Countdown to Common Law Admission test

Here's what you need to know about getting a good score in the common law admission test.

March 29, 2015 03:49 pm | Updated April 02, 2015 01:03 pm IST

Photo: Mohammed Yousuf

Photo: Mohammed Yousuf

Not long ago, the months of April and May used to be synonymous with engineering and medical entrance examinations. Today, the law entrance examination, popularly known as Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) has also joined this league of major entrance examinations held in India. A significant number of commerce and science stream students are actively looking at cracking CLAT, which holds the passport to enter the portals of top law schools, NLSIU, NALSAR, NUJS, NLIU and other law schools which come under the brand “National Law Schools.”

CLAT pattern

With effect from 2015, CLAT will be an online test. It is basically a test designed to find out students’ aptitude for pursuing legal studies leading to a career in law. The test lays emphasis on legal reasoning, logical reasoning coupled with testing basic proficiency of students in English and math and a sound knowledge of current affairs and general studies.

Here is a sectionwise breakup of marks — English: 40, Math: 20, GK: 50, Legal Reasoning: 50, Logical Reasoning: 40, Total: 200.

Students have to bear in mind that there is a negative marking of 0.25 for every incorrect answer.

The time allotted for the CLAT is 120 minutes to crack 200 questions. Thus, it is quite evident that students should focus on dual goals — speed and accuracy —in order to get a top rank.

Nature of questions

English : This section includes a comprehension passage followed by grammar-based questions such as error detection, fill in the blanks with appropriate words, jumbled sentences and knowledge of foreign words. Students who are avid book readers have an advantage, especially in cracking the comprehension, as speed reading saves time. A wide vocabulary will also be an added advantage.

Math : The level of knowledge tested is basic and pertains to commercial math. Thisincludes topics such as ratio and proportion, simple and compound interest, time and work and so on. Brushing up one’s basics of these topics and a systematic practise of a number of problems will help ace this segment.

General knoweldge : This section has questions literally on any topic under the Sun, but students need not get alarmed, as the level of questions asked is simple. Reading up on history, geography, science, world affairs, economics and current affairs will hold the students in good stead to tackle GK questions.

Legal reasoning : This is an interesting section in which students are tested for their ability to apply given piece of information to a situation and arrive at an appropriate answer. Students with an objective and uncluttered mind will be able to sail through this segment with ease. Prior knowledge of law is not required.

Logical reasoning: This is yet another component of CLAT which tests logical and analytical skills, which are most important for a lawyer. Questions based on puzzles, analogies, direction test, relationship tests and critical reasoning are an integral part of this section. Practising different types of questions will help students crack the questions.

Preparation tips

Though some students begin their preparation for the CLAT a year or two before the test, it is not impossible for someone to start preparing for it just 30- 40 days before the examination, as the areas tested are pretty general and not technical at all. Says Aditya Karekette who trained at Sriram Law Academy and is now pursuing law in NLSIU, “The first and most important point is to never lose hope. I was a science (biology) student up until Class XII, and only had the time to start studying for CLAT in April. When I started preparing for CLAT, I did so knowing that there were humanities and commerce students out there who had devoted the entire last two years to studying. Yet I ended up with an AIR 18 in the CLAT 2014.”

A good starting point for students who are beginning their preparations is to work on the previous year’s CLAT papers to get a feel of the questions asked as well as to find out their strengths and weaknesses. Once this exercise is done, it is easy to draw up a study schedule. Invariably, students find it difficult to score in the general knowledge section. A close scrutiny of the previous year’s question papers would reveal that a major chunk of questions are asked from current affairs, which can be tackled with reading up newspapers and following certain dedicated websites.

Brushing up one’s grammar, especially with the good old Wren & Martin, will certainly help students score marks in the English section. The other three sections, namely math, logic and legal reasoning, can be tackled with loads of practice.

Admittedly, mock examinations play a vital role in the success of students. They give students a simulated experience, as most students would never have written a national-level competitive examination held on a large scale. Time management, tackling negative marking and choosing easier questions and sections over others are some of the hands on benefits of writing mock examinations.

Attitude matters

Cracking CLAT, or for that matter any competitive examination, is not just about hoarding knowledge but also about maintaining a positive outlook, keeping a cool head and having enormous presence of mind. Students need to cultivate out-of-the box thinking to handle tricky and unexpected questions. These skills are seldom acquired by students as most Board examinations merely test their cramming skills within the realm of a well-defined syllabus. As Aditya sums it up,

“The most important thing to remember is to never, ever, worry about how your peers are doing or how much anyone else is studying. It only serves to distract you and mess with your mind. Remember, “Worrying is like a rocking chair. It keeps you occupied, but gets you nowhere.” Vaibhav Gaur, who trained with Sriram Law Academy and is currently pursuing Law in National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata, said “CLAT is an aptitude exam where knowledge will weigh 50 per cent role and remaining 50 per cent will depend on your mental stamina, calmness, confidence, energy level and positive outlook at the time of writing the examination. Many will be at par in terms of knowledge but the radical difference would be created by the remaining 50 per cent.

Selection process

Candidates are selected to the law schools on the basis of merit cum preference basis. Scores obtained in the CLAT play a decisive factor. Students with higher ranks get to choose a college of their preference. Marks obtained in the Board examination are not considered in the selection process. There is no group discussion or interview either. For more details visit www.clat.ac.in

The writer is a professor of law at Sriram Law Academy.

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