NEW DELHI: To streamline legal education in India, the University Grants Commission has decided to conduct a common entrance test for the seven national law universities from this year.

The core and implementation committee of the universities decided at a recent meeting to conduct the first common law admission test (CLAT) on May 11, at 19 centres across the country.

Similar to the common aptitude test (for MBA), joint entrance exam (for IITs) and PMT (for medical), aspiring lawyers will now have to take the two-hour CLAT consisting of objective-type questions on English language, general knowledge, basic mathematics, legal and logical reasoning.

The seven national law universities will take turns in holding the exam every year depending on seniority. Prof A Jayagovind, vice-chancellor of National Law School, Bangalore, will be the convenor of this year’s CLAT.

A combined brochure containing information about the seven universities, courses offered by them, eligibility criteria etc will be published while more details will be posted on www.clat.ac.in from January 25 onwards. The admission notification will be duly advertised in newspapers by January-end.

Set up in 1986-87 under the State Act, these national law institutes have different syllabi and entrance exams. While seats are reserved for students in states where the universities are, almost 50 per cent of the seats are given to students from other states. A common entrance exam has been a long-standing demand of students, who have been complaining of harassment and stress due to separate exams whose dates often clash.

Prompted by a PIL in the Supreme Court, the Union human resource development ministry called a meeting of the VCs of the seven national law institutes to explore options to streamline the entrance exam pattern. Directors of IITs and the CBSE chairman were also consulted. Subsequently, the universities signed an MOU in November last year while agreeing for the CLAT.