LL.M.: Test Pattern and Syllabus
The LL.M. entrance tests advanced legal understanding, not repetition of LL.B. notes. The paper normally draws on core LL.B. subjects-Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence, Law of Contracts, Torts, Criminal Law, Family Law, Property, Company Law, Public International Law, and Environmental Law-and adds research aptitude, legal reasoning, and sometimes a short writing component. Answers are judged on doctrinal accuracy, structure, and the ability to apply authority.
Core expectations
- Constitutional Law: judicial review, fundamental rights, federalism, and amendment doctrine.
- Jurisprudence: legal positivism, natural law, realism, rights, and the concept of legal obligation.
- Private law: formation, breach and remedies in contract; negligence and strict liability; criminal mens rea and offences.
- Research aptitude: framing a research question, identifying sources, and distinguishing ratio from obiter.
Worked example
Question: Parliament amends the Constitution to remove all judicial review of constitutional amendments. Is the amendment valid? Reasoning: Under the basic-structure doctrine, Parliament can amend the Constitution but cannot destroy its essential features. Judicial review is treated as part of that basic structure. The amendment is therefore invalid to the extent that it removes judicial review altogether; a mere procedural limitation would require a different analysis. The key is to state the doctrine, apply it to the extent of the curtailment, and conclude.
Traps that cost marks
Writing a general essay instead of answering the precise question; confusing ratio decidendi with obiter dicta; citing a case without its principle; ignoring recent constitutional developments; treating “method” and “methodology” as synonyms in research-aptitude questions.