About Panjab University (PU)
Panjab University is a public university located in Chandigarh, India. Originated in 1882 as the University of the Punjab Lahore, it was relocated in Chandigarh in the year 1947 as the East Punjab University after the partition of India, where the university was split between Pakistan and India.
PU offers BA/B.com LLB (5 years integrated) course at the following colleges
- University Institute of Legal Studies (UILS), Panjab University, Sector 14, Chandigarh
- UILS, Swami Sarvanand Giri, Panjab University Regional Centre, Bajwara, Hoshiarpur
- UIL, Panjab University Regional Centre, Civil Lines, Ludhiana
About the test
Panjab University conducts its own entrance exam for admission to its integrated law courses.
| Date of examination for this year | June 17, 2020 |
The test judges students on the basis of the following subjects
- General Knowledge
- Current Affairs
- Legal Aptitude
- Mental Ability
- English
| Subjects | Questions | Marks |
| General Knowledge and Current Affairs | 60 | 60 |
| Aptitude for Law | 20 | 20 |
| Mental Ability Test | 10 | 10 |
| English Language | 10 | 10 |
| Total | 100 | 100 |
- MCQ
- Number of questions: 100
- Duration: 90 minutes
- Marks per question: +1 mark each
- Negative Marking: -0.25 marks
Subject Analysis and Preparation Tips
General Knowledge and Current Affairs
In almost all law entrance examinations, the general knowledge section is the largest. This exam is slightly different since this section amounts to almost 60% of the paper.
As we have discussed in other examination preparation articles, general knowledge & CA preparation is a habit and cannot be done in a week or month (you can improve your chances though).
There are a few things which an aspirant should keep in mind while preparing for this section.
- Discipline: The biggest factor in preparing for general knowledge is discipline. You cannot leave out three weeks of preparation and hope to cover it up, remember, the syllabus is already the size of a mountain. Keep a slow and steady pace throughout your preparation.
- Yearbook: So all these yearbooks have the same content? Good. That means the content is important and you have to go through them. Studying a yearbook is important, not only does it contains the important events of the past year, it all helps you prepare for static gk, both from the same book.
- Newspaper: Make it a habit to read the news every morning. While you are at it, read the editorial section as well. It will help you build your vocabulary as well as keep you up to pace with the world. Do not read any newspaper, read the good ones which have quality editors like The Statesman/Hindu/Telegraph etc.
- Notes: It is important that you prepare notes for this section. Whenever you read GK, keep your copy and pen handy and jot down the important points. Think of it as an insurance for quality revision as well as better retaining of facts.
Legal Aptitude
Although CLAT has moved slightly away from the core legal aptitude section, other examinations haven’t done away with it completely. PU entrance tests the student on legal aptitude, be it for 20 marks only but in a test of 100 marks, this amounts to 20% of the score. This is where the game changes.
While preparing for Legal Aptitude, remember the following
- Stick to the modules: Do not go beyond the modules that you’re referring. There is absolutely no need for you to read the bare acts, it will only do you harm of wasted time and twisted concepts (you’ll realize later in law school). The modules have a limited amount of legal knowledge, exactly what is required for the exam and no more/less. Stick to it religiously.
- Practice Paper: Solve as many practice papers as you can, you can never solve enough of them. In legal aptitude, it is good to solve almost every type of question in your preparation so that you are not surprised in the test.
- Type of Questions: Solve all types of questions and expect them to be in the exam. It can be principle fact, legal gk or simple legal knowledge. Solve as many types as possible in a time-bound manner.
Mental Ability
This section is a simple synergy between basic 10th std level maths and logical reasoning. The questions in this section may require a few simple calculations so keep a pen and a paper handy for rough work.
It is of 10 marks but everybody will underestimate this section due to less number of questions as compared to others. Those who will concentrate, prepare well and score well in this section, they will get an edge over the others.
Keep these things in mind while preparing
- Past year papers: Try and get hold of the past year papers for PU entrance to give you an idea about the type of questions this section has for you. Then solve those questions while keeping a timer. The idea is to solve all the questions that have come in the past in limited time while getting maximum correct answers.
- Practice Papers: Practice papers play a big role in the preparation since there is no or negligible theory, even if you understand a question and the way to solve it, you still have to practice solving it to get in right in the examination.
- Mental Calculations/Rough Work: Keep the calculations and rough work to a minimum, unlike the board exams, it does not matter which method you use to get to the result, you just have to reach to the correct answer. To make things even easier, there are four options to match your answer. So, practice doing calculations to a minimum and mentally as much as you can.
English
The English section will test your understanding of the language and prowess to deduce the meaning of a given comprehensive passage.
The questions will test you on the basis of reading comprehension, grammar and vocabulary.
Keep the following preparation tips in mind
- Editorials: Read one editorial section everyday for the whole duration of your preparation. It will also help with your current affairs section. Make sure you are referring to a good newspaper.
- Reading Speed: Enhance your reading speed as you move with the preparation of this section. You should be able to read complex and long passages in minimum time and retain the basic meaning of the text. Refer to the Evelyn Woods reading technique for getting a good reading speed.
- Stories/articles: Make it a habit to read atleast 1000 words from a good book of your choice (fiction/non-fiction) or a blog of your taste. It can be on any topic, as long as it is grammatically sound and uses quality vocabulary.
Books
General Knowledge: Manorama YearBook, Penguin YearBook
Current Affairs: Monthly Competition in Focus by Arihant
English: Any 10th level grammar book with reading comprehensions (Wren and Martin) and Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis for Vocabulary.
Legal Aptitude: Modules
Important: 50% weightage is given to the marks scored by the candidates in the PU BA LLB/B.Com LLB entrance exam in addition to the marks scored in 10+2 examinations. An aspirant must score a minimum of 50% in 10+2 to be eligible to take the PU law after +2 exam