notices to admit facts and to prove documents. |
| 20 | Expert Evidence | Permission for and use of expert evidence and the exceptions to the opinion rule. |
| 21 | Civil Trial and Evidence | Trial, hearsay in civil proceedings and convictions as evidence. |
| 22 | Judgments, Orders and Enforcement | Judgments and orders including Tomlin orders, enforcing money judgments, and enforcing settlements after ADR. |
| 23 | Costs | Costs orders, standard and indemnity bases, summary and detailed assessment, and payments on account (Sanderson, Bullock). |
| 24 | Appeals | Civil appeals in England and Wales, excluding the Supreme Court: routes, time limits, permission tests, notices and appeal court powers. |
Headings from the BSB’s Civil Litigation Syllabus 2026-2027 (24 June 2026); the summaries are ours. Leading cases the syllabus names: Halsey and Churchill (1), Denton (13), Norwich Pharmacal (14), American Cyanamid (17), Calderbank (18), Sanderson and Bullock (23).
What changed for 2026-27
The BSB’s summary of changes, dated 24 June 2026, is “particularly intended to enable continuing students to understand which areas of the 2025-2026 syllabus will form part of the centrally set assessments in 2026-2027”. Of the 24 headings, 13 record no changes and three (6, 9 and 20) record only updated references to the 2026 White Book. The other eight change examinable material, sometimes alongside updated references:
| Heading | Change |
|---|---|
| 1 General Matters | White Book commentary at 1.4.11 (2025) removed; incorporated into 1.4.9 of the 2026 edition |
| 4 ADR: Adjudicative Options | Section 9 of the Arbitration Act 1996 (White Book Vol 2, 2E-104) now examinable |
| 10 Amendment | Commentary at 17.3.6 now excludes its final sub-paragraph; 17.3.8 limited to its first five sub-paragraphs |
| 12 Default and Summary Judgment | CPR 24.5(2) removed |
| 13 Case Management and Sanctions | CPR 3.15A made clear as examinable; added commentary in the first sub-paragraph of 3.9.5.1 (no good reason for breach) |
| 14 Disclosure | Commentary at 31.17.2.1 limited to its first two sub-paragraphs |
| 15 Interim Applications | CPR 25.9(6)-(9) removed |
| 23 Costs | CPR 44.11 removed; commentary at 44.2.14 not part of the syllabus |
From the BSB’s Bar Training Civil Litigation Syllabus 2026-2027 Summary of Changes (24 June 2026). Headings 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11, 16 to 19, 21, 22 and 24 record no changes. Headings 6, 9 and 20 record nothing but updated references; headings 10, 12, 13, 14 and 23 record updated references as well as the changes above.
FreeTests: Default judgment and summary judgment · Commencing proceedings · Case management, sanctions, striking out and relief
BSB Civil Litigation Essentials: 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 10 minutes · free · no sign-in.
3 questions to answer
Start nowabout 10 minThis one is free · no sign-in needed
Your result shows how long each question took you.
Three Civil Litigation questions
One of these comes from a rolling case scenario: its facts are printed above the question, as in Paper 2. Give a Paper 1 question about 2.4 minutes and a Paper 2 question about 3.75.
Question 1 · Default judgment and summary judgment · Paper 1
On a claimant's application for summary judgment, what must the court be satisfied of under CPR 24.3?
- That the claimant is more likely than not to succeed at trial, and the defendant has no real defence on the facts
- That the defendant's case is so weak that it has less than an even chance of success at trial
- That the defendant has no real prospect of successfully defending the claim or issue, and there is no other compelling reason for a trial
- That the defence discloses no reasonable grounds for defending the claim, as required for striking out
Answer: C. CPR 24.3 allows summary judgment if the court considers that the respondent has no real prospect of succeeding on the claim, defence or issue, and there is no other compelling reason why it should be disposed of at a trial. "Real" means realistic as opposed to fanciful; a defence with less than an even chance may still be real, and the strike-out test under CPR 3.4 is different.
From the ProSyllabus BSB Civil Litigation mock test: an original question, not a BSB exam or past question. It is one of that test’s three free questions.
Question 2 · Commencing proceedings · Paper 2
On Thursday 8 October 2026 the claimant's solicitors post a claim form, with particulars of claim, by first class post to the defendant's usual residence. There are no bank holidays in October 2026. By what date must the defendant file an acknowledgment of service?
- Monday 26 October 2026
- Friday 23 October 2026
- Monday 9 November 2026
- Thursday 22 October 2026
Answer: A. Under CPR 6.14 a claim form served within the UK is deemed served on the second business day after the step required by CPR 7.5(1) (here, posting on Thursday 8 October): Friday 9 is the first business day and Monday 12 October the second. The acknowledgment of service must be filed 14 days after service of the claim form and particulars (CPR 10.3(1)), so by Monday 26 October. 22 October counts from posting; 9 November is the 28-day defence period that applies after an acknowledgment.
From the ProSyllabus BSB Civil Litigation mock test: an original question, not a BSB exam or past question. It is one of that test’s three free questions.
Question 3 · Civil trial and evidence · Paper 2
Rolling case scenario (the facts every question in this scenario builds on)
On Saturday 3 February 2024 Daniel Hughes, born on 9 September 1991, was cycling through a junction in Coventry when he was struck by a car driven by Kerry Moss, who pulled out from a side road. Daniel suffered a fractured tibia needing two operations and was unable to work as a scaffolder for seven months. On 12 September 2024 Ms Moss was convicted at Coventry Magistrates' Court of driving without due care and attention arising out of the collision. Her motor insurer is Altamira Insurance plc. Daniel instructed solicitors on 1 November 2025. They estimate that his claim for damages for pain, suffering and loss of amenity, past loss of earnings, care and future losses is worth between £70,000 and £90,000. Ms Moss has told her insurer that Daniel was riding without lights and was partly to blame, and that she does not accept that the collision was her fault despite her conviction.
Ms Moss's defence denies negligence. Daniel wishes to rely on her conviction for driving without due care and attention. Which of the following is correct?
- The conviction is admissible and conclusive, so Ms Moss is barred from denying careless driving
- The conviction is inadmissible, as it is only the opinion of another court on facts that the civil court must decide
- The conviction is admissible only if Daniel calls the police officer who investigated the collision
- The conviction is admissible, and Ms Moss is taken to have committed the offence unless she proves otherwise
Answer: D. Under s.11 of the Civil Evidence Act 1968 a conviction is admissible in civil proceedings to prove that the person committed the offence, and the convicted person is taken to have committed it unless the contrary is proved. It is not conclusive: Ms Moss may try to prove on the balance of probabilities that she did not drive carelessly. PD 16 para 8.1 requires Daniel to plead the conviction.
From the ProSyllabus BSB Civil Litigation mock test: an original question, not a BSB exam or past question. It is one of that test’s three free questions.
| Question | Syllabus heading | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Default judgment and summary judgment | C: That the defendant has no real prospect of successfully defending the claim or issue, and there is no other compelling reason for a trial |
| 2 | Commencing proceedings | A: Monday 26 October 2026 |
| 3 | Civil trial and evidence | D: The conviction is admissible, and Ms Moss is taken to have committed the offence unless she proves otherwise |
The table repeats the three answers for readers on a version of this page that does not show the cards.
Practise both papers under exam conditions: BSB Civil Litigation mock test, three free questions first.
How the Civil exam has gone recently
| Sitting | Candidates | Pass standard | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 2025 | 1,099 | 49/90 | 48% |
| December 2025 | 1,002 | 47/89 (one question suppressed) | 49% |
| April 2026 | 1,839 | 48/90 | 61% |
From the BSB Chair’s Reports Part 2 for August 2025, December 2025 and April 2026 (section 1.2 of the April 2026 report and section 3.3 of each).
What lies behind those figures, and how the pass standard is set, is in our pass marks and pass rates guide. For the Criminal paper see our Criminal Litigation syllabus guide; for dates and resits see our dates guide; the full exam page is the BSB centralised assessments exam page.
FreeTests: Default judgment and summary judgment · Commencing proceedings · Case management, sanctions, striking out and relief
BSB Civil Litigation Essentials: 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 10 minutes · free · no sign-in.
3 questions to answer
Start nowabout 10 minThis one is free · no sign-in needed
Your result shows how long each question took you.
Frequently asked questions
Is the BSB Civil Litigation exam open book?
Paper 2 is open book, with Volumes 1 and 2 of the White Book. Paper 1 is closed book.
What can I take into Civil Litigation Paper 2?
A copy of the White Book, which may be highlighted and annotated, sticky page markers and sticky notes with annotations in it. You may not interleave loose sheets or bring any other loose material.
How many questions are in Civil Litigation Paper 2?
40 in two and a half hours: 5 stand-alone questions, then 5 rolling case scenarios of 7 questions each.
Do I need to pass Paper 1 and Paper 2 separately?
No. The pass mark is set across all 90 questions, with no minimum on either paper. You must attempt both papers, and you cannot bank one.
Which White Book edition is the 2026-27 Civil syllabus based on?
The White Book 2026, with a cut-off of 6 April 2026. The syllabus says material in the White Book 2026 Supplements will not be tested.
What changed in the Civil Litigation syllabus for 2026-27?
Thirteen of the 24 headings record no changes and three record only updated White Book references. Among the rest: section 9 of the Arbitration Act 1996 was added; CPR 24.5(2), CPR 25.9(6)-(9) and CPR 44.11 were removed; CPR 3.15A was made clear as examinable; and some commentary paragraphs were narrowed.
Are the questions on this page from a BSB exam?
No. They are original questions from the ProSyllabus BSB Civil Litigation mock test, written to the 2026-27 syllabus. They are not BSB exam or past questions.
Sources
- official — BSB: Civil litigation and evidence, Bar Training Syllabus 2026-2027 (24 June 2026)
- official — BSB: Bar Qualification Manual, Part 3C Centralised assessments (exam format, permitted materials, standard setting, examination dates, results review process)
- official — BSB Central Examinations Board: Chair’s Report Part 1, Bar Training, BTT, BPTC and BTR, all sittings
- official — BSB Central Examinations Board: Chair’s Report Part 2, April 2026 sitting (dated 25 July 2026)
- official — BSB Central Examinations Board: Chair’s Report Part 2, December 2025 sitting (dated 2 April 2026)
- official — BSB Central Examinations Board: Chair’s Report Part 2, August 2025 sitting (dated 25 November 2025)
- official — BSB: Bar Qualification Manual (whole PDF, including Part 3B Bar Training Syllabi and the 2020 change to attempts)
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.
