The Legal Professions Entrance Exam (HMGS), which entered our lives with a legislative change made in 2019 to improve quality in legal education and admission processes to the profession in Turkey, is the first official barrier that law graduates must overcome. This exam is a proficiency exam centrally organized by ÖSYM, which measures whether graduates can combine their theoretical knowledge with professional competence.
HMGS is mandatory not only for those who want to become lawyers, but for a wide range of graduates who want to make a career in the field of law. It is a legal requirement for the following professional groups to be successful in HMGS to start their internships or exams:
1. Legal Internship: Every candidate who graduates from a law school and wants to apply for a legal internship must pass this exam before being registered in the bar association internship list.
2. Notary Internship: HMGS success certificate is required to make a notary internship application.
3. Judicial and Administrative Judgeship/Prosecutorship Examination: A minimum score of 70 in HMGS is required before the written exams to be held to become a judge/prosecutor assistant candidate in judicial or administrative justice.
There are some transition provisions and exemptions in the law regarding the effective date of the exam. According to this:
- Those who registered in law schools before October 24, 2019, are exempt from the HMGS exam regardless of their graduation dates. These candidates can start their legal internships directly.
- Candidates who graduated before March 31, 2024, are also exempt from the exam, regardless of their law school registration dates.
- Those who graduated from a law school abroad and want to get equivalence in Turkey must take this exam to get an equivalence certificate after completing their missing courses.
HMGS is a test exam consisting of 120 multiple-choice questions. This exam is not a ranking exam (such as an exam with a limited quota like KPSS or Judgeship exam). An independent evaluation is made in the exam, and all candidates who score at least 70 points out of 100 are considered successful. The fact that wrong answers do not affect correct answers is an important advantage for candidates.
It is of great importance for graduates who want to shape their future in the field of law to follow the HMGS process closely and make their preparations according to the current law changes. As Hukukland.com, we will continue to share all official announcements and preparation guides with you. You can check out our special HMGS preparation strategy and 90-day study plan to plan the exam preparation process in the most efficient way and follow the steps.