Over the time, a career in law has emerged as a lucrative career alternative among the students. There has been a tremendous increase in the number of law students in the country.

According to an estimate by the Bar Council of India, there are around 1.5 million registered advocates in the country today, in addition to around 950 law schools and five lakh law students.

Also, Shashikala Gurpur, Dean and Principal, Symbiosis Law School, Pune says, “The number of law school applicants goes up by 25 per cent on an average,”

Fortunately, India has no dearth of law institutions that proffer quality education to the students. The National Law Universities (NLUs) are the ones that top the list.

There are 18 National Law Universities established across the country. It is the desire of every law aspirant to pursue their law education from one of these eminent institutions.

However, to become a part of the NLU one has to clear the law entrance exam organized by the institutions, namely, Common Law Admission Test (CLAT).

Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is organized annually by the NLUs on a rotational basis. CLAT 2017 will be conducted by the Chanakya National Law University, Patna.

In this article, I have discussed in detail to about CLAT. I have talked about everything from CLAT exam eligibility to CLAT preparation books.

Read further to get all the information.

National Law Universities in India

CLAT Exam Eligibility Criteria

The questions that might have hit your mind are:

Who can give CLAT?

Am I eligible to appear to for this exam or not?

All your doubts will go away once you go through the eligibility conditions to appear for CLAT exam.

Below I have mentioned in detail CLAT exam eligibility, have a look.

Candidates who wish to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate law courses from the National Law University have to appear for the CLAT.

The eligibility condition for undergraduate and postgraduate law aspirants is mentioned separately.

CLAT Exam Eligibility for Undergraduate Program

Age

The candidate must be below 20 years of age as on 1st July 2017 (in case of all Unreserved/NRIs/NRI Sponsored categories candidates). Whereas, in case of SC/ST/ OBC/Specially Abled Persons (SAP) category candidates must be below 22 years of age as on 1st July 2017.

Educational Qualification

Qualifying Exam: 10+2 from a recognized board.

Minimum Percentage:

(i) 45% in case of candidates belonging to Unreserved /OBC /Specially Abled Persons (SAP) and other categories.

(ii) 40% marks in case of candidates belonging to SC/ST categories.

Please note that candidates who are appearing in the qualifying examination in March/April 2017 are also eligible for appearing in CLAT-2017 online examination. However, the result of qualifying examination (i.e., 10+2) shall be submitted by the candidate at the time of admission or the candidate’s admission will be canceled.

In case of equal marks, the breaking of tie shall be by the following procedure and order as under:

(i) Higher marks in the section of legal aptitude in CLAT 2017 exam.

(ii) Higher age.

(iii) Computerised draw of lots.

CLAT Exam Eligibility for Postgraduate Program

Age

There is no upper age limit for candidates willing to take admission to postgraduate program via CLAT 2017.

Educational Qualification

Qualifying Exam:

The candidate who wish to take admission to the postgraduate level must possess any of the following degrees.

(i) LL.B.

(ii) Five-Year Integrated LL.B. (Hons.)

(iii) any other equivalent exam

Minimum Percentage:

(i) 55% marks in case of candidates belonging to Unreserved / OBC/Specially Abled Persons (SAP) and other categories, and

(ii) 50% marks in case of candidates belonging to SC/ST category.

Please note that:

the candidate must have passed / appeared in the final semester/final year examination of the qualifying examination on the date of his/her admission.

In case of candidate who has appeared in the qualifying examination, he/she may submit his/her final result of qualifying examination within the time frame prescribed by the respective University / Institute. Till then such candidates may be given provisional admission.

In case of equal marks, the breaking of tie shall be by procedure and order as under:

(i) Higher age

(ii) Computerized draw of lots.

CLAT 2017 Exam Pattern

CLAT 2017 Exam Pattern For Admission to Undergraduate Program

CLAT 2017 will be of 200 marks for the aspirants seeking admission to an undergraduate program. The duration of the test will be 2 hours.

CLAT 2017 will be a multiple choice computer based test.

Check the table below for subject-wise marks distribution.

Subject	No. of Questions	Total Marks
English (including Comprehension)	40	40
General Knowledge and Current Affairs	50	50
Elementary Mathematics (Numerical Ability)	20	20
Legal Aptitude	50	50
Logical Reasoning	40	40

There will be a negative marking of 0.25 Mark for every wrong answer.

CLAT 2017 Exam Pattern For Admission to Undergraduate Program

CLAT 2017 will be of 150 marks for the aspirants seeking admission to postgraduate program. The duration of the test will be 2 hours.

CLAT 2017 will be a multiple choice computer based test.

Check the table below for subject-wise marks distribution.

Topic	No. of Questions	Total Marks
Constitutional Law	50	50
Jurisprudence	50	50
Other law subjects such as Contract, Torts, Criminal Law, International Law, Environment Law and Human Rights	50	50

CLAT 2017 Syllabus

CLAT Syllabus for Undergraduate Program

(i) English including comprehension

The English section will test the candidate’s’ proficiency in English based on comprehension passages and grammar. In the comprehension section, candidates will be questioned 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.

(ii) General Knowledge and Current Affairs

The General knowledge will be tested on the general awareness including static general knowledge. Questions on current affairs will test candidates on their knowledge of national and international current affairs.

(iii) Mathematics

This section will test candidate’s knowledge on elementary mathematics, i.e., maths taught up to 10th Class/standard.

(iv) Legal Aptitude

This section will test candidate’s interest towards study of law, research aptitude and problem solving ability. Questions may include legal propositions (described in the paper), and a set of facts to which the said proposition has to be applied. Some propositions may not be “true” in the real sense, candidates will have to assume the “truth” of these propositions and answer the questions accordingly.

(v) Logical Reasoning

The purpose of the logical reasoning section is to test the candidate’s 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. However, visual reasoning will not be tested.

CLAT Syllabus for Postgraduate Program

Questions will be asked from the following areas of law:-

(i) Constitutional Law

(ii) Jurisprudence

(iii) Other law subjects such as Contract, Torts, Criminal Law, International Law, Environment Law and Human Rights.

How to Prepare for CLAT 2017

The CLAT exams tests the general aptitude and legal knowledge of the students. While some students will prefer going for the coaching classes, others will prepare at home.

If you are wondering that how to prepare for CLAT without coaching, this is how you can do it.

Divide your whole CLAT preparation time into three phases.

Learn The Concepts
Understanding the Concepts
Practice

In Phase 1 study rigorously and enhance your knowledge. Develop a basic idea of the subjects. Get familiar with what all you must know to qualify CLAT.

For instance: The English section will test your vocabulary and grammar. For that start will clearing your basic grammar concepts, read newspapers to build your vocabulary. For GK and current affairs, refer books like Pratiyogita Darparn, read newspapers like The Hindu, and watch news.

Every time you complete with learning a concept, solve a few related questions to solidify the concept.

In Phase 2 focus more on reinforcing your understanding. Solve as many questions as you can. Identify your mistakes and strengths and work on them accordingly.

Solve sample papers or buy guides that have a large number of practice questions. During this phase your emphasis should be on testing your knowledge.

In Phase 3 start with practicing as many questions as you can. Solve previous year paper, take online mock tests to check your performance. Make sure that this phase is solely dedicated to practicing and all your basics are clear.

In this phase you need to focus on time management, speed, and identifying the challenges that you might face during an online test and work on them.

Watch this video to know how to prepare for CLAT in one month.

CLAT Preparation Books

CLAT is among the most sought-after law entrance exams in India. Every year, thousands of students sit for this exam. In 2016, approximately 45000 students, from 20 cities across the country, applied for the exam. It is a record-breaking number of applicants since the exams existence.

However, with complete knowledge, strong determination, and perseverance you can make your way through this stiff competition.

Good Luck!

How To Prepare for CLAT 2017: Syllabus, Preparation Tips & Books