SCI JCA – Important Dates, Eligibility and Vacancy

The Supreme Court of India often decides and rules on issues of national relevance and importance as the highest body governing law and order in the country. Further, the Supreme Court is often frequented by the country’s top lawyers and the cases are presided over by the best judges in the country. Keeping in mind the volume and importance of cases that come to the Supreme Court of India, the court often requires staff to assist it with matters. Accordingly, in order to fill such vacancies, the Supreme Court often releases notifications regarding recruitment for such vacant positions. One such position is that of Junior Court Assistant (“JCA”) for which the Supreme Court of India conducts the SCI JCA exam. This blog will discuss all the relevant details for the SCI JCA exam including the selection process, eligibility criteria, fees, etc. 

Particulars	Relevant details
Conducting Body	Supreme Court of India
Frequency of exam	Based on vacancies
Selection process	Written test, computer knowledge test, typing test and descriptive test followed by an interview
Number of vacancies	To be notified
Official website	https://main.sci.gov.in/recruitment

Exam Dates for SCI JCA 2023

The dates or vacancies for SCI JCA 2023 are yet to be notified. However, based on previous years’ dates, we have prepared the below list of tentative dates:

Event	Tentative Date
Notification release date	June 18, 2023
Application start date	June 18, 2023
Last date to apply	July 10, 2023
Release of admit card	September 15, 2023
Date of online test	September 26, 2023

Notwithstanding the above, candidates should keep an eye out for official notifications on the official website for confirmed dates of examination. 

Also Read: CLAT Exam Pattern

Syllabus for SCI JCA

The syllabus for the SCI JCA exam is quite vast and requires intense concentration and hard work on the part of the candidates. The detailed syllabus is discussed below:

Subject	Syllabus*
General English	Antonyms, Synonyms, Vocabulary, Sentence structure, Idioms and phrases, Fill in the blanks
General Aptitude	Analogies, Verbal reasoning, Cause and effect, Coding and decoding, Logical deduction, Theme detection, Cause and effect
General Knowledge	Political science, Famous places, Music and literature, International issues, Artists, Indian culture, Important dates, Current affairs
Computer Knowledge	Computer fundamentals, MS office, Internet usage, Operating system
Descriptive Test	Precise writing, Comprehension passage,  Essay

*This syllabus is not exhaustive. Candidates should wait for the official notification on the official website for the exam scheduled for 2023.

Exam Pattern for SCI JCA

The exam pattern is discussed below:-

Particulars	Details
Duration of exam	Two (2) hours
Total Questions	One hundred and twenty-five (125)
Total marks	One hundred and twenty-five (125)
Marking scheme	One (1) mark for each correct answer and a deduction of 1/4th mark for each incorrect answer
Language of exam	English

However, in addition to the written objective exam, there is also the typing test and descriptive type questions, the details of which are discussed below:

Test	Time duration
Typing test	Ten (10) minutes
Written descriptive test	Two (2) hours

It is also pertinent to note here that three (3) per cent of mistakes are permitted during the typing test.

Eligibility Criteria for SCI JCA

In order to take the exam, candidates must fulfil the eligibility criteria first. The eligibility criteria for the SCI JCA are as follows:

• The candidate must be a citizen of India.
• The candidate must possess a typing speed of at least thirty-five (35) words per minute.
• The candidate should have completed his/her bachelor’s degree in any subject from a recognised and registered university in India. ]
• Candidate should not be younger than eighteen (18) or older than thirty (30) on the last date of the application process.

Also Read: ACLAT Exam

Application Process for the SCI JCA

Candidates can register themselves for the exam online on the official website by filling out the application form and submitting the necessary documents. Once the process form and document submission have been completed, candidates can pay the requisite fee. After that, candidates will be eligible to receive the admit card. 

Fees for the SCI JCA Exam

The fee for the SCI JCA examination is noted below:

Category	Fees
General	INR Five hundred (500)
SC/ST/PWD	INR Two-hundred and fifty (250)

Selection Criteria

Candidates wishing to seek admission will have to go through a two (2) stage process of the examination and interview. Upon clearing both these stages, shortlisted candidates will be selected for the posts.

Also Read: Law Entrance Exams

SCI JCA Vacancies 2023

The total vacancies for Junior Court Assistants in the year 2023 are yet to be notified. The official notification stating the total number of vacancies will be released on the official website. Since the total number of vacancies in the year 2022 was two hundred and ten (210), we expect the number of vacancies to be around two hundred (200) in 2023. 

SCI JCA Salary

A fundamental question which would arise in every candidate’s mind would be how much they will be making in the event they are selected for the position of Junior Court Assistant. The initial basic pay for a Supreme Court of India Junior Court Assistant would be INR Thirty-five thousand and four hundred rupees (INR 35,400) per month. 

Recommended Books for Preparation

The candidates must base their preparation on books that cover most if not all, aspects of the syllabus. Accordingly, here is a list of recommended books for the SCI JCA exam:

• Singhal’s guide to Supreme Court and High Courts law clerk cum research assistants examination by Singhal Publications
• Supreme Court of India: Junior court assistant/Senior personal assistant/Personal Assistant/Steno/Junior Clerk, etc recruitment guide by R. Gupta
• General Knowledge by Arihant Publications
• General Knowledge by Lucent Publications
• Objective General English by S.P Bakshi

In addition to the above, candidates should pick up additional literature based on the syllabus. 

SCI JCA Mock Test

Candidates can, to strengthen their preparation, use the mock tests available on third-party websites such as example and TestBook. Download the mock test given in the below-mentioned table.

Mock Tests	Download
Mock Test 1	Click Here
Mock Test 2	Click Here

These mock tests will help candidates identify the gaps in their preparation while also helping them time their exam-taking abilities. 

SCI JCA Previous Year Question Papers

The previous year’s question papers can also be found on TestBook’s website. Further, we have also shared a previous year’s question paper below for the candidates to prepare for the exam. 

Candidates can use these question papers to check the pattern of the exam and test their preparation and knowledge. Ideally, candidates should attempt these once they have finished their preparation.

Preparation Tips 

The Supreme Court, as stated above, is the apex court in India and the highest form of the judiciary in our country. Many consider working with the apex court honour and the competition is likely to be high. Here are a few of our preparation tips to set you apart from the competition:

• Set daily goals and do your best to achieve them every day.

• Take some time off from preparing and exercising to refresh your body and mind.

• Read the newspaper regularly to keep yourself updated with the latest news and developments.

• Prepare your written notes. These will also come in handy during the last day of revision.

• Clear your doubts well in advance and do not leave them for the last day.

• Be thorough with the syllabus and do not leave anything behind.

• Dress formally in black and white for the interview.

• Be confident during the interview and answer politely and in a respectful manner.

• Practice as much as possible for the typing test to improve your typing speed and also reduce the scope of errors. 

SCI JCA Answer Key

Once the exam has been conducted, the answer key for the students will be made available on the official website. Candidates can visit the website to tally their answers. 

SCI JCA Cut-Off

While it is difficult to determine the cut-off beforehand since it will depend on variable factors such as the number of vacancies, number of candidates, etc., we have prepared a tentative cut-off based on previous years. The tentative cut-off is noted below:

Category	Expected Cut-Off
General	Seventy (70) to Eighty (80)
OBC	Fifty-five (55) to Sixty (60)
SC	Fifty (50) to Fifty-five (55)
ST	Forty-five (45) to Fifty (50)

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