Careers · Internship Exam
Internship exam preparation: how to get ready for the TRW Internship Exam
Internship exam preparation for the TRW Internship Exam: the syllabus by section, two- and four-week study plans, worked examples and a free 12-question practice paper.
The Legal 500 · Bangladesh: Intellectual property Tier 2 · Tax Tier 2 · Dispute resolution Tier 3
Internship exam preparation · 01
What the paper tests: the syllabus by section
Forty-five questions in sixty minutes, in four sections. Know what each section rewards before you start revising.
Good internship exam preparation starts with the structure of the paper. The TRW Internship Exam is an online, timed paper of 45 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes. To pass you need 70% overall and at least 50% in every section; 85% or more is a pass with distinction. Every candidate who passes is guaranteed an internship offer at TRW.
| Section | Questions | What it covers | Best preparation |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Legal foundations | 15 | Bangladesh law: the Constitution, civil and criminal procedure, evidence, the Penal Code, limitation and Bar Council rules | Read the provisions on bdlaws and drill TRW's free Bar Council Exam, which the section draws on |
| B. Legal reasoning | 12 | Applying a stated rule to facts, inference, assumptions and analogy | Timed logic practice; apply only the rule you are given |
| C. Drafting and English | 10 | Precision, ambiguity, defined terms, grammar in legal writing and tone with clients | Edit real clauses and emails; spot what could be read two ways |
| D. Commercial, international and ethics awareness | 8 | How business and cross-border legal work operate, professional ethics and confidentiality | Read business news and the Doing Business in Bangladesh guide; think through confidentiality scenarios |
How an attempt runs
Each candidate gets a different paper drawn at random from a private bank. You may sit once every 90 days.
A strong overall score does not rescue a weak section. If you score below 50% in any one section, the result is not a pass, even at 70% overall. Revise all four sections, including the short ones.
Internship exam preparation · 02
Study plans: two weeks or four weeks
Pick the plan that matches the time you have. Both end with a full timed practice run.
Plan around about 80 seconds per question: 60 minutes divided by 45 questions. Section A rewards recall, so spread it across the plan; Sections B to D reward technique, so practise them under time.
Two-week plan
- DiagnoseDays 1 to 2
Do the practice paper on this page untimed. Note which section is weakest.
- Constitution and procedureDays 3 to 6
Read the fundamental rights in Part III of the Constitution and drill Bar Council Exam questions on procedure, evidence and limitation.
- Reasoning and drafting drillsDays 3 to 10
Twenty minutes a day on rule-to-facts problems and ten on ambiguous sentences.
- Commercial and ethicsDays 7 to 10
Read two sections of the Doing Business in Bangladesh guide and write one-line answers to confidentiality scenarios.
- Timed runDays 11 to 12
Sit a 45-question mixed set in 60 minutes and review every wrong answer against the source.
- Close the gapsDays 13 to 14
Return to your weakest section, then rest the day before.
Four-week plan
- Week 1: foundationsWeek 1
Constitution guide and Part III rights; glossary for any unfamiliar terms; untimed practice paper.
- Week 2: procedure and evidenceWeek 2
Civil and criminal procedure, the Evidence Act and the Limitation Act through the Bar Council Exam bank; follow one Case Journey end to end.
- Week 3: techniqueWeek 3
Daily timed reasoning and drafting sets; rewrite two ambiguous clauses a day; one commercial reading a day.
- Week 4: rehearsalWeek 4
Two full timed runs, a review of every error, and light revision of Section A topics you missed.
If you have only a few days, do the practice paper, then spend most of the time on whichever section scored lowest. The 50% floor in each section makes your weakest section the best use of an hour.
Keep a one-page error log
- The question topic and section
- Why your answer was wrong: knowledge, misreading or timing
- The source provision or rule you should have applied
- A one-line fix to remember next time
Internship exam preparation · 03
Section A: legal foundations
Fifteen questions on Bangladesh law. The answer is always in a provision you can read, so revise from the text, not from memory of summaries.
Section A is drawn from the bank behind TRW's free Bar Council Exam, so practising there is the most direct preparation. Read each provision on bdlaws: the Constitution, the Code of Civil Procedure, the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Evidence Act, the Penal Code, the Limitation Act and the Bangladesh Legal Practitioners and Bar Council Order 1972.
How to answer a legal foundations question
- Name the statuteFirst 10 seconds
Identify which Act or Article the question is about before you read the options.
- Recall the exact ruleNext 20 seconds
Numbers, time limits and exceptions are where wrong options differ from the right one.
- Eliminate near-missesNext 30 seconds
Strike options that change one detail: a different time, a missing exception, a wrong authority.
- Commit and move onBy 80 seconds
Choose the best remaining option. Do not spend two minutes on one question.
Question: Under Article 35(2) of the Constitution, which is protected? (a) No person shall be prosecuted and punished for the same offence more than once. (b) No person shall be prosecuted twice on the same facts for any offence. (c) No person shall be punished more than once in the same year. (d) No person shall be tried without a jury. Method: the Article is about trial and punishment. Recall the text: 'No person shall be prosecuted and punished for the same offence more than once.' Option (b) widens it to 'same facts', (c) invents a time period and (d) is not in Article 35. Answer: (a).
High-yield reading for Section A
- Constitution, Part III fundamental rights (Articles 26 to 47A)
- Limitation Act 1908, sections 3 to 25
- Bar Council Order 1972, Article 27 (who may be admitted as an advocate)
- Key definitions in the Evidence Act and the Penal Code
- Use the glossary at https://trw.co/legal-tools/bangladesh-legal-glossary/ for unfamiliar terms
- Constitution of Bangladesh, Article 35 (protection in respect of trial and punishment)
- Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, bdlaws
- Code of Civil Procedure 1908, bdlaws
- Code of Criminal Procedure 1898, bdlaws
- Evidence Act 1872, bdlaws
- Penal Code 1860, bdlaws
- Limitation Act 1908, bdlaws
- Bangladesh Legal Practitioners and Bar Council Order 1972, bdlaws
- TRW & Co: Bar Council Exam (free question bank)
- TRW & Co: Bangladesh legal glossary
Internship exam preparation · 04
Sections B, C and D: method and worked examples
These sections test how you think and write, not what you have memorised. Each question gives you what you need.
| Section | Typical question | Approach |
|---|---|---|
| B. Legal reasoning | Apply a rule to facts; find an assumption; spot a flawed inference; pick the closest analogy | Use only the rule as stated. Ask what the rule says, what it does not say, and whether every condition is met. |
| C. Drafting and English | Find the ambiguity; choose the most precise clause; fix a defined term; choose the right tone | Read every word as a judge would. Prefer the option with one possible meaning. |
| D. Commercial and ethics | How a deal or cross-border matter works; what to do with confidential information | Protect the client's information and interests first, then pick the most practical commercial answer. |
Rule: 'A buyer who reports a defect within 7 days of delivery is entitled to a replacement.' Facts: Karim reports a defect on day 9. Which follows? (a) Karim must pay for repairs. (b) The rule does not entitle Karim to a replacement. (c) Karim can never get a replacement. (d) The seller acted in bad faith. Answer: (b). The rule grants a right when its condition is met; it says nothing about what happens otherwise, so (a) and (c) go beyond it and (d) has no basis in the facts.
Clause: 'The Tenant shall pay the deposit and the first month's rent within 7 days, or such other period as the Landlord agrees, in writing.' Question: what is ambiguous? Answer: whether 'in writing' requires the Landlord's agreement to be written or the payment to be made in writing. A precise version: 'within 7 days, or such other period as the Landlord agrees in writing.'
During your internship, a relative asks whether a well-known company is a client of the firm. Best answer: politely decline to say anything about who the firm acts for. Whether someone is a client can itself be confidential, so 'I can't discuss the firm's work' is the safe and correct response.
Reading a reasoning question in four moves
- 01Read the rule first
Underline every condition and every consequence it states.
- 02Match the facts
Check each condition against the facts, one at a time.
- 03Stay inside the rule
Reject options that rely on outside knowledge or assume what the rule does not say.
- 04Watch the clock
If two options remain after a minute, choose the narrower one and move on.
Internship exam preparation · 05
Using TRW's free tools
Everything you need for Section A, and much of the context for Section D, is free on trw.co.
| Tool | Link | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Bar Council Exam | https://trw.co/bar-council-exam/ | Section A: the bank behind the legal foundations questions |
| Constitution guide | https://trw.co/constitution-of-bangladesh/ | Section A: fundamental rights and the structure of the courts |
| Case Journeys | https://trw.co/case-journeys/ | Sections A and B: how a case moves through procedure, step by step |
| Legal glossary | https://trw.co/legal-tools/bangladesh-legal-glossary/ | Sections A and C: precise meanings of legal terms |
| Doing Business in Bangladesh | https://trw.co/legal-tools/doing-business-in-bangladesh/ | Section D: how companies, investment and cross-border work operate |
A weekly routine with the tools
- Two Bar Council Exam setsMonday and Thursday
Do them timed and log every miss.
- One Constitution topicTuesday
Read the guide, then the Articles themselves on bdlaws.
- One Case JourneyWednesday
Follow a case from filing to decision and note each procedural step.
- Ten glossary termsFriday
Write each term into a sentence of your own.
- One Doing Business chapterWeekend
Summarise it in five lines as if for a client.
Make the tools count
- Check every answer against the provision it cites
- Re-sit missed questions after three days
- Write your own summaries; do not copy
- Keep the error log from the study plan up to date
Internship exam preparation · 06
Practice paper: 12 questions
Three questions from each section, written for this page. They are not taken from the live exam bank, so use them to practise method, not to predict questions.
Allow 16 minutes, about 80 seconds a question, to match the pace of the real paper. Answer all twelve before checking the explanations.
Practice paper (12 questions)
0 / 12 correct · 0 answered
Legal foundations
01Under Article 33(2) of the Constitution of Bangladesh, a person arrested and detained in custody must be produced before the nearest magistrate within what period?
Article 33(2) requires production before the nearest magistrate within twenty-four hours of arrest, excluding the time necessary for the journey, and no detention beyond that period without a magistrate's authority.
Legal foundations
02A suit is filed after the period of limitation in the First Schedule has expired, and the defendant does not raise limitation. Subject to sections 4 to 25, what does section 3 of the Limitation Act 1908 require?
Section 3 provides that every suit instituted after the prescribed period shall be dismissed, although limitation has not been set up as a defence. The court must apply it of its own motion.
Legal foundations
03Under Article 27(1) of the Bangladesh Legal Practitioners and Bar Council Order 1972, what minimum age must a person have completed to be qualified for admission as an advocate?
Article 27(1)(b) requires the applicant to have completed the age of twenty-one years, alongside citizenship, a qualifying law degree, the Bar Council examination and the enrolment fee.
Legal reasoning
04Rule: 'A tenant who gives at least 30 days' written notice may end the lease without penalty.' Rina gives a signed written notice 25 days before she leaves. Based only on the rule, which statement is correct?
The rule gives protection only when both conditions are met. Rina's notice was written but too short. The rule does not say a penalty must follow, so 'must pay a penalty' goes beyond it.
Legal reasoning
05'Missed filing deadlines fell after the firm introduced its new diary system, so the new system caused the fall.' Which assumption does this argument depend on?
Concluding cause from sequence assumes no other factor, such as more staff or fewer cases, explains the fall. The other options are irrelevant or contradict the facts.
Legal reasoning
06'Every contract signed by a director binds the company. This contract binds the company. Therefore a director signed it.' What is wrong with this reasoning?
The premise says director-signed contracts bind the company, not that they are the only ones that do. Another authorised person may have signed. This is the error of affirming the consequent.
Drafting and English
07Clause: 'The Supplier shall deliver the Goods to the Buyer's warehouse or office in Dhaka.' What is the main ambiguity?
The phrase 'in Dhaka' could qualify only 'office' or both places. A precise clause would say 'to the Buyer's warehouse in Dhaka or the Buyer's office in Dhaka', or name the addresses.
Drafting and English
08A contract defines 'Confidential Information' in clause 1. Which later sentence is drafted most precisely?
Using the defined term exactly, with its capitals, imports the agreed definition. The other options use undefined words, add vague extras or weaken the obligation with 'should try'.
Drafting and English
09A client emails: 'Will we definitely win this case?' Which reply has the right tone and substance?
A good reply is honest that no result can be guaranteed while remaining helpful and specific. Option one overpromises; options two and three are unhelpful and dismissive.
Commercial and ethics
10A letter of intent says: 'This letter is not legally binding, except clause 6 (Confidentiality) and clause 7 (Governing law).' Based only on this wording, which obligations bind the parties?
The letter expressly carves out clauses 6 and 7 from the non-binding statement, so those clauses bind and the rest does not. Reading the exception carefully is the point of the question.
Commercial and ethics
11As an intern, you helped on an interesting transaction. You want to post about it on social media. What should you do?
Details can identify a client even without a name, and a private group is still disclosure. Confidentiality covers what you learn at work, and a press announcement does not release the details you learned privately.
Commercial and ethics
12A friend tells you they are suing a company, and asks you, an intern at the firm acting for that company, what the firm thinks of their claim. What is the right response?
You must not disclose anything about a client's matter, including impressions, and the firm cannot act against its own client. Telling your supervisor lets the firm manage the approach properly.
As a guide to the real pass rules, aim for at least 9 of 12 overall and at least 2 of 3 in each section. If one section lets you down, return to its chapter on this page.
After you mark it
- Look up each Section A answer in the provision cited
- Write down why each wrong option was wrong
- Add every miss to your error log
- Repeat the paper in a week without looking at your notes
Internship exam preparation · 07
Exam day checklist and common mistakes
Most lost marks come from timing and misreading, not lack of knowledge. Set up properly and pace the hour.
Before you start
- A reliable internet connection and a charged device
- A quiet room where you will not be interrupted for 60 minutes
- Only the exam tab open: switching tabs is recorded
- Read and accept the honour code: the attempt must be your own work, without help
- Water, and nothing else on the desk
Pacing the 60 minutes
The paper submits itself when time runs out, with the answers you have given.
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Revising only Section A | Practise B, C and D under time; each has a 50% floor |
| Using outside knowledge in reasoning questions | Apply only the rule you are given |
| Missing a single changed word in an option | Compare options line by line for numbers, exceptions and qualifiers |
| Spending three minutes on one question | Commit to a best answer at about 80 seconds |
| Choosing the friendliest client reply | Choose the reply that is accurate, clear and helpful |
| Revising from summaries only | Read the provision itself on bdlaws |
You can sit again after 90 days. Use the result to find the weak section, then follow the four-week plan above.
Internship exam preparation · 08
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about preparing for the TRW Internship Exam.
Frequently asked questions
How long should my internship exam preparation take?
Two weeks is enough if your Bangladesh law foundations are fresh; allow four weeks if they are not. Both plans are set out on this page.
Are the practice questions on this page in the real exam?
No. They were written for this guide. The real paper is drawn at random from a private bank, so each candidate gets a different paper.
Which resource helps most with Section A?
TRW's free Bar Council Exam at trw.co/bar-council-exam, because Section A draws on the same bank. Check each answer against the provision on bdlaws.
Do I need to know English or UK law?
No. Section A covers Bangladesh law. Sections B and C give you the rules or text you need, and Section D tests general commercial, cross-border and ethics awareness.
What score do I need?
At least 70% overall and at least 50% in every section. A score of 85% or more is a pass with distinction.
What happens if I pass?
You are guaranteed an internship offer at TRW, confirmed after a document check and a short onboarding call. The guarantee lasts 12 months from your pass date.
How often can I sit the exam?
Once every 90 days.
From preparation to internship
Internships run for 4 to 8 weeks at the Dhaka head office.
For the steps to enrolment as an advocate, see trw.co/careers/how-to-become-a-lawyer-in-bangladesh.
Pass the exam. Your internship is guaranteed.
One 60-minute online exam for law students and recent graduates. Pass with 70% overall and at least 50% in every section, and your internship offer at TRW & Co is guaranteed.
TRW & Co · House 410, Road 29, Mohakhali DOHS, Dhaka 1206 · General information, not legal advice.
