Students who are aspiring to study law must be aware of the CLAT exam. CLAT is considered to be the most competitive exam but there are other entrance tests as well such as SLAT, LSAT, CUET, LAW, etc. It is suggested that the candidates should keep other alternatives as well. Each exam has its own exam pattern and topics. These exams are not that well known as CLAT but they also offer admission into top law schools. Check below the list of some of the common law exams given below:
- AILET (All India Law Entrance Test): This exam is conducted by NLU Delhi.
- LSAT (Law School Admission Test): Popular and widely accepted
- SLAT (Symbiosis Law Admission Test): Conducted by Symbiosis University
AILET (All India Law Entrance Test)
AILET is also known as the All India Law Entrance Test and this examination is conducted once in a year monitored by the National Law University, Delhi. It is an entrance exam for admission into undergraduate or postgraduate law programs offered by NLU Delhi, including BA, LLB, LLM, PhD. This exam tests the candidates knowledge in various areas of law and legal reasoning.
Eligibility Criteria
- Candidates should have passed class 12 examination or other equivalent degree from any recognised board
- The candidates belonging to General or OBC degree should have obtained 45% of total scores in class 12 exam
- Candidates belonging to SC, ST or PWD categories get a relaxation of 5% in the minimum qualifying marks provided they submit the required proof.
LSAT (Law School Admission Test)
LSAT also known as Law School Admission Test used to be conducted in a home based proctored mode in two sessions such as January and May. The scores of the LSAT exam are valid for five years.
Eligibility Criteria
Candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree in law from a recognised college or university in India or abroad
They should have obtained atleast 55% marks however, if the candidates belong to SC/ST categories the minimum required marks are 50%
The candidates who have appeared for their final exam and are waiting for their results can also apply for the LSAT exam
SLAT (Symbiosis Law Admission Test)
SLAT also known as Symbiosis Law Admission Test and offers admission to the candidates in Symbiosis Law institutes across the country. The duration of this test is one hour and is specially designed to test the skills required to excel in the field of legal education.
Eligibility Criteria
- Candidates should have passed class 12 or equivalent degree or the ones who are in class 12 and are waiting for their results can also apply provided they submit proper proof of documents.
- The minimum marks required to apply for the SLAT exam are 45% for general/OBC category and 40% in case of SC/ST category
- There is no age limit to apply for this exam
Back Up Plans if You cannot Crack CLAT Exam
Check below a few options which the aspirants can consider if they are not able to clear the CLAT exam:
- Instead of going for a 5 year degree, candidates can go for a 3 year LLB degree after completing their graduation. Not to worry if you are not able to crack the CLAT exam then you have the option of a few other degree programs as a base to pursue law at a later stage. Apart from this they can also go for BBA, Bcom, BA Programme, BA Psychology, BA English, etc.
- Aspirants can go for professional programs such as company secretary. They are considered as in-house legal experts of the company and have complete knowledge regarding law. Company secretary is a professional program and the candidates are required to clear two stages followed by internship.
- Prepare for other law entrance exams as well such as AILET, SLAT, LSAT, etc. These tests are comparatively easier than the CLAT exam but each of them has its own exam pattern syllabus; however, some topics may be common.
- Candidates can even go for a career change after evaluating all the options first. Supposedly candidates are not able to clear the CLAT exam; they can think of other career options depending upon their skills such as sales, marketing, public relations, social work, or even counselling related careers. It is very important that the students keep the option of other careers which will better utilise their skills and talent.
- It may also happen that the candidates are not able to take any decision then they may take a drop year. Before jumping into any decision they must evaluate their current performance. Factors such as what was the score the last time and for what reason did you miss the cut off scores, etc should be considered.
CLAT remains to be the most famous exam for admissions to LLB degrees. Various alternative exams, merit based admissions and private universities allow the candidates to pursue a law degree in India without the CLAT exam. Candidates can easily pursue a law degree without the CLAT exam. Aspirants should explore their interests wisely and work on their journey to become skilled legal professionals.
FAQs
Yes, it is possible to get into NLU or National Law University without taking the CLAT exam. National Law University Delhi (NLU Delhi) accepts the All India Law Entrance Test instead of CLAT.
AILET is considered to be tougher than CLAT because of its high difficulty level. CLAT is accepted at multiple national law universities and other private colleges whereas AILET is basically for the NLU Delhi.
Some of the top colleges that offer admission to law courses without the CLAT exam are Symbiosis Law School, Christ University, ICFAI Law School, Amity Law School, etc.
Symbiosis Law School is situated in Pune and is the top law school accepting CLAT and AILET scores. This college offers various undergraduate and postgraduate law programs.
Yes, it is possible to pursue a 5 year LLB program without appearing for the CLAT exam through colleges that offer LLB programs both 3 year and 5 year by appearing for their entrance tests or direct admission.