CLAT Syllabus & Exam Pattern
Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is conducted every year to select students for 22 National Law Universities in India, other than National Law University-Delhi, which has their own process to select the students. Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is the most coveted of all the law entrances in India after Class XII. CLAT is held by the Consortium of National Law Universities headed by NLSIU. The exam is tentatively scheduled to be held in the second week of May. The exam is held for admissions in UG and PG programs offered by the National Law Universities.
CLAT Exam Pattern: CLAT is a test of one’s aptitude and reasoning abilities. It comprises of five sections namely: Verbal Ability, Mathematics, Logical Reasoning, General Knowledge and Legal Aptitude. Each question carries 1 mark and for every incorrect attempt, 0.25 marks will be deducted.
|
Subject/Section |
Topic |
|
Verbal Ability |
35 |
|
Mathematics |
10 |
|
Logical Reasoning |
35 |
|
General Awareness |
35 |
|
Legal Aptitude |
35 |
|
Total Marks |
150 |
|
Total Time (min) |
120 |
|
Negative Marking |
0.25 marks for each wrong answer |
Changes in CLAT 2020 Exam Pattern:
- Reduction in total number of questions: In the upcoming CLAT examination, less number of questions will be asked unlike previous years. The number of questions may range between 120-150. As confirmed by Prof. Faizan Mustafa, “Asking students to answer 200 questions in 120 minutes is not right as it puts students under a lot of mental stress”.
- Removal of Legal Aptitude Section: In the previous years, CLAT question papers consisted of Quantitative Techniques, English, Current Affairs, Deductive Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Legal Aptitude sections. However, inclusion or exclusion of Legal Aptitude section has not been discussed in the press release. The grey clouds will clear only after the release of official notification in the last week of December 2019.
- Increase in Comprehension based questions: CLAT 2020 exam will carry more comprehension based questions in all sections for both UG and PG programs. According to the press release, “Comprehension based questions would be asked from Quantitative Techniques, English, Current Affairs, Deductive Reasoning and Logical Reasoning. The idea is to get better students to National Law Universities who have competence in reading texts and demonstrate skills in inferential reasoning. Similarly, the PG admission test will also have comprehension-based questions”.
CLAT BA LLB Syllabus: Candidates must note that the following topics will be covered in the CLAT for BA LLB program:
|
Sections |
Topics |
|
English |
|
|
Mathematics |
|
|
General Knowledge & Current Affairs |
|
|
Logical Reasoning |
Logical and Analytical reasoning skills |
|
Legal Aptitude |
|
# English: In this section, the questions will be based on comprehension passages and grammar. In the comprehension section, candidates will be assessed on their understanding of the passage and its central theme, meanings of words used therein, etc. The grammar section requires correction of incorrect grammatical sentences, filling of blanks in sentences with appropriate words, etc.
Mathematics: Under this section, the questions will be based on 10th standard’s mathematics syllabus.
# General Knowledge & Current Affairs: This section will consist of questions from the static general knowledge. Questions on current affairs will test the candidate’s on their knowledge of national and international current affairs.
# Logical Reasoning: In this section, candidates will be tested on his/her ability to identify patterns, logical links and rectify illogical arguments. It may include a variety of logical reasoning questions such as syllogisms, logical sequences, analogies, etc.
# Legal Aptitude: This sections will test candidates’ research skills, interest in law and problem solving abilities. Questions may include legal propositions (described in the paper), and a set of facts to which the said proposition has to be applied.
CLAT LLM Syllabus: The following topics will be covered in the CLAT 2020 for LLM. Candidates will be notified of any new updates for the new session if there are any changes.
|
S.No. |
Sections |
|
1 |
Constitutional Law |
|
2 |
Law of Torts |
|
3 |
International Law |
|
4 |
Jurisprudence |
|
5 |
Intellectual Property Law |
|
6 |
Law of Contracts |
|
7 |
Criminal Law |
# Constitutional Law: It refers to the rights stated and implemented in the federal and state constitutions. The majority of this body of law has developed from state and federal supreme court rulings, which interpret their respective constitutions and ensure that the laws passed by the legislature do not violate constitutional limits.
# Law of Torts: In common law jurisdictions, it is a civil wrong that causes a claimant to suffer loss or harm resulting in legal liability for the person who commits tortious act.
CLAT Marks Distribution: The following table contains section-wise marks distribution for BA LLB and LLM programmes. CLAT 2020 (UG) will have 120 to 150 questions from topics ranging from English, Maths, General Knowledge, Current affairs, Legal aptitude and reasoning.
CLAT LLB Programme Marks Distribution:
|
Subjects |
Number of Questions |
Marks |
|
English and comprehension |
40 |
40 |
|
Elementary Mathematics (Numerical Ability) |
20 |
20 |
|
General Knowledge and Current Affairs |
50 |
50 |
|
Logical Reasoning |
40 |
40 |
|
Legal Aptitude |
50 |
50 |
|
Total |
200 |
200 |
CLAT LLM Programme Marks Distribution: The question paper of CLAT 2020 will include both multiple-choice questions (MCQs), comprehension based questions and essay type questions. MCQs and comprehension based questions will carry 100 questions of one mark each, while subjective questions will be of 50 marks
|
S.No |
Subjects |
Number of Questions |
Marks |
|
1 |
Constitutional Law |
40 |
40 |
|
2 |
Other Law Subjects such as Contract, Torts, Criminal Law, International Law, IPR and Jurisprudence. |
60 |
60 |
|
Total |
100 |
100 |
Subjective Type Questions: The paper will include two essay type questions each carrying 25 marks; the topics of the essay would be law and contemporary issues. The word limit for the essays will be 800 words.