What we think of CLAT 2011…

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As you all know, CLAT’s paper is divided into 5 sections. However, no one can ever be sure of what kind of questions one will have to face. In CLAT 2008, the system of differential marking was used by NLSIU, where each Legal Reasoning question carried 3 marks while each General Knowledge question was given half a mark. In CLAT 2009, on the other hand, every question had one mark and surprisingly, there was no sign of Legal Reasoning. Further, in 2010, the Legal Reasoning questions were put up in the Logical Reasoning section and the Maths section was unhinged.

This is what we “think” it is, based on reliable sources and the statements that are coming from NUJS and the CLAT Organizing committee. While the sources are reliable, you shouldn’t take this as the basis of how you intend to prepare.

General Knowledge

Unlike CLAT 2010, the paper will have almost all the questions based on the Current Affairs. Static GK might be asked if it is in the news nowadays. For example, something about Babri Masjid’s history might come as it’s pretty much talked about in the news. So, make sure you stay updated with what’s happening around and do follow the Current Affairs Compendiums which are put up weekly on CLATGyan.

A note for those who have been frantically roaming around, tensed and worried that they’ve been concentrating only on Static and not on Current: No worries. You’ve done a good thing, static CAN NOT be completely absent, and it is necessary that you do have your basics with you. In my opinion, the important Current Affairs comes from August onwards. We will try and bring you compendiums of current affairs starting January 2010 if possible, but don’t worry much about the “older” months. One yearbook or a few good Pratiyogita Darpan year-roundup issues should be help you out.

GK requires you to stay calm and determined. Nothing that you study is unimportant, everything shall be put to use, if not in your test papers, then at least in Law School.

Logical Reasoning

This, without any incertitude, will be the make or break section. In 2011, the whole section will emphasize on Critical Reasoning rather than Analytical Reasoning. It can also be said that this will be the section where you will have to use your mind the most. Also, this section will contain the lengthiest questions of the paper.

Legal Aptitude

NUJS, who is conducting CLAT 2011, wants people who can THINK and have great reasoning abilities. Hence, we do not expect any Legal GK question in this edition of CLAT. It will be like NLU Delhi’s 2010 Paper, in which the whole Legal Aptitude section had Legal Reasoning Questions. However, there might be some reasoning questions with one word answers like : In Ram v. Shyam, Ram can never be what? … The options were defendant, plaintiff, prosecutor and complainant. (Defendant was the correct answer and this question was asked in CLAT 2010).

So, do as many Reasoning Questions as you can and beat the greatest enemy of yours… the time! (same applies with Logic section)

English

Getting the same “test of reasoning” thingy, this section will focus on Reading Comprehension/Passages and Grammar. There will be no vocabulary at all. You need not worry about mugging up words and scratching your head when you forget them. Even here, the same rule applies… the more you practice, the much better.

Maths

First of all, do not expect Factors, Square roots or Prime numbers. CLAT 2010 is a very bad example of CLAT’s maths. NUJS has a reputation of having a good standard of maths and you shall see, they will keep it up. However, Solving a question will not be a huge task. But, solving it without taking much time will be the key.

And Finally, I would like to end this with three advices. Firstly, Practice as much as you can and never ever even think of stopping it. Secondly, this is CLATGyan’s theory of CLAT 2011 and not an official one. So, dont blame us if something we said will not come, comes. Thirdly, this does not apply to any other entrance exams like SET, NLU O or NLU D.

All the very best,
Asad.

86 COMMENTS

  1. Asad- would the english section not have those terrible synonyms and antonyms? plus should i do the constitution part from P M Bakshi or 9,10th civics book?
    thanks. 🙂

  2. @ Mohit…. Vocab is nothing but all those synonyms and antonyms. and No! You don’t have to do that for CLAT 2011. And about Constitution, go through the basics which might be required for reasoning. But, you need not mug up articles or cases or anything from Constitution.

    Hope this helps,
    Asad.

  3. Asad, et al,
    Tell them, advise and guide them as to HOW they can build up on their GK. I am sure you and your friends would recall from personal experience that mere listing of sources is only the beginning…

    • Saurav da, Aymen’s first article deals with that exactly. We shall keep in mind what you said and try to further build on that. Thanks for your advice. Looking forward to more inputs from you.
      CLATGyan team

  4. @ Saurav sir… Yes sir, Aymen is already doing that. He and some of my batchmates who are good at GK are compiling weekly current affairs compendiums. We will, however, write more about cracking GK. There is a page called “Ask Us” (link on the top left of this website) using which they can ask us doubts directly and we will reply to them asap (usually 3-5 hours).

  5. Asad- Are we not supposed to do VOCAB part at all? I have been doing the vocab. part for quite sometime but as your article alludes, i reckon, should cease learning up those awful words.

  6. Acc to all this ….Wat seriously needs help is CRITICAL REASONING…
    As On current affairs nd legal section …a prsn has to wrk upon …

    but wer critical reasoning …comes ….I and I hope many us make mistakes..
    i did 10 question of critical reasoning ..nd could get only 4 correct nd dats horrible ….!!!

    So if u ppl can help us wid Critical reasoning it will be of great help ..
    The coachings out der ..Dey provide a maximum of 2 modules on critical reasoning ….
    nd i think dis ttym the reasoning section is gonna be KLLING>..!!!
    Help ..!

  7. @ Anjuli… I suggest you do R.S.Agarwal’s Verbal Reasoning thoroughly. That will suffice. In case you want to do more, MK Pandey’s Critical Reasoning (by Arihant Pub.) is a good option. Considering the time that you’ve got, I think you can easily do both of them. If not, do the R.S.Agarwal one. 🙂

  8. hey i wanted 2 ask u all dat 4m whr cn i practice d legal reasoning questions n reading comprehensions………. any specific book 2 follow…… plz do let me know…….

  9. @ Aditya… Legal Aptitude is a section which has two parts. One is Legal Reasoning and the other is Legal Knowledge. Now, Legal Reasoning are questions in which you get a situation and a legal principle. You are supposed to apply the legal principle to the situation and answer the question. Legal Knowledge, on the other hand, has direct GK kind of questions. Legal Knowledge is nothing but GK(but has Law related questions).

  10. asad-i am taking postal coaching 4 clat 2011 from sriram lawacademy do u think it would be sufficient if i concentrate on the material that they have provided or do i need to refer to any other boks
    can u plz help me

  11. bhaiya you are doing a good job,i really appreciate you and one question for u that how to prepare g.k part because it is so vast and impossible to reach every corner of field

  12. bhaiya you are doing a good job,i really appreciate you and one question for u that how to prepare g.k part because it is so vast and impossible to reach every corner of field

  13. @ Aditya… As I mentioned in the article, there isn’t gonna be any vocab in CLAT 2011. So, go easy with it. And its true that how much ever you study, its impossible to answer all the answers of GK. However, try doing as much GK as you can so that you can answer most of the question and get a berth in a good Law School.

  14. Please, remember, P. M. Bakshi is NOT FOR PRE-LAW STUDENTS.

    We, at Nalsar don’t have ConLaw till the 5th semester. All you need to know is something about the rights and freedoms guaranteed, the various important fundamental duties (not in detail), the places where we’ve borrowed our constitution from and the new, recent amendments. Also go through the Directive Principles of State Policy.

  15. @ Aditya… are you from Maharashtra? ILS has a tremendously huge quota for Maharashtra domicled candidates. The cut off also depends on your 11th and 12th stream. Generally, commerce stream has higher cut off compared to the science stream.

    And when the quality of ILS is concerned, it is one of the oldest colleges with huge reputation not only among Indian Legal Field but also in various other countries. Make sure you apply for ILS as there are a few chances of making it to ILS with 87 % and it will also be a good backup option in case CLAT or NLU Delhi goes wrong.

    All the very best,
    Asad,
    CLATGyan.

  16. if cr izz d nly expected area in clat11 dn i think mk pandey will suffice……

    @asad..bro i m pathetic in vocab n dt alwyz dumps my confidence…..if itz really true dt dr izz no vocab or very less vocab in clat11 or itz a rumour…..

  17. @ Nilesh… Yes, I do think that MK Pandey will perfectly suffice.

    and These aren’t rumours. If I were you, I wouldn’t have done any Vocab. The sources are very much reliable and you can trust us. However, in case some vocab comes in CLAT 2011, we aren’t to be blamed 😛 . But I say the same thing again, I wouldn’t have done any vocab if I were you. 🙂

  18. @manoj:
    i guess asad and aymen overlooked your question. as a student of the sriram coaching centre i can tell you that their module on legal reasoning is REALLY GOOD(especially the part on constitution). best for a quick brush up. logical okayish, english not much clue, maths good and gk- good for static ones but since thats not all that important this year i dont know how important it’ll be

  19. what about nlu d???????is there any chances tht they will follow the same line focusing more on current affairs and reasoning????also heard tht as paper wise nlu d is much more difficult !!!!is it true???any speculation about nlu d 2011 question paper ??

  20. @ Sanchit… NLU D has always followed more or less the same pattern. They ve give way more number of current affairs questions than static GK ones. They ve always had more reasoning questions than memory based ones. Take 2010 NLU D for example, all 70 Questions in Logic and Legal section were based on Reasoning. (Facts Principles Assumptions Deductions etc..) and Almost 80% of GK section had current affairs. They also have a good RC Passage and grammar questions in their English. Their maths has always been of a good standard.

    I think NLU D prepares the best of all the entrance question papers. Get hold of their previous papers… CLAT 2011 and also NLU D 2011 will be of the same kind.

  21. @ Padmini… Tie-Breaker system is used if the score of two or more candidates is the same. Last year, Legal Aptitude Section was the Tie-Breaker. So… say A and B both get 150 in CLAT and A get 38 in Legal section while B gets 27. A will be ranked higher than B.

  22. We can’t predict at this point that, static G.K and vocabulary is not going to be a part of CLAT 2011, as last year they announced 2 months before CLAT that they will ask LEGAL Knowledge, so they can do last minute changes also so better to learn vocabulary and static also.

    • Apoorva – Yes, I suggest the same, seriously. I don’t trust people easily, Asad might want to believe that our sources (as high up as they are), are trustable. But then, these CLAT people are very moody – and hence, arbitrary. So, yes do vocab and static.

      BUT, don’t waste too much time doing them. Yes, waste. Because RCs and Current are more important for you now, because, we know – FOR SURE, that these will be emphasised on.

  23. @ Apoorva… well… we have our own reliable sources and we have some good reasons to trust them. If you still want to do vocab and all… go ahead… it might help you in NLU D(in case it has its own exam next year) and Symbiosis 🙂

  24. @ Rishika… No, not yet. Though there are some rumours that it is planning to join. But, we cannot say anything until and unless an official announcement comes out.

  25. @ Rishika… I dont think NLU D will join CLAT even this year. I remember last year LST ppl told me that it would be a part of CLAT and I freaked out the way you did just now! 😛

  26. @asad:- The mood of CLAT committe can be change any time, what aymen suggested, And learning vocabulary and static G.K cannot be termed as wasting of time, because it is ultimately going to help us in our future, no knowledge is best, We all are reading daily THE HINDU and PD so its better to prepare for the worst also.

  27. @Aymen:-I hate to learn static G.K seriously, and I love current affairs, but we cannot say anything specifically that’s why I’m learning static also slowly and slowy,and right now so much static portion is left.

  28. @ Apoorva… Well… I would never say doing vocab would be waste of time. Just that, as Aymen said, there are things which CLAT 2011 will emphasis on. So, you doing vocab and static GK doesn’t matter. But, make sure you do what I said in the article for sure.

  29. Hey from where did you purchased the domain name ifor this site?
    You can use GOOGLE ADSENSE here in your site and can easily learn $100 per month [as GOOGLE ADSENSE pay you for per click] More vsitior at the site more will be revenue. As you are the owner of this CLAT online coaching you have a right to earn something, that’s why it is good for you.

  30. @ Apoorva… I dont intend to earn anything for this now… The whole idea beside this website is to help the aspirants and nothing else. I do know and I also have a Google AdSense account, but I’m not willing to put the ads up on this website. 🙂

  31. hey i just gave lst mock test today and suprisingly many of the question of gk sections turned up from ur weekly gk supplement!!!!!must say ur gk team is doing agr8 job !!!CONGO GUYS nd please bear wid us till clat 2011!!!

  32. @asad:-Its up to you. Its your wish. You are teaching here for free its good, but you should earn something as we are not giving any thing to you except blessing. But its a better way to earn.

  33. @ Apoorva, No plans like that for now. 🙂 I love CLATGyan being called a “Non-Profit Venture” … Lets see about that next year after we build up our place in this field. and Your blessings will give me a better placement which will make me earn more money. 😛 … Keep blessing!! 😉

  34. I appeared for various law entrances this year and faired kind of OK. Symbiosis went well and CLAT rank was 2500+, so didn’t end up over there. But I was all set to join Symbiosis and got my Board result. I got a Compartment in Math and had to stay back till I got it over with. It was a shock because I had aced my Math paper and even the revaluation did not help. But whatever. My Compartment is over and my Pass Certificates have arrived. They are the same as any normal Pass Certificate.
    After that I had ICFAI Dehradoon and Amity Noida as my options as they were ready to take me with my CLAT rank. ICFAI was in the wilderness and I wasn’t sure about the place and I was advised against joining Amity. Plus Amity is too expensive. So I decided to stay back this year, prepare harder and give the entrances again.
    What I would like to know is if my Compartment is going to be a hindrance while applying for the top law colleges in the country. I have called up various law colleges and they all give confusing answers and no one seems to be sure in their offices about it.
    Regards
    Please let me know if it would stop me from pursuing law in any of the law colleges, especially Symbiosis and the National Law Colleges,

  35. @ Akshay… As far as Symbiosis is concerned, few of my batchmates had Compartment and still were admitted in the college. (maybe they take a lil more money from you 😛 ). However, regarding CLAT… the brochure repeatedly tells you that one should not have a Compartment to give CLAT. If your certificate is just like any other Pass certificate and has no sign of you getting a Compartment, its well and good. But, in case your certificate says that you flunked once and then passed… I think you wont be eligible for CLAT.

  36. @Asad
    I had called up the Symbiosis office and they said they do not take Compartments in any case. Are you positive about your batch-mates and can you please help me in getting in touch with them? Directly speaking to people already in Symbiosis will help.
    Also CLAT does say that Compartments are not admitted but it does not specify whether it is students with ongoing Compartment that are not allowed or the ones who have gotten through it.
    The only difference with my Pass Certificate and a usual one is that it is dated 2 months after the original dispatch date. So that might be a problem if someone wants to do a thorough examination.
    Also please let me know which colleges apart from the National Law Colleges are the best in the country. Because different surveys have different reports and I guess students studying inside the best ones might have the best information regarding this.
    If you could get me in touch with your batch mates with the compartment who have gotten through law colleges then it would be a great help.
    Regards

    • @Akshay – Look at GLC, Bombay, ILS, Pune, NLU-Orissa, etc – these are pretty good. Else, do a BA in a subject and then go for DU’s course in LLB

  37. sir..its gr8 if vocb is not comin…ma strong part is gk n currnt affairs..bt in legal reasoinin i m 50:50..suggst me som gud bks 4 legal reasonin..rit nw i m doin universal,arihant n ma LST modules…hw abt lexis nexis..n r dey sufficient..

    • Deven – Past years papers. All other books are useless for legal reasoning. And we dont know if vocab will come or not 100% this is our opinion. That’s it.

    • @Samarth – you are leaving Static GK and Vocab on your own risk. We can only assure you of so much. My personal suggestion is, do at least a little of Static and Vocab (from Lexis and Past Years’ Papers). The best Yearly book would be, in my opinion, the Penguin Yearbook.

  38. @aditya-The intitial cut-off for scince stream was 94% this year…while it came down to 90.5% in the 6th list…for outside Maharashtra students…the cut off for humanities is much lesser than the scinece one!! Best of luck!!

    • Samarth – You can’t rely on one source for everything. For current affairs, you need the newspaper, the yearbook, monthly PDs and of course, the awesomest source – ClatGyan’s compendiums.

  39. @Akshay- I am quoting you the exact lines from NLUD 2010 Brochure.” Candidates who get compartment in any subject in the qualifying examination are not eligible for admission in that year”. i guess it meant only for the year in which you got a compartment i.e 2010.
    so i think you will not have any problem in clat 2011. 🙂

  40. hello frnds,
    i have a very imp question. plz answer it as quickly as u can. Ths is REALLY imp. 🙁

    actually, i gave my 12th xams last year in wch i couldnt pass. i was a medical student.
    now ths year i will give my boards again, and i want to do law.
    i have prepared very very hard for clat and boards ths tym.
    i think i will make it 2 a good national law colg.
    But will i b granted admision?
    I am really worried nw aftr readin aakash’s questn n ur replies.

    Plz telme, what al i have prepared, will b wasted? 🙁

    • NLUD doesnt accept students with compartment in the year of admission. So that means that you can at least attempt NLUD’s paper. NLU-O has not even mentioned compartment or supplementary.

      The CLAT 2010 brochure doesn’t specifically talk about compartments. However, a few colleges don’t accept students with compartments. Now, I am doubtful if this applies to the year when the student has a compartment or applies even if he’s a dropper. It is best that you call up NUJS’s registrar and find out as soon as possible. CLAT 2009 (brochure available online) says the same thing, as in, students with compartments and supplementary are disqualified – I’ve no clue if this would apply for droppers as well.

      Here’s the phone number for NUJS – 033-2335 0534/ 7379/ 0765/ 2806/ 2809/ 2811/ 2812

  41. ‘CLAT 2010 UG Eligibility:The candidate should have passed Higher Secondary School/Intermediate Examination (10+2) or its equivalent examination with not less than 50% marks in aggregate (45% in case of SC/ST/OBC* and persons with Disability*).’

    ‘NOTE – Candidate with compartment/supplementary in any subject in the qualifying examination will not be eligible for admission.’

    Ths is wat the clat brochure sayz.
    it dznt say if d candidate mst NECESSARILY clear d qualifyng exams in ‘one attempt’.
    jzt that ther shud b no cmpartmnt in d year u r tking clat.

    so do i thnk dat i can write clat n also gt admission ?

    plz reply. 🙁

    • Geet, I know what the brochure says. But I dont know what it means. Hence, it is best if you call up someone at NUJS and find out about it right away.

  42. @aymen & mohit
    Thanx for all the help. Though I don’t think ILS will take me with the kind of percentage I have. I am focussing only on entrance based admissions.
    What is admission process of GLC? And how is Fergusson and Bharatiya Vidyapeeth?
    I have ruled out doing BA and LLB separately as it will add up one more year. Plus I’m already one year behind.
    Still if I was to pursue BA in English literature from DU and then subsequently go for LLB would it be a logical step? What might be the cut off for Eng lit UG course in DU?
    Lastly I’m using Universal’s, Tata Mcgraw and Manorama right now and will join the one month LST course in April. Is the one month LST going to help significantly?
    Thanx for being so receptive and I know I have multiple queries. But this forum is very illuminating and I believe only actual students like you can provide me with the answers.

    • GLC admits students on the basis of merit i.e your 12th percentage, the cut off is not as high as ILS, but it is a good enough College.
      In my opinion, a BA in Lit or any other subject, plus an LLB from DU would be a very good choice, i.e if BA.LLB doesn’t work out for you. I’ve no clue about the sort of cut off that’d be expected, but it is best that you find out.
      Skip Universal’s and get yourself a Lexis Nexis. I suggest you ignore Manorma and do Penguin, but Manorma is good enough for now. I dont know how successful the crash course that LST offers, is. But whatever maybe the case, at least go for the test series that LST offers. And in a crash course, the onus is mostly on the student and not on the coaching center.

  43. @ Divya – I feel for you..Honestly..I do..I pretty much face the same problem. But saying that…I am not willing to let Maths be the roadblock again. I can solve puzzles (to a good extent, yes)…English has never been a problem..Current Affairs/News I like..Legal Reasoning I absolutely love..but this darned Maths..it is a perpetual threat to my being. Arrgh !

    Or..we can simply hold hands and jump off a cliff you know.. 😀 🙁

  44. Maths is quite the pain but no, it doesn’t invoke suicidal intent in me. The thought of losing marks in this section because I don’t have enough time disturbs me. It’s not that I can’t figure out how to do the sum. And 20 marks can boost your score like hell, not that I plan on losing all of it. I probably sound scared because my boards are coming up soon and I can’t practice as much as I used to, but hopefully, my hyper-hate phase will end as soon as I re-establish communication with my maths modules and other books. Hope two months of sleep, food and laughter-depriving study will work out. *gulp*

  45. Yes Garima, past years’ papers are very very helpful. Time yourself and do them, you’ll surely benefit from them. I suggest you to do NLSIU, NALSAR, NUJS, NLU Delhi, NLU Orissa and CLAT 2008 Paper (considering the amount of time you have, you can easily complete all these).

  46. hey…wantd a l’ll help..!!! 1st i suck at maths..tal me wat 2 do…hw 2 go abt it???!! 2nd… frm wre 2 do critical reasoning..??? 3rd..is amity noida a gud law clg.???? 4th frm wre 2 do legal resoning ques..!!
    plzzzzzzzz help me out!!!

  47. hey…wantd a l’ll help..!!! 1st ques….tel me wat 2 do in maths.. i mean.hw 2 go abt it???!! 2nd… frm wre 2 do critical reasoning..??? 3rd..is amity noida a gud law clg.???? 4th frm wre 2 do legal resoning ques..!!
    plzzzzzzzz help me out!!!

  48. sir,i want to know that are synonyms and antonyms going to come and in legal reasoning and logical reasoning which type of ques will be asked the most.
    pls provide with an example!!!

    plz help sir

  49. sir,i want to know that are synonyms and antonyms going to come and in legal reasoning and logical reasoning which type of ques will be asked the most.pls provide with an example!!!

    plz help sir

  50. hai i got 91 in clat ,76 in nlud and 81 in nluo . my plan is to drop a year and appear next year . tell me what i sud do so that i can crack clat nest year .

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