Which Bar Criminal Litigation edition is valid for exams now?

2027: Current edition - published October 2026. Always check the edition against your exam sitting before buying.

Bar Criminal Litigation books

Q: Can I use last year's Bar Criminal Litigation edition?

Possibly - check what changed. Criminal Litigation is one of the two exams set centrally by the Bar Standards Board, sat in December, April and August, and the BSB checks its questions against Blackstone's Criminal Practice. OUP's Criminal Litigation and Sentencing Bar Manual ended with the 30th edition (2020), so it predates years of procedural and sentencing change - treat it as background only. Blackstone's itself is reissued every year; many providers include a copy in the course fee, so check what yours supplies before buying one.

The standard books for Bar Criminal Litigation from OUP - check which edition is worth buying, then get it used from someone who just passed.

Bar · Centralised exams

Can I use last year's Bar Criminal Litigation edition?

Possibly - check what changed

Criminal Litigation is one of the two exams set centrally by the Bar Standards Board, sat in December, April and August, and the BSB checks its questions against Blackstone's Criminal Practice.

Valid for exams now

2027 - Current edition - published October 2026

Every edition and publisher

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Criminal Litigation edition validity

Which Bar Criminal Litigation editions are valid for which exam sittings.

OUP Blackstone's Criminal Practice (book, supplements and eBook)
Current
2027 - Current edition - published October 2026
Publisher price new: £430
OUP Criminal Litigation and Sentencing Bar Manual
Superseded
30th ed (2020) - Final edition (discontinued) - out of date on procedure

Publisher	Product	Edition	Valid for exams	Status	Publisher price
OUP	Blackstone's Criminal Practice (book, supplements and eBook)	2027	Current edition - published October 2026	Current	£430
OUP	Criminal Litigation and Sentencing Bar Manual	30th ed (2020)	Final edition (discontinued) - out of date on procedure	Superseded	-

What changes between Criminal Litigation editions

Criminal Litigation is one of the two exams set centrally by the Bar Standards Board, sat in December, April and August, and the BSB checks its questions against Blackstone's Criminal Practice. OUP's Criminal Litigation and Sentencing Bar Manual ended with the 30th edition (2020), so it predates years of procedural and sentencing change - treat it as background only. Blackstone's itself is reissued every year; many providers include a copy in the course fee, so check what yours supplies before buying one.

Always double-check the edition against your exam sitting before buying. When in doubt, the Bar Standards Board's official syllabus documents are free and definitive.