What is a good score in CLAT 2020

What is a good score in CLAT 2020 - Any candidate who is appearing in the national-level exam will have this question “what is a good score in CLAT 2020.” It is because, simply qualifying in the exam in not enough to get into top colleges like the NLUs. In fact to get into a top NLU like National Law School of India University (NLSIU) Bengaluru or NLU Hyderabad, one would need to be ranked at the top in the CLAT exam. But interestingly, CLAT cutoff of NLUs is released in the form of ranks, so many are not entirely sure how much they have to score to get admission. For example, the NLSIU Bangalore Cutoff 2019 for the undergraduate course was 58 rank; now the question is what is the corresponding marks for that rank. This article on “what is a good score in CLAT 2020” tries to answer these questions and is an effort to clear related doubts the candidate may have.
LATEST: CLAT application form 2020 slated to commence on January 1.

Latest: Download Free Sample Paper for CLAT - Download Now

The NLU Consortium will conduct the pen-and-paper based CLAT 2020 exam on May 10. The application form will be available from January 1 to March 31, and have to be filled in online mode.

The correlation between rank and marks

Before one can understand what is a good score, one needs to note that CLAT cutoff is released, as mentioned above, in rank format. Generally candidates who meet the cutoff criteria get admission get admission, while the rest are left out. Also, each of the 21 participating institutes (or NLUs) of CLAT publishes separate category-specific cutoffs for the courses they offer.

The CLAT cutoff usually depends on the following factors:

1. The total number of applicants

2. The performance of candidates in CLAT exam

3. Number of sanctioned seats

4. The category of the candidate

If any of these parameters change the cutoff would also change. For example, if the seat intake is increased, the cutoff score (or rank) would go down and vice versa.

Now let’s take a look at how how many marks a candidate needs to score a particular rank by referring to the table below:

Marks vs rank for CLAT 2018 (General category)

What does the above table say:

1. If you score in the 150-200, you most probably can take admission in any law college you choose that accept CLAT scores.

2. A score in the 130-150 range, you are still within reach of the top NLUs. But don’t bet against it, as your category will also have a role to play, especially if you want to get into any of the top 3 NLUs.

3. If you fall in the 90-110 marks bracket, you chances of a top NLU may get slimmer. But if you are from a reserved category, you have better chances.

4. If the candidate scores 70 - 90 marks, chances of admission get dimmer as such candidates will be ranked around 4610 - 11683. Remember there are only around 2500 undergraduate seats in NLUs. Such candidates can however apply to private colleges that accept CLAT scores.

5. Candidates with scores below 50 marks range are effectively out of the NLU admission process, give or take a few exceptions. Also, few chances that exist are only for reserved categories.

6. The takeaway then is general category candidates must target a score of 110 and above to have any chance of admission.

Changes in exam pattern will make cutoff scores comes down

Please note that the NLU Consortium has made key changes to CLAT 2020 exam pattern including reduction in the number of questions for the UG course. Now the question paper will include 150 MCQs, instead of 200 that were asked earlier. Also, comprehension-based questions will be asked from each section.

How change in exam pattern can influence the cutoff

1. As the number of questions decreases, the total marks for CLAT 2020 might also decrease.

2. And if the total marks is lowered, the cutoff would come down naturally.

3. Consequently, the scores given in the table (marks vs score) has to be adjusted.

The college-wise cutoff data for all the participating NLUs have been given below so that candidates knows the rank they need to get to have a fair chance of admission.

CLAT Cutoff 2019