The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) serves as a crucial stepping stone for those aspiring to pursue a career in law. With the exam offered at two distinct levels – Undergraduate (UG) and Postgraduate (PG) – understanding the difference between CLAT UG and CLAT PG is essential for candidates.
While both exams open doors to prestigious National Law Universities (NLUs) in India, they cater to different academic stages and career aspirations. CLAT UG is designed for students aiming to enroll in undergraduate law programs, such as BA LLB, whereas CLAT PG targets those who seek to advance their legal studies with a Master of Laws (LLM) degree.
This blog post will break down the difference between CLAT UG vs CLAT PG, highlighting their objectives, eligibility criteria, exam patterns, and syllabus.
What is CLAT UG?
The Common Law Admission Test, a national-level law entrance test, is administered by the Consortium of NLUs for admission to a 5-year integrated LLB (UG) program. All 24 NLUs currently offer UG courses.
CLAT UG is designed to evaluate a candidate’s comprehension and logical reasoning skills, legal aptitude, knowledge of current affairs, and proficiency in English. By testing these areas, the CLAT UG exam aims to identify candidates who possess the analytical abilities and critical thinking skills necessary for a successful career in law.
The exam serves as a standardized entry point for programs such as the Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) and integrated degrees like BA LLB, BBA LLB, B.Com LLB, etc., facilitating a fair and merit-based admission process to the nation’s leading law schools.
In addition to the NLUs, some private institutions accept CLAT test scores.
UG applicants who received 45% in their 12 exams can apply for admission; applicants from the reserved category receive a waiver in qualifying marks. The students appearing for class 12th can also apply for CLAT UG, but their admission is subject to receiving 45% marks in the 12th exams.
The exam is conducted in the pen-and-paper format (offline), with multiple-choice questions, and last 2 hours. English, Current Affairs, including General Knowledge, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques, are the 5 sections of the CLAT undergraduate exam. Applicants taking the exam should study the subject-specific curriculum to achieve a good score and gain admission to a top NLU.
Also Read: Prepare for CLAT Without Coaching? Expert Tips
What is CLAT PG?
CLAT PG is a nationwide law admission exam for students who wish to pursue postgraduation. It emphasizes the students’ comprehension abilities. The CLAT PG score is accepted in several private and government law universities to enable admission to applicants in postgraduate legal programs. Every National Law University conducts the CLAT exam on a rotating basis every year. Moreover, the CLAT PG results are used for recruitment by various public corporations, such as BHEL and ONGC.
The paper is based on the mandatory subjects of the UG course, which include Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Jurisprudence, Law of Contract, Torts, Criminal Law, Property Law, Company Law, Family Law, Public International Law, Environmental Law, Tax Law, and Labour and Industrial Law.
The exam lasts 120 minutes and includes one section with 120 objective-type questions, each carrying 1 mark. There’s a negative marking of 0.25 for every wrong answer.
In the Objective section of the CLAT PG, candidates are provided with extracts from primary legal materials, like important court decisions in several law fields, statutes, or regulations. Every passage is followed by a series of questions that require candidates to:
- Read and comprehend the matters discussed in the passage and any arguments and viewpoints discussed or set out.
- Be aware of the issues discussed in the passage, legal matters and facts related to and arising out of it, and the statute or judgment from which it is taken.
- Summarise the passage.
- Apply the knowledge of the fields of law discussed in the passage.
While preparing for the CLAT PG, candidates must:
- Read and refresh their knowledge of important judgments. They must try to discern several issues discussed in such judgments.
- Refresh their knowledge of constitutional and legislative provisions, especially those discussed in the latest judgments. Also, they must be aware of historical case law and amendments related to such provisions.
For further information, visit the official website: https://consortiumofnlus.ac.in/