Law and the bar · exam

At the CRFPA, what costs points is the format, not the law

Four written papers, two orals, fourteen coefficients. The synthesis note and the grand oral weigh seven coefficients between them.

Registration: Through an IEJ, limited places
Papers: 4 written, 2 oral, 14 coefficients
Admitted in 2025: 4,363 out of 17,206 registered

Study for free See the method

What you need to understand.

The real format of the exam, and what actually decides it.

Six papers, fourteen coefficients. Four written papers in September: synthesis 5 h (coef 3), obligations 3 h (coef 2), specialty 3 h (coef 2), procedure 2 h (coef 2). Two orals in November: grand oral (coef 4) and English (coef 1). You need 10/20 in the written papers to be admissible, 10/20 overall to be admitted.

What costs points is almost never the law, it is the format. Four pages maximum in the synthesis, a visible plan recommended, no information outside the file. In 2025, 4,363 candidates were admitted out of 17,206 registered, i.e. 25.4%: a ratio calculated on the session's registrations, not on those who attended.

What each paper weighs

The format and weight of each paper, without the noise around it.

Synthesis note

5 h, file of about twenty documents · Coefficient 3

Four pages maximum, visible plan recommended, nothing outside the file.

Law of obligations

3 h, one or more consultations · Coefficient 2

Facts characterised, texts cited, reasoned opinion: a consultation, not an essay.

Specialty case study

3 h, subject chosen from seven · Coefficient 2

Rules, relevant facts, solution and practical consequences.

Procedure

2 h, procedure related to the specialty · Coefficient 2

Chronology and concrete acts of proceedings.

Grand oral

1 h preparation, 15 min presentation, 30 min interview · Coefficient 4

A thesis on freedoms and fundamental rights. A descriptive presentation is penalised.

English

15 min interview, no document · Coefficient 1

Comment on a sentence in legal English: language and argumentation.

The calendar.

The dates that matter, with their status.

Nov 15, 2026
Registration closes (IEJ Paris 1, external candidates)
Official date. eCandidat file from 25 October to 15 November 2026, subject to places, confirmation on 1 December. Students already in a master's at Paris 1 have until 25 November.
Dec 31, 2026
Pre-registration closes (IEJ Strasbourg)
Official date, specific to the Strasbourg IEJ. Each IEJ sets its own window.
Apr 30, 2027
Choice of written subjects
Official date, decree of 17 October 2016. Without this choice, access to the papers is refused, with no derogation.
Sep 2027 (attendu)
2027 written papers
Calendar not published as of 28 October 2026. In 2026: from 1 to 4 September, at 13:00 in mainland France.
Nov 2027 → Dec 2027 (attendu)
2027 orals and admission
Not published. In 2026: orals from 2 to 21 November depending on the IEJ, admission on 1 December.

Dates checked on October 28, 2026. Any date that hasn’t been published is flagged as such.

What actually blocks you.

The obstacles that cost you points, not the clichés.

Writing an essay where a consultation is expected

Obligations and specialty weigh 2 coefficients each, over 3 h. What is marked: facts characterised, texts articulated, reasoned opinion. An essay produces a script outside the exercise.

Putting course material in the synthesis note

5 h, coefficient 3, about twenty documents, four pages. No outside information is allowed: what you add does not replace what you did not read.

Treating procedure by heart

2 h, coefficient 2. The marker expects a chronology and concrete acts. Learning by heart is not enough.

Defending a descriptive presentation at the grand oral

Coefficient 4, the highest. A descriptive presentation is penalised: you need a thesis on freedoms and fundamental rights.

The method, in 3 steps.

A course goes in. Ready-made materials come out. You study.

01
Time the four stages of the synthesis
Reading, plan, writing, proofreading: four stages in 5 h, for four pages. Practise on about twenty documents.
02
Write consultations, not sheets
Over 3 h, the order does not change: facts, texts, solution, consequences. Repeat it until it holds, even on a subject you know poorly.
03
Prepare the grand oral like a thesis
Choose a position on freedoms and fundamental rights early, defend it before someone who challenges it. 15 min presentation, 30 min interview.

What Summry does for this exam.

Study materials, not a promise you’ll pass.

A synthesis file turned into sheets

Import a past-paper file as PDF or photos: you get a sheet of the documents, to compare with your four-page note. The prioritisation remains your work.

Quizzes on procedural deadlines

Generate quizzes from a procedure or obligations document, and check the deadlines without reopening the course: the 2 h paper, coefficient 2, is decided on these reflexes.

A chat confined to your documents

It reads only your documents, just as the synthesis note sticks to the file.

Mind maps for the grand oral

Connect a thesis on freedoms and fundamental rights to its rulings and objections, to hold 15 minutes of presentation then 30 minutes of interview.

Summry does not write your consultations and does not mark your script: the synthesis, the procedure and the grand oral are worked on in limited time, with a model answer or a marker.

Frequently asked questions.

The questions we get asked most often about CRFPA (bar exam).

Do you need a master 2 to sit the CRFPA?

No for the exam, yes to practise. Registration requires the first 60 credits of a law master's, i.e. the M1, with supporting documents by 1 August 2027 at the latest. Since 1 January 2025, the CAPA and admission to the bar require an M2 in law or an equivalence provided for by the decree of 31 December 2024.

Can you register as a free candidate?

No. Registration goes through an IEJ (institut d'études judiciaires, a university legal training institute), which also organises the preparation. You can register with only one university, and the IEJs close their campaign when their places are full. For 2027, candidates external to Paris 1 have until 15 November 2026, Strasbourg until 31 December 2026.

How many candidates are admitted?

4,363 admitted out of 17,206 registered for the 2025 session, i.e. 25.4%. This ratio relates admissions to registrations, not to those who attended: the national commission states it does not know the number of candidates present or of those admissible.

What weight do the orals have?

Five coefficients out of fourteen: 4 for the grand oral, 1 for English. You need 10/20 in the written papers to be admissible, then 10/20 overall to be admitted. An admissibility only counts for the session: it does not carry over to the following year.

Which documents can you bring on the day of the written papers?

Only annotated codes and the texts expressly listed by the national commission, subject by subject. Commented codes and calculators are forbidden. Printouts are allowed only for the texts on that list.

Sources.

Information gathered from official websites, checked on October 28, 2026. The links open the original source.

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