The Entrance Exam for Legal Professions is a central examination in Türkiye that measures legal knowledge and professional competency, required to be eligible for the judge and prosecutor candidacy exam and to start legal or notary internships. This exam is regulated by the additional article 41 added to Law No. 2547 on Higher Education, and its purpose is to establish a certain competency standard for entry into legal professions.

Purpose and Legal Basis of the Exam

The Entrance Exam for Legal Professions was established with an amendment made to Law No. 2547 on Higher Education. The purpose of this regulation is to determine the procedures and principles regarding the conduct of the Entrance Exam for Legal Professions and the Administrative Judiciary Pre-Exam. The regulation was prepared based on the additional Article 41 of Law No. 2547 on Higher Education dated 4/11/1981. The exam requirement covers law faculty students who registered with higher education institutions after October 24, 2019. Those who registered for law faculties before this date are exempt from the exam.

However, an exception has also been made for those who graduated before March 31, 2024, even if they registered after October 24, 2019. Pursuant to Provisional Article 80 of Law No. 2547, those who registered at the relevant higher education institutions after 24/10/2019 and graduated before 31/3/2024 are exempt from taking the Entrance Exam for Legal Professions.

Structure and Content of the Exam

The Entrance Exam for Legal Professions is conducted by the Measurement, Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM) within the framework of a protocol signed between the Ministry of Justice and the Presidency of ÖSYM. The exam is in test format and consists of at least one hundred and twenty multiple-choice questions. To be considered successful in the exam, it is necessary to score at least seventy points out of a hundred full points.

The weights of the subjects in the exam are as follows:

• Constitutional Law: %5
• Constitutional Jurisdiction: %2.50
• Administrative Law: %5
• Administrative Procedure Law: %2.50
• Civil Law: %12.50
• Law of Obligations: %10
• Commercial Law: %10
• Civil Procedure Law: %10
• Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law: %5
• Criminal Law: %7.50
• Criminal Procedure Law: %5
• Labor and Social Security Law: %5
• Tax Law: %2.50
• Tax Procedure Law: %2.50
• Attorneyship Law: %2.50
• Philosophy and Sociology of Law: %2.50
• Turkish Legal History: %2.50
• International Law: %2.50
• Private International Law: %2.50
• General Public Law: %2.50

Application and Implementation Process

Exam Calendar and Announcement 

The Entrance Exam for Legal Professions is held twice a year, in April and September. The announcement containing the details regarding the exam is published on the website of the Ministry of Justice at least fifteen days before the end of the application period. Secretarial services for the exams are carried out by the General Directorate of Personnel of the Ministry of Justice.

Application Conditions and Procedure 

Graduates of law faculties and those who have completed a foreign law faculty and obtained an equivalency certificate by successfully passing the remaining courses according to the programs of law faculties in Türkiye can apply for the exam. Applications are made electronically by candidates who meet these conditions as of the exam date, according to the procedure determined and announced by ÖSYM. No documents are requested from candidates during the application.

Exam Results 

Exam results are announced on ÖSYM's website and transmitted electronically to the Ministry of Justice. The exams of individuals found to have taken the exam despite not meeting the required conditions will be considered invalid, even if they have achieved a sufficient score.

Special Cases and Exemptions

• Registration Date and Graduation: Those who registered at a law faculty in Türkiye or abroad before October 24, 2019, are exempt from HMGS. Similarly, those who registered after this date and graduated before March 31, 2024, are also exempt from the exam.

• Horizontal Transfer: For those who horizontally transferred from a department other than the law faculty to the law faculty, the transfer date to the law faculty is accepted as the registration date. For those who horizontally transferred from a law faculty abroad to a law faculty in Türkiye, the first registration date to the law faculty abroad is taken as the basis.

• Those Returning with Amnesty: Individuals who registered for the law faculty before October 24, 2019, but later had their enrollment terminated and returned with an amnesty, are exempt from the exam because their initial registration date is before this date.

• Graduates from Abroad: For graduates from a law faculty abroad, the date of successful completion of the "missing courses" required for equivalency is taken as the basis for determining the graduation date, as it is necessary to take and succeed in these courses.