Time Management on Judiciary Mains Exam Day: Attempt Strategy Paper-Wise

Two hundred marks. One hundred and eighty minutes. That works out to slightly under a minute for every mark. Many candidates know the law well and still lose marks in the mains because the clock beats them, not the questions.

This blog sets out a realistic way to plan your time in the Civil Judge Exam, PCS J Exam and APO Exam mains. It covers how to use reading time, how long each type of answer deserves, how the papers differ, and how to check whether your plan is working.

The problem: time is a mark in disguise

A ten-mark answer gets about nine minutes. If you write for fifteen, you borrow six minutes from the next question, and the next, and the one after that. Overrunning is costly because it takes time from later answers. By the last question you are writing in a hurry, and the hurry shows in your handwriting, structure and conclusion.

The fix is not to write faster. It is to decide before you write how long each answer will take, and then to stop when that time is up.

Use reading time to choose, not just to read

Reading time should be used to read all the questions, choose the ones to attempt, and note the command words. Each command word tells you what the examiner wants.

Some questions hide a second question in their last sentence. Read the last line of every problem question twice. A candidate who answers the first question perfectly and misses the last one loses marks that were easy to earn.

Also Read: Rajasthan Judiciary 2026 Preparation Strategy 

How much time each type of answer deserves

A useful guide for working time comes from a September 2026 article on mains answer writing. It gives these figures as working guides, not rules.

The article also gives 400 to 450 words for a 15-mark answer and 550 to 600 words for a 20-mark answer. Treat these numbers as a ruler. Use them in practice sessions until you can feel the length without counting.

How the papers differ

Papers and patterns vary by State, so always check your own notification. The examples below show how time pressure changes from one paper to another.

•        Delhi Judicial Service Examination (Written), 2022: The paper asks candidates to support answers with reasons, provisions, principles and case law. It is advisable to attempt even a question you do not know well, since the test covers analytical reasoning as well as recall.

•        Uttar Pradesh PCS (J), 2022, Law Paper I: The paper runs three hours for 200 marks. Questions 1 and 2 are compulsory, and candidates choose four of the remaining seven. Attempts are counted in sequence, so an extra answer does not replace a weaker one. Blank space must be struck off.

•        Chhattisgarh (Mains) 2024: A 40-mark judgment-writing question required framing the necessary issues first. Framing them wrongly costs the whole answer.

Now look at how a typical mains is split by subject. One guide to the civil judge mains lists four common papers: civil law, criminal law, judgment writing, and essay and language. It advises these paper-wise approaches.

•        Civil law: Build conceptual clarity, read landmark judgments on the major statutes, and solve previous years' papers.

•        Criminal law: Know the new codes well, focus on trial procedure, bail and admissibility of evidence, and practise answers with proper case law.

•        Judgment writing: Read court judgments to learn their structure and follow a fixed format: facts, issues, legal reasoning, application of law and conclusion. Do not treat it as an easy paper.

•        Essay and language: Read newspapers and legal journals, practise essays on current topics such as judicial activism, data privacy and environmental jurisprudence, and improve grammar and vocabulary.

A published pattern for the Madhya Pradesh Civil Judge mains lists four papers of three hours each. Paper IV on judgment writing is divided into framing of issues (10 marks), framing of charges (10 marks), civil judgment writing (40 marks) and criminal judgment writing (40 marks). That split tells you that judgment writing needs its own time plan inside the paper. Confirm the final pattern from the official notification.

A method for the exam hall

The structure of each answer is the biggest time saver. The article on answer writing names four moves: name the issue, cite the provision, apply the rule to the facts, and reach a conclusion that decides the question. The weight on each move changes with the type of question, but the order stays the same.

•        State your determination early. Examiners are serving judicial officers who read quickly, so do not build up to your answer slowly.

•        Place a case after the provision and before the application. There it turns statutory words into a usable test.

•        One landmark case, cited properly and stated as a principle, earns more than a list of case names.

•        Use paragraphs for reasoning and points only for things you can count, such as test conditions or ingredients of an offence.

•        Number your sub-parts, and strike off blank space where the instructions require it.

For a statement that is only partly correct, say in the first line which part you accept and which part you dispute. Give the accepted part two or three sentences and spend the rest of the time on the disputed part, with authority. This saves time because you stop writing about points that are not in doubt.

Citing the new criminal codes without losing time

The article gives a short rule. Cite the law in force on the date of the offence. Offences before 1 July 2024 remain under the IPC, and pending proceedings continue under the CrPC. Lead with the new section and give the old one in brackets on first use. Examples given include BNS section 103 (IPC 302) for murder, BNSS section 173 (CrPC 154) for FIR registration, BNSS section 482 (CrPC 438) for anticipatory bail, and BNSS section 528 for High Court inherent powers, which earlier sat in CrPC section 482.

The article also warns that some aggregator websites still show the 2023 Bills rather than the enacted text, so check section numbers against the gazette or a court citation. A wrong section number costs marks even when your reasoning is right.

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What to avoid

•        Ignoring the instruction line, including attempting more questions than required.

•        Long introductions to short questions.

•        Case names without a stated principle.

•        Conclusions that only summarise instead of deciding.

•        Overrunning the word or time limit.

•        Skipping the numbering of sub-parts.

•        Skipping judgment writing practice, and failing to revise key topics and case laws.

Do not leave pages blank or hedge every line. A reasoned answer that reaches a wrong conclusion can still earn marks.

Plan your preparation months, and measure progress

The civil judge mains guide gives a simple calendar. Three to four months before the exam, focus on concepts, subject-wise notes and reading judgments. Two months before, start answer writing, work on structure and solve past papers. One month before, revise widely, take full-length mock tests and work on speed.

To measure progress, time yourself on every practice answer. Track three numbers: how many minutes you took, how many words you wrote, and whether you finished the paper. If you can finish a paper with five minutes to spare and your answers still have a clear issue, rule, application and conclusion, your plan is working.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How much time should a 10-mark answer take?

About nine minutes, and roughly 250 to 300 words, according to a September 2026 article on mains answer writing.

Q2. How long should a problem question take?

About 14 to 18 minutes and 400 to 600 words.

Q3. How much time does judgment writing need?

About 40 to 60 minutes, covering issues as framed, findings, reasons and the operative order.

Q4. What should I do in reading time?

Read all the questions, choose which ones to attempt, and note the command words such as decide, discuss, explain and distinguish.

Q5. What does a "decide" question need?

An outcome. You must reach a conclusion on the facts.

Q6. How should I handle a statement that is partly right?

Say in the first line which part you accept and which you dispute, spend two or three sentences on the accepted part, and the rest on the disputed part with authority.

Q7. How do I cite the new criminal codes?

Cite the law in force on the date of the offence, lead with the new section and give the old equivalent in brackets on first use.

Q8. Should I attempt a question I do not know well?

The Delhi 2022 paper note says attempting even unknown questions is advisable because the test covers analytical reasoning as well as recall. A reasoned answer can still earn marks.

Q9. What is a good preparation calendar for mains?

Three to four months before: concepts and notes. Two months before: answer writing and past papers. One month before: revision, full-length mocks and speed work.

Q10. What are the common time-management mistakes?

Ignoring the instruction line, long introductions, case names without principles, summary-only conclusions, overrunning limits and failing to number sub-parts.

Plan your mains with Aashayein Judiciary

Time in the mains is a skill you can train. Set a time for every answer, practise inside that time, and keep your structure fixed so that you never have to think about how to start.

Nitesh Sir and the Aashayein Judiciary team run answer-writing practice with timed Mock Tests and PYQ discussions so that you can see your pace before the real exam. Join our Online Judiciary Coaching for Judiciary Notes, Judiciary Study Material and structured mains practice for the Civil Judge Exam, PCS J Exam and APO Exam.