BEIJING, June 8 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Justice on Friday announced the first unified qualification exam for legal professionals.

The exam will consist of two sections of objective questions and one section of subjective questions. The tests will be held on Sep. 22 and Oct. 20.

Compared with former national judicial exams, the new exam expands the range of candidates.

Civil servants who review and deliver administrative penalties or offer legal advice and legal arbitrators will take the exam. Only candidates to become judges, prosecutors, lawyers and public notaries were required to take the former exam.

A total of 6.2 million people have sat the judicial examination, with 888,000 passing since it was adopted in 2002.