If you have yet to successfully complete the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC), you will have been given the opportunity to complete the course as normal, with three attempts at each assessment since the point at which you enrolled, as set out in the BPTC Handbook. However, if after Spring 2021 you have any remaining attempts, perhaps due to extenuating circumstances agreed by your provider, you will be affected by the transitional arrangements which we have put in place for centralised assessments.

This page sets out what the transitional arrangements are for centralised assessments. All continuing BPTC students should read this to find out how they may be affected. It is the responsibility of all students to read and understand what the transitional arrangements may mean for them.

We have undertaken a major review of training for the Bar through our Future Bar Training programme which commenced in 2014. The changes resulting from the review started to be implemented from Spring 2019, following approval by the Legal Services Board in February 2019 of the new rules that enabled change.

Providers of the BPTC took enrolments for the last time in September 2019 for full-time and, where offered, part-time courses and MLaw courses commencing in academic year 2019-20. Any organisation wishing to deliver Bar training is now able to apply to become an Authorised Education and Training Organisation (AETO) to offer one of the new approved pathways to Bar qualification which have replaced the BPTC.

In June 2021 we published important information for transferring qualified lawyers and for those with outstanding BTT requirements.

Please click here to see who is required to take the Professional Ethics assessment during pupillage.