Law Entrance Test in India

Entrance examinations are a common feature in India. Candidates are selected for reputed courses like MBA, Engineering, Technology and Fashion on the basis of their performance in these tests. And, as law is another competitive field, many colleges/ universities conduct separate entrance exams to shortlist prospective candidates. The patterns and eligibility criteria for a large number of law entrance tests in India are pretty similar.

Eligibility Criteria for Law Entrance Test in India

A set of eligibility parameters has been designed to shortlist the best from the thousands of applicants. Generally, candidates who want to take admission in postgraduate law diploma programs (not including the Labour Law) need to hold a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university/ institution. For admission to Labor Law, applicants need to be MA in Social Sciences or should hold a law degree.

Further, Master of Business Laws, Master of Law - Human Rights Law and Master of Law - Business Law are some of the noted postgraduate courses in this discipline. Candidates who are seeking admission to LLB courses through the competitive exams should hold a bachelor’s or postgraduate degree with not less than 50% marks or equivalent grade. LLB degree holders can sit for the law entrance exam to get admission to LLM program.

The eligibility criteria for undergraduate courses in law slightly differ from the postgraduate programs. Applicants looking for admission to bachelor’s degree need to pass 10+2 examination or equivalent with at least 50% marks from a recognized college/ university. For reserve category candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC, the minimum requirement is 45% marks.

Syllabus of Law Entrance Test in India

Most of law entrance exams that are held across India test the aptitude of aspiring candidates in the fields of legal, constitution and political system, analytical reasoning, mathematical reasoning, English language and general knowledge.

Under analytical reasoning, candidates have to solve questions on coding & decoding, blood relations, logical reasoning, Venn Diagrams, direction sense and series completion among others.

In the mathematical reasoning section, questions are based on numbers, percentage, simple interest, compound interest, mensuration and odd man out.

Under English language category, candidates have to attempt reading comprehension, error rectification, synonyms, antonyms, sentence completion, idioms & phrases and one word substitution.

In the general knowledge paper, questions are usually asked on legal awareness, geography, history, general science and economics.

English section consists of 40 marks; elementary mathematics 20 marks; logical reasoning 45 marks; legal reasoning 45 marks; and general knowledge/ current affairs 50 marks. Thus in total, students have to answer 200 objective type questions. Each question carries one mark.

Study Tips for Law Entrance Test in India

The law entrance exams are very competitive in nature and hence, candidates need to be extra careful while preparing for any of them. There are some simple preparation tips that can be followed to conquer all worries and tension. Some of these are shared below. General Prep Tips for Law Entrance Exam:

1. Candidates should collect last year’s question papers to get an idea of the syllabus and pattern of the exam.
2. Candidates should be in habit of reading national and local dailies. It would help them better their vocabulary and reading skills.
3. Candidates should grab the latest editions of CSR or FRONTLINE to remain updated on the current happenings.
4. Candidates should devote 3 to 4 hours to each subject on daily basis.

Subject-wise Preparation Tips for Law Entrance Exam:

Preparation techniques and methods should be different for different subjects. Candidates who are interested in knowing the subject-wise preparation tips for this competitive exam can take a look at the lists given below:

General knowledge/ current affairs:

1. Read quality newspapers everyday
2. Get subscription of the reputed magazines
3. Browse through the internet for latest happenings
4. Register with the law related websites for daily updates
5. Watch news on daily basis

English language:

1. Practice English grammar daily
2. Focus on reading
3. Solve sample questions
4. Improve reading speed for comprehension section

Logical reasoning:

1. Purchase books related to reasoning topics
2. Collect sample papers
3. Attempt mock tests and try to answer them in least possible time

Elementary mathematics:

1. Revise the algebraic formulas everyday
2. Try to solve questions on profit & loss and percentage
3. Take sample tests as many times as possible
4. Try to reduce dependency on calculator

Legal reasoning:

1. Try to be thorough with all the latest court cases, law and policies
2. Sit on the internet and look for law news
3. Try to analyze and question the court decisions in the most logical way

Top Law Colleges in India

India has some of the best law colleges and universities in the world. The law institutions of the country are best known for providing high quality training and information to candidates. After passing the entrance exam, most students try to get admission in the colleges/ institutes listed below.

1. NLSIU, Bangalore
2. NUJS, Kolkata
3. NLIU, Bhopal
4. NALSAR, Hyderabad
5. Faculty of Law, Delhi
6. NLU, Jodhpur
7. Symbiosis Law College, Pune
8. Amity Law School
9. ILS Law College Pune
10. Faculty of Law, BHU
11. Government Law College, Mumbai
12. Department of Law, Punjab University
13. Hidayatullah National Law University
14. Govt. Law College, Kerala University, Thiruvananthpuram
15. NUALS, Kochi
16. Faculty of Law, Aligarh Muslim University
17. University Law College, Bangalore University

Career in Law in India

Law is one of the serious yet lucrative fields in any country. After years of hard work and effort, candidates get to reach the pinnacle in this career. However, opportunities and growth are promising. On the successful completion of their academic life, candidates can kick start their career as:

1. Legal Process Outsourcing (LPO)
2. Notary / Oath Commissioner
3. Public Prosecutors
4. Advocate General
5. Attorney General
6. Company Secretary
7. District Attorney
8. Legal Advisors
9. Advocate
10. Magistrate
11. Solicitor
12. Teacher
13. Author

List of Popular Law Entrance Tests in India

• CLAT 2011
• National Law University Jodhpur, National Entrance Test (NET) 2011
• Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) B.A. L.L.B. Entrance Exam 2011
• Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) L.L.M. Entrance Exam 2011
• Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU) National Entrance Test
• Chanakya National Law University (CNLU) National Law Entrance Test
• Gujarat National Law University Entrance Test
• NALSAR Entrance Test 2011
• NLIU Entrance Test Bhopal
• Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia National Law University Entrance Exam
• Bharati Vidyapeeth University Law Entrance Test 2011
• Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law Entrance Exam