Public Prosecution Test Content: Three Parts, Four Units and References

Last information check: 1 November 2026. Test details can change, so check the archived Public Prosecution professional test page from the Qiyas website. This is an independent study guide, not affiliated with Qiyas, the Public Prosecution or any government body.

The Public Prosecution test is the professional test taken by candidates for the Investigation Lieutenant job. Qiyas runs it according to the candidate records the Public Prosecution sends. It has 149 multiple-choice questions and lasts 2 hours 30 minutes. There is no pass mark; your score is sent to the Public Prosecution to rank candidates.

The three parts of the test

In the practice tests on this site we split the 149 questions across four units: verbal 30, quantitative 30, Sharia sciences 45 and law 44. The two personal skills and traits sections have no right or wrong answers, so we do not write questions for them.

The four units and their topics

Verbal ability (30 questions)

• Verbal analogy: apply the relation in the first pair to one of the options; the words may be legal or Sharia terms.
• Sentence completion: choose the word or phrase that makes the meaning and structure work.
• Contextual error: the word that does not fit the sentence.
• Odd word out: the word that breaks the relation shared by the others.
• Reading comprehension: the main idea and what the text implies.
• Word meaning in context: the meaning a word takes from its place in the sentence.

Quantitative ability (30 questions)

• Arithmetic, fractions and ratios: percentages, fractions, ratio and proportion.
• Algebra and equations: simple equations and inequalities.
• Geometry: areas, perimeters and angles.
• Statistics and data analysis: averages, tables and charts.
• Quantitative comparison: compare two quantities without full calculation.
• Word problems and sequences: speed, time and work, and number patterns.

Calculators are not allowed in the test, so practise calculating with pen and paper.

Sharia sciences (45 questions)

• Principles of jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh): the sources, how wording indicates meaning, and the Sharia ruling.
• Legal maxims: the general maxims and how they apply.
• Hudud offences: the rulings and conditions of the hudud crimes.
• Offences against the person and retaliation (qisas): harm to life and limb, and the rules of qisas.
• Blood money, expiation and qasama: the amounts of blood money and the rules of expiation and qasama.
• Ta'zir and general rules of crime: discretionary penalties, the elements of a crime and bars to punishment.
• Judging and evidence in fiqh: judicial etiquette, claims and proof.
• Family and transactions fiqh relevant to criminal work: the parts of these two fields that an investigator meets.

Law (44 questions)

• Criminal action and general provisions: bringing the action and how it ends.
• Criminal investigation officers, arrest and search: who the officers are and the conditions for arrest and search.
• Investigation, detention and disposal of the case: investigation steps, detention orders and disposing of the case.
• Trial, judgments and appeals: trial procedure, judgments and the ways to challenge them.
• Judicial organisation and advocacy: the Law of the Judiciary and the Law of Advocacy.
• Special criminal laws: such as the Anti-Money Laundering Law and the Law on Combating Terrorism Crimes and Financing.
• General part of criminal law: the general principles of crime and punishment.
• Evidence and Sharia procedure: the Law of Evidence and the Law of Sharia Procedure.

The reference books Qiyas lists for preparation

The test page lists the references below, which show where the academic attainment questions come from:

• Al-Rawd al-Murbi'
• Al-Mughni
• Rawdat al-Nazir
• Al-Ashbah wa al-Naza'ir by al-Suyuti
• Al-Ahkam al-Amma lil-Nizam al-Jina'i by Dr Abdel Fattah al-Sayfi
• Sharh Qanun al-Ijra'at al-Jaza'iyya by Dr Mahmoud Naguib Hosni
• The Law of the Public Prosecution (Royal Decree M/56, 1409)
• The Law of Criminal Procedure
• The Law of the Judiciary (Royal Decree M/78, 1428)

The Law of Criminal Procedure: the current version is the 1435 law

The Qiyas page names the Law of Criminal Procedure as Royal Decree M/39 of 1422. The law in force today is the Law of Criminal Procedure issued by Royal Decree M/2 dated 22/1/1435, last amended by Royal Decree M/43 dated 26/5/1443, with 222 articles. Study the current text published on the Ministry of Justice legislation portal, not the old 1422 version.

How to prepare for the personal skills and traits sections

• There are no right or wrong answers: these sections describe you, so do not hunt for the answer "the test wants".
• Answer as you really act: forced answers contradict each other when the same idea comes back in different wording.
• There is nothing to memorise: sleep well, arrive early, and give these sections time that does not eat into the other questions.
• We do not write practice questions for them: spend your study time on the four units that are scored.

Study tips by unit

• Sharia sciences and law: about 89 of the 149 questions in this site's split, more than verbal and quantitative together. Start with them.
• Law: study the articles of the Law of Criminal Procedure in order: the action, then arrest and search, then investigation and detention, then trial and appeals.
• Sharia sciences: read the chapters on hudud, offences against the person and blood money in Al-Rawd al-Murbi' and Al-Mughni, and review usul al-fiqh from Rawdat al-Nazir and legal maxims from Al-Ashbah wa al-Naza'ir.
• Quantitative: practise without a calculator, and learn ratios and fractions first.
• Verbal: analogy and sentence completion are the most frequent types in the unit's topic list, so start with them.
• Time: the test is 150 minutes, under one minute per question. In the last two weeks sit full 149-question tests in 2 hours 30 minutes.
• Your goal: there is no pass mark and the score is used to rank candidates, so aim for the highest score you can.

Start by measuring where you stand today: 10 free questions, no sign-up. At the end you see roughly what score you would get today and your weakest unit.