We got it. You want to become a lawyer and want to stand for the right, bring justice to the innocent victim and punish the wrong-doers. Did you know? The journey towards becoming a promising lawyer starts from a law entrance exam, named CLAT. Know everything about the CLAT exam, and get into one of the top law colleges in India to become a successful lawyer!
What is CLAT?
CLAT stands for Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), an entrance exam created for aspiring law students seeking admission into various law colleges or institutes in India. The CLAT is a national level entrance exam conducted on rotational basis by 16 National Law Universities (NLUs) for admission to their undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, based on the performance in the CLAT test. However, eligible relaxation criteria would be considered while taking admission into the 16 law universities.
Following are the 16 NLUs in the order of their establishment:
| 1 | National Law School of India University, Bangalore (NLSIU) |
| 2 | National Academy of Legal Study & Research (NALSAR) University of Law, Hyderabad |
| 3 | National Law Institute University, Bhopal (NLIU) |
| 4 | The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata (WBNUJS) |
| 5 | National Law University, Jodhpur (NLUJ) |
| 6 | Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur (HNLU) |
| 7 | Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar (GNLU) |
| 8 | Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow (RMLNLU) |
| 9 | Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala (RGNUL) |
| 10 | Chanakya National Law University, Patna (CNLU) |
| 11 | National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi (NUALS) |
| 12 | National Law University Odisha, Cuttack (NLUO) |
| 13 | National University of Study & Research in Law, Ranchi (NUSRL) |
| 14 | National Law University & Judicial Academy, Assam, Guwahati (NLUJAA) |
| 15 | Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University, Visakhapatnam (DSNLU) |
| 16 | The TamilNadu National Law School, Tiruchirappalli (TNNLS) |
NLUs Offers the following U.G. and P.G. Programmes
Undergraduate programmes
- B.A. LL.B. (Hons.
- B.SC. LL.B. (Hons.)
- B.B.A. LL.B. (Hons.)
- B.S.W. LL.B. (Hons.)
- B.Com. LL.B. (Hons.)
Postgraduate programmes
The P.G. programmes offered at the 16 NLUs with duration and specializations details will be available at respective NLUs website. Candidates can visit the websites and check for the information.
CLAT 2015 Eligibility Criteria
Eligibility for U.G. Programmes
1. Educational Qualification: A candidate should have passed the 10+2 or equivalent exam, from a recognized board. A minimum score of 45% has to be obtained, in case of SC/ST candidates should secure a minimum of 40% marks.
Candidates appearing in their final 12th Standard exam/ equivalent, are also eligible to apply for the CLAT test. However, candidates need to show pass certificates when respective law university demands
2. Age: A candidate should not be more than 20 years of age as on 1st July, 2015. In case of SC/ST and candidates with physical disability not more than 22 years.
Eligibility for P.G. Programmes
1. Educational Qualification: A candidate must have an LL.B./obtained a five year integrated LL.B./equivalent degree in Law from a recognized University with no less than 55% marks. In case of SC/ST candidates, must secure 50% marks in aggregate.
Candidates in their final year of LL.B. or equivalent are eligible to appear CLAT 2015 exam. However, he/she must produce evidence of passing the exam as and when demanded by the concerned university.
2. Age: There is no upper age limit prescribed for admission into P.G. Law programmes
CLAT Test Pattern
The CLAT exam for U.G. and P.G. is a 2 hour duration exam, consisting of multiple choice questions. The undergraduate CLAT paper carries a total of 200 marks with 200 multiple choice questions. The postgraduate CLAT paper consists of 150 multiple choice questions carrying a total of 150 marks. There is negative marking system, for each wrong answer 0.25 marks would be deducted.
CLAT 2015 for U.G. Programme
| Subjects | Marks |
| English including Comprehension | 40 |
| General Knowledge and Current Affairs | 50 |
| Elementary Mathematics (Numerical Ability) | 20 |
| Legal Aptitude | 50 |
| Logical Reasoning | 40 |
| Total | 200 |
Different subject areas of the U.G. CLAT exam and what each subject would test in an aspiring law student:
1. English including comprehension: This section would test a candidate’s understanding and command over the English language based on his/her performance in comprehension passages and grammar. A candidate would be questioned on his/her understanding of the theme of a given passage, word meanings etc. The grammar section, would consists of fill in the blanks with appropriate words and correction of incorrect grammatical sentences.
2. General Knowledge & Current Affairs: The G.K. and current affairs section is designed to test a candidate’s understanding of the happenings around the world and India. He/she also should have good static general knowledge. Other than static G.K, a candidate should have fair idea of news topics that were featured in mainstream media from March, 2014 to April, 2015.
3. Mathematics: The CLAT mathematics section is designed to test a candidate’s knowledge of elementary mathematics and how good he/she is good at solving math problems. The level of the CLAT math questions would be of 10th Standard.
4. Legal Aptitude: This is one of the critical section in the CLAT exam. Here a candidate would be tested how interested he/she is in the study of law, how good is his/her research aptitude, and problem solving skills. Questions in the Legal Aptitude section, would be framed with the help of legal propositions and a set of facts to which the said proposition has to be applied. Some propositions may not be ‘true’ in the real sense e.g. a person who comes late for a movie show wouldn’t be allowed to enter the theatre). Candidates need to assume the ‘truth’ of the given propositions and answer the questions accordingly
5. Logical Reasoning: The logic behind logical reasoning is to check how good a candidate is at identifying patterns (a skill that would help him/her solve legal cases and arrive at the truth), logical links and rectify illogical arguments. The Logical Reasoning section would contain a variety of reasoning questions such as analogies, syllogisms, logical sequences etc. However, visual reasoning will not be tested.
CLAT 2015 for P.G. Programme
| Subjects | Marks |
| Constitutional Law | 50 |
| Jurisprudence | 50 |
| Other law subjects:Such as Contract, Torts, Criminal Law, International Law, Family Law, Property Law, IPR etc. | 50 |
| Total | 150 |
CLAT Tie Breaking Procedures
U.G. Programme: In case of a tie-breaking event between two more candidates, the tie would be broken by the following procedures and order:
a) Higher marks in the section of Legal Aptitude in CLAT 2015
b) Higher age
c) Computerized draw of lots
P.G. Programme: In case two or more students scored the same marks, the tie would be broken by the following procedures and order:
a) Higher age
b) Computerized draw of lots
CLAT 2015 Application Procedures
How to apply?
Candidates can apply for CLAT 2015 by visiting the CLAT official website www.clat.ac.in between 1st January and 31st March. Application Form or Information Brochure would be sold or available in hard copy format. All application must be submitted ONLINE only.
Students can also access the Information Brochure, from respective website of all the participating NLUs.
Application Procedures
- Applications should be submitted Online only, which a candidate can accessed after registering himself/herself on the CLAT website by creating a Login Account. Dateline for submitting online application is – 1st January to 31st March (11:59 pm.)
- Candidates are NOT required to send filled Online Application Form or uploaded certificates/documents to CLAT office separately
- Hall-ticket/Admit Card can be downloaded by logging in the account. Candidate needs to take the printout of the Admit Card to the Examination Hall
- Incomplete application form/ application send through any other mode than Online/submitting application form after the last date, will be rejected.
Documents to be uploaded along with the application form
1. Scanned copies of the documents to be uploaded in PDF/jpg format are:
a) Birth certificate/10th passing certificate issued by recognized board or Passport can be uploaded
b) Front facing passport size photo (3.5 cms x 4.5 cms) [JPG format, within 100 KB]
c) Signature of candidate [JPG format, within 100 KB]
2. Other certificates to be uploaded for eligible candidates under the specified categories:
a) Category certificate in PDF format (SC/ST/OBC) (only for eligible candidates)
b) Disability certificate in PDF format (Persons with Disability)
c) Special Category certificate e.g. E.B.C.; W.B.C.; B.C.; S.E.B.C.; Ancestral residents of village Sidhuwal, District Patiala; Son/Daughter of Defense Personnel in U.P./either killed or disabled in action; Dependent of Freedom Fighter of U.P. and Kashmiri Migrant
d) Supporting certificate of NRI/NRI Sponsored Candidate
e) Domicile Certificate in Support of one’s claim for consideration under State Quota
CLAT 2015 Test Centers
CLAT 2015 shall be conducted in 42 test centers. Check the following:
| City Name | City Name |
| Agra | Indore |
| Ahmedabad | Jaipur |
| Allahabad | Jammu |
| Amritsar | Jodhpur |
| Bangalore | Kochi |
| Bhopal | Kolkata |
| Chandigarh | Kurukshetra |
| Chennai | Lucknow |
| Cuttack | Mumbai |
| Dehradun | Noida |
| Delhi |
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