CLAT 2020: (Common law admission test)
CLAT known as The Common Law Admission Test is a national level entrance exam conducted in order to get admission to Undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) law programs. CLAT tests are conducted by the Association of National Law Universities comprising representative universities. CLAT 2020 is due to take place on May 10th, 2020.
Eligibility Criteria:
The eligibility criteria depend on the type of law programs one would like to apply for. Below are the Program type eligibility criteria.
Undergraduate (UG):
- There is no specified Age limit to apply for the program.
- Applicant must have completed a 12th or equivalent test from a board or association recognized.
- The minimum percentage for General / OBC/especially able people is 45% and the minimum required percentage for candidates of SC or ST categories is 40%.
- Candidates who will be appearing in the March / April 2020 qualifying exam are also eligible for participation in the online test of CLAT 2020. They shall, at the time of admission, be required to submit proof of the passing of their qualifying test, failing which they shall lose their right to admission.
Postgraduate (PG):
- There is no specified Age limit to apply for the program.
- Candidate must have obtained a minimum percentage in L.L.B. or equivalent examination.
- The minimum percentage for General, OBC, and other categories is 55% and the minimum required percentage for candidates belonging to SC or ST categories is 50%.
- The applicant must have passed the final year exam or is in the Stepwise year of the qualifying exam.
The application process for CLAT:
One can apply by the application form available online. The online forms will be available from 1st January 2020. The stepwise process for registration is mentioned below.
Step 1 – Visit the online website in order to register for CLAT.
Step 2 – Fill in the necessary details such as name, mobile number and E-mail ID. Also, need to set a password.
Step 3 – After filling in the details click on the “Register” Option.
Step 4 – On successful registration new account will be formed and OTP is sent to registered mobile number for activation of your account.
Step 5 – After registering the candidate will have to login again in order to get the application form. The application form contains several sections such as personal, address and information which must be properly completed.
Step 6 – Upload the documents. Photograph, signature, and state of domicile certificate(pdf) are the documents that are to be uploaded.
Step 7 – Next the candidate needs to pay the application fees. Application fees are Rs 4000/- and for SC/ST/BPL category application fees is Rs 3500/-
Admit Card:
For the candidates who have completed, the application process successfully will receive admit cards in May 2nd week. Admit card has necessary details like Name of the applicant, roll number, examination date and time, details of exam center etc. It is an important document to be carried to the exam center.
Important dates to remember:
| CLAT 2020 | Important Dates |
| Online application form releases on | 01 Jan 2020 |
| Last date to submit the application form | 31 Mar 2020 |
| Admit card releases on | 03rd week of May 2020 |
| CLAT 2020 Exam Date | 10 May 2020 |
| Publication of Official Answer Key | 11 May 2020 |
| Objections can be submitted from | 12 to 15 May 2020 |
| Notification of final answer key | 18 May 2020 |
| Result declaration | 24 May 2020 |
Exam Pattern for CLAT:
- Mode – It is an offline test
- Time pan – Two hours
- Number of Questions – There will be 150 MCQs for Undergraduate (UG) and Postgraduate (PG) paper will have 100 MCQs + 2 essay type questions (800 words per essay).
- Marking – There is 1 mark for each correct answer and a negative marking of 0.25 marks on one incorrect answer.
- Language – English
CLAT syllabus:
CLAT Syllabus will include English, General Knowledge & Current Affairs and Basic Mathematics questions. Together with the 21 NLUs, the CLAT Core Committee formulates a CLAT 2020 curriculum. For all the programs the syllabus is different. The basic CLAT test pattern, however, remains the same for everyone. Syllabus according to undergraduate and postgraduate programs is given below.
(Undergraduate)
| Segments | Subject |
| English | comprehension passages Grammar word meanings incorrect/correct sentences |
| Mathematics | algebra profit and loss time and work average, speed and distance permutation-combination and Venn diagrams statistical estimation Mensuration |
| Logical Reasoning | Logical and Analytical reasoning skills |
| Legal Aptitude | Study of law Research aptitude Problem-solving ability Questions based on hypothetical situations Important court decisions |
(Postgraduate)
| S.No. | Subject |
| 1 | Constitutional Law |
| 2 | Law of Torts |
| 3 | International Law |
| 4 | Jurisprudence |
| 5 | Intellectual Property Law |
| 6 | Law of Contracts |
| 7 | Criminal Law |
Preparation Tips for CLAT 2020:
Candidates can start preparing by understanding the above-mentioned points. This helps you to know about the examination and how it is conducted. One will be able to decide more clearly which topic needs more attention and plan accordingly. The applicant must set an appropriate timetable and follow the timetable for the preparation of the test within the time limit. A few of the pointer which would help is.
Timetable – Candidates should schedule a follow-up timetable. This will help keep track of how many topics are pending, and whether the preparation will go according to the schedule.
Make notes – At the time of preparation keep a habit of making notes. This may also help you at the time of revision.
Mock tests – Candidates should regularly practice the mock test to check the speed at which questions are solved. This will give a clear view of solving the actual paper.
Section-wise preparation – One can refer to the section of the syllabus and plan it accordingly by completing one by one section and its topics.
Revision – This is one of the important phases of preparation. Instead of last-minute preparations, we can study the course on time and continue with the revision.