Best stream for CLAT preparation I After 10th Standard

The NLU fever has been coming down hard on ‘would-be-lawyers’. Every year, more than 77,000 students appear for CLAT UG. The best thing is that, though no profession is less than any other, the law is especially a noble field, primarily due to the very nature of the job. The thrill, the excitement, and the novelty that come with the job description are unmatchable. Remember Harvey Spector from Suits and Marshall Eriksen from “How I Met Your Mother”? That could be the range of possible career options for you.

For the uninitiated, the Indian lawyering space is full of lawyers like Menaka Guruswamy (instrumental in the decriminalisation of homosexuality), Vrinda Grover (identified by TIME magazine as one of the 100 most influential women in 2013), Meenakshi Lekhi (part of the Drafting Committees for Bills like “Women’s Reservation Bill” and Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Bill), etc and Indian Judges like Krishna Iyer J. and Bhagawati J. 

Now, if you’re in the 10th standard or just completed the 10th standard, and you’re a career driven individual wondering what would be a better choice of stream for your higher secondary to help with your CLAT preparation, this is the blog for you. You’ve come to the right place. We, at Oliveboard, understand where this confusion amongst budding lawyers comes from. We have been there and we understand.

Law school entrance, especially the CLAT or Common Law Entrance Test, is a level-playing field where you either have the aptitude and opportunity to crack them or reserve an opportunity to develop the “aptitude”. 

Let’s begin the longer version by exploring which is the best stream for CLAT preparation.

Knowing CLAT

CLAT, or Common Law Admission Test,  is a centralized national level entrance test for admissions to an integrated (5 years) undergraduate degree in Law (BA LLB, BBA LLB, BSc LLB, etc) in twenty-two National Law Universities (NLU) in India (except NLU Delhi which conducts a separate entrance, AILET). The test can be taken after the Higher Secondary Examination or the 12th grade. It is conducted by the Consortium of NLUs nationally, every year. 

Generally, the battle of CLAT is a 120-minute field wherein the candidate has to solve 150 questions spread across five areas – English Language, Current Affairs (including General Knowledge), Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques. Each question is a one-marker objective type. A negative marking of 0.25 marks per wrong answer has also been kept. 

Learn more here.

Which stream will make you eligible to sit for CLAT?

There are no restrictions per se. As regards the minimum percentage of marks in the qualifying examination (i.e., 10+2 or an equivalent examination in any stream), the candidates must have secured:

• Forty-five per cent (45%) marks or its equivalent grade in the case of candidates belonging to General / OBC / PWD / NRI / PIO / OCI categories,
• Forty Percent (40%) marks or equivalent in case of candidates belonging to SC/ST categories.

Thus, eligibility wise you’re free to choose whichever stream you want. Let’s check the other factors which should influence your choice.

Which is the best stream for CLAT preparation? Debunking myths

As per the general notions, humanities or arts is the best stream for CLAT preparation. The subject group -economics, psychology, geography, sociology, philosophy, human rights, and gender studies—is considered to be a good mix to help you prepare for CLAT. It is also understood that the general understanding of language, knowledge of current affairs, and reasoning aptitude enhancement are a byproduct of an education in the humanities stream. All of this is partly true. However, does all of this guarantee humanities to be the best stream for CLAT preparation?

Now, commerce! By a general estimate, around 25-30% of CLAT aspirants each year belong to a commerce background. This stream is supposed to enhance your critical thinking and reasoning abilities and the quantitative techniques section. The business acumen developed early is supposed to help you progress in your career as a corporate lawyer later on. This stream has been producing toppers consistently, including Harshit Gupta AIR 04 and Jhanvi Joshi AIR 08 CLAT 2022.

Coming to science stream now. 2017 CLAT UG saw a student of science stream, Rajat Maloo, top the examination with a whopping 154.25 marks out of 196. Though science is an unconventional choice for CLAT aspirants given current standards, it is not beyond redemption. In fact, soft skills developed during the curriculum, like the tendency to work hard and smart, apply yourself, work to gain conceptual clarity, etc are key to a fulfilling legal career.

The point being, no matter which stream you choose, there aren’t any bad or best stream for CLAT preparation. It all depends on whether you’re a sincere aspirant or not. However, remember a choice you make today is certain to affect your career in some way. Let us show you how!

How should you choose the best stream for CLAT preparation?

As Napolean Bonaparte says, “Set your mind on a definite goal and observe how quickly the world stands aside to let you pass.” If you do decide to appear for CLAT in the coming years, if a legal career is your dream, nothing can stop you from achieving that. Your choice of stream will, however, play a massive role. How? Let’s list the reasons down –

• You need to choose a stream you are passionate about. You’re going to be reading the subjects for the next two years. You need to choose something that piques your interest and keeps you engaged. 
• Though political science and legal studies might be helpful, but they are by no means sufficient for CLAT preparation. Furthermore, neither verbal ability nor logical reasoning are taught in any subject in the school curriculum.
• Even while your CLAT result will help you get into the NLU of your choice, your board scores will remain on your record for life, hence Class XII should be taken separately! In reality, Class XII grades are quite important for the majority of post-graduate admissions. Therefore, you must do well in your Boards!
• Selecting a stream that interests you and boosts your confidence will save you time and exhaustion for CLAT preparation.  You can redirect the saved time and effort from picking up a subject you don’t like towards your CLAT preparation.

And that is how you choose the best stream for CLAT preparation. You do your best in what interests you. That makes things easier by a notch. For more in-depth understanding, tips, and tricks for CLAT preparation, check out this! Ciao!