What is CLAT UG?
Law is now considered a suitable career option by many students. Students wishing to study law are now looking for interesting opportunities in the legal world after their high secondary education is complete. There are many universities and colleges that offer law degrees. Thanks to integrated courses, students now can start studying law without needing a graduation degree as eligibility. This makes legal education more accessible for students. This boom in demand for legal education has led to top-quality law colleges across the country where students can secure admission. This can be done through entrance exams. Many universities have their own entrance exams or admission pattern, however, if one wants to secure a seat in the National Law Universities, they have to appear for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT).
The Common Law Admission Test or CLAT is a National Level Entrance Exam. It forms the admission criteria for students who wish to pursue their legal education in the 22 National Law Universities situated across India. The CLAT UG exam allows students to pursue an undergraduate degree in these national law universities. This exam The CLAT UG exam was earlier initiated in 2008 to lay down a uniform system of admission for people who wish to pursue legal studies right after their secondary education. There are many integrated degrees available at the national law universities such as BA LLB, BBA LLB, BSc LLB, BSW LLB, etc. This also allows the students to choose their major according to their liking. It also implies that students from varied backgrounds can pursue legal studies through CLAT.
The main body that conducts the CLAT examination is the Consortium of NLUs. The Consortium of NLUs is a body that was formed in 2019 that comprises all the vice-chancellors of the various NLUs situated in India. The consortium takes up the responsibility for the dates, methods, and other important aspects of the examination.
So far, the CLAT examination has seen several changes when it comes to the paper pattern and the eligibility, however, as of today the necessary criteria and paper pattern of the CLAT UG examination is given below:
Eligibility
There will be no upper age limit for UG Programme in CLAT 2022.
As regards the minimum percentage of marks in the qualifying examination (i.e., 10+2 or an equivalent examination), the candidates must have secured:
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Forty-five percent (45%) marks or its equivalent grade in case of candidates belonging to General / OBC / PWD / NRI / PIO / OCI categories
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Forty Percent (40%) marks or equivalent in case of candidates belonging to SC/ST categories.
Candidates who are appearing in the qualifying examination in March/April 2022 are also eligible to appear in CLAT 2022 examination. However, they shall be required 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.
The result of the qualifying examination (i.e., 10+2) shall be submitted by the candidate at the time of admission failing which the candidate shall be ineligible for admission to the Course.
In case of equal marks, the break of tie shall be by the following procedure and order:
Please refer to the Eligibility Criteria for CLAT
Examination Style
The CLAT UG examination has a standard syllabus and pattern that has not seen much change since the examination was earlier started. The examination paper is curated to test the aptitude, reasoning skills and other basic knowledge that is required to pursue legal studies. The paper style is in a Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) format consisting of 150 questions carrying the weightage of 1 mark each. There is also a negative marking of 0.25 marks for each wrong answer. The exam will be taken within the span of 2 hours. As per the examination style, the paper will be divided into 5 main subjects namely, –
With clarity regarding the examination and the examination style, let us now discuss the method of preparing for the CLAT examination.
Study tips to crack the CLAT UG Exam
As the CLAT exam is highly competitive, there can be instances where candidates find it difficult to cope up with the syllabus. A pattern is also observed that the number of applicants appearing for CLAT is increasing. With limited seats, it is necessary for the candidates to prepare smartly to secure a seat in the prestigious law colleges located in India.
Joining a Coaching Institute
A coaching institute that specialises in teaching the CLAT syllabus is a meaningful start. There are many institutes that have an expert faculty that is familiar with the paper pattern and the syllabus. This will be a suitable and competitive environment as well as much-needed exposure for a student who wishes to appear for the CLAT exam.
Staying Updated with Current Affairs and General Knowledge
This is a tricky section in the CLAT examination as it does not limit the scope of general knowledge and current affairs. There is a vast ocean of information that may or may not appear in the exam. This is why the candidate needs to be familiar with the most recent facts and current topics that took place in the last year leading up to the examination. This is necessary as current affairs and general knowledge hold 25% of the weightage in the examination.
Practising Reading English Comprehension
The English section has a 20% weightage in the examination. Strong command over grammar and the English language can be fruitful. This can be done by improving your comprehension skills through practice. One can practise by reading the newspaper and magazines that discuss current affairs, this can help build your vocabulary and also update you on current affairs.
Practising Mock Tests
Mock tests are extremely important for a candidate appearing for CLAT. No amount of preparation will be useful if the candidate finds it difficult to appear for the examination. A mock test helps the candidate strategise and helps in time management. This makes the candidate prioritise certain sections that will help score more marks.
Refer to Preparatory Material by CLAT Consortium
The Consortium of NLUs also publishes important practice material for the examination. It includes guides to the question paper and sample questions; model question papers; and instructional materials and exercises for each of the subjects that the UG-CLAT 2022 comprises.
Preparing for CLAT PG
The CLAT PG examination is for those candidates who have completed their UG in legal studies and wish to pursue higher education in their legal studies. This exam can be only appeared by students who have finished a 5-year integrated or 3-year LLB degree from any recognised law college. The CLAT PG exam is not only useful for securing admissions in the 22 recognised NLUs, but also for securing jobs in public sectors that recognise CLAT PG marks. The paper is divided into these relevant sections:
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Constitutional Law
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Jurisprudence
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Contract Law
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Family Law
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Criminal Law
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Environmental Law
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International Law
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Companies Act
Candidates should have a clear and basic understanding of these subjects. The examination pattern includes 120 objective-type questions that carry 1 mark each. It also has negative markings. The following table may bring some clarity to the question pattern.
|
Topic
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No. of Questions asked in 2020
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No. of Questions asked in 2021
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|
Constitutional Law
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50
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36
|
|
Jurisprudence
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20
|
6
|
|
Administrative Law
|
10
|
0
|
|
Family Law
|
10
|
12
|
|
Law of Contracts
|
0
|
18
|
|
International Law
|
10
|
18
|
|
Criminal Law
|
10
|
24
|
|
Labour Law
|
10
|
0
|
|
Environmental Law
|
0
|
18
|
Understanding the Syllabus
The candidate should dissect and understand the various subjects that are included in the CLAT PG syllabus according to weightage. This allows the candidate to make a decision on which subject to prioritise on the basis of weightage. As of now, Constitutional law has the maximum weightage.
Referring Past Papers
The CLAT PG exam was recently introduced, prior to this the examination conducted was CLAT LLM. The candidates should however be thorough with the questions asked in the previous exams to gain more clarity on the kind of questions that can be expected from the examination.
Current Affairs
The candidate should be aware of all the legal developments. It is necessary to be aware of judgements and court cases that involve the question of constitutional law. This is necessary knowledge as questions related to such cases can appear in the examination.
Mock Tests
Mock tests are extremely important as they help strategise. The candidate learns time management and can prioritise different sections according to weightage. This gives a realistic approach to preparing for the examination.
Be Clear with the Basics
The candidate should be well versed in the basics of the law. There are many important topics that are included in the paper pattern. Being aware of the basics of each subject will be fruitful when it comes to answering questions related to such topics.
Books for CLAT UG:
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For English: Objective General English 2022 by RS Aggarwal, Objective General English by N. Khurmi and George
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For Legal Reasoning: Legal Aptitude and Legal Reasoning by AP Bhardwaj
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For Logical Reasoning: Logical Reasoning by Jain Prateek
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General knowledge and Current Affairs: Legal General Knowledge by RK Gupta, Manorama Year Book, Current Affairs Yearly by Arihant Publications
Books for CLAT PG
The CLAT syllabus is vast and covers varied subjects. For this, we have narrowed it down to a few books that cover multiple subjects specially prepared for CLAT PG preparation:
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Singhal's S. S. Hand Books for LLM Entrance Exam
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Ashok Jain Guide for LLM Entrance Exam
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Constitutional Law: Dr. Ashok Jain Constitution of India Part I & II, JN Pandey Constitutional Law
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Jurisprudence: Dr. Ashok K Jain, Jurisprudence
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Contract Law: RK Bangja, Contract Law
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Tort Law: RK Bangia, Law of Torts
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Administrative Law: P Massey
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Family Law and Property: Poonam Pradhan
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For IPC: Ratanlal and Dhirajlals Indian Penal Code
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Environmental Law: P Leelakrishnan, Environmental Law
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International Law: Dr Ashok K Jain, Public International Law
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Companies Act: Dr Ashok Jain, Company Law
The CLAT UG and PG examinations are set to take place on 19th June 2022. It will be taken offline mode. We hope you keep those tips in mind and wish all candidates the hearty best of luck!
Even if you couldn’t crack the exam, don’t take stress as there are many more options to consider.
Please refer to What if you don’t qualify for CLAT?
CLAT PG Papers: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qx2W-G5ozt_RlmDNfJtEXPPCWEa_MZ0b?usp=sharing
CLAT UG Papers: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tMutyQog32QpOui24z2eT1S_eQNCMikQ?usp=sharing
