This so-called experience was posted on a judicial examination forum. At the time, I didn’t think much about it and just wrote freely, mainly in response to the numerous unreliable advertisements for various judicial examination training schools on the forum. The content might be a bit rough on the eyes, but it’s all practical advice. The final result was quite satisfactory, scoring several dozen points higher than expected, which made up for failing the previous two attempts.

I started preparing in May this year, having taken the exam twice before without success. This year, I studied while working, which made it even more challenging. The first materials I bought were the Zhonghe Special Topics + Past Papers 5-volume set, of course, a pirated version for about 70 yuan including shipping. This set of books was used to build the foundation.

Preparation Process:

The initial plan was to focus on the Special Topics + Past Papers from May to June; concentrate on the basic and intensive course materials for each subject from July to August; and use the sprint materials for review in September. However, during the actual process, I found that sticking to a long-term study plan was really difficult. Throughout May, I spent almost the entire month studying Criminal Law and Civil Law, but the results were dismal. The Special Topics books were only flipped through two or three pages a day at work, and after a tiring day, I didn’t feel like moving in the evening. Weekends were spent playing games more than studying. In a month, I didn’t even finish two Special Topics books, let alone the past papers and other materials.

In June, I realized that my previous study method, similar to past years, was too foolish. I needed to find a way to force myself to study, or else I would face another year of failure. Reluctantly, I set a one-month study plan, forcing myself to complete the first round of review within June. I included commuting and even bathroom time in the review plan. For example, I listened to recordings on Legal History, Jurisprudence, Constitutional Law, and Essay Questions during my commute; other subjects’ recordings were listened to during work hours. At work, I wore one earpiece, trying to avoid colleagues, and listened to recordings on my phone at an accelerated speed, aiming to finish one subject (Criminal Law and Civil Law divided into general and specific parts) in two days. Since there was no time to read the handouts during the day, many things were only vaguely remembered, so I insisted on reading the Special Topics for over 6 hours every night (about 200 pages, highlighting key points, creating mnemonics, but not forcing memorization). After finishing the recordings + Special Topics for one subject, I spent a whole day doing the past papers for that subject (honestly, it was hard to finish because the explanations contained too many knowledge points). Fortunately, we had weekends off, so I had plenty of time to make up for the progress lost during workdays. This month, I indeed completed the first round of review for most subjects.

Starting in July, I followed a 60-day challenge plan I heard about in a recording by Xiang Gaojia, who mentioned a WeChat activity for the judicial examination. I promptly added WeChat and started the challenge. Essentially, it broke down the basic knowledge + handouts + past papers for all subjects into daily study plans. With the foundation from the first month’s hard work, following this challenge schedule felt comfortable because the daily pressure was much less. Weekends even allowed time to relax and play computer games, as I gradually realized that the judicial examination didn’t require such exhaustion. I was aiming to pass, not to score high. His plan was for 60 days, but I completed the three rounds of review in about 40 days. Combined with the foundation from June, by mid-August, I had reviewed all subjects four times.

Around early August, I basically stopped reading the Special Topics and focused on the handouts. Key subjects were divided according to the training classes’ stages, each with several handouts. However, reading one handout in a night was no easier than reading 200 pages of Special Topics. The handouts were densely packed with knowledge points, while the Special Topics had larger fonts and spacing, making them less dense. But at this stage, I still forced myself to read one handout and listen to one subject’s intensive recording each night. If I couldn’t finish, I would only complete the handout part. The mindset was to drag it to the next round rather than delay the previous day’s subject to the next day.

General Description of Each Subject:

The judicial examination is broadly divided into 8 or 9 subjects. Subjects like International Law only need to be memorized once or twice, and reviewing them again later only takes a few hours. By the last month, subjects like International Law didn’t even need to be looked at.

For Criminal Law, I insisted on listening to the entire first-stage recordings + handouts from June to September. Han Youyi’s lectures were indeed excellent (though this year’s predictions failed), and listening to the recordings two or three times had an immediate effect. It was much more effective than randomly finding new teachers’ recordings.

Civil Law isn’t difficult, but it requires a lot of memorization. I added Duan Bo’s WeChat account, and in the later stages, he pushed many Civil Law knowledge points daily. I also downloaded some must-know Civil Law points from Weibo, which were very detailed. The last month was basically spent listening to recordings and memorizing handouts.

For Criminal Procedure Law + Civil Procedure Law, I used Xiang Gaojia’s combined handout of over 130 pages, which covered most knowledge points of both procedural laws. I went through it repeatedly, memorizing every page.

Commercial and Economic Law was a headache. Commercial Law was manageable, but Economic Law was too scattered and numerous. I didn’t know who taught it well, so I listened to six or seven teachers’ courses throughout the review process, creating many mnemonics to reinforce memory.

Jurisprudence, Constitutional Law, and Legal History in the judicial examination aren’t difficult. Mastering the key terms makes it easy to make judgments. For Administrative Law, I used Lin Hongchao’s handout throughout, as understanding the theories and rules was enough to handle the exam, aiming to get as many correct as possible.

Recording Selection:

There’s no need to be too纠结 about choosing recordings for the judicial examination. My standard was: the lecture time should be as short as possible, and the handout pages should be as few as possible. This way, I could quickly finish the review and get to bed earlier.

As for those recommending famous teachers, it’s unnecessary. Teachers who have recordings online generally have decent levels. As long as the handouts are clear and concise, even if the teaching is subpar, it’s fine. The key is to avoid handouts that are long-winded and poorly formatted, like those filled with legal provisions, which are just nauseating.

Final Sprint:

In the final stage of preparation, I took a few days off. In the last 10 days, I could hardly focus on studying. By the end of August, my mind kept thinking “overexertion,” feeling certain I would pass this year, so there was no need to push so hard. As a result, the last 10 days were increasingly anxious, only aiming to skim through a subject’s handout in an hour or two before playing games.

Two or three days before the exam, I suddenly realized I had forgotten many basic knowledge points. I picked up the Special Topics to review, but couldn’t get into it. I couldn’t settle down to read it anymore. The final exam also proved that the new knowledge points memorized in the last two or three days were almost never tested. Even the Socialist Rule of Law concepts I painstakingly memorized weren’t tested.

Some Complaints:

I don’t know who suggests doing past papers more than three times. I think doing them twice is already a miracle. By the second time, you can remember the answers, so doing them again seems pointless. The knowledge points in past papers rarely repeat, so doing them twice is enough. Doing them more is a waste of time. It’s the wrong questions that need to be done multiple times. Many questions are repeatedly wrong, and these are the valuable ones. Out of the five volumes of past papers, I encountered twenty or thirty such questions, all torn out and clipped together.

The judicial examination is finally over. Whether passed or not, it’s just an exam. There are many paths in life, but if you can pass this exam, the future might be different. I always wanted to work in a court, and now I’ve taken the final big step. The rest is just waiting for the opportunity.