Till 2018, CLAT was conducted by NLUs on a rotational basis. However, from 2019 onwards the law entrance exam will be conducted by a permanent body formed by NLUs, The Consortium of NLUs. The consortium has its headquarter at NLSIU Bangalore and comprises:

• An Executive Committee
• The CLAT Convenor of the current year (NLU Odisha for CLAT 2019)
• The CLAT Convenor of the following year
• Two co-opted Vice-Chancellors of NLUs

LLB (Bachelor of Law/ Literally Legum Baccalaureus) and LLM (Master of Law/ Latin Legum Magister) courses in which admissions are offered basis CLAT exam are mentioned in the table below:

UG Courses
BA LLB (Bachelor of Arts LLB)	BCom LLB (Bachelor of Commerce LLB)
BSc LLB (Bachelor of Science LLB)	BBA LLB (Bachelor of Business Administration LLB)
BSW LLB (Bachelor of Social Work)	–
PG Courses
LLM	–

Important CLAT 2019 Exam Dates

Candidates can refer the table below to have a look at important CLAT exam dates 2019:

Events	Dates
CLAT registrations	January 13 – April 15, 2019
Last date of fee payment and form submission (registered candidates only)	April 20, 2019
CLAT admit card download	May 12, 2019
CLAT exam	May 26, 2019
CLAT result	By June 14, 2019 (tentative)

CLAT Eligibility 2019

Candidates are eligible to apply for CLAT exam if they have completed 10+2 or equivalent examination with a minimum of:

• 45% marks in case of candidates belonging to General/ Other Backward Class (OBC)/ Specially abled persons categories
• 40% marks in case of candidates belonging to Scheduled Class (SC)/ Scheduled Tribe (ST) categories

Age Limit: There is no upper age limit to apply for CLAT 2019 exam. It may be noted that earlier, the Bar Council of India (BCI) had introduced an age limit criteria for CLAT exam. However, later Supreme Court directed BCI to remove the age limit criteria.

Read: All about CLAT eligibility 2019 

CLAT 2019 conducted offlineWhat’s New in CLAT 2019?

The Consortium of NLUs conducted the CLAT 2019 exam in offline mode. Till 2015, CLAT was conducted in offline mode only. However, from 2015-2018 the exam was taken online. In 2018, a lot of technical glitches questioned the reliability of the CLAT exam. Moreover, issues of accessibility of the CLAT online exam in rural areas of India were raised. Apart from this, factors such as limited infrastructure and poor access to technology also lead to the conducting of CLAT in offline mode again.

• Subjective questions in CLAT 2019 LLM question paper  

The Consortium has changed the CLAT exam pattern for LLM course admissions. The CLAT 2019 LLM question paper comprised two subjective questions that would evaluate candidates on their writing and thinking ability.

• CLAT conducted at centres other than NLUs

In addition to NLUs, CLAT was conducted at other centres/ cities as well depending on the number of candidates.

• CLAT 2019 question paper created from a question bank

The CLAT Consortium had created a question bank to which experts from all the NLUs as well as other law institutes contributed. This move was taken to improve the quality of the CLAT question paper.

• NTA proposes to conduct CLAT

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has shown interest in conducting CLAT and put forth this proposal before the Supreme Court (SC). Apart from NTA, the Bar Council of India (BCI) has also expressed interest in conducting the CLAT exam.

• CLAT permanent website

The CLAT consortium has decided to host a permanent website for all future CLAT exams. This decision has been taken to ensure that CLAT does not change to a new website every year that leads to the hiring of a random service provider.

• CLAT to be conducted by a permanent body

From 2019 onwards, CLAT will be conducted by a permanent body – The Consortium of NLUs. Regarding the decision, a press release issued by the NLUs states: “The consortium met under the chairmanship of Prof. Mustafa and took some historic decisions to streamline conduct of the CLAT. It was unanimously resolved that CLAT will have a permanent secretariat at National Law School of India University, Bangalore which is also the headquarter of the consortium. CLAT will now be conducted by the newly formed executive committee of the consortium that would have NLS Bangalore, NALSAR Hyderabad and NLIU Bhopal as its ex-officio members. CLAT Convenor of the year and the CLAT Convenor of the following year and two co-opted Vice-Chancellors of NIUs nominated by the CLAT Convenor who have past experience of conducting CLAT”.

CLAT Exam Day Guidelines

Candidates appearing for the CLAT exam must read the exam day instructions mentioned on the admit card carefully. Candidates should also know what and what not to carry to the test centre on the day of the exam.

What to carry on the CLAT exam day?

Since CLAT is an offline exam, candidates must carry a pencil and at least two ballpoint pens (black/ blue) to the exam centre. Apart from this, candidates must also not forget to carry the below-mentioned documents to the CLAT exam centre:

• Admit card: CLAT admit card is the most important document to be carried to the test centre. Candidates without the CLAT admit card on the day of exam are not allowed to take the paper.
• ID proof: Candidates must carry a valid and original photo ID proof to the allotted CLAT exam centre. Documents that can be carried as an ID proof include Aadhaar Card/ PAN Card/ Passport/ Driving License/ Voter ID.
• Photo: Candidates are also recommended to carry at least one passport size photograph to the allotted exam centre. The photograph should preferably be the one used at the time of filling the CLAT application form.

What NOT to carry on CLAT exam day?

Candidates should not carry any study material or electronic devices such as mobile phones, calculators, smartwatches or tablets inside the CLAT examination hall.

Colleges Accepting CLAT Scores for Admission

CLAT 2019 scores will be accepted for admissions by 21 NLUs and 44 other universities and law colleges in India. Check the list of colleges accepting CLAT 2019 scores for admission below:

National Law Universities (NLUs)
National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore	National Law University Odisha (NLUO), Cuttack
National Academy of Legal Study & Research (NALSAR) University of Law, Hyderabad	National University of Study & Research in Law (NUSRL), Ranchi
National Law Institute University (NLIU), Bhopal	National Law University & Judicial Academy (NLUJA), Assam
The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (WBNUJS), Kolkata	Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University (DSNLU), Visakhapatnam
National Law University (NLUJ), Jodhpur	The TamilNadu National Law School (TNNLS), Tiruchirappalli
Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU), Raipur	Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Mumbai
Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), Gandhinagar	Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Nagpur
Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University (RMLNLU), Lucknow	Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Aurangabad
Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL), Patiala	Himachal Pradesh National Law University (HPNLU), Shimla
Chanakya National Law University (CNLU), Patna	Dharmashastra National Law University (DNLU), Jabalpur, MP
National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), Kochi	–

Other Universities & Colleges

CLAT Participating Colleges (other than NLUs)
Alliance University, Bangalore	College of Law, IIMT University, Meerut
Amity University, Noida	IMS Unison University, Dehradun
Asian Law College, Noida	Indore Institute of Law, Indore
Geeta Institute of Law, Panipat	Institute of Legal Studies and Research, GLA University, Mathura
Institute of Law, Nirma University, Ahmedabad	ISBR Law College, Bangalore
Lloyd Law College, Greater Noida	Jain University, Bangalore
Maharishi Law School, Maharishi University of Information Technology, Noida	Jims Engineering Management Technical Campus (JEMTEC) School of Law, Greater Noida
RNB Global University, Bikaner	Kalinga University, Faculty of Law, Naya Raipur
REVA University, Bangalore	Mahatma Jyoti Rao Phoole University, MJRP Academy of Law, Jaipur
Siddhartha Law College, Dehradun	Manipal University, Jaipur
SRM University, Sonipat	Mewar Law Institute, Ghaziabad
Vivekananda Global University, Jaipur	MSB Global Law Institute Maharaja Surajmal Brij University, Bharatpur
Dr KN Modi University, Tonk, Rajasthan	NIMT Vidhi Evam Kanoon Sansthan (NIMT Institute of Method and Law), Greater Noida
Faculty of Law, Marwadi University, Rajkot	NMIMS, Kirit P. Mehta School of Law, Mumbai
ICFAI University, Tripura	PES University, Bangalore
ICFAI University, Dehradun	Raffles University, Neemrana, Rajasthan
Unitedworld School of Law, Karnavati University, Gandhinagar	Renaissance Law College, Indore
Law College Dehradun, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun	Sandip University, Nashik
Galgotias University, Uttar Pradesh	Shree Guru Gobind Singh Tricentenary (SGT) University, Gurugram
Gitam School of Law, Visakhapatnam	Shri Vaishnav Institute of Law, Indore
Harlal School of Law, Greater Noida	School of Law, THE NorthCap University, Gurugram
IFIM Law College, Bangalore	Xavier University, Bhubaneswar

Go through the number of seats available at colleges accepting CLAT 2019 scores for law admissions.

Important FAQs regarding CLAT Exam

Q: Why is CLAT exam important?

A: CLAT is one of the most popular law entrance exams that is a gateway for admissions to the prestigious 21 National Law Universities (NLUs) in India. Apart from NLUs, over 40 other colleges and universities across India also provide admission to candidates in LLB and LLM courses offered by them on the basis of CLAT scores. Therefore, it is important for a law aspirant to appear for CLAT exam.

Q: Who conducts CLAT exam?

A: The CLAT convenor (NLU Odisha for CLAT 2019) along with other members of the Consortium of NLUs conducts CLAT exam. In 2019, CLAT exam was conducted on May 26.

Q: Is CLAT an online exam?

A: No, CLAT is an offline exam conducted as a pen-and-paper based test. However, till 2018, CLAT was conducted in online mode only.

Q: Is there any age limit to appear for CLAT?

A: No, there is no upper age limit to appear for CLAT exam.

Q: How many candidates take CLAT exam every year?

A: About 50,000 candidates from different cities across India appear for the CLAT exam every year.