The number of candidates who have signed up for this year's national judicial examination has dropped to just over half last year's figure.

According to the Ministry of Justice, more than 197,000 people have signed up for the October 11 and 12 examination, which holds the key to becoming a judge, prosecutor or lawyer. Last year, the figure was more than 360,000.

Before that, one of the exam's predecessors was the annual lawyer's qualification test, which had achieved record high numbers of candidates every year since the mid-1990s.

The ministry attributed this year's dramatic drop to the stricter criteria for sitting the test.

"There has been a drop in the number of candidates due to the changes in policies and the stricter criteria," said a ministry official who refused to be named. "However, their (the candidates') overall competitiveness is improving since there is now an increasing number of young candidates who have studied at law school and received professional training."

The official said that stricter criteria will help guarantee a high degree of proficiency among China's judges, prosecutors and lawyers and promote judicial fairness and efficiency.

Ministry figures indicate that nearly 89 per cent of this year's candidates have received at least four years of university education, while 74 per cent of all the candidates have majored in law.

Those who had graduated from a three-year course at junior college or university could sat the national test last year, but the minimum educational requirement has now raised to four years of undergraduate university studies in all cities, with exceptions made for some remote counties lacking in advanced educational facilities.

Of this year's candidates, 34 per cent have done legal work, such as in law firms or government departments, according to ministry statistics.

During the two-day examination, the candidates will be tested on their knowledge of jurisprudence, laws and regulations as well as the ability to apply this knowledge to cases. The test will also include professional ethics, an issue that has attracted increasing attention.

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