The syllabus lists 14 subjects. It never tells you which to read first.
Every aspirant has the list. Few have an order. Here is every subject area with its topics, how it actually appears in passage-based questions, and a plan to cover it without drowning.
Read this first. The Consortium of NLUs publishes subject areas, not a chapter-by-chapter list, and it does not publish subject-wise weightage. The topic lists below are the commonly taught scope for each subject, and the priority tiers are guidance from reading past papers, not official numbers. Confirm everything against the official notification on consortiumofnlus.ac.in.
Sort the syllabus into three tiers
Not every subject earns the same return on your hours. Start with the tier that carries the most questions and the hardest passages.
The heavy core
The subjects that appear most and carry the hardest passages. Treat them as the spine of your preparation.
- Constitutional Law
- Jurisprudence
- Criminal Law
The steady scorers
Each appears reliably. Rule-based and learnable in a short time once the core is in place.
- Administrative Law
- Contract and Torts
- Family Law
- Public International Law
The quick wins
Smaller shares, mostly definition and rule questions. A compact revision sheet is often enough.
- Property, Company, Tax
- Environmental Law
- IPR, Labour Law
One coaching analysis of the 2022 paper reported roughly a fifth of questions from Constitutional and Criminal Law together, about a tenth each from several mid-weight subjects, and a small share from Tax and Company Law. Such figures differ every year, so use them to set priorities, never to skip a subject.
The subject-wise syllabus
Open a subject for its topics, how it shows up and the approach that works. Tick it off when you have covered and revised it.
Constitutional LawRead first
Topics to cover
- Fundamental Rights: equality, freedoms, life and liberty, religious and cultural rights, constitutional remedies
- Directive Principles and Fundamental Duties, and how courts balance them with Fundamental Rights
- Union and State executive: President, Governor, Council of Ministers, Attorney General, CAG
- Judiciary: Supreme Court and High Court jurisdiction, PIL, judicial review, tribunals
- Federalism: legislative relations, Seventh Schedule, Centre-State disputes
- Emergency provisions and President's Rule
- Amendment procedure, the basic structure doctrine and Kesavananda Bharati
How it shows up
Almost always as a passage that states a right or power and a fact situation, then asks whether a restriction, order or law would stand. Landmark cases are usually described in the passage, so you apply the principle rather than recall the name.
Expert approach
Learn each Article as a one-line rule plus its test (for example reasonable restriction, proportionality, basic structure). Then read ten landmark cases only for the principle they added.
JurisprudenceRead first
Topics to cover
- Nature, definition and scope of law; schools: natural law, analytical, historical, sociological, realist
- Command theory, pure theory, living law, legal realism, Hart and Dworkin
- Legal concepts: rights and duties, liability, ownership and possession, personality, property
- Sources of law, precedent, legislation, custom
- Justice, rule of law, natural justice and due process
How it shows up
As a passage describing a thinker's idea in plain words, then a question matching a statement or scenario to the school or theorist. It rewards clean definitions, not long essays.
Expert approach
Make a one-page grid: thinker, school, core idea, one catchphrase, closest rival. Most questions are solved by telling two near-identical schools apart.
Criminal LawRead first
Topics to cover
- General principles: actus reus, mens rea, stages of a crime, attempt, abetment, conspiracy
- General exceptions and private defence
- Offences against the body: culpable homicide, murder, hurt, kidnapping, sexual offences
- Offences against property: theft, extortion, robbery, cheating, criminal breach of trust
- Offences against the State and public tranquillity
- Procedure basics: investigation, trial and evidence in outline
How it shows up
Fact-heavy passages where one detail (intention, knowledge, consent, timing) decides which offence applies. The trap is usually a near-identical offence.
Expert approach
Note: the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam have replaced the IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act. Learn the concepts first; passages normally state the rule, so you do not need to memorise section numbers.
Administrative LawRead next
Topics to cover
- Separation of powers and the rule of law
- Delegated legislation and its control
- Administrative discretion and judicial review (illegality, irrationality, procedural impropriety)
- Natural justice: audi alteram partem, nemo judex, reasoned orders
- Tribunals, inquiries, Ombudsman and Lokpal
- Liability of the State
How it shows up
Passages describe an authority's order and ask whether a court would quash it. The tested skill is naming the ground of review.
Expert approach
Memorise the grounds of review as a short list and practise matching a fact pattern to exactly one ground.
Law of ContractRead next
Topics to cover
- Offer, acceptance, consideration, capacity
- Free consent: coercion, undue influence, fraud, misrepresentation, mistake
- Void, voidable and illegal agreements
- Performance, breach, discharge and remedies
- Quasi-contracts, indemnity, guarantee, bailment, pledge, agency
- Specific Relief and Sale of Goods basics
How it shows up
A short story of a deal, then: is there a contract, is it voidable, who can claim what. Timing and who knew what are the usual hinge.
Expert approach
Draw the validity chain once (offer to acceptance to consideration to capacity to consent to legality). Run every question down that chain in order.
Law of TortsRead next
Topics to cover
- Nature of torts and general defences
- Negligence, duty of care, remoteness
- Strict and absolute liability
- Vicarious liability
- Nuisance, trespass, defamation
- Consumer protection in outline
How it shows up
Facts of an injury, then who is liable and why. Distinguishing negligence from strict liability is a favourite.
Expert approach
For each tort keep three lines: elements, defences, one leading case. Ask first whether there was a duty and a breach before anything else.
Family LawRead next
Topics to cover
- Hindu law: marriage, divorce, maintenance, adoption, guardianship, succession
- Muslim law: marriage, mahr, divorce, maintenance, inheritance, wakf
- Special Marriage Act and other personal laws
- Christian and Parsi law in outline
- Matrimonial remedies and child custody
How it shows up
Scenario questions: is the marriage valid, who inherits, what is the ground for divorce. The trap is applying one personal law to another community.
Expert approach
Study each personal law in its own box. Never mix the rules of two systems in one answer.
Public International LawRead next
Topics to cover
- Sources: treaties, custom, general principles
- States: recognition, succession, territory, jurisdiction
- State responsibility and the use of force
- International organisations and the UN system
- Human rights and humanitarian law
- Law of the sea and dispute settlement
How it shows up
Principle-style passages on a state's act or a treaty clause. Questions ask which source or rule governs.
Expert approach
Build a source-hierarchy sheet and a list of landmark ICJ cases with the principle each established.
Property LawEasy marks
Topics to cover
- Transfer of Property Act: sale, mortgage, lease, gift, exchange
- Easements
- Land acquisition law in outline
- Trusts in outline
How it shows up
Short, rule-based questions: is a transfer valid, what does a mortgage type allow.
Expert approach
A compact chart of the mortgage types and the lease and gift essentials earns marks fast.
Company LawEasy marks
Topics to cover
- Types of companies and incorporation
- Memorandum, articles and the doctrine of ultra vires
- Share capital, directors and meetings
- Corporate governance and minority protection
- Winding up and insolvency in outline
How it shows up
Definitional and procedural questions. Usually direct once the vocabulary is clear.
Expert approach
Learn the vocabulary and the roles. Directors, meetings and winding up are the repeat areas.
Environmental LawEasy marks
Topics to cover
- Constitutional provisions and key principles (polluter pays, precautionary, sustainable development)
- Water, air and environment protection statutes
- Forests, wildlife and biodiversity
- Climate change and international environmental law
- Environmental PIL and the National Green Tribunal
How it shows up
Principle-matching and case-based questions. Court-developed principles feature heavily.
Expert approach
Know the principles by name and the case that created each one.
Intellectual Property RightsEasy marks
Topics to cover
- Copyright: subsistence, ownership, infringement
- Patents: patentability and exclusions
- Trademarks: registration, passing off
- Designs, geographical indications, trade secrets
- International IP regime (TRIPS, WIPO)
How it shows up
Which IP right fits a given creation, or whether an act infringes.
Expert approach
Make a table of what each right protects, how long it lasts, and its main exclusion.
Tax LawEasy marks
Topics to cover
- Income tax: residence, heads of income, exemptions, deductions in outline
- GST: structure, supply, input tax credit in outline
- Constitutional basis of taxation
- Basic concepts of direct and indirect tax
How it shows up
A small share of the paper, mostly definitions and basic application.
Expert approach
Do not go deep. Understand the structure and key definitions, and move on.
Labour and Industrial LawEasy marks
Topics to cover
- Industrial disputes: strikes, lock-outs, retrenchment, lay-off
- Trade unions and collective bargaining
- Wages, social security and working conditions
- The recent Labour Codes that consolidate older statutes
How it shows up
Definition-based questions and who can do what in a dispute.
Expert approach
Check whether your syllabus lists the older Acts or the new Labour Codes, and study the version it names.
Current legal developments. Passages sometimes draw on recent judgments and new laws, such as technology and law, consumer protection and women and children’s rights. Keep one page for a few important judgments and statutes of the past year.
How an expert handles this syllabus
Six moves, in this order. The goal is not to finish the syllabus. It is to be reliable on the part that decides your rank.
- Map before you read.Print the subject list, mark your tiers, and put a number of days beside each subject.
- Go deep on Tier 1.Finish it first and revise it most. These subjects also teach you how passages are built.
- Write one page per topic.Rule, test, exception, one case. If it does not fit on a page, you do not yet understand it.
- Keep a minimum case list.Learn the principle from each landmark case, not the whole judgment. Passages usually carry the facts.
- Practise passages daily.Reading the syllabus is not the same as answering from it. Mix subjects so you learn to switch quickly.
- Revise in cycles.Revisit every subject on a short loop. Recall, not re-reading, is what makes it stick.
If you have about six weeks
A sample split for a candidate starting from a modest base. Adjust it to your strengths.
| Weeks | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 – 2 | Tier 1: Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence, Criminal Law. One-page notes and a daily passage set. |
| 3 – 4 | Tier 2: Administrative, Contract, Torts, Family, International Law. Short notes, then mixed passages. |
| 5 | Tier 3 in quick passes, plus current developments. Start full-length timed papers. |
| 6 | Revise one-page notes, review mistakes from mock papers, rest well before the exam. |
Syllabus myths that cost marks
A few honest words to aspirants
You will not finish everything.
Nobody does. The aim is to be strong where it counts and safe everywhere else. Stop apologising for the chapter you skipped.
Passages reward thinking.
Most questions test whether you can find the rule in the text and apply it. Hours spent practising passages are worth more than hours of passive reading.
Consistency beats intensity.
A steady daily routine with sleep and breaks outlasts a week of all-nighters. Protect the last few days for revision and rest.
Syllabus questions, answered
What is the CLAT PG syllabus?
The Consortium of NLUs lists subject areas rather than a detailed chapter list. These usually include Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence, Administrative Law, Contract, Torts, Family Law, Criminal Law, Property Law, Company Law, Public International Law, Tax Law, Environmental Law, Intellectual Property Law and Labour Law. Always confirm against the official notification.
Which subjects matter most in CLAT PG?
Constitutional Law and Jurisprudence are widely treated as the core, and Criminal Law is also heavily tested. Marks are spread across other subjects too, and the split changes year to year, so use priority as a guide, not a rule.
Is there an official weightage for each subject?
The Consortium does not publish subject-wise weightage. Figures you see online come from coaching analyses of past papers and vary by year.
Do I need to read every case law?
No. Passages usually describe the rule, so you need the principle and a small set of landmark cases per subject, not a full case digest.
Has the criminal law syllabus changed?
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam have replaced the IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act. Learn the concepts, and check which Act your official syllabus names.
Now test the syllabus.
Try the 20-question demo paper, or read what the exam really tests beyond the subject list.