This notification does NOT open applications to fresh candidates: it is a re-appear examination open only to candidates eligible under Regulation 11(i) or 11(ii) from the June 2025 examination and earlier examinations. It does not provide for re-evaluation of answer sheets, does not schedule the examination anywhere other than New Delhi, and the 5 PM deadline of 15 October 2026 is stated as final.
- Issuer
- Supreme Court of India (Board of Examiners, Advocates-on-Record Examination)
- Exam
- Advocates-on-Record Examination
- Cycle
- December 2026
- Notice
- Apply by
- Notification issued
- Application window opens
- Application window closes
- Examination dates
- As of
- Status
- Official notification F. No. AOR Exam./Dec./2026 dated 25-09-2026 by the Board of Examiners, Advocates-on-Record Examination, Supreme Court of India: re-appear examination on 19, 20, 22 and 23 December 2026 at New Delhi (pen and paper only); applications 1 to 15 October 2026; examination fee Rs 750.
Re-appear examination notified for December 2026
Under Rules 5(i) and (ii) of Order IV of the Supreme Court Rules, 2013 and Regulation 2 of the Regulations regarding Advocates-on-Record Examination, the Supreme Court has notified that the next AOR Examination shall be held at New Delhi on 19th, 20th, 22nd and 23rd December, 2026.
The examination is open only to candidates eligible to re-appear under Regulation 11(i) or 11(ii) of the Regulations, arising out of the result of the Advocates-on-Record Examination – June, 2025, as well as earlier examinations. It is not an open examination for fresh candidates.
Applications close today at 5 PM; Rs 750 fee
Duly filled applications may be submitted at the AOR Examination Cell, Room No. 308, 3rd Floor, B-Block, Administrative Buildings Complex, Supreme Court of India, New Delhi-110001, during office hours from 1st to 15th October, 2026. The notification states that no application shall be accepted after the last date, i.e. 15th October, 2026, after 5.00 p.m.
Candidates must deposit the prescribed AOR examination fee of Rs 750 online through the Integrated Online Payment System (accessible via sci.gov.in under e-Services), following the step-by-step procedure in Annexure-C of the notification. The physical submission — or dispatch by post/courier — to the AOR Examination Cell must contain the application form with a recent photograph, a self-attested copy of the enrolment certificate, and the Rs 750 payment receipt.
- Supreme Court of India: Notification F. No. AOR Exam./Dec./2026 dated 25-09-2026 — Advocates-on-Record Examination to be held on 19th, 20th, 22nd and 23rd December, 2026 (official notification PDF)PDF pp. 1-2, para 3 (address, window, 5 PM cut-off); PDF pp. 11, 18-20 (Rs 750 fee, IOPS portal, Annexure-C procedure, documents list, post/courier option)
Four papers: practice, drafting, ethics, leading cases
Under Regulation 4(a), the examination comprises four papers: (I) Practice and Procedure of the Supreme Court; (II) Drafting; (III) Advocacy and Professional Ethics; and (IV) Leading Cases.
Notice-I clarifies that the Drafting syllabus includes petitions for special leave and statements of cases, decrees and orders and writs, petitions of appeal, plaints and written statements in suits under Article 131 of the Constitution, and review petitions under Article 137. Notice-II covers professional ethics, the Advocates Act, 1961, Bar Council of India Rules, and professional misconduct under Sections 35 and 24(A). For Paper-IV, the Registry will make the headnotes of the 86 prescribed leading cases available in the examination hall; candidates must return them unmarked after the examination.
Five-chance limit, one-paper option, and no re-evaluation
Candidates eligible under Regulation 11(i) or 11(ii) are permitted to re-appear in one paper only in the subsequent examination, but at their option may appear in the entire examination afresh — the choice is exercised finally when submitting the proforma application and is binding.
Three hard limits apply. Under Regulation 11(iii), a candidate who fails in all the papers shall not be permitted to appear in the next examination. Under Regulation 11(iv), no candidate may appear more than five times (an appearance even in one paper counts as a chance), though the December 2021 examination is not reckoned as a chance, and a one-time relaxation permits one more chance on the basis of the last examination appeared at. Under Regulation 12, no application or representation for re-evaluation of answer sheets shall be entertained; other representations must be made within 30 days of the result. Candidates allotted roll numbers who absent themselves are treated as not sufficiently prepared and are dealt with under Regulation 5(b), requiring the Board of Examiners' express permission for any subsequent appearance.
Scribe facility for candidates with benchmark disabilities
Persons with benchmark disabilities in the categories of blindness, locomotor disability (both arms affected), and cerebral palsy are eligible for a scribe; other benchmark-disability categories under Section 2(r) of the RPwD Act, 2016 may avail a scribe on producing a certificate from the Chief Medical Officer/Civil Surgeon/Medical Superintendent of a government health-care institution.
The candidate arranges their own scribe at their own cost; the scribe must neither be a law graduate nor be pursuing a course in law, and must hold qualifications one level below the candidate's. Documents supporting scribe eligibility must be produced at least 15 days before the examination, and candidates using a scribe get compensatory time of 20 minutes for each hour of the examination.
BANTHRY ANALYSISFor law students: the AOR gate, and why this cycle is closed to freshers
The Advocates-on-Record examination is the gateway to practising before the Supreme Court: only an Advocate-on-Record can file appearances and pleadings in the Court. The December 2026 cycle is deliberately narrow — it exists to let candidates who fell short in June 2025 (or earlier cycles) re-appear, not to open the gate to everyone.
The practical discipline this notification rewards is administrative, not academic. The 5 PM deadline today is stated as absolute; the fee must be paid online before the physical papers go in; and the five-chance ceiling means each appearance is a countable asset. Candidates should also note the asymmetry between the papers: the Leading Cases paper tests application of supplied headnotes rather than memorisation, while the Drafting paper is the closest proxy to actual Supreme Court practice.
READING PROMPTSQuestions for a closer reading
- A candidate who appeared in the June 2025 AOR examination and failed in two papers wants to apply for December 2026. Under the notification, in how many papers may they re-appear, and when does that choice become final and binding?
- A candidate is allotted a roll number for the December 2026 examination but does not turn up on the first day. How does the notification treat that absence, and what does Regulation 5(b) mean for their next attempt?
- An advocate who failed all four papers in the June 2025 examination asks whether they can register for December 2026. What does the notification say, and under which regulation?
