CLAT Exam Pattern and Syllabus: What to Expect

CLAT Exam Pattern and Syllabus: What to Expect

   – Detailed breakdown of the exam pattern

   – Subject-wise syllabus

   – Changes in the exam pattern over the years

The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is a crucial examination for aspiring law students in India, serving as the gateway to 24 National Law Universities (NLUs) and several other law schools. The CLAT 2025 exam is scheduled for December 1, 2024, and the registration process began on July 15, 2024, closing on October 15, 2024. Below is a detailed breakdown of the exam pattern for both undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) programs.

 Exam Overview

– Mode of Exam: Offline (Pen and Paper-based)

– Total Duration: 2 hours

– Total Questions: 120

– Marking Scheme: 

  – Correct Answer: +1 mark

  – Incorrect Answer: -0.25 marks

  – Unanswered Question: 0 marks

 Section-wise Breakdown

 1. English Language

– Number of Questions: 22 to 26

– Weightage: 20%

– Content: This section includes comprehension passages (approximately 450 words) derived from significant non-fiction and fiction texts. It assesses reading comprehension and language skills.

 2. Current Affairs including General Knowledge

– Number of Questions: 28 to 32

– Weightage: 25%

– Content: This section features passage-based questions on current events, static general knowledge, and national/international news. It is often considered the easiest section by past candidates.

 3. Legal Reasoning

– Number of Questions: 28 to 32

– Weightage: 25%

– Content: Questions are based on passages related to public policy, legal matters, or moral philosophical inquiries. This section tests the ability to comprehend and apply legal principles.

 4. Logical Reasoning

– Number of Questions: 22 to 26

– Weightage: 20%

– Content: This section includes passages followed by questions that require logical analysis and problem-solving skills.

 5. Quantitative Techniques

– Number of Questions: 10 to 14

– Weightage: 10%

– Content: Questions focus on basic mathematical concepts, including ratio and proportions, basic algebra, mensuration, and statistical estimation. This section typically carries the least weightage.

 Conclusion

The CLAT 2025 exam is structured to evaluate candidates’ comprehension, analytical skills, and aptitude for legal education rather than their prior knowledge of law. Understanding the exam pattern is vital for effective preparation, allowing candidates to strategize their study approach and maximize their scores. This breakdown provides a comprehensive overview of what candidates can expect in the upcoming exam, ensuring they are well-prepared to tackle each section effectively.

Subject-wise syllabus

The UG-CLAT 2025 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 including General Knowledge section.

The UG-CLAT 2025 shall be a 2-hour test, with 120 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 2025, 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;
• Summarise the passage;
• Compare and contrast the different arguments or viewpoints set out in the passage; and
• Understand the meaning of various words and phrases in the context that they are 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 to attempt the questions in this section. 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 would 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 2025 will include a series of short passages of about 450 words each. Each passage will be followed by one or more questions that will require you to:

• Recognise 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, and how conclusions may be strengthened or weakened as a consequence of an alteration in premises or supporting facts;
• 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.

Quantitative Techniques

The Quantitative Techniques section of the UG-CLAT 2025 will include short sets of facts or propositions, or other textual representations of numerical information, followed by a series of questions. You will be required to derive information from the passages or questions, and apply mathematical operations on such information.

The questions will require you to:

• Derive, infer, and manipulate numerical information set out in such passages; and
• Apply various 10th standard mathematical operations on such information, including from areas such as ratios and proportions, basic algebra, mensuration and statistical estimation.

Preparing for the UG-CLAT 2025

The Consortium plans to publish various preparatory materials for the UG-CLAT 2025, including:

• Guides to the question paper and sample questions;
• Model question papers; and
• Instructional materials and exercises for each of the subjects that the UG-CLAT 2025 comprises.

The Consortium will also provide candidates who have successfully completed their application to the UG-CLAT 2025 access to a learning platform where you may access the preparatory materials described above, as well as your scores on various exercises and model question papers. The Consortium shall also organise online sessions for such candidates, in which subject experts shall provide guidance on how best to prepare for each of the sections of the UG-CLAT 2025, and how candidates may approach the questions in each section.

In addition, you should develop your capacity to read and understand bodies of text, ensure you stay abreast of news and current affairs by regularly reading quality newspapers and periodicals, and improve your speed of answering questions on quantitative techniques by practising with materials such as 10th standard mathematics textbooks.

Changes in the exam pattern over the years

The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) has undergone several changes in its exam pattern over the years, reflecting the evolving needs of legal education and assessment in India. Below is a detailed report on the changes in the CLAT exam pattern leading up to the 2025 examination.

 Historical Overview of Changes in CLAT Exam Pattern

 1. Structure and Format

– Initial Format: In its early years, CLAT primarily focused on a broader range of subjects, including legal aptitude, general knowledge, and logical reasoning, with a significant emphasis on descriptive questions.

– Shift to Objective Format: Over time, the exam transitioned to a predominantly objective format, with multiple-choice questions (MCQs) becoming the standard. This shift aimed to streamline the assessment process and make it more efficient for both candidates and evaluators.

 2. Number of Questions

– Reduction in Total Questions: The total number of questions has seen a notable decrease. For example, the exam format in previous years included up to 150 questions, but this was reduced to 120 questions starting from CLAT 2020 and has remained consistent through to the 2025 pattern.

 3. Sectional Changes

– Introduction of Comprehension-Based Questions: In recent years, the CLAT exam has increasingly incorporated comprehension-based questions across various sections. This change emphasizes candidates’ abilities to analyze and interpret texts rather than just recall information.

– Removal of Legal Aptitude Section: The specific section dedicated to legal aptitude has been restructured into the legal reasoning section, which integrates legal principles within comprehension passages, making it more contextual and relevant.

 4. Marking Scheme Adjustments

– Consistent Marking Scheme: The marking scheme has remained relatively stable, with +1 mark for each correct answer and a penalty of -0.25 marks for incorrect answers. This consistency allows candidates to develop strategies for risk management in answering questions.

 5. Weightage of Sections

– Revised Weightage: The weightage of different sections has been adjusted to reflect the importance of various skills. The 2025 exam pattern maintains a focus on English language skills, current affairs, legal reasoning, logical reasoning, and quantitative techniques, each with specified weightage contributing to the overall score.

 6. Examination Mode

– Offline Mode: CLAT has consistently been conducted in an offline mode (pen and paper-based), allowing for a traditional examination experience. This format is expected to continue for the 2025 exam.

 7. Duration and Timing

– Fixed Duration: The exam duration has been set at 2 hours (120 minutes), with no sectional time limits, allowing candidates the flexibility to manage their time as they see fit across different sections.

 Conclusion

The changes in the CLAT exam pattern over the years reflect a broader trend towards assessing analytical and comprehension skills rather than rote memorization. The 2025 exam is expected to maintain the established format while continuing to emphasize the importance of understanding and applying legal principles in context. Candidates preparing for CLAT 2025 should focus on developing a strong grasp of comprehension skills across all sections to excel in the examination.