CLAT Syllabus
Subjects in CLAT
CLAT is a 200 mark, 2-hour examination. It has five sections – General Knowledge, English, Quantitative Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Legal Aptitude.
General Knowledge – 50 Marks
This can be either the easiest or the most difficult section of the paper, depending upon your level of preparation. The focus is generally on current affairs, with the topics ranging from treaties, appointments, polity, sports, awards, major births and deaths, scientific discoveries and the like. There are also questions related to static GK, like countries and capitals, geography, history, basic science and the like. This is the make-or-break section of the paper.
English – 40 Marks
This section usually consists of questions based on reading comprehension, vocabulary and basic grammar. This section has the potential of being highly time-consuming if there are many reading comprehension passages, so it is imperative to be selective about the questions one attempts.
Quantitative Reasoning (Mathematics) – 20 marks
Questions in this section come under categories:
- Arithmetic (Number Theory): Number Systems, Surds and Indices, Square Roots, Fractions and Decimals, HCF and LCM, Simplification, Approximations, Ratio and Proportion, Average and Logarithms.
- Commercial Maths: Interest, Percentage, Profit and Loss, Partnership and Discounts.
- Mensuration: Areas and Volumes.
Logical Reasoning – 40 Marks
This is often one of the most scoring sections in CLAT, with sufficient practice. The questions are usually based on Puzzles, Seating Arrangement, Logical Sequences, Numbers, Verbal Reasoning, Family/ Blood Relation, Ranking & Order, Coding Decoding and the like.
What is Legal Aptitude?
This section is designed to judge your interest towards study of law, research aptitude and problem-solving ability. These questions will be related to legal propositions and a set of facts satisfying the propositions. Such propositions may or may not be true, you have to assume them and answer the questions accordingly, uninfluenced by prior knowledge.
However, it helps to know the basics of Torts, Contracts, Criminal Law, Family Law, International Law, and the Indian Constitution. With practice, this can also be a high-scoring area, and is especially important as it is the first section used as a tie-breaker.
Logical Reasoning – 40 Marks
Questions in this section require one to identify logical links, identify patterns and rectify illogical arguments. The section aims to test a candidate’s ability to solve a wide variety of logical reasoning questions such as syllogisms, sequences, analogies, classification, direction and distance, coding-decoding, blood relations, statement-assumption, statement-argument, statement-conclusion and statement-action.
Static GK and Current Affairs
Static GK, as the name says, refers to information that usually stays constant. This area is, however, very vast, and the general trend is that very few questions are asked from here, so one should not devote too much time to it. A few areas that must be covered includes Indian & World History, Geography, Arts and Literature, Personalities, Science & Technology, and Business and economy.
The current affairs section will have questions from contemporary happenings around the world, from areas such as International News, Sports and Movies, Business and economy, Awards and Honours, Science and technology, Government, politics, etc. Questions usually come from the year preceding the exam (April-April/May). Paying attention to this area can bring huge returns, as GK is one of the largest yet least time-consuming sections of the paper.
What is Reading Comprehension? Is it essential to attempt the Reading Comprehension section in the paper?
Reading comprehension is essentially understanding what you read. There will be a passage, you read it, and then answer questions based on it. However, in CLAT, things are not so straightforward. In order to do well in reading comprehension, one must have a good command over the English language, a wide vocabulary, and a good reading speed. It requires a great deal of practice.
The major issue with reading comprehension is that it could be extremely time consuming if it is even moderately difficult. So, it is perhaps a good idea to skim through the passage and assess its difficulty. Easy passages can be answered right then; for the difficult ones, answer straightforward questions if there are any, and leave the rest for the end, in case you have time. It is not worth spending too much time on the passages, since that time can be better utilised to solve a larger number of questions elsewhere.
Mathematics in CLAT
Mathematics in CLAT is basic mathematics, i.e., maths covered up to 10th grade. It is not difficult as such, so the differentiating factor will be speed. Do not ignore the section merely because it scares you, it can be tackled with a little effort. You do not have to be an expert, but if you can tackle most of the questions you are in a good place.
It is important to try hard, but it is even more important to know when to give up. If you are unable to solve a question leave it and move on. Do not waste time trying a question till you get the right answer.
What are the best scoring areas in CLAT?
GK is one of the easiest sections to score in, if you have worked consistently before the exam, since it doesn’t require too much time to solve during the exam.Legal Aptitude is an area where scoring full marks is a definite possibility with sufficient practice. Logical reasoning is also another area where one can score high marks.
