UPES Integrated LLB Admissions 2025
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CLAT Vs LSAT—India: Candidates aspiring to get into top law schools in the country have to pass one important hurdle and that is the law entrance exams. The CLAT and LSAT—India are two very popular exams to gain admission into law programmes in India, giving rise to the LSAT—India vs CLAT debate. Through the Common Law Admission Test, candidates can get admission into National Law Universities in the country and 65 participating colleges. On the other hand, through the Law School Admission Test - India, candidates can get into some of the top private law schools and other participating law colleges. Is that the only difference between CLAT and LSAT—India? No. The difference between LSAT—India and CLAT lies on many other fronts. Read the full article to get all details in the CLAT vs LSAT—India comparison.
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Particulars | LSAT—India | CLAT |
Conducting Body | Pearson Vue | Consortium of National Law Universities |
Exam Level | National Level | National Level |
Frequency of exam | Twice a year | Once a year |
Participating Institutes | ||
Law programmes offered | 5 year LLB, 3 year LLB, LLM | 5 year LLB, LLM |
An important difference between LSAT—India and CLAT lies in the colleges and courses a candidate gets admission into after attempting the exam. In CLAT, there are participating NLUs and colleges that accept CLAT scores. On the other hand, in the LSAT—India there are colleges that accept the LSAT—India scores and admit candidates into the courses. Given below are important points in this regard for the two exams
CLAT
The Consortium of National Law Universities conducts CLAT once a year.
There are 24 participating NLUs in the CLAT exam
Through the CLAT UG and CLAT PG examinations, candidates are admitted into the 5 year integrated law courses and LLM course
Other than the participating NLUs, candidates can also get admission into law courses in 65 participating colleges
LSAT—India
Pearson Vue administers the LSAT—India twice a year
There are 17 participating institutes for LSAT—India at present which are very very well-known private law schools in the country.
Candidates can get admission into the 5 year LLB, 3 year LLB and LLM courses through the LSAT—India exam
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Another important difference between CLAT and LSAT—India lies in the exam pattern of both exams. The CLAT 2024 exam pattern includes 120 questions to be completed in 2 hours. On the other hand, LSAT—India 2024 exam pattern has 92 questions to be completed in 2 hours and 20 minutes. The table given below describes the exam pattern of both exams.
CLAT Vs LSAT—India - Exam Pattern Overview
Particulars | CLAT | LSAT—India | |
Mode of Exam | Offline | Online - remote proctored mode | |
Duration | 2 hours | 2 hours 20 minutes | |
Language | English | English | |
Type of Questions | Objective Type Questions | Objective Type of Questions | |
Number of Questions | 120 questions | 92 questions (approximate) | |
Total Marks | 120 | Candidates would be marked on a score between 420 and 480 | |
Negative Marking | 0.25 for every wrong answer | No negative marking |
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There are some major differences between CLAT and LSAT in terms of their syllabus. While the focus of both the CLAT syllabus and LSAT syllabus is on testing the reading and critical thinking ability of candidates, the exams vary in terms of the sections and the content of their syllabus. Given below is the syllabus of both the law entrance exams.
CLAT UG Syllabus
Sections | No. of Questions | Total Time |
English | 22-26 | 120 Minutes |
Current Affairs including GK | 28-32 | |
Legal Reasoning | 28-32 | |
Logical Reasoning | 22-26 | |
Quantitative Techniques | 10-14 |
CLAT PG Syllabus
Sections | Number of Questions | Time |
| 120 | 120 minutes |
Jurisprudence, Administrative Law, Law of Contract, Torts, Family Law, Criminal Law, Property Law, Company Law, Public International Law, Tax Law, Environmental Law, and Labour & Industrial Law |
LSAT—India Syllabus
Sections | Number of Questions (Approximate) | Time Allotted |
Analytical Reasoning | 23 | 35 minutes |
Logical Reasoning (1) | 22 | 35 minutes |
Logical Reasoning (2) | 23 | 35 minutes |
Reading Comprehension | 24 | 35 minutes |
CLAT is considered to be one of the lengthiest law entrance exams and close to 70000 candidates appear for it every year. 120 questions to be completed in 120 minutes, candidates get approximately 1 minute per question. Some of the NLUs such as NLSIU Bengaluru and NALSAR Hyderabad are ranked among the top 5 law schools in NIRF law rankings 2023 issued by the Ministry of Education.
LSAT—India on the other hand is conducted by Pearson Vue which is well-known globally for administering exams. LSAT—India also has some big names from private law schools as its participating institutes. With approximately 92 questions to be completed in 120 minutes, candidates get more time per question when compared to CLAT. There is no negative marking as well.
So, In the CLAT vs LSAT—India debate over the difficulty level it can be said that LSAT—India is relatively easier than the Common Law Admission Test.
Also Read: Top Law Entrance Exam - CLAT, AILET, AP LAWCET, TS LAWCET, MH CET Law
To understand the level of competition in the LSAT—India vs CLAT, one has to see the number of candidates appearing for the exam and the number of seats on offer. Around 70000 candidates write the CLAT exam every year. There are approximately 3300 seats for 5 year LLB and close to 1300 seats for LLM.
On the other hand, close to 10000 candidates appear for the LSAT—India exam and about 5000 seats are on offer for 5 year LLB, 3 year LLB and LLM.
The difference between LSAT—India and CLAT in terms of the level of competition looks quite significant with more competition present in CLAT.
While there are many differences between LSAT—India and CLAT, both exams also have a few similarities and converging points. Overlaps in the syllabus of the exams will also ease the pressure on the candidates to prepare for these exams.
Both CLAT and LSAT India contain questions where the candidates have to read a piece of text or passage and answer questions based on the passage.
Both exams try to assess the candidate’s complex reading ability and logical and reasoning skills as these skills are deemed very necessary in the legal profession.
The emphasis on reading and reasoning is also evident by the lower weightage assigned to Mathematics in the CLAT and the absence of such a section in the LSAT—India.
As can be seen above, a lot of differences exist between the two popular law entrance exams. To answer the question of LSAT—India or CLAT is best? one has to look at the colleges that one can get into after clearing the exams and also look at the future prospects after completing legal studies from a particular institute. The perceptions about a particular institute may differ among the candidates leading to varied perceptions about which one is the better exam.
However, candidates would do well to appear for both exams. This will greatly increase the pool of colleges available to the candidates. Certain similarities in the syllabus of both exams exist as outlined above. This will help candidates prepare for both exams at the same time.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
CLAT is undoubtedly one of the biggest law entrance exams in India. Compared with LSAT, CLAT is more widely accepted.
There are differences between LSAT—India and CLAT in terms of syllabus, exam pattern and participating colleges. However, they also converge on certain points. Both the exams are a test of the candidate's comprehension and reasoning ability.
There are 23 NLUs that are participating in the CLAT 2024 with the exceptions being NLU Delhi and NLU Meghalaya that have their own exams.
There are 65 private colleges participating in CLAT 2024.
The LSAT—India is administered by Pearson Vue
At present there are 17 participating colleges for LSAT—India
As of now, there are around 12 law colleges associated with LSAT India.
On Question asked by student community
Hello Mujahideen
Around 75,000 - 80,000 students have registered for CLAT examination this year. There are approximately 3,700 seat available in all NLUs through CLAT 2025.
In NLSIU Bengaluru, total 300 UG seats are available while in TNNLU Trichy, 180 are available.
Hope this answer helps! Thank You!!!
Hello,
If you want to prepare for the CLAT 2026 LLM exam. You should first understand the CLAT PG exam's syllabus, exam pattern, and weightage of sections like constitutional law and jurisprudence. Also, after that, create a structured study plan with good time management, and focus on your weak areas to improve yourself for the exam. You can also prepare with PYQ and mock tests.
I hope it will clear your query!!
Yes, the School of Excellence in Law (SOEL) accepts CLAT scores for admissions, and there are cutoffs for different categories. SOEL, part of TNDALU, offers BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), and BCA LLB (Hons) programs. The cutoffs vary based on the category and program.
For the OC category, the cutoff for BA LLB/BBA LLB was 97.750, and for BCA LLB, it was 96.5.
The cutoff can fluctuate based on the number of applicants, the difficulty of the exam, and the number of seats available
Hello
Yes, scholarships are available for CLAT merit holders. Many law schools, including some top institutions, offer financial assistance based on CLAT scores. For example, National Law Universities (NLUs) often offer merit-cum-means scholarships to students who excel in the exam. Additionally, some private organizations and law firms also offer scholarships to top CLAT scorers. The amount and criteria for these scholarships vary, but they usually cover tuition fees or provide financial support for study materials and other expenses.
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