CLAT or the Common Law Admissions Test is an all-India law entrance examination conducted on a rotational basis by the Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs)/Schools. CLAT is organised for admitting aspiring candidates to any one of the 22 representative NLUs to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate degree programs, i.e., LL.B. and LL.M., respectively. CLAT is one of India’s most prestigious national-level entrance examinations for the law. Thousands of aspiring lawyers appear and compete to get admissions to their dream law colleges.
With 60,000 plus applications received every year for the CLAT exam, the Consortium of NLUs shows a constant rise in the number of applicants each year. What is most promising about the CLAT exam is its intake capacity of 2500 and 720 students for UG and PG courses, respectively, which is divided between the 22 participating NLUs. The 22 National Law Universities under the Consortium are some of India’s top and excellent universities, which offer comprehensive knowledge about law along with personal and professional skills required to make a meaningful and solid career in law. These universities are considered as the IITs in the field of law. And, admissions to any of these universities is only possible through the CLAT examination, securing a high rank being a prerequisite. Apart from these 22 universities, a few autonomous private law universities also accept CLAT scores for admission to their college.
Some Facts about CLAT Examination
Candidates who are serious about becoming a well-established lawyer aim only to crack the CLAT examination with full dedication. The majority of the NLUs admitting students through CLAT for their UG and PG programs have a 100 percent placement record, with the average annual packages reaching tens of lakh in some of the renowned NLUs, such as WBNUJS, Kolkata; NLU, Bangalore; NALSAR, Hyderabad, and more. Therefore, passing CLAT with good marks is the best option for candidates who desire to be outstanding lawyers, especially corporate lawyers.
Highlighting Factors of CLAT Examination Pattern
The CLAT exam is conducted in the usual online mode (computer-based) consisting of an MCQ paper pattern, comprising 150 questions for UG admission and 120 questions for PG admission. The total time allotted is 120 minutes. Each question carries 1 mark, and a negative marking of 0.25 marks is applied for every wrong question answered incorrectly. In India, students can pursue various law degrees in the best law universities through CLAT examination, such as LL.B.; Dual Degree – B.A. LL.B., B.Sc LL.B., BBA LL.B., and B. Com LL.B.; LL.M.; Integrated MBA-LLM or MBL-LLM. CLAT is assumed to be a diversified entrance examination since it tests a candidate’s basic concepts and skills on UG programs’ fundamental subjects, which are shown below.
| Subjects | No. of Questions in CLAT |
| English Language | 28-32, approximately 20% of the question paper |
| Current Affairs inclusive of General Knowledge | 35-39, approximately 25 of the question paper |
| Logical Reasoning | 28-32, approximately 20% of the question paper |
| Legal Reasoning | 35-39, approximately 25 of the question paper |
| Quantitative Techniques | 13-17, approximately 10% of the question paper |
For PG programs, CLAT tests the candidates’ core knowledge on the Law subjects, which are:
- Constitutional Law
- Other branches of law, like contract law, family law, torts, administrative law, property law, company law, criminal law, tax law, public international law, labor and industrial law, and environmental law.
The scores of the CLAT examination are also acceptable by 3 Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), after which the candidate’s career would only project upwards. CLAT has a moderate level of difficulty. It never compromises as their objective is to shortlist the best of best and the smartest of all candidates capable of efficiently running the legal system. That is why to test the applicants’ overall intelligence and knowledge quotient, the number of questions to be attempted in CLAT in a lesser time frame is more compared to other law entrance examinations.
Names of Top 10 NLUs Taking Admission through CLAT Scores
- National Law School of India University, Bangalore (NLSIU).
- The National Academy of Legal Studies and the Research University of Law, Hyderabad (NALSAR).
- The National Law Institute University (NLIU), Bhopal.
- National Law University, Jodhpur (NLUJ).
- Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), Gandhinagar.
- Chanakya National Law University (CNLU), Patna.
- Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU), Raipur.
- The West Bengal National University of Judicial Sciences (WBNUJS), Kolkata.
- Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL), Punjab.
- Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University in Lucknow (RMLNLU).
Check out details of CLAT 2020 exam like dates, application form, syllabus, admit card, results, and more at https://www.shiksha.com/law/clat-exam
