CLAT 2024 - Exam Overview, Eligibility, Fees, Syllabus, Exam Dates & More.
The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is a national level entrance exam for admissions to undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) law programmes offered by 22 National Law Universities in India.
CLAT is organized by the Consortium of National Law Universities, comprising representative universities. Several affiliate universities and organizations also use the CLAT exam for admissions and recruitment respectively.
All admissions to the 5-year integrated L.L.B. and L.L.M. programmes that commence in the Academic Year 2023-2024 shall be through the CLAT 2023.
All the Important Information Related to CLAT. Browse Below the important links & Information for Exam.
1.
CLAT 2024:
National Law Universities around the country administer the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), a national admission exam for undergraduate and postgraduate law programmes. The Consortium of National Law Universities administers the admission test. In addition to conducting the CLAT admissions test for graduate and postgraduate programmes at the participating Universities, the Consortium's main objective is to support top-notch legal education at all of its member universities.
2.
CLAT Exam Overview:
CLAT 2024 Exam Pattern is mentioned below as per the official notification by CNLU.
| Category | UG program | PG program |
|---|---|---|
| Time Duration | 2 hours | 2 hours |
| Mode | Offline mode | Offline mode |
| Type of Questions | Objective-type, comprehension-based questions | Objective-type, comprehension-based questions |
| Number of Questions | 150 | 120 |
| Sections | English Language Current Affairs, including GK Legal Reasoning Logical Reasoning Quantitative Techniques | Constitutional Law Other Law Subjects, including Contract, Torts, Criminal Law, International Law, IPR and Jurisprudence. |
| Total Marks | 150 marks | 120 |
| Marking scheme | +1 mark for a correct answer. -0.25 marks is deducted for an incorrect answer. | +1 mark for a correct answer. -0.25 marks is deducted for an incorrect answer. |
3. CLAT Application Fee
Clat's application fee is the same for both Under Graduate & Post Graduate Courses. All the details about the application fee has been mentioned below in detail:
- Application fees can be paid online only.
- Application fee for General/OBC/PWD/NRI/PIO/OCI candidates: Rs.4,000/-
- Application fee for SC/ST/BPL category candidates: Rs.3,500/-
- The cost of previous years' question papers is Rs.500/- (not included in the CLAT 2023 application fee of
Rs.4,000/- or Rs.3,500/- as the case may be.) - The candidates themselves will have to bear the bank transaction charges for remitting the fee online. The actual bank
transaction charges will be displayed in the payment gateway page after candidates choose the mode of payment. - Application Fees is non-refundable.
4. Clat 2024: Important Guidelines
Here are a few important guidelines that you should follow while preparing for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT):
- The CLAT 2023 examination will be held in OFFLINE mode
- The applications have to be submitted ONLINE only from consortiumofnlus.ac.in website.
- Indian Nationals/NRIs/PIO/OCI seeking admission in either of the UG programmes shall appear in CLAT 2023.
- Foreign Nationals need not appear for the test
- For any information relating to the 22 NLUs, the candidate may refer to the e-brochure of the respective Institutions available in the Consortium website.
- If a candidate has filled-in more than one online application form, the candidate's last online application form only will be considered. In such cases, the application fee for the previous application forms will not be refunded.
5. Eligibility for CLAT 2024
Candidates are requested to check the eligibility criteria before filling the application form.
The eligibility criteria in terms of age and educational qualification to apply for the UG-CLAT and PG-CLAT, 2024 are given in the tables below. Candidates should ensure that they fulfil the eligibility requirements laid down by the Consortium of National Law Universities. Candidates found ineligible will be rejected at any stage in the admission process and no grievances will be entertained in this regard.
UG-CLAT 2024 Eligibility Criteria
- There is no upper age limit for aspirants applying for UG-CLAT 2024 examination.
- Candidates must secure the following minimum percentage of marks in their qualifying examination (i.e., 10+2 or an equivalent examination):
- Forty five percent (45%) marks or its equivalent grade in case of candidates belonging to General / OBC / PWD / NRI / PIO / OCI categories
- Forty Percent (40%) marks or equivalent in case of candidates belonging to SC/ST categories.
- Candidates who are going to appear in the qualifying exam (10+2 or its equivalent) in March/April (year) can apply for CLAT (year) exam. However, they must present proof of passing the qualifying exam when applying 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 they may have applied for.
PG-CLAT 2024 Eligibility Criteria
- There is no upper age limit for aspirants applying for PG-CLAT examination.
- Candidates must secure the following minimum percentage of marks in their Ll.B. Degree or an equivalent examination :
- Fifty percent (50%) marks or its equivalent grade in case of candidates belonging to General/OBC/PWD/NRI/PIO/OCI categories.
- Forty-Five percent (45%) marks or its equivalent grade in case of candidates belonging to SC/ST categories.
- Candidates who are going to appear in the qualifying examination (LLB degree or its equivalent exam) in April/May (Year) are eligible to apply for CLAT (year) examination. However, they must present proof of passing the qualifying exam when applying 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 they may have applied for.
6. Syllabus for CLAT
CLAT exam pattern consists of Five major sections with different number of questions in each section. The exam offers admission to various management programmes at different campuses of National Law Universities & affiliated colleges. It will be an online CBT exam comprising MCQ type questions
CLAT UG Syllabus
The UG-CLAT 2023 would focus on evaluating the comprehension and reasoning skills and abilities of candidates. Overall, it is designed to be a test of aptitude and skills that are necessary for a legal education rather than prior knowledge, though prior knowledge occasionally may be useful to respond to questions in the Current Affairs section.
The UG-CLAT 2023 shall be a 2-hour test, with 150 multiple-choice questions carrying 1 mark each. There shall be negative marking of 0.25 marks for every wrong answer. These questions would be divided across the following 5 subjects:
- English Language
- Current Affairs, including General Knowledge
- Legal Reasoning
- Logical Reasoning
- Quantitative Techniques
English Language
In this section of the UG-CLAT 2023, you will be provided passages of about 450 words each. These passages will be derived from contemporary or historically significant fiction and non-fiction writing, and would be of a standard that a 12th standard student may be able to read in about 5-7 minutes.
Each passage will be followed by a series of questions that will require you to demonstrate your comprehension and language skills, including your 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;
- Summarize 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.
Current Affairs Including General Knowledge
In this section, you will be provided passages of up to 450 words each. The passages will be derived from news, journalistic sources and other non-fiction writing. The questions may include an examination of legal information or knowledge discussed in or related to the passage, but would not require any additional knowledge of the law beyond the passage.
Each passage will be followed by a series of questions that will require you to demonstrate your awareness of various aspects of current affairs and general knowledge, including:
- Contemporary events of significance from India and the world;
- Arts and culture;
- International affairs; and
- Historical events of continuing significance.
Legal Reasoning
In this section, you will be expected to read passages of around 450 words each. The passages may relate to fact situations or scenarios involving legal matters, public policy questions or moral philosophical enquiries. You will not require any prior knowledge of law. You will benefit from a general awareness of contemporary legal and moral issues to better apply general principles or propositions to the given fact scenarios.
Each passage will be followed by a series of questions that will require you to:
- Identify and infer 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.
Logical Reasoning
The Logical Reasoning section of the UG-CLAT will include a series of short passages of about 300 words each. Each passage will be followed by one or more questions that will require you to:
- Recognize an argument, its premises and conclusions;
- Read and identify the arguments set out in the passage;
- Critically analyse patterns of reasoning, and assess how conclusions may depend on particular premises or evidence;
- Infer what follows from the passage and apply these inferences to new situations;
- Draw relationships and analogies, identify contradictions and equivalence, and assess the effectiveness of arguments.
- ​Need to evaluate which option either strengthen or weakens any given assumptions or statements in the question.
Quantitative Techniques
The Quantitative Techniques section of the UG-CLAT 2023 will include short sets of facts or propositions, graphs, or other textual, pictorial or diagrammatic representations of numerical information, followed by a series of questions. You will be required to derive information from such passages, graphs, or other representations, and apply mathematical operations on such information.
The questions will require you to:
- Derive, infer, and manipulate numerical information set out in such passages, 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.
UG Question Paper format
CLAT Exam Pattern for Undergraduate (UG) Law Programme 2023 (Total 150 Marks)
| S.No. | Section | No. of Questions | Approximate Weightage (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English Language | 28-32 | 20 |
| 2 | Current Affairs including General Knowledge | 35-39 | 25 |
| 3 | Logical Reasoning | 28-32 | 20 |
| 4 | Legal Reasoning | 35-39 | 25 |
| 5 | Quantitative Techniques | 13-17 | 10 |
CLAT PG Syllabus
The PG-CLAT 2023 will feature an emphasis on the comprehension abilities of the students. It shall be of 120 minutes duration, with one sections:
- The first section would include 120 objective-type questions carrying 1 mark each. There shall be a negative marking of 0.25 marks for every wrong answer.
The paper will be based on the mandatory subjects of the undergraduate program and include:
- Constitutional Law, 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.
Objective Section
In this section of the PG-CLAT 2023, you will be provided extracts from primary legal materials such as important court decisions in various fields of law, statutes or regulations. Each passage will be followed by a series of questions that will require you to demonstrate the:
- 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 your knowledge of the fields of law discussed in the passage.
7. How to Apply For CLAT 2024
The entire application process will be conducted online mode. Four stages are involved while filling out the application form, i.e., online registration, filling out the form, uploading documents, and payment of the application fee.
Follow the below steps to complete the process smoothly.
- Step 1: Visit the official website of CLAT, i.e., clatconsortiumofnlus.ac.in
- Step 2: On the Home page, click the link "register" and complete the registration process by entering the name and mobile number and setting a password.
- Step 3: Enter the OTP received on the registered mobile number. This completes the registration process.
- Step 4: Log in to the portal using the registered mobile number and password.
- Step 5: Complete the application form by entering all the correct details.
- Step 6: Upload necessary scanned images, documents, and signatures in the specified format.
- Step 7: Pay the fee through the different online payment modes to complete the application process.
Documents to be uploaded with the Online Application.
- Front facing passport size recent photograph with plain background
- Signature of the candidate
- Category certificate if you are applying under SC/ST/OBC
- Relevant certificate issued by competent authority if candidate is applying under P.W.D
- Relevant certificate issued by competent authority if candidate is applying under BPL category
NOTE:
- The original certificates/documents issued by the competent authority as specified in the brochure are to be submitted to the allotted University in the form and manner as specified by the respective universities at the time of admission.
- The photograph and signature of the candidate need not be attested while submitting the Online Application Form.
- All documents/certificates should be uploaded in pdf format only.
8. Important Books For CLAT 2024
There are several books that can help you prepare for the CLAT, but it is important to choose the right ones that will provide you with the most comprehensive and accurate information. Here are a few books that are considered to be some of the most important for preparing for the CLAT:
"CLAT & LLB Entrance Exam Guide" by RPH Editorial Board: This book is a comprehensive guide to the CLAT and other law entrance exams in India. It includes chapters on all the subjects tested in the CLAT, as well as practice questions and mock tests.
"CLAT & LLB Entrance Exam Solved Papers" by Arihant Experts: This book contains a collection of past CLAT papers, along with detailed solutions to help you understand the types of questions that are likely to be asked in the exam.
"Legal Aptitude for the CLAT and Other Law Entrance Exams" by M.L. Jhingan: This book is specifically designed to help you prepare for the legal aptitude section of the CLAT. It covers all the key concepts you need to know and includes practice questions to help you test your understanding.
"Objective English for Competitive Examinations" by Hari Mohan Prasad and Uma Rani Sinha: This book is a comprehensive guide to English language and grammar for competitive exams. It includes chapters on vocabulary, comprehension, and verbal ability, as well as practice questions and mock tests.
"Logical Reasoning for the CLAT and Other Law Entrance Exams" by M.L. Jhingan: This book is specifically designed to help you prepare for the logical reasoning section of the CLAT. It covers all the key concepts you need to know and includes practice questions to help you test your understanding.
It is important to note that preparing for the CLAT requires a lot of hard work and dedication. You should make sure to set aside sufficient time to study and practice, and be sure to cover all the key concepts and topics that are likely to be tested in the exam.
