While beginning to start preparing for CLAT, the candidate must check the important details of the exam first. They must also know the CLAT exam pattern, CLAT exam syllabus, CLAT eligibility and other important details. Proper knowledge about the exam will help the candidates prepare an effective study plan.
CLAT is the Common Law Admission Test for admission to top Law schools. CLAT is one of the most important law entrance exams. So the candidates must put a lot of focus and dedication into their preparation. To begin with, you can look at the updated and latest CLAT exam pattern and syllabus.
CLAT Exam Pattern
The CLAT exam pattern gives away important details about the exam.
| Date of Exam | 18 December 2023 |
| Conducting Body | The Consortium of NLUs |
| Mode of Examination | Pen and Paper mode. |
| Type of Questions | Objective type (MCQ) |
| No. of Section | 5 (English language, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Techniques and Current Affairs) |
| No. of Questions | 150 |
| Total Marks to be obtained | 150 |
| Marking Scheme | There is negative marking. 1 mark is awarded for each correct response.0.25 are deducted for each incorrect response. |
| Duration | 2 Hours |
Apart from these important details about the exam, previous years’ paper analysis has helped us lay out section-wise marks and question distribution. The section-wise distribution of marks and questions will help the candidate know the CLAT exam pattern better.
| S.No. | Subjects | Questions(approx.) | Weightage | CLAT total marks |
| 1 | English including Comprehension | 28-32 | 20% | 28-32 |
| 2 | General Knowledge and Current Affairs | 35-39 | 25% | 32-35 |
| 3 | Legal Reasoning | 35-39 | 25% | 35-39 |
| 4 | Logical Reasoning | 28-32 | 20% | 28-32 |
| 5 | Quantitative Techniques | 13-17 | 10% | 13-17 |
| TOTAL | 150 | 100% | 150 |
CLAT Syllabus
The CLAT exam intends to assess candidates on various levels like command over language, quantitative aptitude, legal aptitude etc. The intention is to determine whether a candidate is fit for legal studies or not. There are 5 sections in the CLAT exam. The syllabus laid out is section-wise. Due to the vastness of the syllabus, all the topics of each section cannot be mentioned. Therefore, the skills to be assessed and some important topics are mentioned below for each section of the CLAT exam.
English Language
- Students will be judged on their skills to be able to proficiently draw inferences and conclusions by challenging them through questions in the form of passages based on contemporary or historically significant fiction and nonfiction topics.
- Questions may be asked relating to the summary of the reading comprehension.
- Being able to analyse the reading comprehension deeply will help the candidates to compare and contrast the different points in the passage.
Important Topics:
Sentence Sequence Arrangement, Phrase Replacement, Synonyms & Antonyms, Tenses, Spotting Error, Fill in the blanks, Active and Passive Voice.
General Knowledge
- This section will include 35-39 questions from current affairs.
- This section is designed to test a candidate’s knowledge about current affairs and overall general knowledge.
Important Topics:
National & International Affairs, Government Schemes, Science and Technology, Summits and Conferences, Foreign Affairs, Arts and Culture, Awards and Honours, Sports, Science and Technology.
Logical Reasoning
- This section will consist of anywhere Between 28-32 questions.
- The Logical Reasoning section will give passages about 300-400 words in length to force candidates to think differently and analyse the paragraph correctly.
- This section will test the candidates’ ability to think analytically, draw relationships between the arguments in a passage, et cetera.
Important Topics:
Syllogism, Statement & Course of Action, Statement & Assumption, Inference of Statements, Cause and Effect, Analogy.
Legal Reasoning
- Candidates are expected to answer questions related to legal matters or social issues. The questions will be in the form of passages.
- This section will likely consist of 35-39 questions, each designed to test the legal aptitude of the candidates appearing for the CLAT exam.
Important Topics:
Important Supreme Court Judgements, Tax Law, Environmental Law, Contract Law, Legal Maxims, International Treaties & Conventions affecting National Legal Framework, Public International Law, Public Policy Questions.
Quantitative Aptitude
- This section will ask questions on various mathematics topics like mixtures and allegations, averages, percentages, ratio and proportion, et cetera from the candidates to test their familiarity with the different topics in quantitative techniques.
- The focus is on elementary mathematical concepts.
- This section will likely consist of 13-17 questions from various topics designed to measure the familiarity and grasp of the candidate on these topics of quantitative techniques.
Important Topics:
Permutation and Combination, Average and Percentage, Ratio and Proportion, Time and Work, Time, Distance and Speed, Fractions and Equations, Mixtures and Allegations
Note: The Conducting body, the Consortium of NLUs, released the official notification of CLAT. The notification for CLAT 2023 is yet to be released. Until further notification, candidates can refer to the CLAT exam paper and CLAT syllabus. To stay updated about the CLAT exam, visit the Consortium’s official website, https://consortiumofnlus.ac.in/.