100+ Free Costa Rica Bar Licensure Exam Practice Questions

Prepare for the Examen de Excelencia Académica (Colegio de Abogados y Abogadas de Costa Rica) exam with instant access — no signup required.

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About 1.16% in April 2026 (13 of 1,123); 5% scored 80-100 in September 2025 Pass Rate

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Key Facts: Costa Rica Bar Licensure Exam Exam

Minimum 75 questions

Floor set by article 11 of the Reglamento for the written single-answer paper

Reglamento para la Deontología Jurídica, Vigilancia y Excelencia Académica, art. 11

80 / 100

Minimum score required to pass the Examen de Excelencia Académica

Reglamento para la Deontología Jurídica, Vigilancia y Excelencia Académica, art. 17

09:00 to 12:00

Application window of the exam, after signature registration from 08:00

Matrícula del Examen de Excelencia — Colegio de Abogados y Abogadas de Costa Rica

₡39,550 CRC

Ordinary registration fee since the adjustment announced on 25 August 2026

Colegio de Abogados y Abogadas de Costa Rica, comunicado of 25 August 2026

8 examinable areas

Deontología Jurídica plus seven branches of law with their procedural rules, per article 11

Reglamento para la Deontología Jurídica, Vigilancia y Excelencia Académica, art. 11

13 of 1,123

Candidates reaching the 80-point pass mark in the sitting of 29 April 2026, about 1.16%

Colegio de Abogados y Abogadas de Costa Rica, press conference of June 2026

2 sittings in 2026

Exam dates published for the year: 29 April and 30 September

Campus Virtual — Fechas Examen de Excelencia Académica

30-hour course

Curso de Deontología Jurídica required before the exam, valid for one year

Reglamento para la Deontología Jurídica, Vigilancia y Excelencia Académica, arts. 4-5

The Examen de Excelencia Académica is Costa Rica's bar admission exam, written in Spanish in a single 09:00–12:00 session with at least 75 single-answer items and a pass mark of 80 out of 100. It covers legal ethics plus constitutional, administrative, civil, commercial, criminal, labour and family law with their procedural codes. This 100-question English-language MCQ adaptation is a study aid, not an official translation or a format simulation.

Sample Costa Rica Bar Licensure Exam Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your Costa Rica Bar Licensure Exam exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1A Costa Rican attorney is consulted in private by a prospective client regarding a potential commercial litigation. During the initial confidential interview, the individual discloses sensitive information regarding irregular financial transactions, but ultimately decides not to retain the attorney. Two months later, the attorney is subpoenaed as a witness by the opposing party in a civil fraud lawsuit against that individual. Under the Código de Deberes Jurídicos, Morales y Éticos del Profesional en Derecho, what is the attorney's ethical obligation?

A.The attorney is obligated to testify because no formal written retainer agreement was ever executed between the parties.

B.The attorney must assert professional secrecy (secreto profesional) and decline to testify regarding any confidential information received during the consultation.

C.The attorney may testify freely because professional secrecy only attaches once an advance fee deposit has been accepted.

D.The attorney must disclose the financial information to the court, as professional secrecy applies exclusively to criminal defense matters.

Explanation: Article 41 of the Código de Deberes Jurídicos, Morales y Éticos del Profesional en Derecho defines secreto profesional as the confidences made to the attorney on the occasion of professional practice — by the client, the adversary, colleagues or third parties — and states that the duty survives after the professional relationship ends. The same article adds that an attorney called as a witness must appear, but must invoke the right not to answer questions whose answers would breach professional secrecy.

2An attorney in San José represented Company X in negotiating a long-term commercial lease with Landlord Y in 2024. In 2026, Landlord Y approaches the same attorney seeking representation to initiate an eviction and damages lawsuit against Company X arising from alleged defaults under that exact lease agreement. Company X does not consent to the representation. Under Costa Rican legal ethics rules, may the attorney accept Landlord Y's case?

A.Yes, because more than one calendar year has elapsed since the lease was executed, extinguishing any conflict of interest.

B.Yes, provided the attorney informs the court in the initial complaint of the prior representation.

C.No, the attorney is strictly barred from representing Landlord Y due to a disqualifying conflict of interest involving a former client in the same transaction.

D.Yes, because representing Landlord Y is permitted as long as the attorney charges standard statutory fees.

Explanation: Article 44 of the Código de Deberes Jurídicos, Morales y Éticos states that it is contrary to professional ethics to represent opposing interests, and expressly forbids acting against a former client whenever the new matter is related to the one the attorney previously handled. The rule applies from the moment the attorney learns of the matter, even if no proceeding has been filed.

3A client revokes the judicial power of attorney granted to their litigation counsel due to a disagreement over strategy and hires a new attorney. The former counsel refuses to return the physical case file, original documentary evidence, and public deeds to the client, claiming a legal right of retention (derecho de retención) until all outstanding professional fees are fully satisfied. Is the attorney's retention of the client's documents ethically permissible under Costa Rican law?

A.Yes, attorneys enjoy an automatic statutory lien over all case documents until judicial fees are paid in full.

B.Yes, but only if the attorney files a formal notice of retention with the presiding judge within 48 hours.

C.Yes, provided the documents are held in a secure commercial escrow vault until the fee dispute is arbitrated.

D.No, because holding the client's file and evidence hostage to force payment is an illegitimate and unjustified exercise of the right of retention, which the Código de Deberes forbids.

Explanation: Article 47 of the Código de Deberes Jurídicos, Morales y Éticos requires attorneys to guard client goods and documents with the utmost care, keep them separate from their own, and return them in the condition received. Its closing sentence bars attorneys from exercising the right of retention over a client's goods, money or documents 'in an illegitimate or unjustified manner' to collect fees. Withholding the judicial file and original evidence, which would prejudice the client's case, is exactly that; fees must be pursued through the ordinary collection channels.

4Under what exceptional circumstance does the Código de Deberes Jurídicos, Morales y Éticos del Profesional en Derecho permit a Costa Rican attorney to reveal confidential information otherwise protected by professional secrecy?

A.When it is strictly indispensable for the attorney's own defense against a formal legal accusation brought by the client.

B.Whenever requested informally by an investigating police officer during an active preliminary inquiry.

C.Whenever the adverse party offers to reimburse all accumulated legal expenses in exchange for disclosure.

D.When the attorney determines that the client's commercial venture has a low probability of financial success.

Explanation: Article 42 of the Código de Deberes Jurídicos, Morales y Éticos lists the only exceptions to secreto profesional: the duty yields to the needs of the attorney's own defence when the attorney is accused, in which case they reveal only what is indispensable; the attorney may reveal what is necessary to gauge the complexity of the matter when exercising the right to collect fees; and, exceptionally, the secret may be revealed to prevent the conviction of an innocent person.

5A complaint accusing a Costa Rican attorney of a grave breach of the Código de Deberes Jurídicos, Morales y Éticos reaches the Colegio de Abogados y Abogadas de Costa Rica. Under the Ley Orgánica del Colegio, which organ decides the disciplinary matter definitively and decrees any suspension?

A.The Tribunal de Honor, sitting as the bar's disciplinary court of first instance.

B.The Junta Directiva of the Colegio, which resolves definitively after the Fiscalía renders its non-binding criterion.

C.The Defensoría de los Habitantes, acting as external ombudsman over the professional colleges.

D.The Tribunal de la Inspección Judicial, which supervises everyone who appears before the courts.

Explanation: Article 24, subsection 2, of the Ley Orgánica makes the Fiscalía report its criterion on disciplinary matters to the Junta Directiva and states expressly that this criterion does not bind the Junta, 'la cual será la que resuelva en definitiva'. Article 12 then has the Junta Directiva decree the suspension by absolute majority of the members present, in secret ballot, following the procedure of the Ley General de la Administración Pública, and Article 13 fixes suspension at no less than one month and no more than twelve years.

6An attorney representing a plaintiff in a pending civil damages lawsuit learns that the defendant has hired private counsel who has formally appeared in the case record. Seeking to settle the dispute quickly, the plaintiff's attorney bypasses the defense counsel and contacts the defendant directly at their home without the knowledge or authorization of the defendant's attorney. How is this conduct categorized under Costa Rican legal ethics?

A.It is fully legitimate under the principle of procedural economy.

B.It is mandatory whenever settlement negotiations are initiated prior to the preliminary hearing.

C.It is an ethical violation of the duty of professional courtesy and loyalty to colleagues (lealtad entre colegas).

D.It is permissible as long as the attorney brings a certified copy of the complaint.

Explanation: Under the ethical code of the Costa Rican bar, once an attorney knows that an adverse party is represented by legal counsel, all communications, settlement proposals, and negotiations must be conducted exclusively with that opposing counsel. Directly approaching a represented adversary without consent constitutes a serious breach of professional loyalty and ethics.

7An attorney in Cartago enters into a contingency fee agreement (pacto de cuota litis) with an injured worker for a tort claim. The agreement stipulates that the attorney will receive 65% of any financial recovery obtained through judgment or settlement. Under the Código de Deberes Jurídicos, Morales y Éticos del Profesional en Derecho, is this fee arrangement valid?

A.Yes, because freedom of contract allows parties to agree on any percentage without legal limitation.

B.Yes, provided the fee agreement is executed before a notary public in a public protocol.

C.Yes, but only if the case is resolved through out-of-court mediation rather than a trial.

D.No, because an attorney may not take more than fifty per cent of the net result of the matter under a cuota litis contract.

Explanation: Article 52 of the Código de Deberes Jurídicos, Morales y Éticos governs the cuota litis contract: it must be signed in two originals, one of which is handed to the client, and the attorney 'no podrá percibir más de un cincuenta por ciento del resultado líquido del asunto' while bearing the costs inherent to the matter. If the case is lost nothing may be charged, and the contract covers every instance, incident and ordinary appeal until the final ruling becomes firm. A 65% share breaches the ceiling.

8A Costa Rican attorney actively practices as a criminal defense lawyer while concurrently holding a full-time appointment as a sitting criminal court trial judge (Juez de Juicio) in the Judiciary (Poder Judicial). What legal impediment applies to this situation under Costa Rican law?

A.There is an absolute incompatibility (incompatibilidad absoluta) that strictly prohibits sitting judges from engaging in private law practice.

B.The attorney may practice privately provided the cases are located outside their judicial circuit.

C.The attorney may represent private criminal defendants as long as no appearance fees are charged.

D.Private practice is permitted with the prior written consent of the presiding Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Explanation: Under the Ley Orgánica del Poder Judicial and the Ley Orgánica del Colegio de Abogados, active judicial officers and judges are subject to an absolute legal incompatibility (incompatibilidad absoluta) that bars them from practicing law privately or representing private clients, ensuring judicial independence and avoiding conflicts of interest.

9An attorney receives ₡15,000,000 CRC from an institutional debtor intended to pay a court-approved settlement owed to the attorney's client. Due to temporary personal cash flow difficulties, the attorney deposits the funds into their personal personal savings account and uses a portion to pay office rent, intending to replenish and deliver the full sum to the client the following month. How is the attorney's conduct qualified under Costa Rican legal and ethical standards?

A.It is permissible as long as the attorney delivers legal interest along with the principal amount within 30 days.

B.It constitutes a grave disciplinary offense and potential criminal misappropriation (retención indebida / apropiación indebida).

C.It is an authorized temporary loan under the customary implied powers of judicial representation.

D.It is considered a minor administrative irregularity subject only to an informal verbal warning.

Explanation: Article 47 of the Código de Deberes Jurídicos, Morales y Éticos obliges attorneys to keep client money and documents separate from their own; Article 50 requires a receipt specifying the concept of every sum received in professional practice; and Article 51 makes the attorney disciplinarily responsible for all sums received, including those taken in by support staff or deposited at the office. Diverting a client's settlement proceeds to personal use is a grave disciplinary breach and can also amount to criminal misappropriation.

10An attorney decides to resign from legal representation in an ongoing civil proceeding because the client has stopped paying the agreed fees. A hearing has already been scheduled for five business days later. Under Article 46 of the Código de Deberes Jurídicos, Morales y Éticos, what governs the attorney's resignation?

A.Cease all work immediately upon filing the resignation notice, without notifying the client.

B.Assign the case unilaterally to any attorney selected by the adverse party without client approval.

C.The attorney may not resign while a hearing is already scheduled, and any permitted resignation must be notified in writing to both the client and the authority hearing the matter, with the attorney continuing to protect the former client's interests for ten business days.

D.Demand that the court indefinitely freeze the statutory proceedings until the fee dispute is litigated.

Explanation: Article 46 allows resignation only for a supervening justified cause affecting the attorney's honour, dignity, conscience or independence, where the client breaches their material obligations, or where an insurmountable disagreement arises — and it expressly forbids resigning when there are hearings already set or notified filings that must be attended. The resignation must be communicated in writing to the client and to the authority before which the matter is being processed, and the attorney must keep handling the case and take every step needed to spare the former client harm for ten business days after the resignation is filed, unless new counsel takes over first.

About the Costa Rica Bar Licensure Exam Exam

The Examen de Excelencia Académica is the written admission examination that Costa Rican law graduates must pass before they can incorporate into the Colegio de Abogados y Abogadas de Costa Rica and practise law. It was introduced in 2014 and is governed by the Reglamento para la Deontología Jurídica, Vigilancia y Excelencia Académica, published in La Gaceta N° 7 of 12 January 2015. Article 11 of that regulation defines the paper as objective, written and theoretical-practical, made up of at least 75 closed single-answer questions drawn from a validated item bank. The examinable scope is set by the same article: the content of the compulsory 30-hour Curso de Deontología Jurídica, together with Derecho Constitucional, Laboral, Penal, Civil, Familia, Comercial and Administrativo and their respective procedural rules. The Colegio publishes a temario for each substantive area but does not publish percentage weightings, so no domain can honestly be assigned a fixed share of the paper. Article 17 scores the exam from 0 to 100 and sets the pass mark at 80; a Junta Directiva agreement that had lowered it to 70 was revoked on 8 January 2026 on the ground that only the Asamblea General can amend the regulation. Results have made the exam a matter of national debate: in the sitting of 29 April 2026 only 13 of 1,123 candidates reached 80 points. This practice resource adapts the officially examinable subject matter into a 100-question English-language study bank that keeps Costa Rican statutory terminology and article citations intact. It is a study aid, not an official translation of the exam and not a simulation of its format or language environment.

Assessment

Single continuous in-person session from 09:00 to 12:00, with signature registration from 08:00, at the central seat in Zapote and around a dozen regional venues. The paper is objective, written and theoretical-practical, with at least 75 closed single-answer items covering the Deontología Jurídica course plus Derecho Constitucional, Laboral, Penal, Civil, Familia, Comercial and Administrativo and their procedural rules. Answers are marked on an optical sheet; the 2026 sitting moved to 14-point type and a letter-size answer sheet.

Time Limit

3 hours (09:00–12:00)

Passing Score

80 / 100

Exam Fee

₡39,550 CRC ordinary / ₡56,500 CRC extraordinary (adjusted 25 August 2026, up from ₡16,960 and ₡28,250) (Colegio de Abogados y Abogadas de Costa Rica)

Costa Rica Bar Licensure Exam Exam Content Outline

12 practice questions

Deontología Jurídica (Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility)

Código de Deberes Jurídicos, Morales y Éticos: professional secrecy and its three exceptions (arts. 41-42), conflicts with former clients (art. 44), the rules on resigning from a matter (art. 46), custody of client property and the limits on retention (art. 47), fees and the 50% cuota litis ceiling (arts. 48-52), and the disciplinary route through the Fiscalía and the Junta Directiva.

13 practice questions

Derecho Constitucional y Procesal Constitucional

Ley de la Jurisdicción Constitucional N° 7135: the two branches of the amparo filing period (art. 35), amparo against private parties (art. 57), standing and diffuse interests (art. 75), formal requirements and the three-day cure (arts. 78-80), retroactive effects of annulment (arts. 91-93) and judicial consultation (arts. 102-104), plus hierarchy of human rights treaties and suspension of guarantees.

12 practice questions

Derecho Administrativo y Contencioso-Administrativo

Ley General de la Administración Pública N° 6227: legality (art. 11), motivo, contenido and fin (arts. 131-133), absolute versus relative nullity (arts. 172, 187), annulment of rights-granting acts with a binding PGR opinion (art. 173), ordinary procedure and oral private hearing (arts. 308-309), negative silence (art. 261), remedies and their terms (arts. 342-346) and objective state liability (art. 190); CPCA N° 8508 on optional exhaustion and precautionary measures.

13 practice questions

Derecho Civil y Procesal Civil

Código Civil: solidarity never presumed (art. 638), subrogation between co-obligors (arts. 791-793), the obligation of passage (arts. 395-398), tort liability (art. 1045), tacit resolutory condition (art. 692), usucapión (arts. 853-860), decennial prescription (art. 868), confirmatory arras (art. 1058) and the bar on annulment for redhibitory defects (art. 1082); Código Procesal Civil on burden of proof, hearings, non-appearance and the proceso monitorio.

12 practice questions

Derecho Comercial

Código de Comercio N° 3284: S.R.L. quotas and the consent required to cede them (arts. 78, 85-86), sociedad anónima assemblies and organs (arts. 155-156, 181, 195), commercial surety without benefit of excussion (art. 509), fideicomiso and patrimonio autónomo (arts. 633-635), blank endorsement (art. 741), aval (arts. 755-757), exchange actions and their four-year prescription (arts. 787-795), cheque presentation terms (art. 830) and the four-year commercial prescription (art. 984).

13 practice questions

Derecho Penal y Procesal Penal

Código Penal N° 4573: structure of the offence, estado de necesidad (art. 27), the two requirements of legítima defensa (art. 28), estafa and its thresholds (art. 216), cohecho propio and the corruptor (arts. 348, 352), prevaricato (art. 357) and peculado (art. 361); Código Procesal Penal N° 7594: única persecución (art. 11), criterio de oportunidad (art. 22), legality of evidence (art. 181), prisión preventiva (art. 239) and procedimiento abreviado (arts. 373-375).

13 practice questions

Derecho Laboral y Procesal Laboral

Código de Trabajo N° 2 with the Reforma Procesal Laboral: subordination as the defining element (arts. 18-19), preaviso and cesantía scales (arts. 28-29), just cause (art. 81), pregnancy and nursing protection (arts. 94, 94 bis), working-day limits (arts. 136-139), vacations (arts. 153-156), aguinaldo under Ley N° 2412, free legal assistance (art. 454), the one-month prescription of the employer's disciplinary power (art. 414), burden of proof (art. 478) and strikes in essential services (art. 375 bis).

12 practice questions

Derecho de Familia y Procesal de Familia

Código de Familia N° 5476: gananciales and their exclusions (arts. 40-41), mutual-consent divorce through a convenio in escritura pública (art. 48 as reformed in 2025), maintenance and the December aguinaldo (arts. 164-165), unión de hecho of more than two years (art. 245); Código Procesal de Familia N° 9747 on apremio corporal and its gradual scale (arts. 283-285) and the child's right to be heard; Ley N° 7586 and Ley N° 8101.

How to Pass the Costa Rica Bar Licensure Exam Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: 80 / 100
Assessment: Single continuous in-person session from 09:00 to 12:00, with signature registration from 08:00, at the central seat in Zapote and around a dozen regional venues. The paper is objective, written and theoretical-practical, with at least 75 closed single-answer items covering the Deontología Jurídica course plus Derecho Constitucional, Laboral, Penal, Civil, Familia, Comercial and Administrativo and their procedural rules. Answers are marked on an optical sheet; the 2026 sitting moved to 14-point type and a letter-size answer sheet.
Time limit: 3 hours (09:00–12:00)
Exam fee: ₡39,550 CRC ordinary / ₡56,500 CRC extraordinary (adjusted 25 August 2026, up from ₡16,960 and ₡28,250)

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

Costa Rica Bar Licensure Exam Study Tips from Top Performers

1Work directly from the Código de Deberes Jurídicos, Morales y Éticos rather than from summaries: secreto profesional and its exceptions sit in articles 41 and 42, conflicts with former clients in article 44, resignation in article 46, and the 50% cuota litis ceiling in article 52.

2Learn the amparo period as the two-branch rule it actually is under article 35 LJC: any time while the violation subsists and up to two months after its direct effects cease, with the two months running from reliable notice only for purely patrimonial or waivable rights.

3Track the Reforma Procesal Laboral renumbering. The employer's right to dismiss for just cause now prescribes in one month under article 414 of the Código de Trabajo, and the burden of proof sits in article 478 — older study notes still cite the pre-2016 numbering.

4Family law changed twice recently: the Código Procesal de Familia (Ley N° 9747) repealed the Ley de Pensiones Alimentarias on 1 October 2022, moving apremio corporal to its article 283, and the unión de hecho provision is now article 245 of the Código de Familia, requiring more than two years.

5Watch the places where Costa Rica departs from the codes it is compared with: arras are presumed confirmatory under article 1058, article 1082 denies a general redhibitory action, and article 28 of the Código Penal requires only two circumstances for legítima defensa, with no 'lack of provocation' element.

6Memorise the commercial deadlines as a set: four years for commercial actions generally and for actions on a bill of exchange (arts. 984 and 795), and one, three or six months to present a cheque depending on where it was issued and payable (art. 830).

7Pace yourself against the real paper: at least 75 items in the 09:00–12:00 window leaves roughly two and a half minutes per question to read the facts, place the governing code and choose an answer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Examen de Excelencia Académica and who must take it in Costa Rica?

It is the written admission examination required for incorporation into the Colegio de Abogados y Abogadas de Costa Rica. Under the Reglamento para la Deontología Jurídica, Vigilancia y Excelencia Académica, every law graduate who wants to practise law in the country must approve the Curso de Deontología Jurídica and then pass this exam.

How many questions does the official exam have and what is the pass mark?

Article 11 of the Reglamento sets a floor rather than a fixed number: at least 75 closed single-answer questions drawn from a validated item bank. Candidates in the April 2026 sitting reported forms of 75 and 85 items applied in parallel. Article 17 scores the paper from 0 to 100 and requires a minimum of 80 points to pass.

Was the pass mark not lowered to 70?

A previous Junta Directiva agreed to lower it to 70, but on 8 January 2026 the incoming Junta Directiva revoked that agreement, holding that only the Asamblea General may amend the Reglamento. The pass mark of 80 therefore applies to every paper sat from that date, and the 10% bonus formerly granted for the Deontología course was also eliminated.

What areas of law are evaluated on the examination?

Article 11 lists the content of the Curso de Deontología Jurídica plus Derecho Constitucional, Laboral, Penal, Civil, Familia, Comercial and Administrativo with their respective procedural rules. The Colegio publishes a temario for each substantive area on its Campus Virtual, but it does not publish percentage weightings for the paper.

What is the registration fee and when is the exam held?

On 25 August 2026 the Colegio raised the ordinary registration fee from ₡16,960 to ₡39,550 (₡35,000 plus VAT) and the extraordinary fee from ₡28,250 to ₡56,500 (₡50,000 plus VAT), its first adjustment in five years. The published 2026 calendar had two sittings: 29 April and 30 September.

What are the eligibility requirements before registering for the exam?

Candidates must hold a Licenciatura en Derecho from a Costa Rican university, or a foreign degree equiparated by CONARE or the competent national authority, and must have approved the compulsory 30-hour Curso de Deontología Jurídica. That course approval is valid for one year for the purpose of sitting the exam; after that it must be repeated.

How long does the session last and how is it administered?

Signature registration runs from 08:00 to 09:00 and the paper is applied from 09:00 to 12:00 in a single continuous session, in person at the central seat in Zapote and at around a dozen regional venues. Answers are marked on an optical sheet, and candidates with a disability may request access adjustments, including extra time, through the Dirección Académica.

Why is this practice bank in English if the official exam is in Spanish?

The official examination is written and administered exclusively in Spanish. This bank is an English-language MCQ study adaptation built for bilingual practitioners, international researchers and students; it is not an official translation, not a simulation of the exam's format or language environment, and not a substitute for studying the Costa Rican sources. Statutory names, article numbers and local legal terms are kept in Spanish throughout.

What happens if a candidate does not reach 80 points?

Article 18 of the Reglamento allows recursos de revocatoria and apelación, filed within three working days of notification, and the candidate may review their paper at the Dirección Académica. Article 17 also states that a candidate who does not pass may register and sit the exam as many times as necessary, following the annual calendar approved by the Junta Directiva.