Any student having the logical skills and patience can opt for a career in law. It is a challenging career with good monetary gains. To get an entry into the field of law, one can sit for the CLAT or(Common Law Admission Test). This exam can be taken after class 12th to do a 5 year B.A LL.B course from the 19 reputed National Law Universities. A person who has graduated can opt for a 3 year LLB course. Private law colleges also accept the CLAT score.
Any student having the logical skills and patience can opt for a career in law. It is a challenging career with good monetary gains. To get an entry into the field of law, one can sit for the CLAT or(Common Law Admission Test). This exam can be taken after class 12th to do a 5 year B.A LL.B course from the 19 reputed National Law Universities. A person who has graduated can opt for a 3 year LLB course. Private law colleges also accept the CLAT score.
ELIGIBILITY FOR CLAT:
Candidates applying for CLAT must score minimum 45% marks for the general category and 40% for reserved category in their class 12 exams. The exam is generally held in May but registration is done during March. There is no upper age limit to sit for the exam.
SYLLABUS:
The paper consists of 200 questions from 5 subjects, they are:
English, General Knowledge and Current Affairs, Mathematics, Legal Aptitude and Logical Reasoning.
English40 questionsMathematics20 questionsLogical Reasoning40 questionsLegal Aptitude50 questionsGeneral Awareness50 questions
PREPARATION OF CLAT:
The exam is an MCQ based two hour, 200 marks exam.
The exam is only conducted in English, so one must have strong English speaking and writing skills. Emphasis should be both on comprehension and vocabulary. Reading newspapers, magazines and books will help to increase vocabulary to a large extent. This will help a candidate to think and write correctly.
Some books which can be used for preparation are—
- English– Wren and Martin for Grammar
- Maths– Basic Maths by R.S.Agarwal
- General Knowledge– Pearson’s Concise G.K book
- Logical Reasoning– R.S Agarwal’s verbal and non-verbal reasoning
- Legal Aptitude– modules from a coaching institute
TIPS TO CRACK CLAT:
Certain pointers which are essential to crack CLAT are-
Time Management: 200 questions have to be solved in 120 minutes so one has to plan a strategy to attempt the paper. So keeping this in mind one should prepare for the exam.
Planning the Paper ahead: One should plan for the paper before sitting for the exam. One should work on both the strengths and weaknesses before the exam.
Reading: A person should read a lot before appearing for the exam to get a stronghold on vocabulary and general knowledge. Reading newspapers should be a part of the daily routine to ace the exam.
Smart and selective Study: One can’t read everything to know everything, so one should keep a smart strategy to do a selective study to do well in the exam.
Solve previous years Paper: Solving previous years’ papers is the best way to keep one abreast of the latest format and type of questions asked.
Prepare short notes on G.K. and Current affairs: Short notes on general knowledge and the latest current affairs would be of great help while revising for the exam.
Daily Maths Practice: Practising Maths on a daily basis will sharpen a person’s mind and he will be able to solve the sums easily.
Join a Coaching Center: This will help to get doubts cleared and learn tips and tricks to solve the questions within the stipulated time.
Focus a lot on Legal Reasoning: It is the most scoring part among all the sections. It involves reading, comprehension and a few legal principles. One must acquaint oneself with the fundamental laws like Torts, Crime etc.
MANAGING TIME WHILE ATTEMPTING MOCK TESTS:
QuestionsTime50 G.K10 minutes20 Maths15 minutes40 English25 minutes50 Legal Reasoning35 minutesLogical Section35 minutes
So the paper can be easily completed in 120 minutes. Keeping these tips in mind one can easily crack the CLAT exam in the first attempt.
Candidates applying for CLAT must score minimum 45% marks for the general category and 40% for reserved category in their class 12 exams. The exam is generally held in May but registration is done during March. There is no upper age limit to sit for the exam.
