Checked 28 September 2026. Paper list from the Delhi High Court’s direct-recruitment page (14 PDFs, uploaded April 2026); syllabus from the JJA 2026 vacancy notice. The JJA 2026 Stage-I paper has not been published.
The Delhi High Court publishes its own past question papers — fourteen PDFs on its direct-recruitment page, from the 2017 JJA exam to the 2023 stenographer tests. Few preparation pages link to them, and fewer say what is in them. This guide lists all fourteen, describes the three most useful ones in detail (the JJA 2020 set, the SPA 2023 dictations and the 2017 attendant booklet), breaks down the JJA 2020 Main paper question by question, and sets out the 2026 JJA syllabus in English with a Hindi rendering. One point up front: the court has not published a Hindi JJA syllabus. The Hindi below is our translation of the official English.
Delhi High Court, “Delhi Direct Recruitment” page.
All fourteen official papers
| Exam and year | File | Size | Useful for |
|---|---|---|---|
| JJA / Restorer 2017 | jja_2017.pdf | 9.22 MB | JJA prelim (then out of 180) |
| Court / Room Attendant 2017 | cara_2017.pdf | 4.5 MB | Attendant posts — bilingual, 3 options per question |
| Personal Assistant 2018 | pa_open_2018.pdf | 9.02 MB | PA |
| JJA (Technical) 2018 | jja-t_2018.pdf | 2.62 MB | Technical JJA (computer) |
| Senior Judicial Translator 2019 | sjt_2019.pdf | 1.08 MB | Translator posts |
| Judicial Translator 2019 | jt_2019.pdf | 1.13 MB | Translator posts |
| Senior PA 2019 | spa_2019.pdf | 11.9 MB | SPA |
| Chauffeur 2019 | chauffeur_2019.pdf | 4.65 MB | Chauffeur |
| JJA / Restorer 2020 | jja_2020_0.pdf | 18.04 MB | JJA prelim, Main and typing — the most useful file |
| Senior PA 2023 | spa_2023.pdf | 2.85 MB | Shorthand dictation passages |
| Personal Assistant 2023 | pa_open_2023.pdf | 3.99 MB | PA |
| Assistant Librarian 2023 (Stage II) | assist._lib_2023.pdf | 0.35 MB | Librarian |
| Senior Judicial Translator 2023 (Stage II) | sjt_2023.pdf | 1.79 MB | Translator posts |
| Judicial Translator 2023 (Stage II) | jt_2023.pdf | 1.06 MB | Translator posts |
Delhi High Court, delhihighcourt.nic.in/web/delhi-direct-recruitment; files under /files/2026-04/. Sizes as listed on the page.
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Inside the JJA 2020 set
The 70-page JJA 2020 file contains three things: the Stage-I booklet (Series A, 120 questions, four options each — the same size as the 2026 prelim), the Stage-II Main paper, and the typing-test passages with their character counts. The Main paper is the most valuable document a 2026 candidate can read before 4 October, because the 2026 Main keeps its structure: essay 40, letter 10, grammar 30 and translation 20, out of 100 in 120 minutes.
| Part | What was asked in 2020 | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| A — Essay (about 250 words) | One of: “The beating of the Covid-19 Pandemic by Fitness” or “Independence of the Indian Judiciary” | 40 |
| A — Letter | Your probable contribution to the Delhi High Court as a Junior Judicial Assistant | 10 |
| B — Error correction | Correct the sentences | 3 |
| B — Voice | Active ↔ passive | 5 |
| B — Sentence transformation | Interrogative 2, exclamatory 1, imperative 1, comparative degree 1, negative 2 | 7 |
| B — Vocabulary | Meanings of words such as “panacea” | 3 |
| B — Confusable words | Pairs such as access / excess, used in sentences | 6 |
| B — Fill in the blanks | Prepositions and word forms | 3 |
| B — Rearrangement | Jumbled words into sentences | 3 |
| B — Translation | English → Hindi and Hindi → English passages | 20 |
Our reading of the JJA 2020 Main paper in the court’s jja_2020_0.pdf. Marks are as printed against each question; grammar totals 30.
JJA 2020 paper and JJA 2026 vacancy notice. The 2026 notice says only “Translation (25 words = 20 Marks)”; it does not say whether that is one direction or both.
Three lessons stand out. The essay topics mix a current issue with a law-and-institutions theme, so prepare two or three judiciary topics (independence of the judiciary, pendency of cases, e-courts, legal aid) alongside current affairs. The letter asked about the job itself; a candidate who knows what a JJA does in a registry writes a better letter. And the grammar section is transformation-heavy — voice and sentence type are 12 of the 30 marks — which is easy to practise and easy to lose marks on through small slips.
The other two files worth opening
SPA 2023 (10 pages) holds the actual shorthand dictation passages, one per shift, in judgment English — the right material for SPA/PA 2026 practice. Court/Room Attendant 2017 (14 pages) is a bilingual OMR booklet with three options per question; its English section runs from question 26 to 50. The DSSSB paper for 801/25 uses four options, so the 2017 booklet is a guide to question style, not to marking.
The JJA 2026 syllabus, in English and Hindi
| Stage and part | Official syllabus (English) | हिन्दी में (our translation) |
|---|---|---|
| Stage I — English Language and Comprehension (45) | Vocabulary; synonyms; antonyms; comprehension passage; idioms and phrases; one-word substitution; gender; degrees; preposition; articles; fill in the blanks; shuffling of sentence parts; spot the error; active/passive voice; direct/indirect narration | शब्दावली; पर्यायवाची; विलोम; अपठित गद्यांश; मुहावरे और वाक्यांश; एक शब्द प्रतिस्थापन; लिंग; तुलना की अवस्थाएँ; पूर्वसर्ग; आर्टिकल; रिक्त स्थान; वाक्य-खंडों का क्रम; त्रुटि पहचान; कर्तृवाच्य/कर्मवाच्य; प्रत्यक्ष/अप्रत्यक्ष कथन |
| Stage I — General Awareness (45: 30 static + 15 current) | Salient features of the Constitution of India; Indian judiciary; sports and games; art and culture; Indian history, polity and geography; everyday science; national and international organisations, institutions and awards; famous personalities; important days; inventions and discoveries; current affairs and events | भारतीय संविधान की मुख्य विशेषताएँ; भारतीय न्यायपालिका; खेल; कला और संस्कृति; भारतीय इतिहास, राजव्यवस्था और भूगोल; दैनिक विज्ञान; राष्ट्रीय/अंतरराष्ट्रीय संगठन, संस्थाएँ और पुरस्कार; प्रसिद्ध व्यक्ति; महत्वपूर्ण दिवस; आविष्कार और खोजें; समसामयिक घटनाएँ |
| Stage I — Reasoning and Numerical Ability (30) | Verbal and non-verbal: analogies; similarities and differences; classification; problem solving and decision making; relationship concepts; BODMAS; percentage (profit and loss, discount); simple and compound interest; time, speed and distance; time and work; ratio and proportion | शाब्दिक और अशाब्दिक: सादृश्य; समानता और अंतर; वर्गीकरण; समस्या समाधान और निर्णय; संबंध; BODMAS; प्रतिशत (लाभ-हानि, छूट); साधारण और चक्रवृद्धि ब्याज; समय, चाल और दूरी; समय और कार्य; अनुपात और समानुपात |
| Stage II — Part A | Essay of about 250 words (40); letter writing (10) | लगभग 250 शब्दों का निबंध (40); पत्र लेखन (10) |
| Stage II — Part B | English grammar (30); translation of a 25-word passage English→Hindi and Hindi→English (20) | अंग्रेज़ी व्याकरण (30); 25 शब्दों के अनुच्छेद का अंग्रेज़ी→हिन्दी और हिन्दी→अंग्रेज़ी अनुवाद (20) |
| Stage III | Typing test on computer: 35 wpm, 10 minutes, up to 3% mistakes | कंप्यूटर पर टाइपिंग: 35 शब्द प्रति मिनट, 10 मिनट, अधिकतम 3% त्रुटियाँ |
| Stage IV | Interview, 15 marks | साक्षात्कार, 15 अंक |
JJA 2026 vacancy notice (30.01.2026), pp. 5–7 and 12 — topic lists as printed there. The Hindi column is our translation; the notice states that the medium of the examinations shall be English only. Stage-I has 120 questions, 120 marks, 120 minutes, −0.25 per wrong answer.
Where other pages get this wrong
There is no official Hindi syllabus for the Delhi High Court JJA exam.
Commonly published instead: Pages offering a “Delhi High Court JJA syllabus in Hindi PDF” as if the court had issued one.
The JJA 2026 vacancy notice is published in English only. The Main paper is in English apart from the translation question, which requires Hindi. Any Hindi syllabus is someone’s translation — including ours above.
Can you write the JJA exam in Hindi? No: the 2026 notice says “the medium of Examination(s) shall be English language only”, and describes the Main as essay, letter and grammar in English plus “Translation (25 words = 20 Marks)” — the notice does not name the direction; the 2020 paper asked both. Hindi matters in two places: the translation question (20 marks) and, for SPA/PA, the Main’s Hindi→English and English→Hindi pieces. For the Class 10 attendant posts through DSSSB, Hindi is a full 25-mark section of its own.
A four-week plan to the JJA Main from these papers
| Week | Essay and letter | Grammar | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Two essays from the 2020 topics; one letter | Voice and sentence transformation drills | 5 short 25-word passages, both directions |
| 2 | Two judiciary essays (pendency, e-courts) | Confusable words and fill-in-the-blanks | 5 passages from court orders |
| 3 | Two current-affairs essays; two letters | Error correction and rearrangement | Timed, 25-word pieces |
| 4 | Full 120-minute JJA 2020 Main, twice | Revise your error log | Mixed revision |
Our suggested plan, built on the 2020 paper’s marks. Adjust to the time you have before 4 October 2026.
Practise it, don't just read it
Reading comprehension trains the same close reading the Main’s grammar and translation questions reward.
The ProSyllabus Delhi High Court library currently has a reading-comprehension quiz — the English skill the JJA prelim and Main test directly.
Where can I download Delhi High Court previous year papers?
On delhihighcourt.nic.in, on the “Delhi Direct Recruitment” page — 14 PDFs.
Is the JJA 2020 question paper available?
Yes — jja_2020_0.pdf contains the Stage-I booklet, the Main paper and the typing passages.
Is there an official Delhi High Court JJA syllabus in Hindi?
No — the notice is in English only; Hindi versions are translations.
What was the JJA 2020 essay topic?
A choice of “The beating of the Covid-19 Pandemic by Fitness” or “Independence of the Indian Judiciary”.
How many marks is the JJA Main essay?
40 of 100; the letter is 10, grammar 30 and translation 20.
Is the JJA 2026 prelim question paper published?
No. The court issued only a one-page notice with a Digialm link for viewing the tentative key and raising objections (24–27.03.2026); neither the paper nor the key is on its website as a PDF.
Do the official papers include answer keys?
None of the three files we opened (jja_2020_0.pdf, spa_2023.pdf, cara_2017.pdf) included an answer key; we did not check the other eleven.
What is the JJA 2026 prelim syllabus?
English 45, General Awareness 45 (30 static, 15 current affairs) and Reasoning/Numerical ability 30.
Can I write the JJA Main in Hindi?
No — the notice makes English the only medium; Hindi is needed only for the translation question.
How many options did the 2017 Court Attendant paper have?
Three per question.
Are SPA shorthand passages available?
Yes — spa_2023.pdf has the 2023 dictation passages, one per shift.
How long is the JJA Main?
120 minutes for 100 marks.
More in this series
- Delhi HC JJA cut-off 2026 vs 2020
- Delhi HC salary 2026: in-hand by post
- Delhi HC recruitment 2026: posts, age, eligibility
- Delhi HC SPA / PA 2026: shorthand exam
- Delhi HC Court Attendant (DSSSB 801/25)
- Delhi High Court JJA 2026: pattern, syllabus and tips
- Delhi High Court JJA 2026: 152 vacancies guide
- Delhi High Court notice board — official updates
Sources
- official — Delhi High Court — Previous year question papers (14 PDFs)
- official — Delhi High Court — JJA/Restorer 2020 question papers (Stage-I, Main, typing)
- official — Delhi High Court — SPA 2023 shorthand dictation passages
- official — Delhi High Court — Court/Room Attendant 2017 question booklet
- official — Delhi High Court — JJA/Restorer (Open) Examination 2026, detailed vacancy notice (30.01.2026)
- official — Delhi High Court — Notice No.83 (08.09.2026), JJA Main on 04.10.2026
- official — Delhi High Court — JJA 2026 answer key and objection notice
- official — Delhi High Court — JJA/Restorer (Open) Examination 2020, vacancy notice
- official — Delhi High Court — Senior PA and PA Examination 2026, vacancy notice (02.09.2026)
- official — DSSSB — Advertisement 03/2025 (14.08.2025): Court Attendant and allied posts for the Delhi High Court
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.
