Law Exams in India

Jagranjosh tells you about the various law entrance exams that open the floodgates for a promising career in law

Reading a lot and staying up-to date with the current affairs from across the globe is the simple formula to crack the law entrance exam. At the most basic level, this profession requires people, who can apply common sense to everyday and extraordinary situations, think well on their feet and love proving a point. The entrance exam tries to gauge this aptitude and does not require students to cram facts.

Many law entrance examinations open the window for students to get into this line of work. This includes the common law admission test (CLAT), the law school admission test (LSAT) and the Delhi university law test, to name a few. State boards and regional law schools also conduct their own entrance tests. While the CLAT and LSAT can be taken by students after class 12 and their scores are accepted by law schools offering a five-year undergraduate law programmes, the Delhi University exam is a three-year undergraduate law programme offered to graduates in any discipline.

Started in 2008, the CLAT exam is an all India entrance examination conducted by 11 National Law Universities for admissions to their undergraduate (LL.B) and postgraduate (LL.M.) degree programmes. There are only 1100 seats available in these Universities, out of which only 500 seats are for General category candidates. These law Universities include, The National Law School of India University (NLS), NALSAR University of Law and the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences.

Discussing this entrance exam, Daniel Mathew, assistant professor of Law at the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences mentions, "There is no magic formula to ace the entrance as this is mainly an aptitude test. A student's ability to read and comprehend English, their current awareness, logical reasoning and legal aptitude are being tested. No background knowledge of law is required for this exam".

Shiva Santosh Yelamanchili, student, NLS, further explained this saying, "The CLAT is still in the process of evolving into a skill-based test. The additional improvements being made with each passing year are focusing on analytical capacity rather than on the ability to cram facts. While, the standards of math being tested has deteriorated to new lows, it is important to understand that this is indicative of the priorities in the exam. It is important to have a thorough understanding of legal principles for, irrespective of the situation given. It is the application of the principle, which matters."

The LSAT test is designed by the American Law School Admissions Council and is accepted in Bishop Cotton Women's Christian Law College, IIT Kharagpur and the Jindal Global Law School, to name a few. Most law schools conduct a round of interviews and group discussions once the exam scores have been declared.

Reproduced From India Today. © 2011. LMIL. All rights reserved.