Part A of The Singapore Bar Examinations

Overview

Part A of the Singapore Bar Examinations (the “Part A Examinations”) is a conversion examination for graduates from overseas scheduled universities who intend to apply for the Part B Course and Examinations. It is one of the requirements that an overseas graduate must satisfy to meet the definition of a “qualified person” pursuant to the Legal Profession (Qualified Persons) Rules (the “QP Rules”). 2 sessions of the Part A Examinations are held each year.

The Part A Course is an optional course to prepare applicants for the Part A Examinations. The Part A Course is currently conducted twice a year, from January to end-April, and July to end-October, each calendar year.

Eligibility

To apply to sit for the Part A Examinations, you must fulfil all the following requirements:

1. You are a Singapore citizen or permanent resident;
2. You have graduated with an applicable law degree from an overseas scheduled university, and have attained at least lower second-class honours or have been ranked as being amongst the highest 70% of your batch of graduates (“ranking requirements”); and
3. If you are completing your final year of the applicable law degree from an overseas scheduled university, you will need to graduate meeting the ranking requirements and submit the relevant supporting documents to the SILE on or before the date specified in the Application Guide for the session of the Examinations you are applying for.

If you do not meet the above eligibility requirements, or any other requirements under the QP Rules, you can consider applying for an exemption from the Minister of Law. Details of the exemption application procedure can be found on the Ministry of Law’s website.

Note: For requirements (a) and (b), you must have applied for an exemption or obtained the exemption by the time you submit your application to sit for the Part A Bar Examinations.

Applying for Part A Course and Examinations

You may apply to take the optional Part A Course and Part A Examinations during the specified online application period.

More information on the application process, such as the application timelines and supporting documents required, can be found in the Part A Application Guide, which will be made available during the online application period.

First-Time Applicants: Applicants who will only graduate after the application period closes may still submit their applications if they can obtain the degree certificates, official academic transcripts, ranking certification documents and university documents (if applicable) by end-March (for the Session 1 Examinations) or by end-August (for the Session 2 Examinations).

Re-Takers from Past Sessions: Re-takers from past sessions who wish to sit for the Part A Examinations must register by completing the Retakers Registration Form. This does not apply to re-takers from the immediately preceding session. Separate instructions will be provided to re-takers from the immediately preceding session. The completed registration form must be sent to the following address by the stipulated deadline indicated in the Part A Application Guide, which will be made available during the online application period.

Email Address:           [email protected]
Subject:                      [NAME] – Application for Retaking Part A Examinations

Re-Takers from Immediately Preceding Session: Applicants who have just sat for the Part A Examinations should wait for the results to be released. Those who fail the examinations will be given instructions on how to apply to re-sit the examinations during a separate application period.

Course and Examination Fees

Note: The optional Part A Course is offered during both Sessions 1 and 2 of Part A. The Examinations only fees apply to Singapore citizens, Singapore PRs and foreigners.

The applicable fees may change and are subject to review.

All fees are inclusive of:

• a library card for physical access to the National University of Singapore Libraries;
• a personal LawNet account; and
• access to SILE Campus, an online learning portal to assist applicants in their self-preparation for the Examinations.

Payment details can be found in the Part A Application Guide, which will be made available during the online application period.

Key Dates

These dates are indicative and subject to change.

Examinable Subjects

There are 5 compulsory examinable subjects for the Part A Examinations. All papers will use the open-book examination format.

The subjects are:

1. Company Law;
2. Criminal Law;
3. Evidence Law;
4. Land Law; and
5. Singapore Legal System.

Part A candidates who have been conditionally accepted will be granted access to SILE Campus.

Course materials (such as the syllabus, learning plan and reading materials) will be made available through the SILE’s online learning portal, SILE Campus. Accepted candidates will have access to the course materials. Login particulars to SILE Campus will be made available to candidates by January (for Session 1) and by July (for Session 2).

Faculty

The Part A Faculty comprises leading academics from the NUS Faculty of Law and the SMU Yong Pung How School of Law, as well as seasoned practitioners and members of the judiciary.

Subject Coordinators
1.	Company Law		Assistant Professor Kenneth Khoo NUS Faculty of Law Kenneth is an Assistant Professor at the NUS Faculty of Law. He graduated from NUS (2014) with an LL.B. (First Class Honours) and a B.Soc.Sci. (Economics) (First Class Honours); the London School of Economics (2018, M.Sc. Economics); and Yale Law School (2019, LL.M.; 2024, J.S.D.). In 2022 he was a research fellow at Harvard Law School’s Program on Corporate Governance. His research and teaching lie at the intersection of Law and Economics, especially Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions, Securities Regulation, and Competition Law. His awards include the Ministry of Trade and Industry (Economist Service) Prize for Best Thesis in Economics (NUS), the Best Academic Paper on ESG (Junior Category) at the ECGI–Berkeley Forum on Corporate Governance, and the Best Paper Award for Junior Scholars at the Asian Law and Economics Association Annual Conference. His work has been published (or is forthcoming) in journals including the Journal of Law and Economics, Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, International Review of Law and Economics, and European Business Organization Law Review.
			Ms. Samantha Tang NUS Faculty of Law Samantha is Lecturer at the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law (NUS Law). Prior to her current appointment, she was Sheridan Fellow at NUS Law, researcher at the Centre for Asian Legal Studies at NUS Law, and an Associate Editor of the Asian Journal of Comparative Law. She is also an Advocate & Solicitor of Singapore. She has taught at the University of Tokyo, Thammasat University, and the University of Melbourne.Samantha’s research interests are the corporate law of Commonwealth jurisdictions, with a special focus on shareholder stewardship, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing. Her work has been published in the Law Quarterly Review, Lloyd’s Maritime and Commercial Law Quarterly, Journal of Corporate Law Studies, Asian Journal of Comparative Law, Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, Junkan Shōji Hōmu [旬刊商事法務], and edited volumes published by Cambridge University Press, Intersentia, and Edward Elgar. Samantha’s article, “Rethinking the Theory in Books: Derivative Actions in Singapore and Hong Kong”, won the Best Paper Prize at the 2017 Corporate Law Teachers Association (now the Society of Corporate Law Academics) Conference, the flagship corporate law conference in the Anglo-Commonwealth. She has served or will be serving as a National Reporter for Singapore for the General Congresses of the International Academy of Comparative Law (2018, 2022) and the Thematic Congress of 2024.*Ms. Samantha Tang also serves as Facilitator for Company Law.
2.	Criminal Law		Professor Kumaralingam Amirthalingam NUS Faculty of Law Kumaralingam Amirthalingam is a Professor at the National University of Singapore Law School. He obtained his LLB and PhD in Law from the Australian National University and he researches in selected areas of Tort Law (specializing in medical negligence and economic loss) and Criminal Law (specializing in public prosecutions). He teaches both these subjects as well as a Master’s course on Business Torts. Kumar has served as Vice Dean of the Law School and Chair of the NUS Teaching Academy. He is on the International Advisory Board of Medical Law International and Editorial Advisory Board of Medical Law Review. He was seconded to the Attorney-General’s Chambers for two years as Senior Director (Research & Policy) and Deputy Public Prosecutor, and he has served as Amicus Curiae in the Court of Appeal and as expert consultant to the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Law.
3.	Evidence Law		Professor Chen Siyuan Associate Dean (Student and Alumni Affairs), SMU Yong Pung How School of Law Siyuan specialises in evidence and procedural law. He has published more than 150 works and he has been cited by the Singapore High Court, Singapore Court of Appeal, Singapore International Commercial Court, Indian Supreme Court, and the Law Commission of England & Wales. Siyuan also directs SMU’s International Moots Programme; his teams have won major competitions such as Jessup, Vis East, Price, Lachs, ICC, and Frankfurt.
4.	Land Law		Professor Tang Hang Wu SMU Yong Pung How School of Law Tang Hang Wu is Professor at the Yong Pung How School of Law and Associate Provost (Research Governance) at Singapore Management University where he researches on the law of property, wealth management, charity and non-profits and equity and trusts. He has published widely and his work has been relied regularly by all levels of the Singapore courts and other Commonwealth jurisdictions. In addition to his academic work, he is often instructed as Counsel and expert witness by Singapore and international law firms.
5.	Singapore Legal System		Assistant Professor Aaron Yoong SMU Yong Pung How School of Law Assistant Professor Aaron Yoong lectures at the SMU Yong Pung How School of Law, specialising in the law of torts and international law. His research has been published in leading journals, including the Arbitration Journal, Tort Law Review, and the Torts Law Journal. He is also co-author of forthcoming leading texts, including The Law of Torts in Singapore and Commercial Injunctions in Singapore. Alongside academia, Aaron maintains a broad commercial practice at Setia Law LLC. He is regularly instructed on, and advises in, cross-border disputes and international enforcement, with a particular focus on cases involving complex jurisdictional and conflict of laws issues. Aaron holds degrees from Harvard University and SMU. He currently serves as Young Independent Counsel for the Singapore Supreme Court, and as National Rapporteur for the General Congress of the International Academy of Comparative Law.

 

Course Facilitators
1.	Company Law		Mr. Yao Qinzhe Managing Director, D Bi’ An LLC Yao Qinzhe is a legal practitioner and educator admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore. He holds degrees in Political Science and Economics from the Australian National University, a Juris Doctor (Summa Cum Laude) from Singapore Management University, and a Bachelor of Civil Law from the University of Oxford. Yao has served as Adjunct Faculty at Singapore Management University, where he taught Business Law, and has held counsel and senior roles in several law practices. Yao is presently the Managing Director of a boutique law firm with a practice focused on trusts, equity, insolvency, and cross-border commercial matters. He has published in various academic journals, including the Singapore Journal of Legal Studies, and has contributed to edited volumes on legal subjects.
2.	Criminal Law		Judge Wong Li Tein District Judge, State Courts of Singapore Judge Wong Li Tein was appointed District Judge and Deputy Registrar of the Republic of Singapore in 2009. She has served as a Deputy Public Prosecutor and State Counsel in the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Head of Legal Industry and Regulations in the Ministry of Law, Assistant Registrar in the Supreme Court and Deputy Chief Executive of the Singapore Academy of Law. She is currently also the Executive Director of the State Courts Training Office and a referee of the Singapore Industrial Arbitration Court.
3.	Evidence Law		Mr Dennis Saw Senior Associate, Rajah & Tann Asia Dennis is a Senior Associate in the Shipping and International Trade department at Rajah & Tann Asia. He has acted in contentious and non-contentious matters for (amongst others) banks, financial institutions, trading houses, multi-national corporations, government institutions, P&I clubs, and shipowners. Dennis has appeared before the Singapore courts (including the Court of Appeal) and in arbitrations under the SIAC, SCMA, ICC, and UNCITRAL rules.
4.	Land Law		Mr Afzal Ali Partner, Allen & Gledhill Afzal’s main areas of practice include commercial litigation and international arbitration. Afzal has represented clients over a wide array of commercial and corporate disputes, including high-net worth banking disputes, shareholder and joint venture disputes, trust disputes, employment disputes, and libel claims. He has also represented clients in intellectual property disputes and IT-related disputes. He has acted for statutory boards, public healthcare institutions, and large corporates, including banks. He has appeared as lead counsel both in the High Court (General and Appellate Division) and the Court of Appeal of Singapore. Afzal graduated from the National University of Singapore with an LL.B. (First Class) in 2014. He won many academic prizes, including in Contract Law, Tort Law, Company Law, and Equity & Trusts. Afzal graduated from New York University with an LL.M. in 2014, having pursued an LL.B. and LL.M. concurrently. Afzal has been a facilitator at the Singapore Institute of Legal Education for Land Law since 2016.
5.	Singapore Legal System		Mr Jordan Chia Justices’ Law Clerk, Supreme Court of Singapore Jordan Chia obtained his LLB (summa cum laude) from Singapore Management University, Yong Pung How School of Law. He is currently a Justices’ Law Clerk at the Supreme Court of Singapore. He has authored publications on journals including SAL Practitioner and Singapore Law Journal (Lexicon).
6.			Mr Chong Kai Sheng Adjunct Lecturer, SMU Yong Pung How School of Law Chong Kai Sheng graduated summa cum laude with an LLB from Singapore Management University and began his legal career in the commercial litigation team at Rajah & Tann Asia. He also serves as an adjunct lecturer at his alma mater, where he teaches Evidence Law and Business Law.Beyond practice and teaching, Kai Sheng is actively involved in legal scholarship. He has published in the Singapore Academy of Law Journal and the SAL Practitioner on topics including arbitration, insolvency, company law, and family law, and his work has been cited by the General Division of the High Court of Singapore. He is currently co-authoring forthcoming editions of Civil Procedure in Singapore and the Annotated Laws of Singapore: Evidence Act 1893.