Belgian Judicial Traineeship Admission Exam study plan
Belgian Judicial Traineeship Admission Exam · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Civil law (including family, property, contract and liability law)
Map the Civil Code's structure and, for each of obligations, contract, tort and property, write a one-page skeleton of key articles and concepts from memory, then verify against the Code.
Draft 15 issue-spotting outlines on contract formation, validity defects and non-performance, each limited to 12 lines with article references.
Build a personal case-law grid of 10 leading Court of Cassation rulings on contractual liability and tort, noting the rule, the facts and the practical consequence.
Solve 25 multiple-choice questions on obligations and contract under timed conditions and log every error with its corrective rule.
Your checkpoint
A 10-page civil-law synthesis (contract, tort, property) with at least 40 cited articles and a corrected error log covering 25 timed questions.
Civil law (including family, property, contract and liability law)
Apply the property-law rules on ownership, co-ownership, usufruct, servitudes and possession to 8 short hypotheticals, writing the answer in IRAC format.
Explain family-law regimes (marriage, divorce grounds and consequences, filiation, succession basics) in a two-page comparative table without consulting notes.
Draft 3 full essay answers of 400 words each on liability questions under strict time limits.
Recite from memory the elements and effects of the main contracts (sale, lease, mandate, loan) and self-test with 20 flashcards.
Your checkpoint
Three timed 400-word civil-law essays plus a completed family and property comparative table, all self-graded against a written checklist.
Criminal law and criminal procedure
Reconstruct the elements of each offence category (crimes against persons, property, public order) in a structured outline with statutory references.
Distinguish the general defences (justification, excuse, error, minority, insanity) in a decision tree applied to 10 fact patterns.
Draft 20 short case analyses on attempt, participation and concurrence of offences, each concluding with the applicable penalty framework.
Answer 30 timed multiple-choice questions on substantive criminal law and correct every mistake in writing.
Your checkpoint
A one-page decision tree for criminal responsibility plus 20 resolved short case analyses with penalty qualifications.
Criminal law and criminal procedure
Sequence the criminal procedure from investigation through preliminary inquiry, arrest, remand, trial and appeal in a single timeline diagram with the controlling articles.
Draft a 600-word memo on the rights of the defence and nullity of procedural acts, citing statutes and case law.
Write 4 mock judgments or orders (remand, dismissal, conviction, acquittal) of 300 words each, respecting formal structure.
Complete a 40-question timed criminal-procedure test and rewrite every incorrect answer as a correct rule statement.
Your checkpoint
A complete procedural timeline, four drafted mock orders and a corrected 40-question test, reviewed against a self-made rubric.
Judicial law and organisation of the courts (Code judiciaire/Gerechtelijk Wetboek) & Public law (constitutional, administrative and European law)
Chart the court hierarchy, jurisdiction rules and territorial competence in a table, then apply them to 12 competence hypotheticals.
Summarise the core rules on the judiciary's statute, recusal, and the conduct of hearings in a two-page note.
Map constitutional principles (separation of powers, fundamental rights, judicial review) and their effect on court organisation.
Draft 3 administrative-law analyses on annulment, legality and proportionality of administrative acts.
Your checkpoint
A jurisdiction and competence decision table tested on 12 hypotheticals, plus a two-page constitutional and administrative law summary.
Judicial law and organisation of the courts (Code judiciaire/Gerechtelijk Wetboek) & Public law (constitutional, administrative and European law) & Commercial and labour law
Explain the preliminary ruling procedure and the effect of EU law on national courts in a one-page note with 5 applied examples.
Summarise commercial-law essentials (company forms, insolvency, commercial contracts) in a comparative table of 10 rows.
Outline labour-law essentials (employment contract, dismissal, working time, discrimination) in a two-page synthesis.
Solve 25 mixed multiple-choice questions across judicial law, public law and commercial/labour law, logging corrections.
Your checkpoint
A three-domain synthesis pack (EU/public law note, company table, labour synthesis) plus a corrected 25-question mixed test.
Legal methodology, reasoning and case analysis & Legal writing and drafting of judgments
Apply a fixed reasoning template (facts, issues, rule, application, conclusion) to 10 cross-domain hypotheticals drawn from civil, criminal and public law.
Draft 3 full judgments of 800 words each with proper headings, facts, arguments, reasoning and operative part.
Rewrite 5 weak paragraphs to eliminate ambiguity, passive vagueness and unsupported assertions, keeping a before-and-after log.
Self-assess each draft against a 10-point drafting rubric covering structure, citation, clarity and conclusion.
Your checkpoint
Three complete 800-word judgments, each scored against the 10-point rubric with a written improvement plan.
Legal methodology, reasoning and case analysis & Language proficiency (French/Dutch, depending on the linguistic role)
Complete two full simulated exams under real time conditions and score them against official-style criteria.
Produce a condensed one-page-per-domain revision sheet covering all eight domains.
Practise legal writing in the target language (French or Dutch) by drafting one 500-word reasoned answer and revising it for terminological accuracy.
Review the entire error log from weeks 1 to 7 and re-test the 30 most frequent mistakes.
Your checkpoint
Two timed mock exams with scores, a complete set of eight revision sheets and a re-tested error log showing measurable improvement.
Milestones
Week 2: Score at least 70% on a self-made 40-question civil-law test and produce three timed essays within the word and time limits.
Week 4: Score at least 70% on a 40-question criminal law and procedure test and produce four structurally complete mock orders.
Week 6: Score at least 65% on a 25-question mixed test covering judicial law, public law and commercial/labour law.
Week 7: Each of the three drafted judgments scores at least 7 out of 10 on the drafting rubric.
Week 8: Both simulated exams reach at least 65% overall, with no domain below 50%, and the error log shows all recurring mistakes corrected.