The CLAT exam or the Common Law Admission Test is the premier law entrance exam for students wishing to pursue a career in law. The CLAT exam is conducted by the Consortium of National Law Universities for admission into their 5 year undergraduate integrated law programs and postgraduate courses.
What is the CLAT exam?
The CLAT exam is an aptitude based examination which tests an aspirant’s suitability for the legal profession. This exam is conducted annually for both undergraduate and postgraduate students.
There are two types of CLAT Exam:
- CLAT UG exam: The CLAT UG exam is for students who want to pursue their 5 year integrated law.
- CLAT PG exam: The CLAT PG exam is for aspirants who wish to pursue their Master in Law after having completed their Bachelor study.
Who conducts the CLAT exam?
CLAT, or the Common Law Admission Test is conducted by the Consortium of National Law Universities. There are 23 National Law Universities in India. Out of these 23, 22 NLUs admit students to their institutions through the CLAT exam. NLU Delhi has its separate entrance exam by the name of AILET, All India Law Entrance Test.
A permanent CLAT Secretariat was established in Bangalore, the birthplace of the first NLU, in 2018. However, the exam is conducted by the Executive Committee of the Consortium of NLUs.
CLAT Exam Eligibility
The eligibility for CLAT exam varies based upon which exam you are appearing for. The same can be explained as follows:
CLAT Eligibility Criteria for 5 Year Law/ UG Students
For students wishing to appear for the CLAT UG exam, the following eligibility criteria applies:
- CLAT age limit: There is NO upper age limit for students wanting to appear for the CLAT UG programmes. Earlier there a was an age limit, but it was removed by an order of the Supreme Court. Read more about it here.
- CLAT Minimum Educational Requirement: A candidate wanting to appear for the CLAT UG Exam, must have qualified 10+2 or an equivalent examination with the following marks: I. Forty five percent (45%) marks or its equivalent grade in case of candidates belonging to General / OBC / PWD / NRI / PIO / OCI categories. II. Forty Percent (40%) marks or equivalent in case of candidates belonging to SC/ST categories.
- A candidate appearing for their 10+2 or an equivalent examination in the same year is also eligible to sit for the exam, provided he/she is able to produce evidence of their passing the qualifying examination at the time of admission, failing which they shall lose their right to be considered for admission.
CLAT Eligibility Criteria for LLM/ PG Students
For students wishing to appear for the CLAT PG exam, the following eligibility criteria applies:
- CLAT age limit: There is NO upper age limit for students wanting to appear for the CLAT PG programmes.
- CLAT Minimum Educational Requirement:A PG candidate must hold an LL.B Degree or an equivalent examination with a minimum of Fifty percent (50%) of marks or its equivalent grade in case of candidates belonging to General/ OBC/ PWD/ NRI/ PIO/ OCI categories and Forty-Five percent (45%) of marks or its equivalent grade in case of candidates belonging to SC/ST categories.
- A candidate completing his/her LL.B Degree or an equivalent examination in the same year is also eligible to sit for the exam, provided he/she is able to produce evidence of their passing the qualifying examination at the time of admission, failing which they shall lose their right to be considered for admission.
Should you give the CLAT exam? Here is a helpful video:
CLAT Exam Pattern
The CLAT exam pattern is pretty straightforward. Thus, candidates can be assured that if they familiarize themselves with the examination pattern and prepare well, they can easily clear the CLAT exam.
CLAT UG Exam Pattern
The exam pattern of the CLAT UG exam is as follows:
- The CLAT UG exam consists of a total of 150 multiple choice questions.
- Each question carries 1 mark and there is a negative marking of 0.25 marks for every incorrect answer.
- A candidate’s knowledge in the following core areas is tested during this exam: I. English Language II. Current Affairs, including General Knowledge III. Legal Reasoning IV. Logical Reasoning V. Quantitative Techniques
As per the Consortium of the NLUs, the weightage of subjects in the CLAT exam is as follows:
| English Language | 28-32 questions, or roughly 20% of the paper |
| Current Affairs, including General Knowledge | 35-39 questions, or roughly 25% of the paper |
| Legal Reasoning | 35-39 questions, or roughly 25% of the paper |
| Logical Reasoning |
CLAT PG Exam Pattern
The exam pattern of the CLAT PG exam is as follows:
- The CLAT PG exam consists of a total of 120 multiple choice questions.
- Each question carries 1 mark and there is a negative marking of 0.25 marks for every incorrect answer.
- A candidate’s knowledge in the following core areas is tested during this exam: I. Constitutional Law II. Other areas of law such as Jurisprudence, Administrative Law, Law of Contract, Torts, Family Law, Criminal Law, Property Law, Company Law, Public International Law, Tax Law, Environmental Law, and Labour & Industrial Law
Here are some tips to prepare for CLAT PG by Prof. Faizan Mustafa:
CLAT Duration
The CLAT Exams, both UG and PG are 2 hours (120 minutes) long.
CLAT Syllabus
The syllabus for the CLAT exam has more or less remained the same when it comes to the CLAT UG exam syllabus.
Topic Wise Syllabus for CLAT Exam
The syllabus for CLAT exam for undergraduate students is as follows:
CLAT UG Exam Syllabus
CLAT English Language Syllabus
The English language section of CLAT generally consists of 6 passages of around 450 words each. These passages are generally sourced from various sources including newspaper editorials, press releases, and even fiction and non-fiction pieces. The level of vocabulary and English is suited for a Class 12 student. Ideally, a candidate should be able to read each passage in 5-7 minutes, give or take.
Each of these passages are generally followed by a set of 5 questions that test a candidate’s ability and comprehension skills, including their abilities to:
- Read and comprehend the main point discussed in the passage, as well as any arguments and viewpoints discussed or set out in the passage;
- Draw inferences and conclusions based on the passage;
- Summarise the passage;
- Compare and contrast the different arguments or viewpoints set out in the passage; and
- Understand the meaning of various words and phrases used in the passage.
As a rule of thumb, a candidate should prepare the following topics to ace the CLAT English Language section:
- Sentence-correction
- Cloze Test
- Fill in the blanks
- Phrase replacement
- Error spotting
- Sentence sequential arrangement
- Choose the correct word
CLAT Current Affairs Syllabus
The CLAT Current Affairs and General Knowledge section generally consists of 6-7 passages of about 450 words each. These passages can be taken from major news pieces, including editorial commentary by journalists and other non-fiction writing.
The 5 questions that follow each passage can test a candidate’s knowledge of law, general and/or static knowledge of the subject matter of the passage.
A candidate should regularly read the newspaper to apprise themselves of various aspects of current affairs and general knowledge, including:
- Current developments in India and throughout the world
- Important historical events
- National & International Affairs
- Schemes
- Science & Technology
- Summits & Conferences
- Sports
CLAT Legal Reasoning Syllabus
The syllabus of CLAT Legal Reasoning section does not require you to possess any previous knowledge of law, although it may help a candidate to attempt the exam more efficiently. These passages will require a candidate to:
- Identify and interpret the rules and principles set out in the passage;
- Apply such rules and principles to various fact situations; and
- Understand how changes to the rules or principles may alter their application to various fact situations.
Generally, a student should prepare the following topics while studying the CLAT Legal Reasoning syllabus:
- Important Supreme Court Judgments;
- Important and recent Acts and amendments of the legislature;
- Important topics from Contract law, Criminal law, tort law and Constitutional law;
- Legal GK and current affairs;
- International treaties and conventions affecting national legal framework etc.
CLAT Logical Reasoning Syllabus
The Logical Reasoning section of CLAT generally consists of 6 passages followed by a series of 5 questions each. These passages are around 300 words long and test the following abilities of a candidate:
- Recognising an argument, including its premises and conclusions;
- Reading and identifying arguments;
- Critically analysing patterns of reasoning, and assessing how conclusions may depend on particular premises or evidence;
- Inferring what follows from the passage and applying these inferences to new situations;
- Drawing relationships and analogies, identifying contradictions and equivalence, and assessing the effectiveness of arguments.
In general, candidate should practice questions based on the following subsets of logical reasoning:
- Syllogism
- Statement & Assumption
- Statement & Course of Action
- Statement & Arguments
- Cause & Effect
- Statement & Inference
- Weakening & Strengthening arguments
CLAT Quantitative Techniques Syllabus
The syllabus for CLAT Quantitative Techniques section is derived from the basic arithmetical and mathematical knowledge that a Class 12 student should possess. The passages here are replaced with short sets of facts or propositions, graphs, or other textual, pictorial or diagrammatic representations of numerical information, which are then followed by corresponding questions.
The questions will require a candidate to:
- Derive, infer, and manipulate numerical information, graphs, or other representations; and
- Apply various 10th standard mathematical operations on such information, including from areas such as ratios and proportions, basic algebra, mensuration and statistical estimation.
Thus, a candidate while preparing the syllabus for CLAT Quantitative Techniques section, should brush up on the following topics:
- Pie Charts
- Bar Graphs
- Line Graphs
- Table Charts
- Mixed Graphs
- Ratios and proportions
- Basic algebra
CLAT PG Exam Syllabus
The CLAT PG exam consists of 20 passages in total, followed by a series of questions. The paper is based on the mandatory subjects of the undergraduate program and includes
- Constitutional Law
- Jurisprudence
- Administrative Law
- Law of Contract
- Torts
- Family Law
- Criminal Law
A CLAT PG candidate will be required to demonstrate the following:
- Ability to read and comprehend the issues discussed in the passage, as well as any arguments and viewpoints discussed or set out in the passage;
- Awareness of the issues discussed in the passage, as well as of legal issues and facts related to and arising out of the passage and the judgment or statute from which it is extracted;
- Summarise the passage; and
- Ability to apply self knowledge of the fields of law discussed in the passage.
Commonly Asked Questions About the CLAT Exam
- What is the full form of CLAT?
CLAT stands for Common Law Admission Test.
- What is the CLAT Exam for?
The exam allows a student to seek admission into 22 national law universities of the country, along with various other law schools in India.
- How many students give the CLAT exam?
In CLAT 2021, a total of 70,277 students registered for CLAT 2022. Out of this 59,843 students registered for the Undergraduate exam, and 10,434 students registered for the Postgraduate exam.
In CLAT 2022, 60,895 registered for the CLAT exam. Of this, 56,472 candidates appeared for the test.
- What is the CLAT Fees?
The CLAT exam fee or the application fee for CLAT in 2022 was Rs 4,000 for General, EWS and OBC candidates. For SC, ST and BPL candidates, CLAT registration fee was Rs 3,500.
- What are the best books for the CLAT exam?
A comprehensive list of subject wise books for the CLAT exam is available here.
Got any more questions regarding the CLAT exam? Let us know in the comments below!
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Mrinaal Datt
Contributing author
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