De Rechtspraak Analytical Test and Judge Selection
How the Dutch judiciary selects trainee judges, why the QCHV capacity test now comes before your letter, and how to prepare for it
The analytical test now comes first
The judiciary’s own selection page puts it in a heading: “Vanaf 6 januari 2026 maak je de analytische test voorafgaand aan je sollicitatie.” Before you can apply for a training place as a rechter or raadsheer in opleiding, you sit a capacity test and reach the required norm. Only then does a letter go to the Landelijke Selectiecommissie Rechters (LSR).
The test is the QCHV Capaciteiten Test, which the judiciary says measures cognitive capacities such as verbal thinking, logical reasoning and problem solving. It has four parts: analogieën, diagrammen, figuurreeksen and cijferreeksen. Assessio Bloom emails you an activation link, together with an instruction brochure containing practice items, and from that email you have six weeks to finish.
- Reach the norm and you can apply up to four times a year.
- Miss it and there is a one-year wait, counted from the day you finished the test.
- Miss it a second time and the wait is three years.
- It follows you. The judiciary says the score is weighed again at the assessment day, where you also sit a supervised check test.
What the QCHV parts look like
QCHV is the higher-education configuration of Assessio Bloom’s Q1000 Capaciteiten battery, the Dutch product line that used to be called eelloo. Assessio Bloom confirms that each question has its own time limit, shown as a progress bar at the top. The exact seconds below come from a Dutch preparation site rather than from Assessio, so treat them as well reported, not official:
- Diagrammen, about 25 seconds an item. Pick the Venn diagram that correctly shows how a set of words relate. The tightest clock in the battery, and where pacing is decided.
- Analogieën, about 50 seconds. A double analogy: fill two blanks, one word from each list.
- Cijferreeksen, about 70 seconds. A number series where you supply the last two numbers, not one.
- Figuurreeksen, about 60 seconds. Choose the figure that continues a sequence.
The same sources report that answers are final once you move on, unused seconds do not carry over, items run from easy to hard, and only correct answers count. A blank scores the same as a wrong answer, so always commit to something before the bar runs out. The four parts map onto familiar formats: see our guides to verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning and inductive reasoning.
The full route to a training place
The 2026 version of the selection page lists the elements in this order:
The psychologist’s advice is not decisive on its own; the LSR weighs it after the final interviews and gives its decision within two weeks. A negative decision at that stage means you cannot apply again for three years.
Which route, and when to apply
The judiciary offers 140 training places a year, and the length of your training depends on your legal experience:
- Rechter in opleiding, four years: two to six years of legal work experience.
- Rechter in opleiding, up to two years: at least six years.
- Very experienced candidates, one year: fifteen to twenty years.
- Raadsheer in opleiding, fifteen months to two years: at least ten years.
The preparation page publishes a calendar for each round. For training starting on 1 April 2027, applications ran from 14 September to 11 October 2026, the last day to sit the analytical test was 8 October, the assessment was in weeks 46 and 47 and the final interviews in weeks 48 and 49. The next round, starting 1 June 2027, takes applications from 7 December 2026 to 3 January 2027. The calendar contains a few typing errors, and the page mentions both four and five application moments a year, so check the dates for your round directly. Its own advice stands either way: “Plan de test daarom ruim vóór de sollicitatieperiode in.”
How to prepare
Practise against the clock on every item
A per-item clock punishes the habit most people bring from school tests, which is lingering on a hard question and making up the time later. Here there is no later. Decide quickly whether you can see the rule, answer, and move on.
Use the six weeks, but not all at the end
The window is generous. Work through Assessio Bloom’s brochure first, practise the four parts, then sit the real test well before the application deadline for your round, so a missed norm does not also cost you the round.
Sit it as you will sit the check test
The supervised check test at the assessment day compares your score with your home result. If the two differ significantly, you sit the full analytical test again. Help from anyone else at home only sets you up to fail that comparison.
Prepare examples for the final interviews
The LSR interviews use STARR, so bring concrete situations from your legal work with what you did and what came of it. Our STAR method guide covers the structure.
Practise the test
Q1000 Capaciteiten (~20 minutes) simulates the Q1000 battery on per-item clocks, strictly forward, with no review pass. Our Assessio practice hub explains the rest of Assessio’s range, including its Nordic tests.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who runs the Rechtspraak analytical test?
Since 6 January 2026, Assessio Bloom. The judiciary’s page says the activation link comes from Assessio Bloom by email. Older text on the same page that names LTP describes the previous procedure.
Can I retake the analytical test?
Yes, after a wait. A first fail means one year from the day you finished the test; a second fail means three years.
Is there a numerical part?
Yes. Cijferreeksen, a number series where you supply two numbers, is one of the four QCHV parts.
Do other jobs at the courts have tests?
Some do, but not this one. Gerechtsjurist vacancies on werkenbijderechtspraak.nl list their own steps, which can include a writing test and an online development assessment. Read the procedure in the vacancy you apply for.