How to prepare for NLSAT: a plan for graduates

What NLSAT is, and who it is for

NLSAT is the admission test for NLSIU’s three-year LL.B. (Hons.), a law degree for people who already have, or are completing, a bachelor’s degree in another subject. The programme has 120 seats, filled from the NLSAT rank list with the reservations NLSIU notifies each year.

It is not a route into the five-year BA LLB, which admits school leavers through CLAT. Always check NLSIU’s current admission notification for eligibility, dates and the exact pattern.

How the test works

NLSAT is a pen-and-paper test in two parts, taken in one sitting.

• Part A is objective: multiple-choice questions on reading comprehension, current affairs, and critical and legal reasoning, with a quarter mark deducted for each wrong answer.
• Part B is written: short answers and an essay. It is evaluated only for candidates who do well enough in Part A.
• The final rank combines Parts A and B.

The practical consequence: Part A decides whether your writing is read at all, so it must be secure; Part B separates the shortlisted candidates, so it needs real practice, not a last-minute look.

NLSAT vs CLAT

Much CLAT-style practice is useful for Part A: reading comprehension, legal principles and critical reasoning carry over. What CLAT preparation does not cover is Part B.

A preparation plan that fits around work or college

1. 01Weeks 1–2: read the notification and diagnoseLearn the current pattern exactly. Try a few CLAT-style reasoning and comprehension sets to see where you stand.
2. 02Every day: the newsThirty minutes on the news, with attention to legal and constitutional developments. Keep notes by theme.
3. 03Three or four evenings a week: Part A practiceTimed comprehension and reasoning sets, reviewed properly. Legal principles applied strictly from the text.
4. 04Weekends: Part B writingOne short-answer set and one essay each weekend, written to time, then reviewed against a clear structure: claim, reasons, counter-argument, conclusion.
5. 05The final weeks: full testsBoth parts together, under time, in one sitting, as on the day.

Getting better at Part B

Graduates often assume writing will look after itself. Under time, on an unseen question, it rarely does. Three habits help most:

• Plan before you write: two minutes of outline saves ten of wandering.
• Answer the question asked, in the first paragraph, then defend it.
• Deal with the strongest counter-argument rather than ignoring it.

Written practice improves fastest with feedback. A study partner, a mentor or a course that marks your answers makes a larger difference here than in any objective section.

Current affairs for NLSAT

Graduates usually follow the news already, but reading for NLSAT is different from reading for interest. Keep notes by theme (constitutional law, the courts, economy, international affairs), pay particular attention to Supreme Court judgments and new legislation, and revise the themes monthly rather than rereading daily notes.

Our legal updates feed explains judgments, amendments and notifications as they happen.

Common mistakes

• Preparing only for Part A because it is familiar, and leaving Part B to the last month.
• Using outside legal knowledge in legal reasoning questions instead of the principle given.
• Writing essays without a plan, or without a clear position in the first paragraph.
• Not checking the current notification, and preparing for an old pattern.