The Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) prescribes the CLAT Syllabus 2022 for both undergraduate and postgraduate students. The courses are offered at 22 National Law Universities and several other Law colleges/ universities. The syllabus has five sections from where the questions are asked in the admission test:
- English language
- Quantitative Techniques
- Current Affairs including General Knowledge
- Logical Reasoning
- Legal Reasoning
Furthermore, the CLAT syllabus for LLM will be based on mandatory subjects of the UG program and include topics like Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence, Administrative Law, Law of Contract, Torts, Family Law, Criminal Law, etc
Note: The Consortium of NLUs will soon release the official syllabus of CLAT 2022 for both the UG and PG programs at www.consortiumofnlus.ac.in.
In this article, students will know about the syllabus and format of CLAT exam 2022 for the integrated undergraduate programme.
CLAT Syllabus – Description and Guidelines
The CLAT 2022 exam would emphasize the reasoning and comprehension skills of students since the candidates don’t possess much knowledge about the nuances of the law and other relevant subjects. Therefore, it becomes quite essential for the candidates to sharpen their aptitude skills and lay stress on the quantitative aspect of the exam. The structure of the CLAT exam is designed specifically to check if the students can pursue higher law education.
50% of the total questions are related to current affairs, general knowledge and legal reasoning. Thus, students must practice enhancing their core basic knowledge on such subjects. The other half of the exam is composed of questions from the English language, logical reasoning and quantitative techniques.
The UG CLAT exam 2021 would be composed of questions from 5 specializations. Given below is the composition of the UG exam along with the specified weightage of different subjects.
Section-wise Distribution of Questions
| Section | Questions | Marks | Weightage (%) |
| Current Affairs, including General Knowledge | 35-39 | 35 – 39 | 23.33 – 26 |
| English Language | 28-32 | 28 – 32 | 18.66 – 21.33 |
| Logical Reasoning | 28-32 | 28 – 32 | 18.66 – 21.33 |
| Quantitative Techniques | 13-17 | 13 – 17 | 8.66 – 11.33 |
| Legal Reasoning | 35-39 | 35 – 39 | 23.33 – 26 |
| Total | 150 | 150 | 100 |
- Total Questions – 150 questions carrying 1 marks each
- Duration of the CLAT 2020 Exam – 2 hours (3 PM to 5 PM)
- Question Types – There would be 150 objective type questions.
- Negative Marking (if any) – A deduction of 0.25 marks on every wrong attempt.
After giving the exams, results are announced and how to access the scorecard and download it, refer to CLAT results blog here.
CLAT Syllabus – Description of 5 sections of the CLAT UG
The CLAT UG syllabus is based on the subjects taught in class 12. The level of difficulty is moderate except for Quantitative Techniques.
English Language
The proficiency in English is tested through comprehension of passages and grammar. The passage section comprises 450 words. The passage will be extracted from contemporary or history-oriented sources which may be fiction or nonfiction. The standard of language would be such that a 12th-grade student is able to grasp the meaning of the content and potentially solve the questions based on it.
The passage would be followed by a series of questions that would require the candidates to demonstrate their proficiency in the English language and comprehension.
This section would require the candidates to:
- Thoroughly understand the viewpoint of the passage
- Draw conclusions out of the passage
- Extract the exact meaning of difficult phrases used in the passage
- Brief the language of the passage
Students must go through some rigorous paper-solving sessions to get a precise understanding of passage solving.
Current Affairs (General Knowledge)
This section of the UG CLAT exam also consists of a passage of 450 words. The content of the passage revolves around current affairs from both international and national sources. Thus, students are advised to keep a check on the significant events which have happened all over the world. A precise knowledge of everything happening in the world of arts, culture and politics would certainly prepare the candidates thoroughly for this section of the CLAT exam. It is also crucial for students to emphasize the concept of legal information and its components.
For General Knowledge, candidates should be aware of subjects such as:
- Arts & Culture
- History
- Events of National and International Importance
- Awards & Honours
- Economy
- Sports
- Science
- Eminent Personalities
Logical Reasoning
This section comprises a 300-word passage. The questions are asked to precisely analyze the arguments, contradictions, patterns of reasoning, analogies and extraction of conclusions based on logical evidence. This section of the exam judges the ability of the candidates to evaluate complicated problems through logical interpretations. This is one of the most time-consuming elements in the CLAT 2022 exam.
Important CLAT topics for the logical reasoning section are:
- Relationships
- Inferences
- Syllogism
- Premises & Conclusion
- Analogies
- Cause & Effect
- Statement & Assumption
- Logical Sequences
Note: It is advisable that candidates may also research on google and extract out the best possible books as per their level of exam. Practising previous year problems is the most effective way to prepare for the CLAT exam.
Legal Reasoning
This section consists of 450-word passages. Questions in this section are based on concepts of legal matters, philosophical queries, public policy questions and moral philosophical enquiries. The questions will be based on general awareness of contemporary legal and moral issues. The standard of the section would be set moderately as Class 12th students are not aware of the law concepts. Applying general principles to the respective scenarios and solving fact-based problems would get them through.
Important CLAT topics for the legal reasoning section are:
- Legal Maxims
- Important Acts and Amendments of the Legislature
- Legal GK
- Indian Constitution
- Current Affairs
- Important Supreme Court Judgments
Quantitative Techniques
This section of the exam consists of factual, pictorial and diagrammatic problems related to the mathematical operations from class 10. Candidates must precisely solve the problems after deriving adequate information from the passages. Questions in this section are based on basic knowledge of algebra, mensuration, proportions and statistics. It is crucial to derive the meaning of the problems accurately as minor flaws may lead to wrong answers.
Important CLAT topics for the quantitative techniques section are:
- Algebra
- Statistics
- Pie Chart
- Table Chart
- Ratios and Proportions
- Mensuration
- Bar Graph
- Line Graph
CLAT Syllabus – Recommended Books
With every passing year, the difficulty level of the CLAT exam also increases. Candidates need to prepare well for Current Affairs, English Language, Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Techniques and Legal Reasoning.
Here is the section-wise list of important CLAT books that candidates can refer to for exam preparation:
Best Books for English Language
| Book Name | Publisher/Author |
| The Pearson Guide to the CLAT (English) | Gagrani Harsh |
| High School English Grammar & Composition (English) | PC Wren, H Martin |
| Word Power Made Easy New Revised & Expanded Edition (English) | Norman Lewis |
| High School English Grammar | Wren and Martin |
| Objective General English (English) | RS Aggarwal |
Best Books for Current Affairs (General Knowledge)
| Book Name | Publisher/Author |
| Manorama Yearbook (English) | Mammen Mathew |
| Lucent’s General knowledge | Vinay Karna |
| General Knowledge 2021-2022 (English) book | Manohar Pandey |
| Pratiyogita Darpan | – |
| Competition Review Yearbook | – |
| Pearson’s Concise GK Manual | Thorpe & Thorpe |
Best Books for Logical Reasoning
| Book Name | Publisher/Author |
| A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning | RS Aggarwal |
| Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning | RS Aggarwal |
| 501 Challenging Logical Reasoning Practice Book | Learning Express |
| Analytical Reasoning (English) | MK Pandey |
Best Books for Quantitative Techniques
| Book Name | Publisher/Author |
| Class 10 NCERT book | NCERT |
| S Chand’s 30 Days Wonder for Maths | S Chand |
| Maths 18 Days Wonder | S Chand |
| Quantitative Aptitude ebook (All Parts Solved) | RS Aggarwal |
Best Books for Legal Reasoning
| Book Name | Publisher/Author |
| LST’s Legal Reasoning Module | – |
| Legal Awareness and Legal Reasoning: For the CLAT and LLB Entrance Examination (English) | A. P. Bhardwaj |
CLAT Exam Pattern 2022
Candidates who are interested to register for CLAT 2022 should go through the exam pattern thoroughly and practice well with the help of online mock tests before attempting the exam. Here are a few key points that they should definitely keep in mind:
| Particulars | Details |
| Exam Name | The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) |
| Examination Mode | Online |
| Medium of Exam | English |
| Type of Questions | Objective/Multiple-Choice (MCQ) |
| Total Marks | 150 marks |
| Number of Questions for MCQs | 100 |
| Marks per Question (MCQ) | 1 mark |
| Marks per Question (Subjective) | 2 marks |
| Total marks for MCQ | 100 marks |
| Total marks for subjective questions | 50 marks |
| Marking Scheme | +1 for every correct answer
-0.25 for incorrect answer No Negative Marking for unattempted answers |
| Duration of Exam | 2 hours |
| Exam Shift | 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM |
CLAT Syllabus – FAQ’s
Q. How many questions will be there in the CLAT 2022 exam?
For the CLAT 2022 exam, there will be 150 multiple-choice questions.
Q. What is the syllabus structure for CLAT 2022 exam?
The exam would consist of questions from specializations like English language, current affairs (general knowledge), legal reasoning, logical reasoning and quantitative techniques.
Q. Is the CLAT UG exam difficult?
No, the difficulty level of the CLAT exam is considered moderate and students with core basic knowledge of concerned subjects can score good marks in the exam.
Q. What is the mode of the CLAT 2022 exam?
The mode of the CLAT exam 2022 is now switched to CBT (Computer Based Test) mode from the Pen and Paper mode. The decision is taken concerning the current situation of the Covid 19 Pandemic in the country.
