Understanding the new face of CLAT
Vikas Dhaiya
Law is one of the most promising career choices in India. The demand for legal advisors has grown sharply due to various factors like Consumer Awareness Campaign by government, introduction of cyber laws etc. It is certainly among the most respected professions with a wide range of job opportunities. A career in this field is no longer restricted to the court but various corporate houses, law firms, administrative and judicial organisations are offering a well-paid legal career.
CLAT 2020
CLAT is conducted on rotational basis by NLUs, now known as ‘Consortium of NLUs’. In a meeting held on November 21, the NLU consortium has announced that the exam will be conducted on May 10, 2020. It also announced major changes in the CLAT exam pattern. Major changes introduced in CLAT 2020 are as follows:
Reduction in the total number of questions:
In CLAT 2020, the total number of questions will be reduced from 200 to 120 or 150. (They have not disclosed the exact number of questions so far)
Introduction of Comprehension-based questions in each section
According to NALSAR VC and Ex-President of CLAT Consortium, Prof. Faizan Mustafa CLAT 2020 is not going to test ‘memory-based’ Questions. One must have the ability to read the complex text and the skills of inferential reasoning. The comprehension-based questions will be asked from the following sections-
Quantitative Techniques
English
Current Affairs
Deductive Reasoning
Logical Reasoning
Nature of the questions will be changed — CLAT 2020 exam will now be more Reading oriented. The questions will be based on a paragraph which will test candidates’ reading, analytical and logical skills.
Syllabus 2020
1. English – There are no major changes in this Section. The comprehension- based questions will be asked from the following topics:
Reading Comprehension
Para jumble
Para summary
Cloze test
No vocabulary-based questions (Synonyms & Antonyms) would be asked in CLAT 2020.
2. Logical Reasoning— This section will also be more or less the same. The Comprehension based questions will be asked from the following topics:
Puzzles: Analytical Reasoning
Seating Arrangements
Direction Sense
Ordering and Ranking
Blood Relation or
Family Tree
Coding-Decoding
Data Sufficiency
Syllogism
Statements and Course of Action
Statements and Assumptions
Cause and Effect
Statements and Arguments
Statements and Conclusions
Decision Making
Critical Reasoning
3. Current Affairs — According to Prof. Faizan Mustafa, “There will be no Static GK question in CLAT 2020”.
Now the questions will be based on Current Events & News. The questions will be asked from the following topics:
National, State & International Affairs
Awards and Honours
Agreement and Deals
Sports News
Science and Defence News
Government Schemes
Appointments – National & International
Books and Authors (Current)
Summits and Conferences
4. Deductive Reasoning — A new section ‘Deductive Reasoning’ has been introduced in CLAT 2020 in place of Legal Reasoning.
This section will cover basic Legal Reasoning questions. The questions will be based on the pattern of General Principles (not legal principle) and Facts.
The technical law is excluded from CLAT 2020 — Concept of Crime, Law of Torts, Law of Contracts etc. has been excluded in the new pattern.
No Legal Knowledge questions would be asked in CLAT 2020.
5. Quantitative Techniques — Basic Mathematics is excluded in the new pattern. Quantitative Techniques section will now test the student’s ability to read, extract and analyse meaningful information or data from the various sources such as:
Pie Chart
Line Chart
Tables
Bar Graph
Caselets
Data Sufficiency
What are comprehension based questions?
Comprehension means understanding or extract out the meaning of something.
The answer to a comprehension question is usually something you can point to in the paragraph or passage.
Tips for comprehension question
Read through the entire passage and the questions before you try to answer any question.
Familiarise yourself with the commonly asked reading comprehension questions.
Read. Read. Read – The best preparation for reading comprehension questions is always to read, read and read.
n Read the questions and all the choices – After reading the entire passage, you have got a general idea of the main theme and have marked the important points. Now, read the question and all the options.
Types of comprehension questions that can be asked –
Factual
Inference
Assumptions
Cause and Effect
Drawing Inferences and Conclusions
Tone of the passage
— The writer is MBA, MTech(IT) and Career Counselor and Mentor at GradeUp
National Law Universities (NLUs)
NLUs are the dream colleges for all the law aspirants. There are 23 NLUs in India. Out of
those, 22 NLUs take admissions through CLAT. NLU Delhi has its own entrance exam called AILET.
List of NLUs taking admissions through CLAT
National Law School of India University, Bangalore
National Academy of Legal Study & Research (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, Gandhinagar
Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow
Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala
Chanakya National Law University Patna
National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi
National Law University Odisha, Cuttack
National University of Study & Research in Law, Ranchi
National Law University & Judicial Academy, Assam
Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University (DSNLU) Visakhapatnam
The Tamil Nadu National Law School, Tiruchirapalli
Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai
Maharashtra National Law University, Nagpur
Maharashtra National Law University, Aurangabad
Himachal Pradesh National Law University, Shimla
Dharmashastra National Law University, Jabalpur
Dr. B R Ambedkar National Law University Sonipat, Haryana
Eligibility
Qualifying exam: The candidate must have passed Class XII or equivalent exam with 45 per cent marks from a recognised university or board. For SC and ST candidates, the minimum marks are 40 per cent. The candidates who are appearing in qualifying exam in March/April 2020 may also apply, subject to the condition that such candidates must produce evidence of passing the qualifying exam at time of admission.
Age limit: There is no upper age limit for appearing in CLAT.
2020 Exam Dates
Events Dates
Issue of Notification Last week of December, 2020
Start of online application Form January 1, 2020
Application form closes 3rd week of April, 2020
Issue of admit card 2nd week of May, 2020
CLAT 2020 May 10, 2020
Publication of the final answer key 1st week of June, 2020
Declaration of result 2nd week of June, 2020
Who should go for a career in Law?
This field is ideal for enthusiastic debaters who enjoy participating in arguments and for those who are not easily offended by alternative viewpoints. A law aspirant must have good reading habits as one has to read a lot in this career. The individuals who come up with clever solutions to difficult problems often excel in this career.
