Bar Council of India (BCI) has relaxed the no. of students appearing for All India Bar Examination (AIBE). It has, therefore, allowed final semester law students to appear for the AIBE without prior enrollment. The important candidates who can take benefit from this are those law students who are in the final semester of the 5-year LLB course which includes 10th semester law students and those law students who are in the final semester of the 3-year LLB course which includes 6th semester students. This crucial step shall further ease the process for law graduates who are all set to close their academic door, without further delay, to sit for the exam and get ahead in their legal profession. However, it's not the same for those students who would write out their final semester as 9th semester students of the 5 year programme and 5th semester students of the 3 year course are still disallowed from sitting for AIBE. The All India Bar Examination: Its Concept and Importance The AIBE is a qualifying examination made compulsory for every aspiring advocate who aspires to practice legal profession in India. Designed to test the candidate's knowledge and understanding of legal principles at the foundation, they traditionally needed to get enrolled with the State Bar Councils concerned before sitting for the AIBE, thus virtually ensuring that only law graduates or students in their last year of study could apply. However, to make room for the high demand of flexibility and also law students in the last stages of their academic or studies, the BCI deemed it prudent to alter the rules to allow those studying at a final semester stage to be allowed to sit for examination. Key Amendments and Eligibility Under the new rules, students who are currently in their 10th semester of the 5-year integrated LLB course and those in the 6th semester of the 3-year LLB program, can now register for the AIBE even before they finish their degrees or enroll with a State Bar Council. But this relaxation does not affect a student who is in his or her 9th semester from the 5-year course or the 5th semester from the 3-year program. At that time, he or she would be allowed to appear for the AIBE only when he or she reaches his or her final semester or completes his or her degree. Consequences for the Law Student It is positive change in the scenario for students who have only their final semester left as it will allow them to appear for AIBE, along with preparing for which, will accelerate the entry into the field of law. The advantage might be significantly high for already-prepared and keen students, who are eager to reduce waiting time after graduation for the commencement of their practice in law. Whereas, in case all the students of 9th and 5th semester are excluded from appearing for the exam, only those would be left for appearing for the exam who have nearly completed their legal education. In all likelihood, BCI regards this as a step to retain the class and preparedness of candidates appearing for AIBE.