Law Aspirants Shift Focus From Results to Interviews and Counselling

Law aspirants are transitioning from entrance exam results to the intensive interview and counselling phase. With the declaration of scores for major tests, the focus is now on the 30% weightage assigned to personal interactions and the strategic selection of NLUs and private law schools for the 2026-27 academic session.

The landscape of legal education in India has undergone a significant transformation this week as the initial wave of entrance exam results concludes. With the scores for various national and institutional tests now available, thousands of law aspirants are shifting their attention toward the high-stakes world of interviews and centralized counselling. As of today, January 11, the focus is no longer on raw percentiles but on the qualitative aspects of the selection process, which will ultimately determine the final merit lists for the country's premier law institutions.

Transition to Personal Interaction and Interviews

For many top-tier law schools, the entrance test is merely the first hurdle. The second phase, involving personal interviews, is designed to evaluate a candidate's temperament, logical clarity, and genuine interest in the legal field.

• Weightage Dynamics: In most private and autonomous law universities, the interview carries approximately 30% of the total selection weightage. This makes the personal interaction a critical "rank-booster" for those who may have scored moderately in the written exam.
• Preparation Strategies: Aspirants are currently moving away from logical reasoning drills to focus on current legal affairs and self-profile analysis. Mock interviews have become a daily routine for students aiming for campuses like SLS Pune or NLU Delhi.
• Soft Skills Evaluation: Panels are looking for more than just legal knowledge; they are assessing communication clarity, ethical reasoning, and the ability to stay calm under cross-examination.
• The "Why Law" Question: The most pivotal part of the current interview season revolves around the candidate's narrative—why they chose the legal profession and how they plan to contribute to the judicial system.

Strategic Participation in Counselling Rounds

Parallel to the interview phase, the administrative process of counselling has gained momentum. This stage requires candidates to make informed decisions regarding their institutional preferences and seat locking.

• Preference Filling: In centralized systems like CLAT, the counselling process is now entering the final verification and "Freeze/Float" rounds. Aspirants are carefully evaluating the previous year's cut-offs to optimize their preference lists.
• Document Readiness: As the counselling dates approach, there is a renewed rush among students to organize their academic transcripts, category certificates, and domicile proofs to avoid last-minute disqualifications.
• Seat Allotment Logic: The current rounds of counselling are focusing on the first list of provisional allotments. Candidates are weighing their options between National Law Universities (NLUs) and burgeoning private law schools that offer specialized corporate law tracks.
• Waitlist Management: For many, the interviews and the subsequent waitlist movement in the second or third rounds of counselling represent their best chance at a top-10 law school.

Law Admission 2026: Selection and Counselling Snapshot

The following table summarizes the shift in focus and the critical components of the current admission phase.

Conclusion

The shift from results to interviews and counselling marks a maturing phase for law aspirants in the 2026 admission cycle. This period highlights that a legal career requires a balance of academic excellence and interpersonal proficiency. As the focus moves toward these personal interactions, the pressure of the examination hall has been replaced by the intellectual challenge of the interview room. The successful navigation of the current counselling rounds will ensure that the most well-rounded individuals secure their places in the 2026-27 law batch. With the final composite scores being prepared across various institutions, the next few weeks will be the most decisive in the journey of every future lawyer. This transition underscores the holistic nature of legal admissions, where the interview remains the final gateway to professional success.