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100+ Free King's Inns Entrance Examination Practice Questions

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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: King's Inns Entrance Examination Exam

5

Subject Papers (Contract, Criminal, Constitutional, Tort, Evidence)

The Honorable Society of King's Inns

Closed book

Laptop-Based, Invigilated Format

The Honorable Society of King's Inns

~EUR 600

Application Fee (incl. exam; EUR 1,000 late)

King's Inns (2026)

August

Annual Sitting (results early September)

The Honorable Society of King's Inns

Irish law

Jurisdiction Tested

The Honorable Society of King's Inns

100+

Practice Questions Here

OpenExamPrep question bank

The King's Inns Entrance Examination is the closed-book, laptop-based entry exam for the King's Inns Barrister-at-Law course, the path to becoming a barrister in Ireland. Candidates sit five written subject papers - Contract Law, Criminal Law, Irish Constitutional Law (Bunreacht na hEireann), the Law of Tort, and the Law of Evidence - each grounded in Irish primary sources and leading Supreme Court authority. The Law of Evidence is the distinctive subject, covering Woolmington on the burden of proof, hearsay and confessions, the DPP v JC exclusionary rule, and privilege. The exam is held in person at King's Inns each August, delivered on Moodle with a lockdown browser and human invigilation, with results in early September. The pass mark is set per subject by King's Inns and is not published as a fixed percentage, and pass rates are not published. Eligibility requires an approved law degree or the King's Inns Diploma in Legal Studies covering all five subjects, with an application fee of around EUR 600 that includes the entrance examination fee.

Sample King's Inns Entrance Examination Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your King's Inns Entrance Examination exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Under Irish contract law, what is required for a valid simple contract in addition to offer, acceptance and an intention to create legal relations?
A.Registration with the Companies Registration Office
B.Notarisation before a commissioner for oaths
C.Consideration moving from the promisee
D.Approval by the Director of Consumer Affairs
Explanation: A simple (non-deed) contract in Irish law requires consideration, which must move from the promisee but need not move to the promisor. Consideration is something of value given in exchange for the promise. Only contracts under seal (deeds) dispense with the consideration requirement.
2A shop displays a jacket in its window with a price tag of EUR50. In Irish contract law, the display is best classified as which of the following?
A.A binding offer that the customer accepts by pointing at it
B.A unilateral contract
C.A counter-offer
D.An invitation to treat
Explanation: A display of goods in a shop window or on a shelf is an invitation to treat, not an offer (Fisher v Bell; Pharmaceutical Society of GB v Boots). The customer makes the offer at the till, which the shop may accept or reject. This is settled common-law doctrine applied in Ireland.
3Under the postal rule as applied in Irish contract law, when is an acceptance sent by post generally effective?
A.When the offeror actually reads the letter
B.When the letter is delivered to the offeror's address
C.When the letter is properly posted
D.When the offeror acknowledges receipt
Explanation: The postal rule (Adams v Lindsell; Sanderson v Cunningham in Ireland) provides that acceptance is complete on proper posting where post is a reasonable means of communication. The rule is an exception to the general requirement that acceptance must be communicated. It can be displaced by the terms of the offer.
4Which statute requires that contracts for the sale of an interest in land be evidenced in writing in Ireland?
A.The Sale of Goods Act 1893
B.The Statute of Frauds (Ireland) 1695
C.The Consumer Rights Act 2022
D.The Civil Liability Act 1961
Explanation: The Statute of Frauds (Ireland) 1695 requires that contracts for the sale of land (and certain other contracts) be evidenced by a written note or memorandum signed by the party to be charged. An oral land contract is unenforceable, though equity may intervene through part performance. It remains in force in Irish law.
5In Irish contract law, a term that the parties did not expressly state but which the court reads in to give business efficacy to the contract is described as which of the following?
A.A condition precedent
B.An exemption clause
C.An implied term
D.A collateral warranty
Explanation: An implied term is one not expressly agreed but read into the contract, whether by fact (to give business efficacy, the officious-bystander test), by custom, or by statute. The Sale of Goods Acts 1893 and 1980 imply terms such as merchantable quality. Express and implied terms together form the contract.
6Under section 14 of the Sale of Goods Act 1893 (as amended by the 1980 Act), goods sold in the course of a business must be of which quality?
A.Perfect and flawless quality
B.Bespoke quality
C.Merchantable quality
D.Premium quality
Explanation: Section 14, as amended by the Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act 1980, implies a condition that goods sold in the course of a business are of merchantable quality. This means fit for the purpose for which goods of that kind are commonly bought, as is reasonable having regard to description and price. There is also an implied condition of fitness for a stated particular purpose.
7In Irish contract law, a representation that induces a contract but turns out to be false, made without fraud or negligence, gives rise to which type of misrepresentation?
A.Fraudulent misrepresentation
B.Negligent misrepresentation
C.Innocent misrepresentation
D.Collateral misrepresentation
Explanation: Innocent misrepresentation is a false statement made honestly and without negligence that induces the contract. The primary remedy is rescission, with the court having discretion to award damages in lieu under section 45 of the Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act 1980. Fraudulent misrepresentation requires knowledge of falsity (Derry v Peek).
8A bank manager pressures a vulnerable elderly customer into guaranteeing the debts of a third party against her own interests. Which vitiating factor is most likely to set the guarantee aside in Irish law?
A.Frustration
B.Mutual mistake
C.Privity
D.Undue influence
Explanation: Undue influence allows a contract to be set aside where one party exploits a relationship of trust and confidence to obtain an unfair advantage. Where the relationship gives rise to a presumption of undue influence, the dominant party must show the weaker party had independent advice. Irish courts apply principles drawn from cases such as Bank of Ireland v Smyth and Barclays Bank v O'Brien.
9Where, after a contract is formed, an unforeseen event without the fault of either party makes performance impossible or radically different, the contract may be discharged by which doctrine?
A.Frustration
B.Rescission
C.Repudiation
D.Novation
Explanation: The doctrine of frustration discharges a contract where a supervening event, not the fault of either party, makes performance impossible, illegal, or radically different from what was undertaken (Taylor v Caldwell; Neville & Sons v Guardian Builders). It operates automatically to terminate the contract from the date of the frustrating event. A contract is not frustrated merely because performance becomes harder or less profitable.
10Which rule governs the recoverability of damages for breach of contract by limiting recovery to losses arising naturally or within the reasonable contemplation of the parties?
A.The rule in Hadley v Baxendale
B.The rule in Rylands v Fletcher
C.The rule in Foss v Harbottle
D.The rule in Pinnel's Case
Explanation: The rule in Hadley v Baxendale governs remoteness of damage in contract. Recoverable losses are those arising naturally from the breach (the first limb) or those reasonably within the contemplation of both parties at the time of contracting (the second limb). Irish courts apply this test to limit consequential damages.

About the King's Inns Entrance Examination Exam

The King's Inns Entrance Examination is the entry examination for the King's Inns professional course leading to the Degree of Barrister-at-Law, the route to practising as a barrister in Ireland. It is administered by the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Dublin and is held annually, usually in August, with results released in early September. The examination consists of five written subject papers - Contract Law, Criminal Law, Irish Constitutional Law, the Law of Tort, and the Law of Evidence - all testing Irish law. It is an in-person, laptop-based exam delivered on Moodle through a lockdown browser, sat closed-book under human invigilation. Eligibility requires an approved law degree (or the King's Inns Diploma in Legal Studies) that covers each of the five required subjects.

Assessment

Question count not published by the exam provider

Time Limit

Five subject papers (written, closed-book)

Passing Score

Per-subject pass mark set by King's Inns (not published as a fixed percentage)

Exam Fee

EUR 600 application (incl. entrance exam; EUR 1,000 late) (The Honorable Society of King's Inns)

King's Inns Entrance Examination Exam Content Outline

20%

Contract Law

Irish law of contract: formation (offer, acceptance, consideration, intention to create legal relations), terms and exclusion clauses, vitiating factors (misrepresentation, mistake, duress, undue influence), illegality, discharge by performance and frustration, breach, and remedies including damages and specific performance

20%

Criminal Law

Irish criminal law: actus reus and mens rea, causation, inchoate offences (attempt, conspiracy, incitement), parties and complicity, homicide (murder and the partial defences to manslaughter), non-fatal offences under the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act 1997, property offences, and general defences

20%

Irish Constitutional Law

Bunreacht na hEireann (1937): the separation of powers, the Oireachtas, the Government and the President, the courts and judicial review of legislation, fundamental rights and the unenumerated-rights doctrine, and the constitutional amendment and referendum process (the two March 2024 referendums on family and care were both rejected)

20%

Law of Tort

The Irish approach to tort: negligence, duty of care and the Glencar Explorations test, breach and causation, occupiers' liability, nuisance and the rule in Rylands v Fletcher, trespass, vicarious liability, defamation under the Defamation Act 2009 (as amended), and remedies

20%

Law of Evidence

The distinctive subject: the burden and standard of proof (Woolmington v DPP), relevance and admissibility, the hearsay rule and its exceptions, the law on confessions, the DPP v JC test for unconstitutionally obtained evidence, opinion, character and similar-fact evidence, and the categories of privilege

How to Pass the King's Inns Entrance Examination Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Per-subject pass mark set by King's Inns (not published as a fixed percentage)
  • Assessment: Question count not published by the exam provider
  • Time limit: Five subject papers (written, closed-book)
  • Exam fee: EUR 600 application (incl. entrance exam; EUR 1,000 late)

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

King's Inns Entrance Examination Study Tips from Top Performers

1Treat each of the five papers as a separate exam with its own syllabus, cases, and answer structure - weakness in any single subject (Contract, Criminal, Constitutional, Tort, or Evidence) can hold back your overall result
2Because the exam is closed-book, learn the leading Irish authorities by name and ratio: Woolmington (burden of proof), Glencar Explorations (duty of care), and DPP v JC (the exclusionary rule for unconstitutionally obtained evidence)
3Give the Law of Evidence extra time - it is the distinctive and often hardest paper, so master hearsay, the confessions rules, the DPP v JC test, and the categories of privilege
4For Irish Constitutional Law, work directly from Bunreacht na hEireann and recent case law, and note that the two March 2024 referendums on family and care were both rejected
5Practise with the King's Inns past papers under timed, typed conditions on a laptop to mirror the Moodle lockdown-browser exam environment
6Build concise problem-question and essay templates for each subject so you can structure clear, well-cited answers quickly without the option of consulting materials

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the King's Inns Entrance Examination?

It is the entry examination for the King's Inns professional course leading to the Degree of Barrister-at-Law, which is the route to practising as a barrister in Ireland. It is administered by the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Dublin and usually takes place in August each year, with results released in early September. Candidates must pass five written subject papers covering core areas of Irish law.

What subjects are on the King's Inns Entrance Examination?

There are five subject papers: Contract Law, Criminal Law, Irish Constitutional Law, the Law of Tort, and the Law of Evidence. All test Irish law and primary sources, from Bunreacht na hEireann to leading Supreme Court authorities. The Law of Evidence is often regarded as the most distinctive paper, covering the burden of proof, hearsay, confessions, the DPP v JC exclusionary rule, and privilege.

Is the King's Inns Entrance Examination open book?

No. The examination is closed-book and human-invigilated. It is sat in person at King's Inns and is laptop-based, delivered on Moodle through a lockdown browser, with candidates typing their answers into the online exam paper. Because it is closed-book, success depends on a thorough command of all five subjects and a clear, well-rehearsed answer structure for each.

What are the eligibility requirements for the King's Inns Entrance Examination?

Applicants must hold an approved law degree (or approved postgraduate diploma) that covers the five required subjects, or hold the King's Inns Diploma in Legal Studies. Where a law degree does not cover all five subjects, candidates typically complete the Diploma in Legal Studies first. Applicants apply directly to the Honorable Society of King's Inns by the published deadline.

How much does it cost to sit the King's Inns Entrance Examination?

For 2026 the non-refundable application fee, which includes the entrance examination fee, is approximately EUR 600 if submitted before the end-of-May deadline. Late applications received in June are charged approximately EUR 1,000. Fees are set by King's Inns and can change, so candidates should confirm the current amount on the King's Inns website.

What is the passing score and pass rate for the King's Inns Entrance Examination?

King's Inns sets a per-subject pass mark for the examination, but it does not publish this as a single fixed percentage, and pass rates are not published. Candidates must reach the required standard in each of the five subject papers. Because the exam is competitive and rigorous, thorough preparation across all five subjects is essential.