100+ Free Belgian Advocate Aptitude Test Practice Questions

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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: Belgian Advocate Aptitude Test Exam

EUR 750

OVB inscription fee (indexed from April 2026 CPI)

advocaat.be bekwaamheidsproef page

Written + oral

Official assessment modes

OVB bekwaamheidsproef page

NL / FR / DE

Official sitting languages (OVB Dutch; OBFG French and German)

OVB bekwaamheidsproef page

10 Feb / 8 Sep 2026

OVB written sittings published for 2026

OVB bekwaamheidsproef page

Belgium's advocaat bekwaamheidsproef is the OVB/OBFG aptitude test for EU-qualified lawyers (written civil, criminal and an elective; oral deontology). OVB fee EUR 750. Official languages Dutch, French or German. This bank is an English MCQ study aid, not a translation.

Sample Belgian Advocate Aptitude Test Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your Belgian Advocate Aptitude Test exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Book 5 “Verbintenissen” of the recodified Burgerlijk Wetboek, which restates the general law of obligations and contracts, entered into force on which date?

A.1 November 2020, together with Book 8 on evidence

B.1 September 2021, together with Book 3 on property

C.1 January 2023, for juridical acts and facts after that date

D.1 January 2025, together with extra-contractual liability

Explanation: The Wet of 28 April 2022 inserting Book 5 “Verbintenissen” entered into force on 1 January 2023. Its rules apply to juridical acts and legal facts occurring after that date; older contracts generally remain governed by the former Civil Code unless the parties agree otherwise. Book 8 (evidence) entered into force on 1 November 2020, Book 3 (property) on 1 September 2021, and Book 6 (extra-contractual liability) on 1 January 2025.

2Book 6 of the Burgerlijk Wetboek on buitencontractuele aansprakelijkheid has been in force, for facts occurring from that date, since:

A.1 January 2023, the same day as Book 5

B.1 January 2025

C.1 September 2026, together with the new Strafwetboek

D.1 July 2022, together with Book 4 on succession

Explanation: The Wet of 7 February 2024 inserting Book 6 “Buitencontractuele aansprakelijkheid” entered into force on 1 January 2025 and applies to facts that can generate liability from that date. It recodifies extra-contractual liability and, among other changes, makes concurrence of contractual and extra-contractual claims the default rule.

3Under art. 5.74 of the Burgerlijk Wetboek (imprevisie / change of circumstances), if unforeseen circumstances make performance excessively onerous, the debtor’s primary statutory remedy is to:

A.Declare the contract automatically void from the outset

B.Request renegotiation and, failing agreement, ask the court to adapt or terminate the contract

C.Treat the contract as overmacht and refuse any further performance without notice

D.Claim a statutory price increase of 10 percent without court involvement

Explanation: Art. 5.74 BW first restates pacta sunt servanda, then allows the debtor to request renegotiation when an unforeseeable, non-attributable change makes performance excessively onerous and the debtor did not assume that risk. If renegotiation fails, the court may adapt or terminate the contract. The provision is supplementary law: parties may exclude it.

4How does overmacht under art. 5.226 of the Burgerlijk Wetboek differ from imprevisie under art. 5.74?

A.Overmacht is an attributable impossibility; imprevisie is a mere price dispute

B.Overmacht is a non-attributable impossibility of performance; imprevisie is performance that remains possible but has become excessively onerous

C.They are synonyms; Book 5 uses both labels for the same defence

D.Overmacht only applies to consumer contracts; imprevisie only applies to B2B sales

Explanation: Art. 5.226 BW defines overmacht as a non-attributable impossibility to perform, assessed with regard to the unforeseeable and unavoidable character of the obstacle. Imprevisie (art. 5.74) concerns a change that does not make performance impossible but makes it excessively onerous. Temporary impossibility generally suspends the obligation; definitive impossibility extinguishes it.

5A contract is concluded although one party’s consent is lacking, or is vitiated by wilsverhinderende dwaling. Under art. 5.31 of the Burgerlijk Wetboek, the contract is:

A.Absolutely void of public order and may be raised by any interested party

B.Relatively void (relatief nietig), so only the protected party may invoke the defect

C.Valid but unenforceable until ratified by the vrederechter

D.Converted by operation of law into a mere unenforceable natural obligation

Explanation: Art. 5.31 BW provides that a contract formed without a party’s consent, or with consent destroyed by vitiating error, is relatively void. Relative nullity protects a private interest: only the party whose consent was lacking or vitiated may invoke it, and that party may confirm the act. Absolute nullity is reserved for violations of public policy or mandatory rules protecting the general interest.

6Since Book 6 of the Burgerlijk Wetboek entered into force, what is the default rule on samenloop between contractual and extra-contractual claims between the same parties?

A.Samenloop is forbidden except where the breach is also a criminal offence, following the 1973 Cassation case law

B.Samenloop is the rule: the injured party may choose a contractual or extra-contractual claim unless statute or the contract provides otherwise

C.Only extra-contractual claims survive; contractual claims are abolished

D.The injured party must first exhaust the contractual claim before any extra-contractual action

Explanation: Book 6 reversed the classic Cassation samenloopverbod. Concurrence is now the default: the injured party may sue the co-contractor in contract or in extra-contractual liability, unless a statute or the contract itself excludes extra-contractual claims. The change is a central 2025 reform and is frequently tested against the old 1973 case law.

7A building owner wants to sue the subcontractor (hulppersoon) of the main contractor for defective work performed after 1 January 2025. Under Book 6 of the Burgerlijk Wetboek, which statement is correct?

A.The owner cannot sue the subcontractor extra-contractually because of the quasi-immunity of hulppersonen

B.The owner may bring an extra-contractual claim against the hulppersoon; the former quasi-immunity is abolished, subject to defences drawn from the relevant contracts and special statutes

C.Only the main contractor may ever be sued, and only in contract

D.The owner must first obtain a criminal conviction for fraud before any civil claim against the subcontractor

Explanation: Book 6 abolished the quasi-immunity of auxiliaries (hulppersonen). A third party (for example the building owner) may bring an extra-contractual claim against the subcontractor or employee who performed the work. The hulppersoon may still invoke contractual limitation clauses and other defences arising from his own contract, from the main contract if he knew of them, and from special statutes.

8Book 3 of the Burgerlijk Wetboek on goederen is built on a closed list of real rights (numerus clausus). Which of the following is a limited real right recognised in that system?

A.A purely personal right to use a car under a short-term rental, without any real-right publicity

B.Vruchtgebruik, erfpacht, opstal and erfdienstbaarheid, as limited real rights distinct from full ownership

C.Any contractual restriction the parties choose to label a “real right” in a private letter

D.A shareholder’s economic interest in an NV, which is itself a real right in the company’s land

Explanation: Belgian property law maintains a numerus clausus of real rights. Full ownership (eigendom) is the principal real right; the recognised limited real rights include usufruct (vruchtgebruik), long lease (erfpacht), building right (opstal/superficies) and easements (erfdienstbaarheden), plus security rights such as hypotheek and pand. Parties cannot freely invent new real rights by contract alone.

9Under the recodified succession law in Book 4 of the Burgerlijk Wetboek, the global reserved portion (reserve) of the descendants, regardless of how many children there are, is:

A.One quarter of the estate if there is one child, one third if there are two, one half if there are three or more

B.One half of the estate as a global reserve for all descendants together; the available portion is the other half

C.The entire estate, so a testator with children cannot make any gifts or legacies

D.Abolished entirely; descendants have only a maintenance claim against the estate

Explanation: The 2017–2018 succession reform, recodified in Book 4 (in force 1 July 2022), replaced the old sliding reserve (1/2, 2/3 or 3/4 depending on the number of children) with a single global reserve of one half for all descendants together. The testator may therefore always dispose of the other half. Each child’s individual reserve is that global half divided among the descendants.

10For a holographic will (eigenhandig testament) to be valid under Belgian succession law, it must be:

A.Typed, witnessed by two neighbours, and filed with the gemeente

B.Entirely handwritten, dated and signed by the testator

C.Drawn up exclusively by a notary in authentic form; holograph wills were abolished in Book 4

D.Recorded on video in the presence of the vrederechter

Explanation: Belgian law still recognises the holographic will as a valid form of testament, alongside the authentic (notarial) will and the international will. The holograph must be written entirely by the testator’s hand, dated and signed. A typed or partly printed text, or a missing date or signature, is a classic ground of nullity.

About the Belgian Advocate Aptitude Test Exam

The Belgian advocaat bekwaamheidsproef is the aptitude test for lawyers who obtained a law diploma in another EU Member State in fields that differ substantially from the Belgian master in de rechten. The Orde van Vlaamse Balies organises it in Dutch; the OBFG organises it in French and German. The written part covers civil law including civil procedure, criminal law including criminal procedure, and one elective chosen from public, administrative, tax, commercial or social law. The oral covers professional ethics (plichtenleer) and any written subjects that were not passed. The OVB 2026 fee is EUR 750. This practice bank is a free English-language MCQ study adaptation of that knowledge — not an official translation, not a BUBA course quiz, and not a substitute for the official written and oral sittings.

Assessment

EU lawyers' aptitude test (bekwaamheidsproef / épreuve d'aptitude) organised by the Orde van Vlaamse Balies in Dutch and by the OBFG in French and German. It is the statutory aptitude assessment for a law diploma obtained in another EU Member State whose curriculum differs substantially from the Belgian law degree. It is not the OVB BUBA beroepsopleiding certificate. Official sittings are written plus oral. This bank is an English-language MCQ study adaptation, not an official translation or a simulation of the written papers or the oral.

Time Limit

Not published as a standing duration on the OVB bekwaamheidsproef page

Passing Score

Not published as a single percentage; the oral covers plichtenleer and written subjects that were not passed

Exam Fee

EUR 750 (OVB), indexed to the April 2026 consumer-price index (Orde van Vlaamse Balies (Dutch); Ordre des barreaux francophones et germanophone (French and German))

Belgian Advocate Aptitude Test Exam Content Outline

not-published

Civil law and civil procedure

Belgian Burgerlijk Wetboek and burgerlijke rechtsvordering as tested in the written paper

not-published

Criminal law and criminal procedure

Strafrecht including strafvordering as tested in the written paper

not-published

Elective field

Public law, administrative law, tax law, commercial law or social law, as chosen for the written sitting

not-published

Plichtenleer and oral follow-up

Professional ethics under the Codex Deontologie and any written subjects that were not passed

How to Pass the Belgian Advocate Aptitude Test Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: Not published as a single percentage; the oral covers plichtenleer and written subjects that were not passed
Assessment: EU lawyers' aptitude test (bekwaamheidsproef / épreuve d'aptitude) organised by the Orde van Vlaamse Balies in Dutch and by the OBFG in French and German. It is the statutory aptitude assessment for a law diploma obtained in another EU Member State whose curriculum differs substantially from the Belgian law degree. It is not the OVB BUBA beroepsopleiding certificate. Official sittings are written plus oral. This bank is an English-language MCQ study adaptation, not an official translation or a simulation of the written papers or the oral.
Time limit: Not published as a standing duration on the OVB bekwaamheidsproef page
Exam fee: EUR 750 (OVB), indexed to the April 2026 consumer-price index

Keys to Passing

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Belgian Advocate Aptitude Test Study Tips from Top Performers

1Treat this as Belgian positive law, not a recap of your home-state degree. The written paper tests Belgian civil, criminal and an elective field.

2Keep official terms (bekwaamheidsproef, plichtenleer, tableau, beroepsgeheim, BJB) even when you study in English.

3Prepare deontology for the oral: independence, secrecy, conflicts, fees and second-line legal aid.

4This bank is not a simulation of the official written papers or the oral. Use it to check concepts, then practise writing and speaking in the official language of your sitting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the official OVB or OBFG bekwaamheidsproef?

No. OpenExamPrep publishes a free English-language multiple-choice study adaptation. The official aptitude test is a written-plus-oral sitting organised by the Orde van Vlaamse Balies in Dutch or by the OBFG in French or German.

Is this the same as the BUBA / beroepsopleiding?

No. The BUBA (Beroepsuitoefeningbekwaamheidsattest) is the certificate from the OVB professional-training course that Belgian-trained advocaat-stagiairs must obtain. The bekwaamheidsproef is the separate EU aptitude test for lawyers whose diploma comes from another Member State.

What does the official exam cover?

The OVB states that the written paper covers civil law including civil procedure, criminal law including criminal procedure, and one elective chosen from public, administrative, tax, commercial or social law. The oral covers plichtenleer and the written subjects that were not passed.

How much does the official exam cost?

The OVB publishes an inscription fee of EUR 750, indexed to the April 2026 consumer-price index. Confirm the current amount on the OVB page before paying.

In which languages is the official exam held?

The OVB organises the bekwaamheidsproef in Dutch. The OBFG organises it in French and German. This bank is an English study aid, not an official translation or a language replica.