NLSIU Bangalore out of CLAT 2020; to conduct online home-based NLAT exam on September 12

New Delhi: In one of the most stunning developments of the year, NLSIU Bangalore has said it will now conduct its own entrance exam, the National Law Aptitude Test ( or NLAT) 2020 for admitting students to its 5-year integrated BA LLB and one-year LLM programme. The NLAT 2020 exam is scheduled to be conducted on September 12.

The development means NLSIU will now no longer be a part of the NLU consortium, and hence will not use CLAT 2020 scores for admission to various law courses.

NLAT exam dates 2020

Structure of the NLAT 2020 exam

The NLAT 2020 exam will be conducted in online, home-proctored mode and will be of 45 minutes duration. The question paper will include 40 multiple choice questions, each carrying 2 marks. In case of an incorrect answer, -0.50 marks will be deducted; an unanswered question will also invite a penalty of -0.25 marks.

Candidates will get only an attempt to answer questions; this means one can’t revisit and change an answer option.

Why is NLSIU Bangalore conducting its own exam?

Explaining the rationale behind such a drastic step, the institute said that the Covid-19 pandemic caused delays in the conduct of the CLAT 2020 exam, which severely compromised its admission calendar. It may be noted that the national-level exam has been postponed multiple times, and in its latest revised date, the exam is slated to be conducted on September 28.

The institute said that unless it is able to complete its admission process by the end of September 2020, it will result in a ‘Zero Year’ with no admission. It is because the institute follows a trimester system, with each term having to accommodate a minimum 60 hours of classroom instruction in each course.

NLSIU Bangalore launches new admission website

Things are moving at breakneck speed as far as the NLAT 2020 exam is concerned. The university has already launched the admission website: admissions.nls.ac.in.

NLAT 2020 application form commenced on September 3 and will stay open till September 10. Mock test are also planned between September 9-11.