North Macedonia Civil Service Exam study plan
North Macedonia Civil Service Exam · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Administrative Law and Administrative Procedure
Map the structure of the Law on General Administrative Procedure (ZUP) by listing its chapters and the sequence of stages from initiation to execution of a decision
Distinguish the parties, competent authority, and time limits for each procedural step and write a one-page flowchart in your own words
Solve 20 practice scenarios on initiating procedure and identify which act (conclusion, decision, notification) applies in each
Draft a template checklist for reviewing whether an administrative act contains all mandatory elements
Your checkpoint
A one-page flowchart of the administrative procedure plus a 15-item checklist of mandatory elements of an administrative act, both written from memory and corrected against the law
Administrative Law and Administrative Procedure
Explain the remedies hierarchy (appeal, extraordinary remedies, administrative dispute) and state the deadlines and grounds for each
Compare administrative silence and the consequences of failure to decide within the statutory period
Analyze 10 short fact patterns and select the correct remedy and deadline for each
Summarize the rules on inspection supervision and the annulment of final acts
Your checkpoint
A remedies comparison table (remedy, who may file, deadline, competent body, effect) covering at least 8 remedies, validated against the statute
Constitutional Law and the Political System of North Macedonia
Outline the constitutional architecture: separation of powers, the Assembly, the President, and the Government, with their competences and mutual checks
List the constitutional guarantees of local self-government and name the categories of municipalities' own and delegated competences
Explain the constitutional status of the judiciary and the Constitutional Court, including standing and the effects of its decisions
Test yourself on 30 constitutional articles by matching article numbers to subject matter
Your checkpoint
A one-page schematic of institutions and checks-and-balances with at least 20 labeled relationships, reproduced from memory
Constitutional Law and the Political System of North Macedonia & Civil Service Law and Ethics in Public Administration
Describe the civil service legal framework: categories of civil servants, recruitment, promotion, transfer, and termination
Distinguish the rights and duties of civil servants and the role of the disciplinary procedure and its sanctions
Apply the code of ethics to 8 short dilemmas and justify each answer with the applicable principle
Link constitutional principles of equality and legality to concrete civil service obligations
Your checkpoint
A written answer to 5 ethics dilemma scenarios, each under 150 words, citing the specific principle and rule relied on
Public Finance, Budgeting and Public Procurement
Trace the budget cycle from drafting through adoption, execution, and reporting, naming each institution involved
Distinguish budget users, own revenues, and treasury single-account rules
Explain the phases of public procurement (planning, notice, evaluation, award, contract) and the main thresholds and procedures
Identify at least 6 grounds for exclusion of bidders and the remedies available to unsuccessful bidders
Your checkpoint
A budget-cycle timeline and a procurement-procedure selection decision tree, each one page, checked against the laws
European Union Law and EU Integration of North Macedonia
Outline the institutional structure of the EU and the effect of EU law in the national legal order, including accession obligations
Summarize the key chapters of the EU acquis most relevant to public administration and the rule of law
Explain the Stabilisation and Association Agreement's main obligations and how they shape domestic reform
Compare 10 EU-law concepts with their domestic equivalents and note the differences
Your checkpoint
A two-page EU integration summary linking each of 10 acquis areas to a concrete domestic reform obligation
Human Rights, Anti-Discrimination and Equal Opportunities & General Legal Theory, Criminal and Civil Law Foundations
Explain the anti-discrimination framework: protected grounds, direct and indirect discrimination, harassment, and the burden of proof
Describe the role of the equality body and the remedies available to victims
Review core criminal law concepts (actus reus, mens rea, complicity) and civil law concepts (contract, liability, limitation) at an introductory level
Apply discrimination tests to 6 fact patterns and determine whether discrimination occurred
Your checkpoint
A discrimination analysis of 6 scenarios, each identifying the ground, the type of discrimination, the burden of proof, and the likely remedy
Public Administration Organization and Management & Administrative Law and Administrative Procedure
Describe organizational structures of public administration bodies and the principles of management, delegation, and accountability
Rehearse full-length timed practice under exam conditions across all 8 domains
Review every missed question and convert each error into a one-line rule card
Consolidate the 40 highest-risk facts (deadlines, thresholds, article numbers) into a final revision sheet
Your checkpoint
A scored full-length mock exam with a written error log and a final one-page revision sheet of at-risk facts
Milestones
Week 2: Can reproduce the administrative procedure flowchart and remedies table from memory with at least 85% accuracy on a self-test of 25 items
Week 4: Scores at least 70% on a 40-question mixed set covering domains 1, 2, and 3
Week 6: Explains the budget cycle and procurement procedure selection without notes, and maps 10 acquis areas to domestic obligations
Week 8: Scores at least 75% on a full-length timed mock exam and has an error log with a rule card for every missed item