CLAT 2016 Exam Pattern | ENTRANCE INDIA

Common Law Admission Test 2016 (CLAT)

November 26, 2015 by Rohit

CLAT

Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is a national level common Law entrance examination for the admission of UG, PG and other integrated Law courses (LLB and LLM) in 16 National Law Universities of India.

This is a two hour paper which consists of only multiple choices of questions based on subjects such as English, General Knowledge, Logical reasoning and Mathematics. The minimum education qualification to attend this exam is 10+ 12th standards cleared for the admission of UG and Integrated courses.

The minimum educational qualification for the admission of PG courses is a UG degree in Law.

The CLAT scores are also considered by other private law colleges and by some public sector recruitments.

List of National Law Universities:

The list of 16 National Law Universities which offer admission through CLAT are

National Law School of India University, Bangalore
Nalsar University of Law, Hyderabad
The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata
National Law Institute University, Bhopal
National Law University, Jodhpur
Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur
Gujarat National Law University, Gandhi Nagar
Ram Manahar Lohia National Law University, Lucknow
Chanakya National Law University, Patna
National University of advanced Legal studies, Kochi
Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala
National University of Study and Research in Law, Ranchi
National Law University, Cuttack
National Law University and Judicial Academy, Guwahati
Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University, Vishakhapatnam
Tamil Nadu National Law School, Srirangam

Programs offered by 16 NLU’s:

The following are the different UG and PG programs offered by the 16 NLU’s:

They are

A.LL.B (Hons) (LLB-Bachelor of Laws)
Sc.LL.B (Hons)
S.W LL.B (Hons)
Com LL.B (Hons)
L.M (LLM- Master of Laws)

Important dates for CLAT 2016:

These dates are tentative. Thus, refer the official website of CLAT for any official announcement of important dates of CLAT 2016.

Application form available from: 1^st week of January to Last week of March 2016

Last date for the online application form submission: Last week of March 2016 Admit card availability: Mid of April 2016.

Examination date of CLAT 2016: 1^st or 2^nd week of May 2016

Declaration of results of CLAT 2016: 3^rd and 4^th week of May 2016

Admission process: From 4^th week of May till 1^st week of July 2016

Admission closes on: 1^st week of July 2016

Eligibility criteria for CLAT 2016:

Candidates applying for this exam for UG degree must have cleared higher secondary education from the recognized board with at least 45% of scores for general category students. For students belonging to the SC/ST and PwD they must have secured at least 40% of marks in their higher secondary education.
The candidates applying for CLAT should be below 20 years as on 1^st July 2016 for general category students. For students belonging to SC/ST/PwD category the age should be below 22 years.
For PG program there is no upper age limit prescribed by the participating Universities.
Candidates applying for PG degree exam must have completed LLB or 5 year integrated LLB degree with at least 55% of marks(General category students) and 50% of marks (SC/ST/PwD students) from a recognized University.
The candidate must be an Indian or NRI.

How to apply for CLAT 2016?

The official notification of CLAT 2016 is yet to be announced in the official site of CLAT . After announcement, please follow the steps below:

Visit the official site of CLAT 2016 http://www.clat.ac.in
Since this exam is conducted only in online mode, the candidates can apply this exam only through online.
Application forms for CLAT 2016 are expected to be available from January 2016. Thus, download the application form from the website.
Please fill in all the details of candidate such as correct name, address, contact number and active email id. Please be sure that these details are very correct. These details are used to communicate further with the candidates.
Last date of the application submission in on last week of March 2016.
Submit the application form through online with required necessary documents like scanned copy of certificates, photos, etc.,
The application fee is Rs.4000/- for general candidates and Rs.3500 for SC/ST/PwD candidates.
The candidates can pay this application fee through net banking/debit card or credit card.

Pattern for CLAT 2016:

Mode of the examination: Online only
Duration of the examination for UG: Two hours
Exam Venues: The exam will be conducted in number of test centres across India. The test centres will be announced later in the official site.
Total number of questions: 200 each carrying one mark (UG exam)
Total number of questions: 150 each carrying one mark (PG exam)
Every correct answer will be awarded one mark whereas every wrong answer will be deducted 0.25 marks.
For UG courses the exam pattern is as follows:

Reasoning: 40 questions
Legal Aptitude: 50 Questions
English and comprehension: 40 questions
Elementary mathematics: 20 questions
General Knowledge and current affairs: 50 questions

For PG Course the exam pattern is as follows:

Constitutional law: 50 questions
Jurisprudence: 50 questions
Other law subjects: 50 questions

Total marks for PG entrance exam: 150
Each question carries one mark
Time duration for PG exam: 2 hours.

However, please refer the official site of CLAT for the official announcement of the pattern.

Syllabus for CLAT 2016:

Syllabus for CLAT UG LLB:

The most important topics that are covered under the syllabus of CLAT (LLB-UG course syllabus) are:

English and comprehension:

This is to mainly test the candidate’s proficiency in English and his understanding capacity of comprehension passages and its theme. Questions based on comprehension passage test the candidate’s ability of understanding such passages. The other topics which are included are identify correct and incorrect sentences in grammar, active and passive voice, reading comprehension, sentence sequencing, spotting error and using appropriate word. This section carries 40 marks with 40 questions.

General Knowledge and current affairs:

The candidate’s are tested the knowledge in current affairs, general questions on India, world geography, history, freedom struggles, Indian economy, Indian constitution, international news, etc. This section carries 50 marks with 50 questions.

Elementary Mathematics:

This section covers all the fundamental concepts in mathematics. Thus, students who are strong enough in the fundamental basics can easily clear this section. The most important topics covered under this are Number system, roots, average, HCF and LCM, Logarithm, profit and loss, discounts, interest calculation, areas and volumes, decimals and fractions, etc. This section carries 20 marks.

Legal Aptitude:

This section will test the candidate’s knowledge in legal propositions. The questions are based on the legal propositions or principles and facts. These principles have to be applied accordingly to arrive at a most reasonable conclusion. The total number of questions in this section is 50.

Logical reasoning:

This section totally consists of 40 questions each carrying one mark. Questions based on logical links, identify patterns, rectifying illogical arguments are covered under this section. Other questions such as syllogism, logical sequences, analogies, etc are also covered under this section.

Syllabus for CLAT PG LLM:

The most important topics for CLAT PG LLM

Law of Contracts
Criminal Law
Family Law
Legal Theory
Constitutional Law
Law of Torts

Important books to refer for CLAT 2016:

English:

Word power made easy 1^st edition by Norman Lewis
Objective General English Edition 1 by R.S.Agarwal

General Knowledge:

Manorama year book
Lucents General Knowledge

Mathematics:

Quantitative aptitude for competitive examinations, 17^th edition by R.S.Aggarwal
Quantitative aptitude for competitive examinations 4^th edition

Legal awareness:

Legal awareness and legal reasoning for the CLAT and LLB.

Logical reasoning:

Analytical reasoning 3^rd edition by M.K.Pandey
A modern approach to logical reasoning by R.S.Aggarwal

Preparation tips for CLAT 2016:

Here are the few preparation tips for CLAT 2016.

Study according to the latest syllabus and pattern of CLAT 2016:

This is the most important thing that a candidate must note. Students have to know the pattern and syllabus of CLAT 2016 and cover all topics thoroughly. Also, students can refer to the previous year questions papers to be clear and confident.

Proper time management:

Time management is the most important thing for clearing any competitive exam. Thus, be sure that you can solve any particular question within the given time. If it is not possible try to solve it within the given time. This is the very important thing for any candidate.

Take part in the online mock tests:

There are huge numbers of websites providing the online mock test for CLAT examination. Attending these exams, students can be clear about the types of questions asked for, duration of each section and importance of each section. Thus, students must definitely attend the mock examination.

Prepare notes:

Practice yourself to prepare notes for all lengthy and important topics. Making note of all important formulas, important information, dates of the incidents, etc., which will help you during the last minute preparation of the examination.

Be aware with the current affairs:

Unlike other competitive exams, CLAT needs more knowledge and awareness in the Current

affairs. Thus, read daily newspapers and magazines without fail.

Solve previous year question papers:

Download last five years question papers and try to solve it on your own. Try to solve all mathematical questions, logical reasoning questions and legal awareness questions on your own. Test your General Knowledge skills by attending various mock tests.

Refer all important books for CLAT :

Prepare the exam through books specified for CLAT 2016. Always prepare from those books.

Career in Law in India

November 17, 2015November 17, 2015 by bn Mishra

Career in Law in India:

Law is one of the most prestigious and popular career choices in our Country. People whose family generations have been into this profession for years usually choose this career.

However, to choose this career it is not compulsory that the student must be from Law or its related background.

There are different types of branches available in the Law courses. They are civil law, criminal law, Intellectual Property Right, Patent law and corporate law, etc.,

A degree of law not only allows you to practice as a lawyer in courts but also to work in various sectors such as corporate management, legal services and administrative services.

Students who wish to choose this career must check the following points:

Is this the right career for me?

Before choosing up this career, please ask this question to yourself. The career in law requires more patience and logical thinking. Think twice whether you are suitable for this profession. Also, the Law profession is a difficult and a challenging one when compared to other professions. It requires more hard work and intelligence to become a successful lawyer. Even for a successful lawyer the starting stage is not that easy. They must be trained under an experienced senior lawyer or advocate to become successful.

Those who are choosing this career must have excellent communication skills, critical thinking and intelligence.

Start preparing for Law entrance examination:

If you have decided to choose this career, then start preparing for the national level Law entrance examinations as soon as you complete the senior secondary education. The national entrance examination like CLAT generally tests the candidate’s ability of thinking, general English, legal aptitude, general awareness and logical skills. The other competitive Law exams are AILET, LSAT, SET, etc.,

What type of course can I choose for?

Any students who decide to choose their career in Law can either do 3 years LLB course or 5 years BA LLB course in this field. 3 years course can be done after any graduation in any discipline whereas 5 years course can be done directly after your 12^th standard.

Nowadays, 3 years degree in law is considered less important when compared to the 5 years course in Law. This is because 5 years law course is treated as professional degree in Law and students who really aspire to become an advocate take up this course. 3 years law course is just treated as additional degree nowadays.

What is the cost of these courses?

The cost of pursuing these courses depending on the type and reputation of the institution. A 3 years LLB course usually less expensive where as the five years BA LLB course is little more expensive. There will also be hostel for students opting hostel.

What is my salary after I complete the degree?

This is actually one of the highest paying professions but depends upon the Lawyer’s caliber, popularity and success. The lawyer who has just started practicing can get a stipend of Rs.5000 to Rs.40,000 depending upon the performance, caliber, senior advocate he is associated with, etc.,

Outsourcing receives an attractive salary package of Rs.20000 to Rs.200000 per month.

International focus:

The Law education in India is similar to that of Britain. Thus, many Universities in Britain offer Law education to many students from India. As a recent trend, students from India study in this these foreign universities by enjoying attractive salary package while studying.

Demand and supply:

An acute shortage of well qualified lawyers is a major problem in India. Among ten Lakh lawyers in India only 20 percent of them are said to be fit enough to practice law in courts. Several Law schools like NLSU, NALSAR are established to improve the level of legal education in India and to produce skilled lawyers to meet the requirements.

Also, those who decide to take up this career must sincerely work hard in this profession. Also, they must have an intention to serve their own country through this valuable and respected profession.

Job prospects:

There are huge numbers of jobs in Law career. The person taking up Law as a profession can either practice as a Lawyer in the court or can work for the corporate firms. By clearing exams like Public service commission the Law graduate will get a chance to become a Judge. After good and considerable experience a Law graduate can also become a solicitor general or public prosecutor or work for any Government or public firms.

The other opportunities for a Law graduate is that he/she can also work as a legal adviser to any private/public firms, work with NGO’s or work as a reporter in News paper or television channel.

What are the different designations possible in this field?

There are different roles available for a Law graduate to choose for: They are

Civil Litigation Lawyer:

The Lawyer who solely concentrates only one civil cases such as corporate, family, probate, intellectual property tax, personal injury law, real estate and so on.

Criminal Lawyer:

Criminal lawyers who are otherwise called as criminal defense lawyers who are responsible for defending individuals, organizations and entities that have been charged with crime.

They handle diverse types of criminal cases such as domestic violence crime, sex crimes, theft, drug crimes, fraudulent act, etc.,

Legal Analyst:

Legal analyst who works for corporate or law firms and analyses laws related to the company and its operation. He/she deals with all legal problems faced by the concern they are working for.

Document Drafting Lawyer:

The creation of legal documents is an integral part of Law profession. But those who specialize in this field are called as document drafting Lawyers. Such persons are responsible for drafting legal agreements, documents and all related legal papers for the company or the firm they work for.

Legal Journalist:

Legal journalism is a specialization within journalism. Legal journalist research and report every information pertaining to the Law. These people can be very successful when they work as “news reporters” since they will be able to perform well than a journalist without legal knowledge.

Government Lawyer:

Government Lawyers are the qualified Lawyers or Solicitors who work on behalf of government and give legal advice to the Government ministers and administrative staffs.

Judge:

Judge plays main role in the court room. They interpret law, deal with the evidence presented and offer judgment for all cases.

Different types of Law Exam:

The candidates those who are interested in the Law profession have to qualify any entrance examination below:

CLAT: (Common Law Admission Test)

This is national level entrance test for the admission to any 14 top National Law Universities of India. They are NLUs, TNNLS, Tiruchirappalli, DSNLU Visakhapatnam, Nirma Ahemedabad etc.,

LSAT: (Law School Admission Test)

This is a common test which tests the candidate’s verbal and logical ability skills. This test is conducted by USA based Law School Admission Council (LSAC) for use by Law schools in India.

DU LLB/LLM:

Faculty of Law, University of Delhi conducts a separate entrance exam for the admission to the courses like LLB and LLM.

SET Symbiosis:

Symbiosis International University conducts this exam for the admission to the various UG courses in the Symbiosis University.

ULSAT-UPES Law Studies Aptitude Test:

ULSAT is conducted by University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES). This is a common entrance test conducted for the admission to the courses like BA LLB and LLB in corporate Laws, cyber laws and intellectual property rights.

Top Law schools in India:

Faculty of Law, University of Delhi
Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
ILS Law college, Pune
Government Law college, Mumbai
Amity Law School, Delhi
Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
National Law University, Jodhpur
Gujarat National Law of University (GNLU)
NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad
Symbiosis Society’s Law College (SSLC), Pune

Candidates who do 5 years BA LLB from top law schools like NALSAR or NLSUI Bangalore get huge job opportunity from the ITES firms and other law firms. These graduates can also start to practice in courts. But those who wish to practice in the court have to register their name in the bar council of India (BCI) and practice under the senior lawyers.