Choosing the appropriate entrance exam from a wide range of opportunities is an essential first step if you want to study law at one of India’s top universities. Specific entrance exams are required to gain admission to India’s popular law schools. Your ability and performance might be greatly impacted by your understanding of these tests and their requirements.
Common Law Entrance Examination (CLAT)
It is a centralised law entrance examination, i.e., conducted for all the universities in India to get admission. It is considered a non statutory body under the Memorandum of Understanding that benefits students to get admission in universities. Exams for a 5 year integrated LLB course and a 1 year LLM course are offered by the overall 24 NLUs along with many private institutions that accept such examination scores. After the conduct of the examination, a list of results is presented to the universities on a rotational basis that also covers the reservation criteria. The exam is conducted for 120 minutes and held in December.
List of participating universities for CLAT 2025 include:
| Chanakya National Law University (CNLU), Patna | Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Law University (DBRANLU), Haryana | Dharmashastra National Law University (DNLU), Jabalpur |
| Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University (DSNLU), Visakhapatnam | Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), Gandhinagar | Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), Silvassa Campus |
| Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU), Raipur | Himachal Pradesh National Law University (HPNLU), Shimla | Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Aurangabad |
| Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Mumbai | Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Nagpur | National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR), Hyderabad |
| National Law Institute University (NLIU), Bhopal | National Law University (NLU), Jodhpur | National Law University and Judicial Academy (NLUJA), Assam |
| National Law University Odisha (NLUO), Odisha | National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru | National Law University Tripura (NLUT), Agartala |
| National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), Kochi | National University of Study and Research in Law (NUSRL), Ranchi | Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL), Punjab |
| Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University (RMLNLU), Lucknow | Tamil Nadu National Law University (TNNLU), Tiruchirappalli | West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (WBNUJS), Kolkata |
CLAT-UG EXAM PATTERN
| Sections | Number of Questions | Marks | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 22-26 | 22-26 | 20% |
| Current Affairs including GK | 28-32 | 28-32 | 25% |
| Legal Reasoning | 28-32 | 28-32 | 25% |
| Logical Reasoning | 22-26 | 22-26 | 20% |
| Quantitative Techniques | 10-14 | 22-26 | 10% |
| Total | 120 | 120 | 100% |
CLAT-PG EXAM PATTERN
| Sections | Number of Questions | Marks |
| Constitutional Law (Other areas of law such as jurisprudence, administrative law, law of contract, torts, family law, criminal law, property law, company law, public international law, tax law, environmental law, labour and industrial law) | 120 | 120 |
| Total | 120 | 120 |
- 15 October 2024 – CLAT 2024 Application Deadline
- 01 December 2024 – CLAT 2024 Exam Date
Official site link: https://consortiumofnlus.ac.in/
All Indian Law Examination Test (AILET)
National Law University, Delhi (NLUD) every year conducts an examination for undergraduate courses, post-graduate courses, and doctoral law programmes. It offers a 5-year integrated LLB course and 1-year LLM course. It offers a total of 110 seats for 5 year integrated LLB courses and 70 (+10) seats for LLM courses. The exam is conducted for 120 minutes and held in December.
AILET LLB EXAM PATTERN
| Sections | Number of Questions | Marks |
| English | 50 | 50 |
| Current Affairs including GK | 30 | 30 |
| Reasoning | 70 | 70 |
| Total | 150 | 150 |
AILET LLM EXAM PATTERN
| Total questions | Marks |
| 100 MCQs on different areas of law | 100 |
- 18 November 2024 – AILET 2024 Application Deadline
- 08 December 2024 – AILET 2024 Exam Date
Official site link: https://nludelhi.ac.in/
Common Universities Entrance Test (CUET)
The Common University Entrance Test (CUET) was introduced from the year 2022 for admission into all Undergraduate (UG) Programs in all Central Universities. It is a national-level law entrance exam conducted by the National Test Agency (NTA) annually. Law courses included in it are the 3 year LLB, 5 year integrated LLB courses, and LLM. The exam consists of three sections namely language, domain specific subject (legal studies), and general test. Candidates are required to attempt 40 out of 50 questions in language and legal studies and 50 out of 60 questions in the general test. The question paper consists of three sections. Section 1A provides 13 languages, and Section 1B provides 20 languages, and candidates can choose any language from it. Section 2 consists of legal studies, and section 3 consists of general tests.
CUET EXAM PATTERN
| Sections | Subjects | Number of questions | Questions to be attempted | Duration |
| Section 1A & Section 1B | 13 & 20 language options | 50 (in each language) | 40 (in each language) | 45 minutes (in each language) |
| Section 2 | Legal Studies | 50 | 40 | 45 minutes |
| Section 3 | General Test | 60 | 50 | 60 minutes |
| Total | 160 | 130 | 150 minutes |
- April 2025 (tentative) – CUET 2025 Application Deadline
- May 2025 (tentative) – CUET 2025 Exam Date
Official site link: https://exams.nta.ac.in/CUET-UG/
Law School Admission Test (LSAT) India
The exam is held at international level. Students from the US and Canada can sit in such examinations. In India, Pearson VUE is the conducting body of the LSAT and the test pattern is designed by the LSAC, or Law School Admission Council. It ensures to test those skills that are considered to be crucial in all the law schools. The skills to evaluate the reasoning and argument of others are also tested through this exam pattern. It is conducted four times a year (mostly in January and May), and the duration is 140 minutes.
The following colleges accept the scores of the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) exam:
| Alliance University | CMR University, School of Legal Studies |
| Asian Law College, Noida | IFIM Law School |
| BITS Law School | LLOYD Law College |
| BML Munjal University | OP Jindal Global University |
| Chanakya University | Vinayaka Mission’s Law School |
LSAT EXAM ENTRANCE PATTERN
| Section | Questions | Time |
| Analytical Reasoning | 23 | 35 minutes |
| Logical Reasoning 1 | 22 | 35 minutes |
| Logical Reasoning 2 | 23 | 35 minutes |
| Reading Comprehension | 24 | 35 minutes |
| Total | 92 | 140 minutes |
- January (First week) & May (First week) 2025 – LSAT India 2025 Application Deadline
- January (Third week) & May (Third week) 2025 – LSAT India 2025 Exam Date
Official site link: https://www.lsatindia.in/
Law National Aptitude Test (LNAT) UK
Jindal Law Global School (JGLS) has made it mandatory for prospective undergraduate students to take the LNAT-UK test for admission. This test motive is to evaluate critical thinking and reasoning skills essential for a successful legal career. It consists of multiple choice questions and an essay component. It consists of two admission cycles. The first phase of admission is registered and conducted from September 1 to December 31, 2024, with the issue of Early Admission Offers. The second or final phase of admission is registered and conducted from January 1 to May 31, 2024. Students will get 135 minutes to attempt the examination; 95 minutes will be given to conduct Part A, i.e. MCQs; and the remaining 40 minutes will be given to conduct Part B, i.e., descriptive.
LNAT EXAM PATTERN
| Section | Type of questions | Number of questions |
| PART A | MCQs | 42 |
| PART B | Descriptive | 1 out of 3 |
- 01 August 2024 – LNAT UK 2024-25 Application Open
- 01 September 2024 – LNAT UK 2024-25 Testing Starts
Official site link: https://lawadmissions.jgu.edu.in/ | https://lnat.ac.uk/
Symbiosis Entrance Test (SET) / Symbiosis Law Admission Test (SLAT)
This entrance exam is conducted by Symbiosis Law School (SLS). It offers an entrance exam for a 5-year integrated LLB course. There are four SLSs, namely – SLS Pune, SLS Noida, SLS Hyderabad, and SLS Nagpur. The paper consists of 60 multiple choice questions divided into five sections, namely legal reasoning, logical reasoning, analytical reasoning, reading comprehension, and general knowledge. Each section consists of 12 multiple-choice type questions. The exam is held in May.
SLAT EXAM PATTERN
| Sections | Number of Questions | Marks |
| Legal Reasoning | 12 | 12 |
| Logical Reasoning | 12 | 12 |
| Analytical Reasoning | 12 | 12 |
| Reading Comprehension | 12 | 12 |
| General Knowledge | 12 | 12 |
| Total | 60 | 60 |
- 22 November 2024 – SET / SLAT 2024 Application Deadline
- 13 December 2024 and 15 December 2024 – SET / SLAT 2024 Exam Date
Official site link: https://www.slat-test.org/
Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (MH CET)
MH-CET is conducted by the Directorate of Higher Education of Maharashtra. It offers examinations for 5 year integrated LLB courses, 3 years for LLB, and for LLM. Its exam pattern consists of 150 questions with a duration of 120 minutes and is held in May. Basic mathematics is set to be eliminated in the 3 year LLB examination.
The following are the colleges that accept the scores of MH CET-Law:
| Central India College of Law, Nagpur | Navjeevan Law College, Nashik |
| D.E.S. Navalmal Firodia Law College, Pune | New Law College, BVP |
| Dr. Ambedkar College, Department of Law, Nagpur | Panjabrao Deshmukh College of Law, Amravati |
| Government Law College (GLC), Mumbai | Rizvi Law College, Mumbai |
| Indian Law Society (ILS), Pune | SVKM’s Pravin Gandhi College of Law, Mumbai |
MH CET 5-year LLB Exam Pattern
| Subject | Questions | Marks |
| Legal Aptitude and Legal Reasoning | 40 | 40 |
| General Knowledge with Current Affairs | 30 | 30 |
| Logical and Analytical Reasoning | 40 | 40 |
| English Language | 30 | 30 |
| Basic Mathematics | 10 | 10 |
| Total | 150 | 150 |
MH CET 3-year LLB Exam Pattern
| Subject | Questions | Marks |
| Legal Aptitude and Legal Reasoning | 30 | 30 |
| General Knowledge with Current Affairs | 40 | 40 |
| Logical and Analytical Reasoning | 30 | 30 |
| English Language | 50 | 50 |
| Total | 150 | 150 |
- 22 November 2024 – MH CET 2024 Application Deadline
- 13 December and 15 December 2024 – MH CET 2024 Exam Date
Official site link: https://cetcell.mahacet.org/
Conclusion
The choice of entrance exam will depend on your target law schools and your academic strengths. The best way to score good marks is to research the specific requirements and syllabi of each exam and choose the one that aligns with your career goals and preparation strategy.
