Bar Council of the Maldives has revealed that 68 percent of the candidates who had taken the Bar Exams had passed.

The very first Bar Exam in the country was held in Male' City and Addu City with a total of 176 candidates last November.

According to the bar council, 68 percent of the candidates had passed with an average of 66 percent of the marks.

While 18 of the candidates had been in the Top Achievers of the exam, they were students who had studied from Maldives National University, Villa College, Malaysia Islamic University and the University of London.

According to the Legal Profession Act, lawyers who practice in Maldivian courts will receive their license after having passed the exams. State prosecutors and legal officers working in government offices are exempt from this requirement.

The first bar exam was initially set to be held in 2019, however, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, several delays were seen before the exam was eventually held. During this period, the Bar Council had granted temporary licenses to 283 legal professionals.

There are four main parts to the Bar Exam: Maldivian Legal System, Criminal Procedure, Civil Procedure, Professional Ethics, and Law Drafting.

The Bar Exam is one of the two basic requirements to obtain a law license in the Maldives. In addition to the exam, a training program needs to be completed.