CLAT 2022: Application Form (Apply till 9 May), Eligibility Criteria, Exam Date

CLAT 2022 is one of the most prestigious law entrance exams in India. This exam is a gateway for admission to integrated undergraduate law courses like B.A. LLB (Hons.), B.B.A. LLB (Hons.) and postgraduate law courses like LLM. Any one of the 21 National Law Institutes will conduct the CLAT 2022 exam. Apart from the NLUs, the CLAT scores are also considered by many other government and private universities to grant admissions into their Law courses. In addition to this, CLAT scores are also used for recruitment purpose by many organizations.

The candidates aspiring to appear for this exam need to submit an online application form. The exam will be conducted separately for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

CLAT 2022 application form has been released on 1st January 2022, 2PM.

CLAT 2022 Main Highlights

• The CLAT exam in the year 2022 will be conducted in offline mode. Previously, this was an online exam.
• The application process will take place only in online mode through the official website only.
• Separate entrance exams will be conducted for admission to UG and PG courses.
• There is no upper age limit in order to apply for the CLAT exam.
• Please note that the foreign nationals need not appear for the CLAT exam.
• The candidates have to provide their preferences of NLUs at the time of filling the application form.

CLAT 2022 Exam Dates

The official schedule for CLAT 2022 exam is illustrated in the table given below:

List of National Law Institutes

Here is the list of 21 NLUs participating in the CLAT exam. Apart from these colleges, various other private and government universities will also consider the CLAT score for granting admissions to their law courses.

• National Law School of India University(NLSIU), Bangalore
• NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad
• National Law Institute University (NLIU), Bhopal
• West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences(WBNUJS), Kolkata
• National Law University, Jodhpur
• Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU), Raipur
• Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), Gandhinagar
• Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow
• Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL), Punjab
• Chanakya National Law University (CNLU), Patna
• National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), Kochi
• National Law University Odisha (NLUO), Odisha
• National University of Study and Research in Law (NUSRL), Ranchi
• National Law University and Judicial Academy, Assam (NLUJA), Assam
• Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University (DSNLU), Visakhapatnam
• Tamil Nadu National Law School (TNNLS) Tiruchirappalli
• Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Mumbai
• Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Nagpur
• Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Aurangabad
• Himachal Pradesh National Law University (HPNLU), Shimla
• Dharmashastra National Law University, Jabalpur

CLAT 2022 Eligibility Criteria

The candidates must check the eligibility criteria very carefully before submitting the CLAT 2022 application form.

For UG Courses

• The candidates must have passed 10+2 or equivalent exam with at least 45% marks (40% for SC/ ST candidates)

Note: The candidates going to appear for the 10+2 or equivalent exam in the year 2022 can also apply.

For PG courses

• The applicant must possess an LLB Degree with a minimum of 55% marks (50% for the candidates for SC/ ST categories)

Note: The candidates appearing for the final year exam of LLB can also apply.

CLAT 2022 Application Form

CLAT application form 2022 has been made available only in online mode.

• To start the application process, the candidates need to register themselves through the official website i.e. clatconsortiumofnlu.ac.in.
• During the registration process, the candidates have to provide their personal email ID and phone number.
• After registration, the candidates may log in using their mobile number and password generated at the time of registration.
• Then, the candidates need to enter their details (educational and personal) very carefully.
• No modification or correction in the entered details is possible after the submission of the application form. That’s why the candidates should enter each detail very carefully.
• Along with the details, the candidates also need to enter their preference of NLUs and exam center. No changes in the preference will be possible once the application form is submitted.
• While submitting the application form, the candidates have to upload the scanned images of the following documents.
  • Passport size photograph of the candidate with a plain background.
  • Signature of the candidate
  • SC/ ST/ OBC certificate (if applicable)
  • Domicile certificate (Optional)
  • PWD certificate (if applicable)
  • Certificate of BPL category (if applicable)

Note: The candidates must upload all the documents in PDF format only.

• After uploading the documents and submitting the application form, the candidates must take a print out of the application form for future requirement.

Application Fee

The application form submitted will not be considered valid unless the candidate pays the application fee. The application fees for the candidates of different categories are given below:

• For General/ PWD/ OBC/ PIO/ NRI/ OCI candidates: Rs. 4000/-
• For SC/ BPL/ ST candidates: Rs. 3500/-
• Cost of previous year question paper: Rs. 500/- (same for all candidates)

Mode of payment

• The aspirants can pay the application fee online mode only using a debit card/ credit card or internet banking.

Note: The application fee once submitted will not be refunded under any circumstances.

CLAT Exam Pattern 2022

The exam pattern for the UG and PG course admission is different from each other as given below.

Exam Pattern for Undergraduate Courses in CLAT

• Mode of Examination: Offline (Pen and Paper-based exam)
• Type of Questions: Objective type multiple choice questions will be asked only.
• Number of Questions: 200
• Duration of Exam: 2 hours
• Maximum Marks: 200
• Marking Scheme: Each question will carry 1 mark
• Negative Marking: 0.25 marks will be deducted for every incorrect answer.

Subjects and distribution of questions

Exam Pattern for PG Programmes in CLAT

• Mode of Exam: Offline (Pen and paper based exam)
• Number of Questions: 102
• Type of Questions: 100 objective type MCQs + 2 subjective essay writing questions
• Duration of exam: 2 hours
• Maximum Marks: 150 (100 objective type question of 1 mark each + 2 essays of 25 marks each)
• Negative Marking: 0.25 will in case of wrong answer (applicable only for MCQs)

Note: In essay writing questions, the candidates have to write 2 essays of 800 words each on the various topics of law and contemporary.

CLAT 2022 Syllabus

Similarly to the exam pattern, the syllabus is also different for UG and PG Courses

Syllabus for UG courses in CLAT

• English including comprehension: correction of incorrect grammatical sentences, Fill in the blanks, passages, Comprehension, meaning of words used in passages etc.
• General Knowledge and Current Affairs: static general knowledge, current affairs, national and international current affair issues.
• Mathematics: Elementary mathematics taught up to 10^th
• Legal Aptitude: Research aptitude and problem solving ability, legal propositions (described in the paper) and other questions to determine the candidate’s interest in the study of law.
• Logical Reasoning: pattern identification, logical links and rectifies illogical argument, syllogisms, logical sequences, analogies etc.

Syllabus for PG courses in CLAT

• Constitutional Law (40 marks)
• Contract, Criminal Law, Torts, International Law, IPR and Jurisprudence (60 marks)

CLAT 2022 Admit card

• The hall ticket or admit card of CLAT 2022 exam will release in online mode.
• To download the admit card, the candidates have to log in to their account using the login credentials generated at the time of registration.
• The exact date, venue and timing of the exam will be mentioned on the admit card.
• All the candidates have to report to the exam center as per the details on the admit card.
• The authorities will not allow candidates to appear for the exam without an admit card.

CLAT Result and Merit List 2022

• The result of CLAT will release through the official website i.e. https://clatconsortiumofnlu.ac.in.
• The result card will contain information such as marks secured by the candidates, rank etc.
• Along with the result, the authorities will also release the merit list.
• In case two or more candidates have equal marks then the candidate with better marks in legal aptitude section of the exam will get a better merit position.

CLAt 2022 Counselling

• The CLAT online counselling 2022 will start soon after the declaration of result.
• The seat will be allotted as per the rank of the candidate and preference of NLUs given at the time of submitting the application form.
• After the allotment of seats, the candidates have to pay the fees for the confirmation of admission.
• The complete details about the counselling process will be released after the announcement of result.