Contents
Introduction
The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is a national-level law entrance exam conducted by the National Law University Delhi (NLU Delhi) for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate law courses offered by 22 National Law Universities (NLUs) across India. The CLAT exam is a two-hour, 150-minute exam consisting of five sections: General Knowledge, Legal Aptitude, Logical Reasoning, Language Comprehension, and Quantitative Aptitude.
The CLAT Logical Reasoning section of the CLAT exam is a 30-minute, 35-mark section that tests the candidate’s ability to reason logically, draw inferences, and identify patterns. The Logical Reasoning section of the CLAT exam is divided into two parts:
- Part A: 15 questions on syllogisms, analogy, and other logical reasoning questions
- Part B: 20 questions on data sufficiency, data interpretation, and other problem-solving questions
Syllabus
The syllabus for the CLAT Logical Reasoning section is as follows:
- Syllogisms: The candidate should be able to identify and understand the different types of syllogisms, such as categorical, hypothetical, and disjunctive syllogisms. The candidate should also be able to identify the premises and conclusions of syllogisms, and draw inferences based on the syllogisms.
- Analogies: The candidate should be able to identify and understand the different types of analogies, such as simple, complex, and relational analogies. The candidate should also be able to identify the similarities and differences between the two terms of an analogy, and draw inferences based on the analogy.
- Other logical reasoning questions: The candidate should be able to solve other types of logical reasoning questions, such as puzzles, problems involving Venn diagrams, and problems involving probability and statistics.
Question Types
The following are the different types of questions that are commonly asked in the CLAT Logical Reasoning section:
- Syllogisms: These questions test the candidate’s ability to identify and understand the different types of syllogisms, and to draw inferences based on the syllogisms.
- Analogies: These questions test the candidate’s ability to identify similarities and differences between two terms, and to draw inferences based on the similarities and differences.
- Data sufficiency: These questions test the candidate’s ability to determine whether the given information is sufficient to answer the question.
- Data interpretation: These questions test the candidate’s ability to interpret and understand data presented in various formats, such as tables, graphs, and charts.
- Problem-solving: These questions test the candidate’s ability to solve problems using logical reasoning and mathematical skills.
How to Prepare for the CLAT Logical Reasoning Section
The following are some tips on how to prepare for the CLAT Logical Reasoning section:
- Start preparing early. The CLAT Logical Reasoning section is a challenging section, so it is important to start preparing early so that you have enough time to practice.
- Learn the basic concepts of logical reasoning. There are a number of books and online resources that can help you learn the basic concepts of logical reasoning.
- Practice, practice, practice. The best way to improve your skills in logical reasoning is to practice as many questions as possible. There are a number of books and online resources that provide practice questions.
- Identify your weaknesses. Once you have practiced a number of questions, you will be able to identify your weaknesses in logical reasoning. Focus on improving your skills in the areas where you are weak.
- Manage your time effectively. The CLAT Logical Reasoning section is a 30-minute section, so it is important to manage your time effectively. Make sure to budget enough time for each question.
- Stay calm and focused. The CLAT Logical Reasoning section can be a challenging section, so it is important to stay calm and focused. Take deep breaths and focus on one question at a time.
Conclusion:
The CLAT Logical Reasoning section is a challenging section, but it is also a very important section. The Logical Reasoning section can make or break your chances of getting into a good law school. By following the tips above, you can improve your skills in logical reasoning and increase your chances of success on the CLAT exam.
Here are some additional tips that may be helpful:
- Read the question carefully before you start answering it. Make sure you understand what the question is asking you to do.
- Break down the question into smaller steps. This will make it easier to solve the problem.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you’re stuck on a question, ask a friend, family member, or tutor for help.
- Don’t give up. The CLAT Logical Reasoning section
Syllogisms:
A syllogism is a logical argument that consists of three parts: a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. The major premise states a general rule. The minor premise states a specific case that falls under the general rule. The conclusion is a statement that follows logically from the major premise and the minor premise.
For example, the following is a syllogism:
- Major premise: All cats are mammals.
- Minor premise: This animal is a cat.
- Conclusion: Therefore, this animal is a mammal.
Analogies:
An analogy is a comparison of two things that are similar in some way. Analogies can be used to test a candidate’s ability to identify similarities and differences between two things, and to draw inferences based on the similarities and differences.
For example, the following is an analogy:
- Man is to woman as king is to queen.
The two things being compared are “man” and “woman”. The similarities between these two things are that they are both humans, and they both have different roles in society. The difference between these two things is that men are typically the ones who are in positions of power, while women are typically the ones who are in supporting roles.
Data Sufficiency:
Data sufficiency questions test a candidate’s ability to determine whether the given information is sufficient to answer the question. In data sufficiency questions, you will be given two statements, and you will be asked whether the two statements, together, are sufficient to answer the question.
For example, the following is a data sufficiency question:
- Is the number 10 even?
Statement 1: The number 10 is divisible by 2. Statement 2: The number 10 is divisible by 5.
The answer to this question is “Yes”. Statement 1 is sufficient to answer the question, because if a number is divisible by 2, then it is even. Statement 2 is not necessary to answer the question.
Data Interpretation:
Data interpretation questions test a candidate’s ability to interpret and understand data presented in various formats, such as tables, graphs, and charts. In data interpretation questions, you will be given a set of data, and you will be asked to answer a question about the data.
For example, the following is a data interpretation question:
- The following table shows the number of students enrolled in different courses at a university.
Course | Number of students |
Computer Science | 100 |
Mathematics | 50 |
Physics | 25 |
What is the percentage of students who are enrolled in computer science?
To answer this question, you would first need to add up the number of students enrolled in each course. The total number of students enrolled is 175. The number of students enrolled in computer science is 100. The percentage of students who are enrolled in computer science is 100/175 = 57.14%.
Problem-Solving:
Problem-solving questions test a candidate’s ability to solve problems using logical reasoning and mathematical skills. Problem-solving questions can be of various types, such as word problems, number problems, and geometry problems.
For example, the following is a problem-solving question:
- A train leaves Mumbai at 10:00 AM and travels at a speed of 100 km/h. Another train leaves Delhi at 11:00 AM and travels at a speed of 120 km/h. If the distance between Mumbai and Delhi is 500 km, at what time will the two trains meet?
To solve this problem, you would first need to find the distance traveled by the first train in one hour. The distance traveled by the first train in one hour is 100 km. You would then need to find the distance traveled by the second train in one hour. The distance traveled by the second train in one hour is 120 km. You would then need to subtract the distance traveled by the first train from the distance between Mumbai and Delhi. The remaining distance is the distance that the two trains will have to travel to meet. You would then need to divide the remaining distance by the relative speed of the two trains. The relative speed of the two trains is 120 km/h – 100 km/h = 20 km/h. The time it takes the two trains to meet is 500 km / 20 km/h = 25 hours.