Confused about choosing between law and management as a career? Understanding CLAT and CAT entrance exams can help you make an informed decision. Check major differences between CLAT and CAT like their exam pattern and career opportunities, to decide which path best matches your interests and goals.
CLAT Vs. CAT
Law and management are among most sought-after career options in India. To pursue these fields, candidates must qualify for respective entrance exams CLAT for law and CAT for management. Both exams open doors to institutions and careers, they differ in terms of eligibility, exam pattern, syllabus and career paths they lead to. Understanding these differences is important before making career choice.
This article provides detailed comparison of CLAT and CAT to help students understand which entrance exam aligns better with their interests and career goals. It explains differences between two exams, including their purpose and future prospects. By exploring features of both CLAT and CAT, they can make informed decision about whether a career in law or management is the right fit for them.
CLAT 2027 Exam Beginner's Guide
Access CLAT exam syllabus, paper pattern, prep tips, study plan, recommended books and latest NIRF LAW Ranking.
- CLAT Vs CAT
- What is CLAT?
- What is CAT?
- CLAT Vs CAT
- CLAT Exam Pattern 2027
- CAT Exam Pattern
- CLAT Syllabus 2027
- CAT Syllabus
- Colleges Accepting CLAT 2027
- Colleges Accepting CAT
- Job Opportunities after CLAT
- Job Opportunities after CAT
CLAT Vs CAT
Candidates can check difference between CLAT and CAT below
| Parameter |
CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) |
CAT (Common Admission Test) |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose |
Admission to undergraduate and postgraduate law programmes |
Admission to MBA and other management programmes |
| Courses Offered |
5-year LLB, LLM |
MBA, PGDM and other management courses |
| Conducting Body |
Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) |
Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) |
| Eligibility |
Class 12 pass (for UG CLAT) Bachelor's degree (for PG CLAT) |
Bachelor's degree in any discipline with the required minimum marks |
| Exam Level |
National-level law entrance exam |
National-level management entrance exam |
What is CLAT?
The Common Law Admission Test is an exam conducted by the Consortium of National Law Universities for those looking forward to taking admission in NLUs. The score of this exam is also accepted in many private law colleges/universities across the country. This exam is important if you want to have a future in the legal stream. The exam includes five sections: English comprehension, legal reasoning, logical thinking, mathematics, and general awareness.
What is CAT?
The Common Admission Test is for students who want to study management. If you crack this exam, you can get a place in one of the best business schools. The exam is conducted to check students' knowledge in areas like quantitative aptitude, verbal ability, data interpretation, and logical reasoning.
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CLAT Vs CAT
Based on four parameters, including purpose and targeted audience, subject focus, educational pathways and institutional scope, the differences between CLAT and CAT have been mentioned below:
Purpose and Target Audience
- CAT is an entrance exam conducted for admission to various prestigious management programs in India, primarily for postgraduate courses like MBA and PGDM.
- CLAT is designed for students interested in pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate law programs, serving as an entry point to esteemed National Law Universities (NLUs) and other law institutions.
Subject Focus
- CAT test candidates in areas like quantitative aptitude, data interpretation, verbal ability, and logical reasoning, assessing their suitability for managerial roles and responsibilities.
- CLAT assesses candidates' proficiency in English comprehension, legal reasoning, logical thinking, mathematics, and general awareness, measuring their readiness for a legal education and career.
Educational Pathways
- A graduate in CAT has many careers options such as business administration, consulting, marketing and more.
- CLAT opens the door to the legal professions, including roles as lawyers, judges, legal consultants, corporate counsel and other positions within legal field.
Institutional Scope
- CAT exam is accepted by many business schools and management institutes across India. Institutes like IIM and other renowned institutions also give preference to the Common Admission Test.
- CLAT scores are accepted by National Law Universities (NLUs) and various other prestigious law colleges and universities offering law programs, shaping the future of aspirants in the legal domain.
CLAT Exam Pattern 2027
Check out exam pattern for CLAT below
| Exam Features |
Details |
|---|---|
| Exam mode |
Computer-based test mode / Online proctored (To be confirmed) |
| Exam level |
National level exam |
| Test duration |
60 minutes |
| Test medium |
English |
| Subjects |
|
| Type of questions |
Multiple choices questions |
| Total questions |
60 questions |
| Total marks |
60 marks |
CAT Exam Pattern
Check exam pattern of CAT to know difference between both exams
| CAT Paper Pattern |
|
|---|---|
| Mode of CAT exam |
Computer Based Test |
| Duration of exam |
|
| CAT exam slots |
|
| Number of questions |
66 |
| CAT total marks |
198 |
| Language of question paper |
English |
| Number of answer choices |
4 |
| Question Type |
MCQ and non-MCQ |
CLAT Syllabus 2027
Consortium of NLUs releases syllabus for CLAT UG and CLAT PG. Candidates who want to appear in law entrance exa can check CLAT syllabus for their respective courses below
CLAT Syllabus for English Language
CLAT UG syllabus for English Language has been mentioned below
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Number of questions asked | 28-32 |
| Weightage | 18.66 - 21.33 % |
| Type of questions asked | Passage-based questions
|
| Skills tested |
|
| Question areas | May cover various topics, including technical and scientific matters. No prior knowledge is needed. |
| Difficulty level | 12th Standard |
Also Read
CLAT Syllabus for Current Affairs including General Knowledge
Check CLAT Syllabus for Current Affairs and General Knowledge below
| Features | Details |
|---|---|
| Number of questions asked | 35-39 |
| Weightage | 23.33 - 26 % |
| Type of questions asked | Passage-based questions
|
| Skills tested | Awareness of various aspects of current affairs and GK, including
|
| Question areas | - News, journalistic sources, and other non-fiction writing - Intended to test your depth of understanding of issues and events of significance, rather than mere fact or trivia-based knowledge of such issues and events. Questions may ask you to:
While the focus will be on recent and current events, some questions with historical significance may also be asked. These questions will gauge your understanding of the causes of such events. |
CLAT Syllabus for Quantitative Techniques
Check syllabus of Quantitative Techniques for CLAT below
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Number of questions asked | 13 - 17 |
| Weightage | 8.66 - 11.33% |
| Type of questions asked | The section will include:
These items will be followed by a series of questions |
| Skills tested | The section will test the candidate's ability to:
|
| Question areas | Number theory and basic arithmetic Averages and Percentages Ratio and Proportion Mixtures and alligations Time and work Time, distance, and speed Fractions and equations Monetary evaluations Probability Permutation and combinations |
| Difficulty level | 10th standard |
CLAT Syllabus for Legal Reasoning
Check syllabus to prepare for Legal Reasoning section of CLAT
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Number of questions asked | 35-39 |
| Weightage | 23.33 - 26 % |
| Type of questions asked | Passage-based questions
|
| Skills tested |
|
| Question areas | Questions will be based on: - News articles and books associated with topics of law - Certain passages will be created specifically for the exam - the candidate has to find the facts and applicable rules. Until 2019, the proposition and factual context were clearly presented. - The purpose is not to test the knowledge of law but the application of rules to a factual context based on the constraints presented to you. |
| Difficulty level | 12th Standard |
CLAT Syllabus for Logical Reasoning
The syllabus for Logical Reasoning section of the CLAT exam has been provided below
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Number of questions asked | 28-32 |
| Weightage | 18.66 - 21.33 % |
| Type of questions asked | Passage-based questions.
|
| Skills tested |
|
| Question areas | Sources include opinion and editorial pieces from newspapers and magazines, and essays on moral philosophy available online and in various books. Some passages will be created specifically for the exam. Examples of source material include:
|
CAT Syllabus
CAT syllabus includes Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude. Check out the CAT syllabus mentioned below to more about this entrance exam:
CAT VARC Syllabus
VARC section is the first section of the CAT question paper and is to be solved within 40 minutes. The section is divided into two sub-parts, Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension. the section is dominated by RC questions. Take a look at important VARC topics for CAT exam syllabus.
| CAT VARC Syllabus |
||
|---|---|---|
| Fill in the blanks |
Para completion and inference |
Verbal logic |
| Verbal reasoning |
||
| Sentence completion |
Foreign language words used in English |
Different usage of same word |
| Grammar |
Reading comprehension |
Idioms |
| Syllogisms |
Analogies |
Antonyms |
| Jumbled paragraphs |
Sentence correction |
One word substitution |
CAT Reading Comprehension Passages of Previous Years
The Reading Comprehension section of VARC forms the two-third part of the first section of CAT question paper. There are about four to five RC passages with 18-24 questions. Check below, the Reading Comprehension topics of CAT 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018
| CAT RC Passages |
Slot 1 |
Slot 2 |
Slot 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAT 2022 |
|
|
|
| CAT 2021 |
|
|
|
| CAT 2020 |
|
|
|
| CAT 2019 |
|
|
No exam |
| CAT 2018 |
|
|
No exam |
CAT DILR Syllabus
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning is the second section of the CAT question paper and is to be solved after the VARC section. This section has two sub-sections - Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. Take a look at important topics and some important logical reasoning and data interpretation topics included in CAT syllabus.
| CAT DILR syllabus |
||
|---|---|---|
| Blood Relations |
Clocks and Calendars |
Syllogism |
| Series |
Statements |
|
| Proposition |
Data Arrangement |
Data Structures |
| Direction Sense |
Family Tree |
Tables |
| Coding-Decoding |
Binary Logic |
Pie Charts |
| Assumptions |
Seating Arrangement |
Data Sufficiency |
| Puzzles |
Sets & Caselets |
Bars & Line Graphs |
CAT Quantitative Aptitude Syllabus
Quantitative Aptitude is the last section of CAT question paper and is to be solved in the last 40 minutes of the exam. Take a look at important topics and some key points of CAT Quantitative Aptitude syllabus
| CAT Quantitative Aptitude syllabus |
||
|---|---|---|
| Ratios and Proportion |
Inequalities |
|
| In-equations Quadratic and linear equations |
Work and Time |
|
| Surds and Indices |
||
| Time-Speed-Distance |
Logarithms |
|
| Partnership (Accounts) |
||
| Profit & Loss |
Geometric Progression |
|
Also Read
Colleges Accepting CLAT 2027
Admission to different courses at NLUs are offered through CLAT UG and PG. Top Colleges that accept CLAT score are given below
Admission to UG Courses through CLAT
| UG Courses |
NLUs offering UG course |
|---|---|
| NLU Delhi, NLSIU Bangalore, NLU Hyderabad, NUJS West Bengal, HNLU Raipur, GNLU Gandhinagar, RMNLU Lucknow, RGNUL Panjab, CNLU Patna, NUALS Kochi, NLU Odisha, NUSRL Ranchi, NLUJAA Assam, DSNLU Visakhapatnam, TNNLU Tiruchirapalli, MNLU Mumbai, MNLU Nagpur, MNLU Aurangabad, HPNLU Shimla, DNLU Jabalpur, Dr B R Ambedkar NLU Sonepat, NLIU Bhopal, NLU Tripura, NLU Jodhpur, GNLU Silvassa, NUALS Kochi |
|
| NLU Jodhpur, GNLU Gandhinagar, CNLU Patna, NLU Odisha, HPNLU Shimla, NLU Aurangabad, NLU Nagpur, |
|
| NUJS West Bengal, GNLU Gandhinagar, NLU Bhopal |
|
| GNLU Gandhinagar, TNNLU Tiruchirapalli |
|
| Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) LLB |
GNLU Gandhinagar |
Colleges Accepting CAT
The top colleges that accept CAT scores are mentioned below
- IIM Ahmedabad - Indian Institute of Management
- IIM Bangalore - Indian Institute of Management
- IIM Kozhikode - Indian Institute of Management
- IIM Calcutta - Indian Institute of Management
- IIM Lucknow - Indian Institute of Management
- IIM Indore - Indian Institute of Management
- IIM Raipur - Indian Institute of Management
- IIM Rohtak - Indian Institute of Management
- Management Development Institute
- IIT Kharagpur - Indian Institute of Technology
Also Read
Top 30 MBA Colleges Accepting CAT Score (non-IIMs)
Job Opportunities after CLAT
If you pass CLAT, you can get some good opportunities in law stream are
Short Term Job Roles after CLAT
- Corporate Lawyer
- Litigator
- Legal Consultant
- Legal Academia
- Public Prosecutor
- Criminologist
Long Term Job Roles after CLAT
- Senior Advocate
- Judge
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Job Opportunities after CAT
Passing CAT and getting management degree can provide you with good career opportunities, both long-term and short-term. These job roles are
- Finance Manager
- Accounting Manager
- Finance Analyst
- Brand Manager
- Market Research Analyst
- Media Planner
- Marketing Manager
- Human Resource Executive
- Human Resource Manager
- Operations Manager
- Supply Chain Manager
- Inventory Manager
- Risk Management Expert
- Digital Marketing / Social Media Marketing Officer
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 3 days ago
Yes, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj University does accepts CLAT scores for admission in BA LLB (Hons) course. However, aspirants can also get admission via CUET or CSMU-CET scores. Candidates must also complete Class 12 with at least 45% aggregate.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 3 days ago
Yes, students have scored ranks between 1 to 15,000 in CLAT, are eligible for DSU scholarships for BBA LLB (hons) course. If you have scored 14890 ranks in CLAT, you are eligible for scholarship of INR 30,000. For details, contact the Institute.
M
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 3 days ago
Students seeking admission at DSU for BA LLB (hons) through CLAT should apply to official portal. Students need to fill the application form with basic details and upload some requisite documents including CLAT scorecard or admit card. Institute will arrange a counselling session and will shortlist
M
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 3 days ago
No, aspirants do not require passing CLAT for admission in BA LLB course of Apex University. The university offers seats based on CUET or AUCET scores of candidates. AUCET is an entrance test conducted by the university for admission in UG and PG courses.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 4 days ago
Yes, Babu Banarasi Das University offers admission in BA LLB based on Class 12 merit to candidates who qualify the eligibility criteria. But CLAT qualified candidates are given preference in admission. So you can get a seat in BA LLB without CLAT but by qualifying CLAT you can improve your chances o
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
Aspirants do not require CLAT score for admission in BA LLB (Hons) course of SAGE University Bhopal. Candidates need to appear for SEE or SAGE Entrance Exam for admission. Aspirants must also complete Class 12 to get a seat in the course.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 5 days ago
KIIT provides BBA LLB (hons) admissions on the basis of K-LAT or CLAT. Students who have not given CLAT can still apply for K-LAT to get admission. Interested candidated can apply for K-LAT in the month of Novemeber. However, If any candidate missed the both entrance can still apply through KIITEE.
M
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 5 days ago
Yes, candidates who want to apply for Gujarat University BBA LLB course can do so without appearing in CLAT-UG. No mandatory entrance exams are mandatory to qualify for BBA LLB admissions. All candidates are admitted based on Class 12 board exam result during GCAS counselling.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
Manav Rachna University considers CLAT scores for admission in BA LLB (Hons) course. However, it is not compulsory. Aspirants can also appear for MRNAT for admission. It is a entrance cum scholarship test conducted by the university.
N
Guide-Level 15
Answered 5 days ago
While researching whether CLAT-UG is required for the BA LLB eligibility criteria at Gujarat University provides a good foundation for your academic planning, Lovely Professional University (LPU) serves as an excellent alternative. LPU offers premier law programs featuring an industry-aligned curric
A
Contributor-Level 10
She has over 10 years of experience in the education and publishing sectors. She specialises in exam coverage and content creation. At Shiksha, she writes, analyses, and presents information for students preparing f
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