CLAT Vs LSAT India

CLAT vs. LSAT India - CLAT and LSAT India were recently in the news together due to the ensuing clash between their exam dates owing to Lok Sabha elections. This may have definitely spurred up a few questions in the minds of law aspirants regarding the two exams about their difficulty level, exam pattern, scope, and their suitability.

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In this feature on CLAT vs. LSAT India, Careers360 will dissect the two exams to shed light on their salient features and establish a comparative analysis between the two exams with the help of which candidates can discern which exam would be ideal for them to take admissions in the UG law programmes.

For a detailed insight into CLAT vs. LSAT India, candidates can read further. 

CLAT vs. LSAT India - Primary difference

CLAT, also known as Common Law Admission Test, is conducted by CLAT Consortium of NLUs headed by NLU Odisha for admissions to undergraduate and postgraduate law programmes. Qualifying in this examination paves way for candidates to grab a seat in their desired law programmes in 21 NLUs of India. 

LSAT India, also known as Law School Admission Test, India, is conducted by Pearson VUE on behalf of LSAC for candidates who seek admissions into UG and PG law programmes. 

CLAT vs. LSAT India - Number of participating institutes and seats offered 

CLAT is the gateway to 21 NLUs of India whereas there are approximately 50 law schools accepting LSAT India scores. The NLUs together offer over 2600 seats for UG seats whereas LSAT India paves way for candidates to over 3000 seats. 

CLAT vs. LSAT India - Exam Pattern

There is also a paramount difference between the exam patterns of both the exams. Some of the most significant differences pertain to number of questions, duration, and marking scheme. Given below are the patterns of both the tests. 

CLAT 2019 Exam Pattern

LSAT India Exam Pattern

From the aforementioned tables, candidates will surely understand LSAT requires candidates to solve comparatively lesser number of questions in a longer duration. Also, there is no negative marking in LSAT India as opposed to in CLAT.  

CLAT vs. LSAT India - Syllabus

There is also a stark difference between the syllabus of both the exams. Given below are the syllabi of both the exams. 

CLAT 2019 Syllabus

LSAT India 2019 Syllabus

As can be inferred from the above mentioned tables, LSAT India does not test candidates’ legal, mathematical or linguistic aptitude. Instead it only seeks to test candidate’s verbal and reasoning ability. On the other hand, CLAT tests candidates on the basis of their mathematical and linguistic ability, legal aptitude and reasoning, and general knowledge. 

CLAT vs. LSAT India - Difficulty level

CLAT is one of the toughest law entrance exams in India offering admission to some of the best law schools in the country. The difficulty level of LSAT India too is high, but as compared to the former examination, it is much easier. Also with the above comparison between the exam pattern of the two, it is evident that LSAT India is less exhausting as compared to CLAT. LSAT India requires candidates to solve approximately 100 questions in two hours twenty minutes whereas CLAT requires them to solve 200 questions in two hours.

In addition to this, as mentioned before, CLAT tests candidates on various fronts whereas LSAT India only tests candidate’s reasoning and verbal ability. Therefore, CLAT becomes a much tougher and bigger nut to crack as compared to LSAT India. 

CLAT vs. LSAT India - Level of competition

CLAT is one of the toughest law entrance exams offering admissions to some of the best law schools in India. LSAT India’s difficulty level too is high but is comparatively easier. Also the participating institutes under CLAT are ranked higher than the ones under LSAT India. 

When it comes to the number of seats and participating institutes, LSAT India provides more range and scopes to the law aspirants than CLAT. 

In conclusion, the competition in CLAT is much higher than that in LSAT India. 

CLAT vs. LSAT India - Pros and Cons

CLAT - Pros

Best law schools - CLAT is a gateway to the best NLUs in the country and a high rank may fetch a candidate a seat in NLU Bangalore which is ranked first in the list of best law schools in India. NLUs provide the best quality law education in India and are likely to be boost for a candidate’s employment prospects.

An impressive feat - Preparing for and eventually qualifying CLAT is nothing short of a grand feat for law candidates. Surmounting the challenge of clearing CLAT not only provides satisfaction and amps up the confidence of law students but also instills faith in them to tackle the greater challenges that will await them in their law education and career. 

CLAT - Cons

Difficulty level - CLAT is one of the most intimidating law entrance tests due to its high difficulty level. Qualifying CLAT does not only necessitate hard work but also smart work which can only be attained by conceptual clarity, wise time management strategies and undue focus. It is due to the difficulty level and lengthiness of the paper that most of the candidates fail to crack the test and have to bid their NLU dream a goodbye.

High level of competition - The competition in CLAT is cut-throat as thousands of candidates compete for only 21 participating institutes and 3300 seats. Therefore, only candidates with exceptional scores/ranks can make it to NLUs and there is indeed no place for average marks. As a result, every year many law aspirants have to ditch their dreams or pursuing law from top NLUs.

Negative marking - As per the exam pattern of CLAT 2019, there is negative marking in CLAT and every incorrect answer will lead to a deduction of 0.25 mark. This is the biggest con of CLAT for any law aspirant as it induces fear in the students of getting their answers incorrect. This may also lead candidates to create an illusion that each answer they mark in the sheet is wrong even if they are correct thus leading to nervousness and inconfidence. In the light of this con, it is advised that candidates leave out the questions that they know they will not be able to solve and focus only on those questions they are confident about. Candidates should not doubt their abilities and believe in the answers they arrive at. Additionally increased level of concentration clubbed with a calm mind will help them to arrive at the right answer.

LSAT India - Pros

Less competitive - LSAT India is comparatively less competitive because it forms the basis for admissions to more universities and seats. There are over 50 participating institutes offering over 4500 seats offering more options to law aspirants. Therefore, contrary to CLAT, LSAT India provides more options to law aspirants and thus acts as a reliable back up option for them. 

Comparatively easier - It is a well known fact that the difficulty level of LSAT India is lower than that of CLAT. While LSAT too requires top-notch preparations and decent logical and reasoning and execution skills, it is comparatively easier than CLAT. Also LSAT India is less lengthier than CLAT thus proving to be less mentally exhausting than LSAT India. 

No negative marking - One of the biggest advantages of LSAT India is that it has no negative marking meaning that there will be no deduction of marks for incorrect answers. This gives more freedom and confidence to candidates to attempt the paper as it encourages them to take calculated risks, Additionally, this also drives away the fear from the candidate’s mind of making mistakes. 

LSAT India - Cons

Ranked lower than NLUs - The participating institutes in LSAT India are reputable but ranked lower than most of the NLUs. As an NLU tag is the most appealing out of the lot, LSAT India may seem to be a less desirable option for some candidates. However, many of the law schools participating in LSAT India have cemented their reputation as some of the best law schools over the years including Jindal Global Law School occupies the sixth rank in the list of top law schools in India and is in fact ranked higher than NLU Gujarat.

Expensive  - Pursuing law education through the LSAT India participating institutes is an expensive affair since these are private universities. Private universities charge higher fees to cover their expenses pertaining to infrastructure, events, and so on. Nevertheless, law education in itself is pricey and even NLUs charge high fees for law programmes. Since, fees of private universities is a bit higher than that of NLUs, candidates will have to plan their finances wisely and make a strategy as to how they can fund their education smoothly. 

CLAT vs. LSAT India - Which one to choose

As is evident from the aforementioned comparative analysis, each of the two exams have their own set of pros and cons. Coming to which exam which candidates should opt for, it is strictly advised that instead of being selective they opt for both the exams. It is certainly better for candidates to have all their options open and work hard towards each of them. It is after the results that they can decide which college to opt for. 

CLAT, also known as Common Law Admission Test, is being conducted by CLAT Consortium of NLUs headed by NLU Odisha, for admissions to undergraduate and postgraduate courses. CLAT paves way to over 21 NLUs and over 2600 seats for UG law courses. 

LSAT India, also known as Law School Admission Test, is conducted by Pearson VUE on behalf of LSAC for admissions to UG and PG law programmes. Candidates opting for LSAT India will get an opportunity to apply for over 50 private law schools and over 3300 seats to UG law programmes. 

CLAT 2019 is scheduled to be held on May 26, 2019 whereas LSAT India 2019 is to be held on June 2, 2019.