CLAT 2021 Live Updates: Answer Key (Released), Expected Cutoffs, Exam Analysis

The consortium will declare the CLAT result tentatively in the last week of July 2021. The result of CLAT 2021 will be available for download at consortiumofnlus.ac.in. 

To check the CLAT result, candidates will have to log in to their CLAT accounts. Alternatively, one can check the rank and marks in the CLAT merit list which is released along with the scorecard.

The CLAT result will carry the following details.

1. Name and category of the candidate

2. Marks obtained by the candidate 

3. All India rank and category rank

4. Roll number and application number

The consortium is accepting the objections from the candidates. Following this, an expert committee will review all the objections raised by the candidates. 

In case the objections were to be found valid, the necessary corrections will be made to the answer key and the same will be notified on the official website. Candidates whose objections were found to be valid will get a full refund of their objection filing fees.

Based on the revised answer key, the consortium will first prepare merit lists for both CLAT UG and CLAT PG and then individual scorecards which will be made available at the CLAT admission portal.

Along with the CLAT result, a detailed plan for counselling will also be notified by the consortium.

The objections filing window against CLAT answer key will be closed today at 9 pm. In case of any discrepancy in the answer key of CLAT 2021, the candidates can raise their objections by following the given procedure. Objections raised through email or phone calls will not be entertained.

After 9 pm, the objection window will be closed and no request for reconsideration will be entertained.  

General Instructions regarding challenging the CLAT answer key 2021

• Objections, if any, has to be filed through the consortium website
• The objection portal is open from July 23 (9 pm) to July 24 (9 pm), 2021
• Objections received via email, phone, or any other means will not be entertained
• For each objection, a fee of Rs. 1000 will be levied
• However, if the objection(s) is found to be valid, the fee will be refunded/ remitted
• Objections filed without payment of the fee will be rejected.
• Before raising objections, the candidate should tally the question number from their own question booklet and compare them with keys given in the Master Question booklet

Note: There are four different series of Question Booklets.

How to raise an objection (s)

• Login to your CLAT 2021 account
• Click on Submit Objections option
• Select the objection type: 1) Abou the question 2) About the answer key.
• Enter objection details and submit it
• In the final step, pay the fee (Rs. 1000 per objection)

The provisional answer key has been released for both CLAT UG and CLAT PG and contains the official answers to questions asked in the pen-and-paper exam. The CLAT UG 2021 question paper contains 150 multiple-choice questions, whereas the CLAT PG 2021 questions paper contains 120 MCQs. Candidates can use the keys to compare their own answers and thus calculate probable scores.  

LegalEdge has released section-wise and overall difficulty level and number of good attempts

Overall, students should have attempted at least 115 questions. The cut-offs are expected to be a little higher when compared to CLAT 2020 as the overall level of difficulty is a tad lower this year.

WBNUJS Kolkata is ranked 4th in the list of NIRF 2020 top law schools in India. Most CLAT aspirants prefer WBNUJS Kolkata if they could not secure a seat in NLSIU Bangalore and NALSAR Hyderabad. 

Last year, the university had a higher cut off than NLU Jodhpur which has a better rank than WBNUJS in NIRF 2020 list. The minimum marks required for admission to WBNUJS for an open category candidate were 88.25 which was converted to a rank of 227. 

A similar trend can be observed this year too.  The cutoff for WBNUJS may remain around 225-240 but the minimum marks required may go slightly down (in the band of 84-88) as CLAT this year was relatively difficult as reported by the students. 

NLU Jodhpur is considered the third best law school in India as per the NIRF Law ranking of 2020. So, it is obvious to get a third preference in the list of colleges. However, along with NLU Jodhpur, many candidates may also consider opting for WBJNUS Kolkata, which is equally good and has seen a higher cut off last year when compared to NLU Jodhpur.

Considering the last year's cut off and today's exam analysis, candidates who have a rank within 350 can expect to get a seat in NLU Jodhpur if they belong to the general or all India category. Last year, the minimum marks required to get a seat in NLU Jodhpur for a general/all India category candidate were 86. This year, a score of 85-90 can be expected to be a good score for NLU Jodhpur.

NALSAR Hyderabad is the second most sought NLU. It is 3rd best law school in India as per the NIRF ranking of top law colleges.

Last year, the last rank for NALSAR was 177 for general category candidates. The corresponding marks with this rank were 89..75. The university offers 120 sears in 5-year LLB programme out of which 86 are available for all India candidates. Considering the easy-moderate level of CLAT and previous year trends, candidates who are from the general category and have a rank less than 200 should be able to secure a seat in NALSAR Hyderabad.

NLSIU Bangalore offers 93 seats in total in 5-year integrated LLB programmes.  Out of this, 70 seats will be available for candidates who are from the India category.
Given that NLSIU Bangalore is the top-ranked NLU in India, most candidates give first preference to it at the time o counselling. So, a 100+ rank in CLAT 2021 will make it difficult for candidates to secure a seat in NLSIU Bangalore unless they are from the Karnataka Students category or any other reserved category.

As per the exam analysis, the good score in CLAT will be near 100. With a score band of 95-100, candidates can secure a seat in top 3 NLUs.  

CLAT 2020 cut off and rank calculation - An indication for probable seat allotment

Shortlisted candidates are required to register for CLAT counselling on the official website - cosortiumofnlus.ac.in. After registration the candidate has to:

Step 1 - Enter NLU preferences

Step 2 - Pay the counselling fee of Rs. 50,000

Seat Allotment

The allotment of seats will be based on the CLAT 2021 merit rank of the candidate and choices opted for admission. Post seat allotment, the candidate has three options before him:

1. Accept the allocated seat
2. Opt for upgrade
3. Exit from CLAT counselling and admission process

• Overall the CLAT 2021 question paper was easier than the previous year's paper.
• Most questions were along expected lines with few surprises.
• While some are claiming the paper to be lengthy, as per LegalEdge analysis the paper is less lengthy compared to last year.
• English section was easy, with questions being based on COVID pandemic and Education. There was also an extract on "A Scandal in Bohemia"
• Legal Reasoning section was also easy, with questions asked on common topics like IPC, Hindu Marriage Act, Jurisdiction, Contract Law, etc. 
• The current Affairs and GK section was very easy. Passages were based on PM Modi's Bangladesh visit, UN, and SAARC.
• The Logical Reasoning section had one topic on climate change and three passages on COVID. The difficulty level was easy to moderate. There was one very long passage. 
• The quantitative Aptitude section didn't have any tables or graphs and was relatively easy. Questions were paragraph-based.  

Candidates can check the exam analysis done by Gradeup below.  

• The CLAT 2021 exam was of moderate difficulty level but was lengthy.
• Legal reasoning was the lengthiest section. 
• The CLAT 2021 cutoff would be higher than last year.
• English language was the easiest of the five sections
• There were no graph-based questions. Instead, all questions were Caselet or passage-based.
• There will be no sectional cutoff in CLAT 2021

Pawan Durani, a blue ticked account on Twitter echoed the sentiment of many candidates - "The paper was very tough." But before we make a judgement that the paper was actually tough or very tough,  we have to see more such claims. Also, if the paper is actually tough as has been reported by some,  it could mean a low CLAT cutoff.

The general consensus so far has been that the paper is a little bit too lengthy, meaning many candidates have struggled to complete the paper on time. 

One candidate with the username "@tetehoax" tweeted  

   "Omg for most it was tough so it's okay #clat2021"

Also, the paper was of moderate difficulty level going by various reactions on tweeter. 

According to initial reviews, the CLAT UG paper was more difficult compared to last year's paper. A candidate quipped that the CLAT UG paper was very lengthy. 

To cutoff for a law program of an institute depends on the following points:

• The seat intake for the program
• The NIRF ranking of the NLU. if NIRF ranking is not available, then the popularity of the institute among applicants
• Total applications received for admission
• The CLAT merit rank of applicants
• Category under which admission is sought

The Consortium of NLUs will release the cutoff at the time of CLAT counseling and seat allotment. The cutoff will be released for all the participating NLUs of CLAT 2021 and will be category-specific. The consortium will announce the counselling schedule soon after the declaration of CLAT results. 

Note the cutoff is the last rank for which admission will be offered. 

In case two or more candidates score similar marks, then the consortium will adopt the tie-breaking rule for deciding the ranks. The tie-breaker rule applies like -

• Candidates who will secure higher marks in the Legal Aptitude section will be given a high rank;

• If the tie still continues, then the age of candidates will be preferred; candidates senior in age will be given higher rank;

• Lastly, even if the tie remains unresolved, then the ranking will be decided by the computerized draw of lots

CLAT 2021 has ended, but there is still a long list of exams coming up. AILET 2021 will be conducted on July 30, 2021, for admission to law courses offered by NLU Delhi. TS LAWCET 2021 is slated for August 23, while AP LAWCET 2021 will be conducted on September 22.

Then there are PU BA LLB 2021 and PU LLB exams that will be conducted on August 22.

The exam dates for the MH CET law 2021 haven’t been announced yet, but it is another major exam looked forward by law aspirants.  

The answer key helps in the following cases:

• It brings transparency to the evaluation process
• The candidate can compare their answers with those given in the answer key and calculate the probable scores.
• With the probable score in hand, the candidate can access his/her chances of admission even before results are declared.
• In case candidates have any doubts, they can file objections.
• The final CLAT 2021 answer key will only be released after the consortium deals with each of these objections.

The pen-and-paper-based CLAT 2021 has come to an end at 4 pm today. Around 70,000 candidates have appeared in the national-level exam for admission to 5-year integrated LLB and one-year LLM courses offered by the 22 participating NLUS.

The leading coaching institutes will start releasing CLAT exam analysis, expected cutoffs, and answer keys. The answer key will cover elements like difficulty level, types of questions asked, and weightage. The cutoffs, on the other hand, will give the candidate a fair hint on their chances of admission. And finally using the answer key, candidates would be able to calculate probable scores.

The official answer key of CLAT 2021 will be released by the consortium.

To learn more - Click here

The first hour of the CLAT 2021 exam has passed, and one more to go. At this halfway stage, candidates need to try to solve as many questions they can. 

The CLAT scores will be converted to rank. So, it is important for candidates to have a fair idea about how many marks will be required to get a decent rank. Check the previous year CLAT marks vs rank analysis for top 5 NLUs below.

CLAT is a national level law entrance exam, conducted primarily for admission to national law universities. Here is the list of NLUs that are participating in CLAT 2021 this year.

The exam centre gates have now been closed. No candidate will be allowed to enter or leave the exam hall now. CLAT 2021 will be completed at 4 pm. Candidates will be allowed to carry their question booklet and OMR carbon cop while leaving the exam hall.

The much-delayed, awaited, and anticipated law entrance exams finally gets underway!

The exam will be of two hours duration - 2-4 pm. For many candidates this is the moment they have toiled day and night. The litmus test is here. The ones with solid preparation and nerve of still will most likely pass the litmus test and come out with flying colors.

We from Careers360 would like to wish each and every candidate - The best of Luck! 

The reverse countdown for the exam has begun. 8.7.6.5.4.3.2....1 minute. So, tighten your seatbelts as the event unfolds. Right now Distribution of transparent sealed envelopes containing question booklets and OMR response sheets is going on inside the exam hall.

Candidates have now started entering the exam hall. At 1:50, the officials at exam centre will start distributing question paper booklets and OMR sheets in sealed envelopes. After 2:15 pm, no candidates will be allowed to enter.

If you want to get admission into NLSIU Bangalore of NALSAR, you most probably will need an AIR inside the top 100 if you belong to open category. Check here cutoff for top NLUs. 

NLSIU Bangalore Cutoff 2020 - UG Program

NALSAR Cutoff 2020 - UG Programme

NLU Jodhpur Cutoff 2020 - UG Programme

WBNUJS Kolkata Cutoff 2020 - UG Program

GNLU Cutoff 2020 - UG Program

To read more of CLAT cutoff - Click here

As per a revised admission notification, the Dharmashastra National Law University will not accept CLAT scores for admission to its one-year course. The university will conduct a separate entrance examination for admission purposes. Apart from the DNLU, Chanakya National Law University also conducts its own exam for LLM admission.

The reporting time for the exam was 1 pm. So, we are past that now and the count down for the BIG event has started. At this instant, the candidate must try to stay calm and not try to overburden their minds by thinking about what will and what may happen. Better stay in the current moment, soak in the atmosphere, take a peek at the surroundings, and simply try to be happy.  

Entry of candidates into CLAT 2021 exam hall will start at 1.30 pm. There will be security guards at the entrance with Thermal Guns to check the temperature. Any candidate with a temperature exceeding 99.14° F will be isolated and put in a separate room. Students should cooperate with the security team to help them carry out their jobs uninterrupted.

1. Carefully read the instructions given in the test booklet. 

2. CLAT UG test paper will have 150 MCQs, which means you get less than one minute per question. So, along with accuracy also keep a track of time taken to answer a question. Don’t get stuck. If you are unable to solve a particular question, better move to the next one. 

3. There is negative marking in CLAT 2021, with 0.25 marks to be deducted for an incorrect answer. So, don’t blunder away your marks by making wild guesses.

4. The OMR sheet should be marked using a Black / Blue ball pen.

5. Do all rough work on the designated space given in the question booklet. Don’t scribble anywhere in the booklet except for space given for rough work. 

6. After the conclusion of the exam, you can take home the question booklet and a carbonized copy of the OMR sheet.

Also, check last-minute tips to ace the exam shared by experts - Click Here

Candidates who will be appearing in CLAT 2022 need to start their preparation now if they haven't already. To start your preparation, check out the CLAT syllabus, what topics are needed, and weightage. Next, get a study plan ready by taking into account the difficulty level of various topics. Also, make mock tests and sample papers are a part of your exam preparation routine.

During the exam, you may face difficult moments, like you may be unable to solve an easy question. The trick is to not get rattled. Take a deep breath and move to the next question. And once you are done with the rest of the questions, return to the pesky little question and see if you can crack it this time around.

Once inside the exam hall, you need to focus on the exam ahead and not try to distract other candidates or get distracted. If you do so, you not only jeopardize your chances of success but you could also be penalized and disqualified. 

The online application form for CLAT 2021 was open from January 1- June 15. The form was for admission to 5-year integrated LLB and one-year LLM programs offered by the participating NLUs.

Currently, all 22 CLAT participating NLUs offer the 5-year integrated LLB program, whereas the one-year LLM is available at 19 NLUs. 

Program-wise seat intake 

The candidate has to hand over the OMR answer sheet as soon as the clock strikes 4 pm; no one will be allowed to keep writing at this point. So, make sure you don't leave questions to be answered in the last few minutes. 

Candidates must note that when answering questions in the OMR sheet, circles should be darkened completely. Tick marked or half darkened circles will not be taken for evaluation.

Also, use only a black or blue ballpoint pen to mark your answers.

NLSIU Bangalore is offering 25% reservation to Karnataka domiciled candidates. So, out of the 93 seats available seats for 5-year LLB, 70 seats will be available for All India Category candidates, and remaining 23 seats will be offered to Karnataka State Category candidates.

The pen-and-paper exam starts at 2 pm. So, most candidates may have already started for the exam centre; note exam centre reporting time is 1 pm. 

If you have any queries related to the CLAT 2021 exam, you may contact exam authorities at the following helpdesk. 

clat@consortiumofnlus.ac.in
Phone: 08047162020

If you start answering question indiscriminately just based on guesswork, you will end up earning a lot of negative marks. Remember,

• 0.25 marks will be deducted per incorrect attempt.

So, if you really want to answer a question at all, be judicious. 

The CLAT exam is being conducted at 84 centers across the country. For the current academic session, 18 new exam centers have been added. 

The new exam centers were added to reduce:

1. Travel time

2. And the number of candidates per exam center   

Candidates can check the details of the allotted exam centers on their CLAT 2021 admit card. 

CLAT exam centers 2021                

Note: The exam centers highlighted in bold are newly added ones.

Check that the OMR sheet isn't tampered or no parts are missing. Also, make sure that it is handled with care. If you spoil it, like spill sanitizers on it, then chances are your answers may get blurred and thus not get evaluated.

All rough work must be done on the space given in the space given at the end of the question booklet and not on the OMR answer sheet. Note that you will not be given any extra sheet of paper for rough work.

The seating arrangement for candidates will be mentioned in a Seating Plan, which will be displayed near the entry gate. So reach the CLAT exam centre early to identify your seating place.

The CLAT admit card will contain:

• Candidate’s name

• Admit card number

• Parent /guardian’s name

• Time and date of CLAT 2021 exam

• Allotted CLAT 2021 exam center name and address

• Candidate’s signature 

• Reporting time

• The program applied for admission (UG/PG)

The candidate mustn’t lose the admit card as it will be required at the time of CLAT counseling. Also, along with the admit card, don’t forget to carry a valid photo ID proof issued by the government, including Aadhaar, Driving Licence, Passport, etc.

• COVID-positive candidates who are in isolation or under medical surveillance will not be allowed to take the CLAT 2021 exam. 

• Candidates must bring with them a duly filled and signed medical self-declaration form.

• Wear a mask at all times, maintain social distancing, carry hand sanitizers, follow instructions given by exam staff. 

• The SC has said that is not mandatory for candidates to appear in the CLAT 2021 exam

To read more on COVID-19 guidelines - Click Here

This year, the CLAT pattern was changed twice in view of COVID-19. The NLU Consortium decided to add a descriptive section in CLAT LLM and had given details about the new test pattern. The descriptive section in CLAT LLM was supposed to be essay-based and designed to test the writing ability of the candidate.

Later, in view of COVID-19 and the repeated postponement, the descriptive section was dropped from the pattern.  However, the number of objective type questions in CLAT LLM was increased from 100 to 120.

The CLAT 2021 will be conducted in 147 exam centres across the country. But, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the seating arrangement has been adjusted to accommodate only 50% of the actual capacity of the test centre.

The increased number of test centres of CLAT 2021 means there will be less crowd and greater scope for social distancing.

As per the exam day guidelines released by the NLU Consortium, those having a temperature of more than 99.14 degrees will be shifted to an isolation centre where they can complete their CLAT test. 

Thermal checks will be conducted at the entry gate of the CLAT exam centre and all candidates will have to pass through this stage of the screening process.

No, recently, the Supreme Court has instructed the consortium not to insist on vaccination.  The consortium has also said that it is only advisable to get vaccinated, but not a mandatory condition for appearing in the exam. 

Event the RTPCR is also not required for appearing in CLAT 2021. However, it has also been made clear that candidates who have COVID-19 will not be allowed to appear in the exam. 

While releasing the exam day guidelines for CLAT 2021, the consortium also informed about various types of bell timings. Candidates should be aware of the bell timings before going to the exam centre. Check the details below.

1. Faizan Mustafa suggested candidates read all the instructions very carefully and should note that questions marked for review are not evaluated. Last year, many candidates did the mistake of adding questions in the mark for the review option and couldn't revisit them.

2. He also suggested candidates read fast as CLAT 2021 will be a lengthy paper.

3. As per CLAT expert, Sonal Gupta, candidates should check the previous years' exam analysis to know the type of questions that can be asked this year.

4. Law teacher, Abhishek Chakravarty, advises candidates to have a strategy on which sections to attempt first. They should also allot time for each section while also leaving some time for revision in the last 10 minutes.

It is recommended that candidates should not read anything new on CLAT exam day. However, revision of some important CLAT topics can still help in keeping the momentum high for the examination. 

Here are some important topics that candidates may check before going to the exam.

CLAT UG

• Current affairs and general knowledge notes

• Brushing up grammar, vocabulary and legal maxims

• Legal awareness 

For CLAT LLM, the candidates may focus on –

• Recent articles on law
• legal doctrines and 
• landmark judgements relating to the Constitution 
• Various schools of jurisprudence
• Important provisions of Law of Contracts, Company Laws, Environmental Laws, Family Laws, IPC, CrPC, Evidence, Environmental Laws
• Important concepts relating to Taxation Law, Public International Law, Torts and Property Law.

CLAT 2021 will be conducted for both UG and PG admission. The NLUs will offer 5-year integrated LLB and LLM programmes through the entrance exam. Candidates can check the test structure details below.

UG-CLAT 2021 pattern

CLAT LLM pattern 2021 

The admit card of CLAT 2021 was released on July 14; however, the consortium released the admit card for NE candidates on July 15. It is a mandatory document for appearing in the exam. Hence, candidates must carry a hard copy of their CLAT admit card 2021.

LATEST - To download CLAT admit card - Click here 

To download the admit card, candidates need to follow the steps mentioned below.

1. Visit the consortium's official website (Link given above)

2.  Login to your CLAT account

3. Click on admit card download option

4. Download and take a printout of admit card of CLAT 2021 

Candidates must carry the following items to the CLAT exam centre