CLAT 2020 Scheduled for August 22: Apply Till July 10, Computer-Based Test for COVID-19 Pandemic

On June 29, 2020, CLAT Consortium of National Law University (NLU) conducted a meeting to finalize the dates for CLAT, this year.

As of now, Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2020 has been deferred and scheduled to be held on August 22. The registration process is open from July 1. Interested candidates can apply online from CLAT official website till July 10.

If candidates feel precarious to attend the examination, they can withdraw their application by July 10, states the official updates on CLAT 2020. In such cases, Consortium will refund registration fee by July 18, 2020, at the expense of deducting nominal processing charges.

Check Here: CLAT Application Process

CLAT 2020: Key Highlights

Examination	Common Law Admission Test
Authoritative Body	Consortium of National Law Universities headed by NLSIU
Official Website	https://consortiumofnlus.ac.in/clat-2020/
Exam-Type	National Level Entrance Test
Application Date	1-10 July 2020
Registration Withdrawal Date	July 10, 2020
Registration Fee Deduction (For withdrawal)	Rs. 400 (SC/ST) Rs. 500 (Other Candidates)
Fee Refund Date	By July 18, 2020
Examination Centre Release Date	July 1, 2020
Admit Card Release Date	To be released soon
Date of Examination	August 22, 2020 (Saturday)

As COVID cases are escalating in India, the consortium is presently grappling with logistics associated with holding exams.

Traditional offline tests will limit chances of maintaining social distancing norms. Given the fact that there are inadequate exam centres for CLAT, it will induce greater movement among students.

On the other hand, conducting exams online from homes would not live up to fairness and integrity towards the quality of this entrance exam.

Hence, to ensure compliance with every aspect of social distancing norms during the nationwide lockdown and subsequent restrictions, the consortium will implement a Social Distanced Computer-Based Testing (SD-CBT) model.

CLAT SD-CBT Model 2020: Detailed Discussion

The consortium published an official notification on this newer improvement, stating procedural details, instructions for students and objects permitted in exam centres.

Several eminent health experts have guided in developing the SD-CBT model. Their validation in each stage has been counted to identify all possible threats associated with COVID-19 transmission.

Meanwhile, 2 students had filed a PIL claiming to hold CLAT examination in vernacular languages. The hearing for which is still underway and the referred Bar Council of India is yet to give a final word on it.

As per the official statement, staff will be meticulously trained on crowd management, movement and screening candidates. Staff will be furnished with PPE kit and thermal guns.

Candidates will be seated in isolation and provided 3 ply masks. Exam centres will have hand sanitizer and soaps in plenty.

Additionally, for LLM programs, candidates will have to appear for a 120 minutes test consisting of 120 MCQs as descriptive questions are excluded this year.