The Bar Course, also known as the Barrister Training Course, is the vocational stage of training required to become a barrister in England and Wales. It is designed to equip aspiring barristers with the legal knowledge, practical skills and professional understanding needed for a career at the Bar. The Bar Course is regulated by the Bar Standards Board (BSB), which sets the training requirements and syllabus and oversees the centralised examinations. Training is delivered by approved Bar Course providers, known as Authorised Education and Training Organisations (AETOs). Each provider delivers the vocational training and assessments in accordance with the requirements established by the BSB. You can find a list of authorised providers on the Bar Standards Board website.
What does the Bar Course involve?
The Bar Course consists of two main areas of study and assessment:
1. Centralised examinations
These examinations assess your knowledge and understanding of civil and criminal litigation, evidence, procedure and sentencing. The examinations are set and marked centrally by the BSB to maintain consistent assessment standards across training providers.
2. Practical skills and professional training
Alongside the centralised examinations, you will develop the practical skills required of a barrister. These include advocacy, conference skills, legal research, opinion writing, drafting and professional ethics. These skills are taught and assessed by your Bar Course provider.
How can BarReady help?
Preparing for the Bar Course examinations can be challenging. There is a substantial amount of legal knowledge to learn, detailed procedural rules to understand and limited time to apply that knowledge during the examinations. BarReady is designed to make your revision more focused, structured and effective.
Our platform helps you:
- Test your knowledge through practice questions.
- Develop your understanding of civil and criminal litigation.
- Learn how to approach multiple-choice and single-best-answer questions.
- Identify areas where you need additional revision.
- Understand the reasoning behind correct and incorrect answers.
- Build confidence before your examinations.
BarReady is an independent revision and learning resource. We are not an authorised Bar Course provider and do not deliver or replace the vocational training required by the BSB.
Disclaimer: BarReady is an independent educational revision platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or authorised by the Bar Standards Board. Our resources supplement, but do not replace, the teaching and assessments provided by authorised Bar Course providers. Students should always refer to the latest BSB syllabus, examination guidance and instructions from their Bar Course provider.