noun
bar examination; bar exam
The national qualifying examination for legal professionals in Japan, required to become a lawyer, prosecutor, or judge.
彼は司法試験に合格して弁護士になった。
He passed the bar examination and became a lawyer.
弁護士 is a lawyer, while 司法試験 is the exam one must pass to become one.
Compound of 司法 (しほう, 'judicial administration') and 試験 (しけん, 'examination').