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100+ Free CSM Concours Magistrature Practice Questions

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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: CSM Concours Magistrature Exam

60%

Minimum aggregate over all papers required to appear on the list of successful candidates

CSM, Règlement d'organisation du concours de recrutement des magistrats, Article 40

4 Hours

Duration of each paper, with no extension permitted

CSM, Règlement d'organisation du concours, Article 24

Free

No registration or sitting fee is charged to candidates by the CSM

CSM, Règlement d'organisation du concours

9 Subjects

Number of subjects the CSM announced for the 2022 recruitment session

CSM communiqué reported by Radio Okapi, September 2022

3 Years

Validity of the waiting list drawn up after the concours

Loi organique n° 06/020, Article 2 al. 6, cited in Règlement Article 42

Art. 152

Constitutional article establishing the Conseil Supérieur de la Magistrature as the management organ of the judicial power

Constitution de la RDC du 18 février 2006

National competitive recruitment examination for judges and prosecutors in the DR Congo, run by the Conseil Supérieur de la Magistrature: four-hour papers, free to enter, 60% required plus a merit ranking. Free 100-question English MCQ study aid.

Sample CSM Concours Magistrature Practice Questions

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

1Under Loi organique n° 13/011-B of 11 April 2013 on the organization, functioning, and competence of courts of the judicial order, which court hears every civil dispute that does not fall within the competence of the Tribunaux de paix — in particular claims capable of valuation above 2,500,000 Congolese Francs?
A.The Tribunal de Grande Instance (TGI)
B.The Tribunal de Paix (Tripaix)
C.The Cour de Cassation
D.The Conseil d'État
Explanation: Article 110 of Loi organique n° 13/011-B caps the civil competence of the Tribunaux de paix at claims « susceptibles d'évaluation pour autant que leur valeur ne dépasse pas deux millions cinq cent mille francs congolais », alongside family, succession, gift and customary land matters. Article 112 is residual: « les tribunaux de grande instance connaissent de toutes les contestations qui ne sont pas de la compétence des tribunaux de paix », though a TGI seized of a Tripaix matter may rule at last instance if the defendant expressly consents on the record.
2Under Article 150 of the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, what is the core constitutional guarantee protecting sitting judges (magistrats du siège)?
A.Inamovibility (inamovibilité): sitting judges cannot be transferred, demoted, suspended, or dismissed except by a decision of the Conseil Supérieur de la Magistrature in accordance with the law
B.The right to command military units during provincial armed conflicts
C.Immunity from all civil and criminal laws of the Republic for life
D.The power to unilaterally dissolve the National Assembly
Explanation: Article 150, paragraph 2 of the 2006 Constitution establishes: 'Les magistrats du siège sont inamovibles. Ils ne peuvent être déplacés que par une nomination nouvelle ou à leur demande ou par décision disciplinaire du Conseil supérieur de la magistrature.' This constitutional inamovibility is the cornerstone of judicial independence.
3Under Loi organique n° 13/011-B, what is the composition of the bench in the Tribunal de Grande Instance (TGI) when adjudicating civil and penal matters?
A.A collegiate bench composed of three judges (trois magistrats du siège) assisted by a greffier
B.A single judge sitting alone without a court clerk
C.A jury of twelve private citizens selected from the voter register
D.Seven judges including the provincial governor
Explanation: Article 15 of Loi organique n° 13/011-B composes the Tribunal de grande instance of a president and judges, and Article 16 provides that « le Tribunal de grande instance siège au nombre de trois juges », allowing the president to assume an avocat or défenseur judiciaire as judge where the available bench is insufficient. Article 18 extends Articles 11 to 13 — including the assistance of a greffier and the concours of the Ministère public — to the TGI mutatis mutandis.
4Under the Constitution of the DRC, what are the three supreme jurisdictional orders created by the judicial dualism reform?
A.The Cour de Cassation (head of the judicial order), the Conseil d'État (head of the administrative order), and the Cour Constitutionnelle
B.The Supreme Court of South Africa, the Court of Appeal of Paris, and the International Court of Justice
C.The Military High Court, the Ministry of Justice, and the Commercial Court
D.The Provincial Assemblies, the Senate, and the National Assembly
Explanation: The 2006 Constitution split the former unitary Cour Suprême de Justice into three independent high jurisdictions: the Cour de Cassation (Articles 153-154, judicial order), the Conseil d'État (Articles 154-156, administrative order), and the Cour Constitutionnelle (Articles 157-169, constitutional jurisdiction).
5Under Loi organique n° 13/011-B, which court has first-instance and last-resort jurisdiction over criminal offenses committed by members of the National Assembly, Senators, and Magistrates of the Cour d'Appel (privilège de juridiction)?
A.The Cour de Cassation
B.The Tribunal de Paix
C.The Tribunal Militaire de Garnison
D.The Municipal Police Court
Explanation: Article 93 of Loi organique n° 13/011-B gives the Cour de cassation first-and-last-instance criminal jurisdiction over offences committed by members of the Assemblée nationale and the Senate, members of the Government other than the Prime Minister, members of the Cour constitutionnelle and other listed office-holders, and by magistrates of the Cour de cassation, the Conseil d'État and the appellate courts. Article 92 deals with a different point: judgments given at first instance by the Cours d'appel are open to opposition and appeal.
6Under the Constitution of the DRC (Article 164), which court has exclusive jurisdiction to judge the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister for high treason and offenses committed in the exercise of their functions?
A.The Cour Constitutionnelle
B.The Cour de Cassation
C.The Conseil d'État
D.The Tribunal de Grande Instance de Kinshasa/Gombe
Explanation: Under Article 164 of the Constitution, the Cour Constitutionnelle is the penal judge of the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister for high treason (haute trahison), contempt of parliament (outrage au parlement), offenses against honor, and offenses committed in or on the occasion of the exercise of their official duties.
7Under Loi organique n° 13/011-B, which specialized court is competent to hear commercial disputes between merchants or commercial companies in urban commercial centers?
A.The Tribunal de Commerce (Tricom)
B.The Tribunal pour Enfants
C.The Cour Militaire
D.The Tribunal Coutumier
Explanation: Under Loi n° 002/2001 creating commercial courts and Loi organique n° 13/011-B, the Tribunal de Commerce is the specialized commercial jurisdiction competent for disputes between traders, commercial companies, bankruptcy/insolvency proceedings under OHADA, and maritime/commercial claims.
8Under Loi organique n° 13/011-B, how is the bench composed in the Tribunal de Commerce (Tricom)?
A.A mixed collegiate bench comprising a career magistrate as President, assisted by consular judges (juges consulaires) elected from among experienced business merchants
B.A panel of five military generals
C.A single municipal police inspector
D.Three tax auditors from the Direction Générale des Impôts
Explanation: Under Article 20 of Loi organique n° 13/011-B and the Commercial Courts Act, the Tribunal de Commerce sits as a mixed collegiate bench (échevinage) composed of a professional career judge (magistrat de carrière) as President and consular judges (juges consulaires) representing the commercial and business community.
9Under Loi n° 09/001 of 10 January 2009 on child protection, which specialized jurisdiction is competent to hear cases involving children in conflict with the law?
A.The Tribunal pour Enfants
B.The Cour Militaire de Garnison
C.The Cour de Cassation
D.The Commission Électorale Nationale Indépendante
Explanation: Under Loi n° 09/001 du 10 janvier 2009 portant protection de l'enfant and Loi organique n° 13/011-B, the Tribunal pour Enfants is the specialized court with exclusive jurisdiction over civil child protection matters and offenses committed by minors under 18 years of age.
10Under the Constitution of the DRC (Article 152), what is the mission and composition of the Conseil Supérieur de la Magistrature (CSM)?
A.The management and disciplinary body of the judicial power, composed exclusively of judges and prosecutors, responsible for the recruitment, promotion, transfer, and discipline of magistrates
B.A political committee presided over by the Minister of Justice to control court verdicts
C.A foreign monitoring mission appointed by the United Nations
D.A parliamentary committee of Deputies that rewrites judicial judgments
Explanation: Under Article 152 of the Constitution and Loi organique n° 08/013, the Conseil Supérieur de la Magistrature is the independent constitutional organ of the judiciary. Following the 2006 reform, it is composed exclusively of magistrates (First President of Cour de Cassation, Procureur Général, President of Conseil d'État, etc.) without executive or political presence.

About the CSM Concours Magistrature Exam

The Concours de Recrutement des Magistrats is the national competitive examination organised by the Conseil Supérieur de la Magistrature under Article 152 of the Constitution, Loi organique n° 08/013 du 05 août 2008 and Loi organique n° 06/020 du 10 octobre 2006 portant statut des magistrats, whose Article 2 charges the Secrétariat permanent with running it. It selects law graduates for appointment as judges and prosecutors. This free bank provides 100 English-language multiple-choice study questions mapped to the nine subjects the CSM announced for its most recent session.

Assessment

National competitive examination organised by the Secrétariat permanent of the Conseil Supérieur de la Magistrature under the supervision of the CSM's President, in Kinshasa and in each Cour d'appel resort. For the 2022 session the CSM announced nine subjects: procédure pénale, procédure civile, droit pénal général, droit pénal spécial, droit civil des personnes, droit civil des obligations, droit civil des biens, éthique and déontologie des magistrats. Earlier sessions also examined organisation et compétence judiciaires. The papers last four hours and the questionnaire may be traditional or multiple-choice.

Time Limit

Four hours, with no extension (Règlement d'organisation du concours, Article 24). Papers start at 08:00 Kinshasa time and 09:00 eastern time, candidates being required 30 minutes early and excluded if more than 15 minutes late

Passing Score

At least 60% over all the papers taken together (Règlement, Article 40), followed by ranking in ordre utile against the posts to be filled; ties are resolved in favour of the older candidate and, between a man and a woman, in favour of the woman

Exam Fee

No registration or sitting fee is charged by the CSM (Secrétariat Permanent du Conseil Supérieur de la Magistrature (CSM-RDC))

CSM Concours Magistrature Exam Content Outline

~20% of this bank

Droit pénal spécial

Code pénal, Livre II : atteintes aux personnes et aux biens, détournement de deniers publics (Art. 145), rébellion (Art. 133), outrage (Art. 136), association de malfaiteurs (Art. 156).

~13% of this bank

Organisation et compétence judiciaires

Loi organique n° 13/011-B du 11 avril 2013 : dualité des ordres, compétences du Tribunal de paix (Art. 85 et 110) et du Tribunal de grande instance (Art. 89 et 112), Cours d'appel (Art. 19), privilèges de juridiction (Art. 93), composition des sièges (Art. 10 et 16), greffiers (Art. 37) et secret du délibéré (Art. 41).

~13% of this bank

Éthique et déontologie des magistrats

Loi organique n° 06/020 portant statut des magistrats ; indépendance et inamovibilité ; secret du délibéré (Art. 41 de la Loi organique n° 13/011-B).

~13% of this bank

Droit civil des obligations

Code civil congolais Livre III : force obligatoire, conditions, solidarité, novation, extinction, preuve et responsabilité délictuelle (Art. 258 à 262).

~10% of this bank

Procédure pénale

Code de procédure pénale (Décret du 06 août 1959) : flagrance, mandats, MAP, détention préventive, voies de recours.

~8% of this bank

Droit pénal général

Code pénal, Livre I : légalité, tentative (Art. 4), participation criminelle (Art. 21 à 23), concours (Art. 20), prescription (Art. 24 à 26).

~8% of this bank

Droit civil des personnes

Code de la Famille (Loi n° 87-010 modifiée par la Loi n° 16/008) : mariage, filiation, régimes matrimoniaux, successions.

~8% of this bank

Droit civil des biens et régime foncier

Loi n° 73-021 du 20 juillet 1973 : domanialité du sol (Art. 53), emphytéose (Art. 110-111), certificat d'enregistrement (Art. 227).

~7% of this bank

Procédure civile

Code de procédure civile (Décret du 07 mars 1960) : assignation, délais, exceptions, défaut-congé, voies de recours.

How to Pass the CSM Concours Magistrature Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: At least 60% over all the papers taken together (Règlement, Article 40), followed by ranking in ordre utile against the posts to be filled; ties are resolved in favour of the older candidate and, between a man and a woman, in favour of the woman
  • Assessment: National competitive examination organised by the Secrétariat permanent of the Conseil Supérieur de la Magistrature under the supervision of the CSM's President, in Kinshasa and in each Cour d'appel resort. For the 2022 session the CSM announced nine subjects: procédure pénale, procédure civile, droit pénal général, droit pénal spécial, droit civil des personnes, droit civil des obligations, droit civil des biens, éthique and déontologie des magistrats. Earlier sessions also examined organisation et compétence judiciaires. The papers last four hours and the questionnaire may be traditional or multiple-choice.
  • Time limit: Four hours, with no extension (Règlement d'organisation du concours, Article 24). Papers start at 08:00 Kinshasa time and 09:00 eastern time, candidates being required 30 minutes early and excluded if more than 15 minutes late
  • Exam fee: No registration or sitting fee is charged by the CSM

Keys to Passing

  • Work through all 100 available questions
  • Review every answer and explanation
  • Track weak areas and revisit them
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

CSM Concours Magistrature Study Tips from Top Performers

1Give each of the announced subjects its own revision block: the Règlement has questions drawn by lot per subject, so a weak subject cannot be compensated by a strong one before the 60% aggregate is computed.
2Fix the competence thresholds of Loi organique n° 13/011-B: 2,500,000 CDF for the civil competence of the Tribunal de paix (Article 110), five years of penal servitude for its criminal competence (Article 85), and the residual competence of the TGI (Articles 89 and 112).
3Learn the criminal timetable precisely: 48 hours of garde à vue (Article 18 of the Constitution), five days on the mandat d'arrêt provisoire (Article 28 CPP), fifteen days of confirmation then monthly renewals (Article 31 CPP), ten days for opposition (Article 89) and for appeal (Article 97), three months for the parquet at the appellate court (Article 99).
4In special criminal law, keep the neighbouring qualifications apart: vol (Article 79), extorsion (Article 84), abus de confiance (Article 95), escroquerie (Article 98), recel (Article 101), rébellion (Article 133) and outrage (Article 136).
5In land law, start from Article 53 of Loi n° 73-021 — the soil is the exclusive, inalienable and imprescriptible property of the State — and work outwards to emphytéose (Articles 110-111), superficie (Article 123) and the probative force of the certificat d'enregistrement (Article 227).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the official format of the CSM Concours de Recrutement des Magistrats?

The Règlement d'organisation du concours adopted by the CSM in September 2022 governs it. Experts appointed by the commission de supervision prepare the questions, and Article 12 allows the questionnaire to be drawn up « soit en mode traditionnel, soit à choix multiple »; Article 13 has two or more questions per subject drawn by lot before the sealed trunks leave for the centres. Article 24 fixes each paper at four hours with no extension. The CSM publishes no item count, so any stated figure should be treated with caution.

Which subjects are examined?

For the 2022 session the CSM announced nine: procédure pénale, procédure civile, droit pénal général, droit pénal spécial, droit civil des personnes, droit civil des obligations, droit civil des biens, éthique, and déontologie des magistrats. Earlier sessions also examined organisation et compétence judiciaires. Article 9 of the Règlement leaves the choice of subjects to the commission de supervision du questionnaire for each session, so the list is confirmed by the avis de recrutement.

What is the pass mark and how are candidates selected?

Article 40 of the Règlement is explicit: « Nul ne peut être retenu sur la liste des réussites s'il n'a obtenu soixante pour cent au moins pour l'ensemble de toutes les épreuves. » Where scores are equal the older candidate is preferred, and as between a man and a woman the woman is retained. Papers are double-marked, the final mark being the arithmetic mean of the two, with a third marking where they differ by more than five points. Article 42 then has the Secrétaire permanent publish the list of successful candidates by merit, the list in ordre utile against the posts available, and a waiting list valid for three years.

Is there a fee to sit the concours?

No. Participation is free; the CSM charges no registration or dossier fee. Candidates lodge their files with the Secrétariat permanent or at the seat of their Cour d'appel by the deadline in the avis de recrutement, which is published at least ten days beforehand on the CSM website, by posting at the appellate courts and in the press.