Selection for the Position of a Judge of the Local Court: Overall Results of the Qualification Exam in the Specialisation of the Local Commercial Court

Selection for the Position of a Judge of the Local Court: Overall Results of the Qualification Exam in the Specialisation of the Local Commercial Court

By Decisions of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine of
December 11, 2024, a selection of candidates for the position of a judge of a local court was announced, taking into account 1,800 projected vacant positions of judges in local courts, and applications were opened for judges who have expressed their intention to be transferred to another local court.

In total, 9,339 persons applied to the Commission, of whom 2,938 intended to sit the exam in the commercial specialisation (2,791 candidates for the position of judge and 147 judges who have expressed their intention to be transferred to another local court).

By Decision of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine of May 12, 2025 (as amended), the qualification exam was scheduled for candidates for the position of a judge of a local court and for judges who have expressed an intention to be transferred to another local court, and the following sequence of stages for its conduct was established:

the first stage – test on knowledge of the history of Ukrainian statehood;

the second stage – test on general knowledge in the field of law and knowledge in the relevant court specialisation;

the third stage – test of cognitive abilities;

the fourth stage – completion of a practical assignment in the relevant court specialisation.

A total of 2,601 persons were admitted to the test on knowledge of the history of Ukrainian statehood (exam in the commercial specialisation).

Composition of participants:

1. judges of local courts – 140:

• judges of administrative courts – 4;
• judges of commercial courts – 14;
• judges of general courts – 122;

2. candidates for the position of a judge – 2,461:

• court staff – 709;
• prosecution staff – 541;
• attorneys – 381;
• military personnel – 109;
• other specialists – 721.

The overall gender distribution of participants admitted to the first stage of the qualification exam and intending to sit the exam in the commercial specialisation was balanced:

women – 50%;

men – 50%.

Age distribution of participants admitted to the first stage of the qualification exam – test on knowledge of the history of Ukrainian statehood – and intending to sit the exam in the commercial specialisation

* age at the time of submission of documents for participation in the selection procedure
No. z/p	Place of work	From 30 to 35 years (persons*)	From 36 to 40 years (persons*)	41 years and over (persons*)	TOTAL
1.	Judges of local courts	0	54	86	140
1.1.	Judges of administrative courts	0	4	0	4
1.2.	Judges of commercial courts	0	6	8	14
1.3.	Judges of general courts	0	44	78	122
2.	Candidates for the position of a judge	960	863	638	2,461
2.1.	Court staff	312	257	140	709
2.2.	Prosecution staff	255	177	109	541
2.3.	Attorneys	129	129	123	381
2.4.	Military personnel	31	41	37	109
2.5.	Other specialists	233	259	229	721
TOTAL		960	917	724	2,601

 

As a result of the first stage of the qualification exam – the test on knowledge of the history of Ukrainian statehood – a total of 2,237 persons were admitted to the second stage of the qualification exam, namely the test on general knowledge in the field of law and knowledge in the specialisation of the local commercial court.

Composition of participants:

1. judges of local courts – 118:

• judges of administrative courts – 4;
• judges of commercial courts – 7;
• judges of general courts – 107;

2. candidates for the position of a judge – 2,119:

• court staff – 648;
• prosecution staff – 463;
• attorneys – 312;
• military personnel – 90;
• other specialists – 606.

The overall gender distribution of participants admitted to the second stage of the qualification exam is relatively balanced:

women – 51%;

men – 49%.

Age distribution of participants admitted to the second stage of the qualification exam – test on general knowledge in the field of law and knowledge in the specialisation of the local commercial court

* age at the time of submission of documents for participation in the selection procedure
No. z/p	Place of work	From 30 to 35 years (persons*)	From 36 to 40 years (persons*)	41 years and over (persons*)	TOTAL
1.	Judges of local courts	0	47	71	118
1.1.	Judges of administrative courts	0	4	0	4
1.2.	Judges of commercial courts	0	4	3	7
1.3.	Judges of general courts	0	39	68	107
2.	Candidates for the position of a judge	846	741	532	2,119
2.1.	Court staff	290	236	122	648
2.2.	Prosecution staff	220	150	93	463
2.3.	Attorneys	110	106	96	312
2.4.	Military personnel	26	35	29	90
2.5.	Other specialists	200	214	192	606
TOTAL		846	788	603	2,237

 

As a result of the second stage of the qualification exam – test on general knowledge in the field of law and knowledge in the specialisation of a local commercial court – a total of 751 persons were admitted to the third stage of the qualification exam, namely test of cognitive abilities (specialisation of the local commercial court).

Composition of participants:

1. judges of local courts – 54:

• judges of administrative courts – 2;
• judges of commercial courts – 4;
• judges of general courts – 48;

2. candidates for the position of a judge – 697:

• court staff – 254;
• prosecution staff – 139;
• attorneys – 104;
• other specialists – 177;
• military personnel – 23.

Among the participants admitted to the third stage of the qualification exam, there is a higher proportion of women: women – 53%, men – 47% of the total number of participants.

Age distribution of participants admitted to the third stage of the qualification exam – test of cognitive abilities (specialisation of the local commercial court)

* age at the time of submission of documents for participation in the selection procedure
No. z/p	Place of work	From 30 to 35 years	From 36 to 40 years	41 years and over	TOTAL
		(persons*)	(persons*)	(persons*)	(persons*)
1.	Judges of local courts	0	22	32	54
1.1.	Judges of administrative courts	0	2	0	2
1.2.	Judges of commercial courts	0	2	2	4
1.3.	Judges of general courts	0	18	30	48
2.	Candidates for the position of a judge	298	241	158	697
2.1.	Court staff	118	99	37	254
2.2.	Prosecution staff	70	43	26	139
2.3.	Attorneys	43	34	27	104
2.4.	Military personnel	10	6	7	23
2.5.	Other specialists	57	59	61	177
TOTAL		298	263	190	751

 

As a result of the third stage of the qualification exam – test of cognitive abilities (specialisation of the local commercial court) – a total of 411 persons were admitted to the fourth stage of the qualification exam, namely the completion of the practical assignment in the specialisation of a local commercial court.

Composition of participants:

1. judges of local courts – 22:

• judges of administrative courts – 1;
• judges of commercial courts – 3;
• judges of general courts – 18;

2. candidates for the position of a judge – 389:

• court staff – 134;
• prosecution staff – 90;
• attorneys – 54;
• military personnel – 16;
• other specialists – 95.

Among the participants admitted to the fourth stage of the qualification exam, women predominate, accounting for 52%, men – 48% of the total number of participants.

Age distribution of participants admitted to the fourth stage of the qualification exam – completion of the practical assignment in the specialisation of the local commercial court

* age at the time of submission of documents for participation in the selection procedure
No. z/p	Place of work	From 30 to 35 years	From 36 to 40 years	41 years and over	TOTAL
		(persons*)	(persons*)	(persons*)	(persons*)
1.	Judges of local courts	0	10	12	22
1.1.	Judges of administrative courts	0	1	0	1
1.2.	Judges of commercial courts	0	1	2	3
1.3.	Judges of general courts	0	8	10	18
2.	Candidates for the position of a judge	195	128	66	389
2.1.	Court staff	74	50	10	134
2.2.	Prosecution staff	51	28	11	90
2.3.	Attorneys	28	16	10	54
2.4.	Military personnel	6	5	5	16
2.5.	Other specialists	36	29	30	95
TOTAL		195	138	78	411

 

Successful completion of the practical assignment in the specialisation of a local commercial court

A total of 406 persons appeared to perform the practical assignment:

1. judges of local courts – 22 persons:

• judges of administrative courts – 1 person;
• judges of commercial courts – 3 persons;
• judges of general courts – 18 persons;

2. candidates for the position of a judge – 384 persons:

• court staff – 132 persons;
• prosecution staff – 88 persons;
• attorneys – 53 persons;
• other specialists – 95 persons;
• military personnel – 16 persons.

5 persons did not appear.

The minimum passing score for the practical assignment is 112,5 points.

The maximum possible score for the practical assignment is 150 points.

Success rate of the fourth stage of the qualification exam

“Completion of the practical assignment in the specialisation of the local commercial court”

No. z/p	Place of work	112 points and less		From 112,5 to 120 points		From 120,5 to 130 points		From 130,5 points and over		TOTAL
		pers.	%*	pers.	%*	pers.	%*	pers.	%*	pers.	%*
1.	Judges of local courts	4	18%	5	23%	12	55%	1	5%	22	100%
1.1.	Judges of administrative courts	0	0%	0	0%	1	100%	0	0%	1	4%
1.2.	Judges of commercial courts	1	33%	0	0%	1	33%	1	33%	3	14%
1.3.	Judges of general courts	3	17%	5	28%	10	56%	0	0%	18	82%
2.	Candidates for the position of a judge	83	22%	151	39%	137	36%	13	3%	384	100%
2.1.	Court staff	23	17%	50	38%	52	39%	7	5%	132	34%
2.2.	Prosecution staff	25	28%	43	49%	20	23%	0	0%	88	23%
2.3.	Attorneys	9	17%	16	30%	25	47%	3	6%	53	14%
2.4.	Military personnel	4	25%	5	31%	7	44%	0	0%	16	4%
2.5.	Other specialists	22	23%	37	39%	33	35%	3	3%	95	25%
TOTAL		87	21%	156	38%	149	37%	14	3%	406	100%

As a result of the fourth stage of the qualification exam – completion of the practical assignment in the specialisation of a local commercial court – a total of 319 persons successfully passed the qualification exam.

Composition of participants:

a) judges of local courts – 18 (or 82% of those who completed the practical assignment):

• judges of administrative courts – 1;
• judges of commercial courts – 2;
• judges of general courts – 15;

b) candidates for the position of a judge – 301 (or 78% of those who completed the practical assignment):

• court staff – 109;
• prosecution staff – 63;
• attorneys – 44;
• other specialists – 73;
• military personnel – 12.

Gender distribution of participants who successfully passed the qualification exam (specialisation of the local commercial court)

No. z/p	Place of work	Women		Men		TOTAL
		persons	%*	persons	%*	persons	%*
1.	Judges of local courts	9	50%	9	50%	18	100%
1.1.	Judges of administrative courts	0	0%	1	100%	1	6%
1.2.	Judges of commercial courts	0	0%	2	100%	2	11%
1.3.	Judges of general courts	9	60%	6	40%	15	83%
2.	Candidates for the position of a judge	151	50%	150	50%	301	100%
2.1.	Court staff	63	58%	46	42%	109	36%
2.2.	Prosecution staff	32	51%	31	49%	63	21%
2.3.	Attorneys	18	41%	26	59%	44	15%
2.4.	Military personnel	1	8%	11	92%	12	4%
2.5.	Other specialists	37	51%	36	49%	73	24%
TOTAL		160	50%	159	50%	319	100%

 

Among the participants who successfully passed the qualification exam (specialisation of the local commercial court), the gender distribution was balanced:

women – 160 (50%);

men – 159 (50%).

The highest proportion of women was recorded among court staff – 58%; the highest proportion of men was observed among military personnel – 92%.

Overall, the results indicate an adequate level of gender representation in the selection procedure.

Age distribution of participants who successfully passed the qualification exam (specialisation of the local commercial court)

*age at the time of submission of documents for participation in the selection procedure
No. z/p	Place of work	From 30 to 35 years		From 36 to 40 years		41 years and over		TOTAL
		persons*	%*	persons*	%*	persons*	%*	persons*	%*
1.	Judges of local courts	0	0%	10	56%	8	44%	18	100%
1.1.	Judges of administrative courts	0	0%	1	100%	0	0%	1	6%
1.2.	Judges of commercial courts	0	0%	1	50%	1	50%	2	11%
1.3.	Judges of general courts	0	0%	8	53%	7	47%	15	83%
2.	Candidates for the position of a judge	154	51%	101	34%	46	15%	301	100%
2.1.	Court staff	61	56%	40	37%	8	7%	109	36%
2.2.	Prosecution staff	35	56%	22	35%	6	10%	63	21%
2.3.	Attorneys	24	55%	14	32%	6	14%	44	15%
2.4.	Military personnel	4	33%	4	33%	4	33%	12	4%
2.5.	Other specialists	30	41%	21	29%	22	30%	73	24%
TOTAL		154	48%	111	35%	54	17%	319	100%

 

Judges of local courts who have expressed an intention to be transferred to another local court are predominantly aged between 36 and 40 (56%); there are no persons under the age of 36 among them.

Among candidates for the position of a judge, 85% are under 41 years of age.

Court staff, prosecution staff, and attorneys constitute the youngest categories: within the 30–35 age group, they account for 56%, 56%, and 55% respectively.

Following the results of stage IV of the qualification exam – the completion of the practical assignment in the specialisation of the local commercial court – by its Decision of August 04, 2026, the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine admitted 298 candidates for the position of a judge of the local commercial court to the special background check, having obtained the passing score in the qualification exam in the specialisation of the local commercial court. The Commission took into account the results of the special background checks conducted pursuant to the Commission’s Decision     No. 37/zp-26 of April 01, 2026 in respect of 58 candidates for the position of a judge of the local commercial court and local administrative court. The participation in the selection process for the position of a judge of the local court of 3 candidates who obtained the passing score in the qualification exam in the specialisation of the local commercial court has been terminated..

Regional distribution of participants who successfully passed the qualification exam (specialisation of the local commercial court)

No. z/p	Region	Judges		Candidates for the position of a judge (persons)												TOTAL
		(persons)		Courts		Prosecution		Attorneys		Military		Other specialists		Total
		pers.	%	pers.	%	pers.	%	pers.	%	pers.	%	pers.	%	pers.	%	pers.	%
1	Vinnytsia Oblast	0	0%	2	33%	2	33%	2	33%	0	0%	0	0%	6	100%	6	2%
2	Volyn Oblast	1	9%	4	40%	3	30%	1	10%	0	0%	2	20 %	10	91%	11	3%
3	Dnipropetrovsk Oblast	1	3%	5	14%	8	23%	6	17%	1	3%	15	43 %	35	97 %	36	11%
4	Donetsk Oblast	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0 %	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
5	Zhytomyr Oblast	1	9%	3	30%	5	50%	1	10%	0	0%	1	10 %	10	91 %	11	3%
6	Transcarpathian Oblast	1	13%	4	57%	1	14%	1	14%	0	0%	1	14%	7	88%	8	3%
7	Zaporizhzhia Oblast	0	0%	0	0%	1	25%	2	50 %	0	0%	1	25 %	4	100 %	4	1%
8	Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast	2	20%	2	25%	4	50%	2	25%	0	0%	0	0%	8	80%	10	3%
9	Kyiv Oblast	2	7%	10	38%	2	8%	7	27 %	1	4%	6	23 %	26	93 %	28	9%
10	Kirovohrad Oblast	1	20%	2	50%	1	25%	0	0 %	0	0%	1	25%	4	80 %	5	2%
11	Luhansk Oblast	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0 %	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
12	Lviv Oblast	0	0%	11	38%	3	10%	4	14%	2	7%	9	31 %	29	100 %	29	9%
13	Mykolaiv Oblast	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0 %	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
14	Odesa Oblast	1	4%	10	37%	4	15%	5	19%	0	0%	8	30 %	27	96 %	28	9%
15	Poltava Oblast	0	0%	0	0%	4	44%	0	0%	2	22%	3	33 %	9	100%	9	3%
16	Rivne Oblast	0	0%	9	53%	3	18%	2	12%	1	6%	2	12 %	17	100%	17	5%
17	Sumy Oblast	1	14%	1	17%	2	33%	2	33%	0	0%	1	17 %	6	86%	7	2%
18	Ternopil Oblast	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	1	25%	0	0%	3	75 %	4	100%	4	1%
19	Kharkiv Oblast	2	11%	10	63%	3	19%	0	0%	1	6%	2	13 %	16	89%	18	6%
20	Kherson Oblast	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	1	100%	1	100%	1	1%
21	Khmelnytskyi Oblast	0	0%	2	40%	2	40%	0	0%	0	0%	1	20%	5	100%	5	2%
22	Cherkasy Oblast	2	33%	1	25%	1	25%	1	25%	0	0%	1	25%	4	67%	6	2%
23	Chernivtsi Oblast	2	50%	1	50%	0	0%	0	0%	1	50%	0	0%	2	50%	4	1%
24	Chernihiv Oblast	0	0%	2	33%	3	50%	0	0%	0	0%	1	17%	6	100%	6	2%
25	Kyiv City	1	2%	30	46%	11	17%	7	11%	3	5%	14	22%	65	98%	66	21%
TOTAL		18	6%	109	36%	63	21%	44	15%	12	4%	73	24%	301	94%	319	100%

 

The Kyiv City confidently leads in terms of the number of persons seeking to become judges, accounting for 21% of all participants.

The highest level of participation among candidates for the position of a judge was recorded in the Kyiv City, as well as in Dnipropetrovsk, Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa Oblasts, which together account for 59% of the total number of candidates.