CLAT Overview
For the CLAT 2021 test, the Consortium of National Law Universities has changed the CLAT exam structure. The consortium had previously reintroduced the descriptive section as well as minimal cutoff marks for the year 2021, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, it has been discontinued for CLAT PG 2021.
Table of Contents
- CLAT 2021 Exam Pattern: Highlights
- Analysis of CLAT Exam Pattern 2021
- CLAT exam pattern 2021 (UG) – Subject wise questions and weightage
- PG-CLAT exam pattern – Subject wise questions and weightage (OLD)
- CLAT Exam Pattern 2021 – Minimum cutoff
- CLAT 2021 Exam Pattern – Importance
- CLAT Pattern as Compared to Previous Years
- CLAT Under Graduate (UG) Exam Pattern:
- CLAT Post Graduate(PG) Exam Pattern:
- New Exam Pattern for CLAT UG 2021
- Changes in CLAT PG Exam Pattern 2021
CLAT 2021 Exam Pattern: Highlights
The fundamental information of the CLAT 2021 test pattern may be seen in the table below. Here are some of the highlights of the CLAT 2021 test format.
| Parameter | Detail |
| Duration | 2 Hours |
| Type of Questions | UG: Multiple Type Questions (MCQs) PG: Multiple Type Questions (MCQs) & Subjective (Updated) |
| Mode | Offline |
| Marking Scheme | For every correct answer: +1 For every incorrect answer: -0.25 For every unattempted question: 0 |
| Number of Questions | CLAT UG - 150 CLAT PG - 102 |
| Language | English |
| Total Marks | CLAT UG - 150 marks CLAT PG - 150 marks |
Analysis of CLAT Exam Pattern 2021
- Passage-based questions – Multiple passages of 300-400 words each will be included in each part of the CLAT UG exam paper (excluding the Quantitative Techniques portion). Following these sections, there will be a set of multiple-choice questions. CLAT PG’s objective portion will include passage-based questions.
- The quantitative part is an outlier- “brief collections of facts or propositions, graphs, or other textual, visual, or diagrammatic representations of numerical information” will be found in this section. These texts, graphs, graphical representations, and other materials will be used to answer questions.
- Descriptive section – the essay or descriptive portion has been removed from CLAT PG, which is a significant change. As a result, only objective-type or multiple-choice questions will be included in the CLAT PG test.
- Standard of questions asked – CLAT UG will include questions that are of a Class 12th standard.
- Skills to be tested – The paper will evaluate applicants’ reading abilities, as well as their critical thinking and analytical skills, according to the Consortium of NLUs. CLAT papers were used in earlier iterations of the exam to assess knowledge of a variety of disciplines and themes.
- CLAT total question count and marking method – There will be a total of 150 questions in CLAT UG. The CLAT LLM, on the other hand, will contain 120 questions. Each question in the objective part will be worth one mark, with an erroneous response deducting 0.25 points.
CLAT exam pattern 2021 (UG) – Subject wise questions and weightage
There are five subjects in the CLAT UG syllabus. There will be a certain amount of questions and a weighted average for each subject. Candidates will have a clear understanding of what topics they need to prepare by consulting the CLAT syllabus.
The CLAT LLM curriculum is based on the curriculum for legal topics.. The majority of the CLAT LLM themes are drawn from LLB courses. Tort law, contract law, constitutional law, and other topics are discussed. In addition to legal studies, the CLAT PG curriculum covers current events with an emphasis on legal issues.
| Subject/topics | Number of questions | Percentage weightage |
| English Language | 28-32 questions | 20% |
| Current Affairs, including General Knowledge | 35-39 questions | 25% |
| Legal Reasoning | 35-39 questions | 25% |
| Logical Reasoning | 28-32 questions | 20% |
| Quantitative Techniques | 13-17 questions | 10% |
| Subjects | Number of MCQ questions | Marks |
| Other Law Subjects including Contract, Torts, International Law, IPR , Criminal Law and Jurisprudence. | 60 | 60 |
| Constitutional Law | 60 | 60 |
| Total | 120 | 120 |
PG-CLAT exam pattern – Subject wise questions and weightage (OLD)
| Subjects | Number of MCQ questions | Marks |
| Other Law Subjects including Contract, Torts, International Law, IPR , Criminal Law and Jurisprudence. | 60 | 60 |
| Constitutional Law | 60 | 60 |
| Total | 120 | 120 |
CLAT Exam Pattern 2021 – Minimum cutoff
A minimal cutoff will be applied to the CLAT LLM. CLAT LLM requires a minimum score of 40%. Candidates from the SC, ST, and PWD groups must get a minimum score of 35%. Only if the candidate receives the required score on the objective test will the descriptive part be evaluated.
CLAT 2021 Exam Pattern – Importance
It is critical for students preparing for CLAT 2021 to have a full grasp of the CLAT 2021 test pattern. It contains all pertinent information about the test modalities, including mode, duration, scoring method, amount of questions, and so on.
The CLAT exam pattern also outlines the types of questions that will be asked throughout the exam as well as the abilities that will be assessed. CLAT candidates should be especially aware of the kind of questions that will be asked. CLAT 2020 exam pattern also includes information on the marking structure and weightage of each topic on the test paper.
CLAT 2022 Marking Scheme
- Below is the CLAT marking structure for UG courses for the year 2021:
- Candidates receive one mark for each right answer.
- 0.25 points are removed from their overall score for each incorrect attempt.
- For questions that are not tried, no marks are granted or subtracted.
| CLAT Marking Parameters | Marks Awarded |
| Un-attempted question | 0 |
| Incorrect answer | -0.25 |
| Correct answer | plus 1 |
CLAT Pattern as Compared to Previous Years
The CLAT Consortium announced substantial modifications to the exam pattern in 2020. The Consortium had altered the names of several of the sections and added passage-based questions to the paper. The number of questions in the CLAT UG paper was also decreased from 200 to 150 as part of a major revision.
CLAT tests will be conducted by the Consortium in the same manner as last year. However, for reference, the CLAT 2022 test format is compared to that of prior years (2019 and before):
| CLAT Exam Sections | No. of MCQs | Maximum Marks |
| Logical Reasoning | 40 28-32 | 40 28-32 |
| English including Comprehension English Language | 40 28-32 | 40 28-32 |
| Elementary Mathematics (Numerical Ability) Quantitative Techniques | 20 13-17 | 20 13-17 |
| Legal Aptitude Legal Reasoning | 50 35-39 | 50 35-39 |
| Current Affairs including General Knowledge | 50 35-39 | 50 35-39 |
| Total | 200 150 | 200 150 |
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CLAT Under Graduate (UG) Exam Pattern:
- Duration: The test will take two hours to complete.
- Number of Questions: There will be 150 questions in the test.
- Question Types: The questions will be objective in nature (multiple choice questions).
- Language: Only English will be used to ask the questions on the exam.
- Marking Scheme: Each question will receive one point.
- Negative Marking: A negative marking method will be used. For each incorrect response, 0.25 points will be removed.
| Subjects | Number of Questions |
| Logical Reasoning | 28-32 |
| Quantitative Techniques | 13-17 |
| Current affairs including general knowledge | 35-39 |
| Legal Reasoning | 35-39 |
| English language | 28-32 |
| Total | 150 questions |
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CLAT Post Graduate(PG) Exam Pattern:
- Duration: Two hours will be allotted for the examination.
- Question Types: Objective and descriptive questions will be asked.
- Exam Language: Only English will be used to ask questions on the exam.
- Negative Marking: A negative marking procedure will be implemented. You will lose 0.25 points for each wrong answer.
- Marking Scheme: Candidates will be granted one point for each right answer.
| Subjects | Number of Questions | Marks Allotted per Section | |
| Objective Section | Constitutional Law | 40 | 40 |
| Other Subjects such as Jurisprudence, Human Rights, Contract, Torts, International Law, Environment Law and Criminal Law | 60 | 60 | |
| Descriptive Section | Essays | 2 | 50 (25 each) |
| Total | 102 questions | 150 marks |
New Exam Pattern for CLAT UG 2021
CLAT 2021 will have the same UG and PG test structure as CLAT 2020. CLAT 2020s test format was changed in November 2019 for a variety of reasons. Let’s have a look at the updated CLAT UG test pattern that will be used for CLAT 2021. The following are the modifications to the CLAT 2021 UG test that have been made:
- CLAT 2021 will include questions on current events, logical reasoning, deductive reasoning, English, and quantitative techniques.
- CLAT 2021 will feature just 150 questions rather than 200, resulting in a total of 150 marks for the test.
- The test will last 2 hours in total.
According to the CLAT New Exam Pattern for UG, the following sections are included:
- English Language
- Current Affairs & General Knowledge
- Legal Reasoning
- Logical Reasoning
- Quantitative Techniques
These are the modifications that have been introduced to the CLAT UG 2021 test format.
Changes in CLAT PG Exam Pattern 2021
The following modifications have been made to the CLAT 2021 PG test pattern:
- CLAT PG will consist of 100 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and two subjective type questions to be completed in 120 minutes.
- For the year 2021, the descriptive section of the test that was abolished for 2020 has been reinstated.
- For the LL.M course, cutoff marks will be established.
- The test has a maximum score of 150 points.
According to the new CLAT PG Exam Pattern, the following parts are included:
- Constitutional Law.
- Other legal subjects include criminal law, contract law, tort law, international law, intellectual property law, and jurisprudence.
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