News Desk
ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has announced Law Graduate Assessment Test (LAW-GAT) on Thursday for eligibility to ask for enrollment as an advocate with Bar Council.
According to the official sources, as per eligibility criteria, applicants having passed Bachelor’s degree in Law or equivalent from a university being recognized by HEC/PBC will be eligible to apply for the test.
The test comprises Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs), while the revised curriculum of the LAW GAT Test can be downloaded from the website:
Documents/Curriculum-LAW-GAT-test.pdf.
Meanwhile, the Law-GAT Test will be tentatively conducted on 12 February 2023. Any change in date before the test due to unavoidable situations shall be communicated to candidates through the following website:
www.hec.gov.pk and http://etc.hec.gov.pk.
The applicants who register through HEC online registration process will have to download their Roll Number Slip through the website mentioned here:
http://etc.hec. gov.pk seven days before the test date.
Meanwhile, Email/SMS will be sent to registered applicants for test date, time, and venue.
All the candidates need to provide valid email/mobile numbers while filling out an online application form. A clear print of his/her Roll Number Slip, original CNIC, and the deposited fee challan will be required to enter the test center.
HEC centers for test
HEC will conduct the examination at the following test centers including Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Bahawalpur, Hyderabad, Dera Ismail Khan, Multan, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Sukkur, and Gilgit.
The applicants may select any test center from the available list in their application form. The HEC has asked students to remember that said test will be held at any of the above centers if minimum 250 applicants will select the related center. Meanwhile once selected the test center will not be changed after registration.
HEC has also directed the applicants to visit the link mentioned here:
http://etc.hec.gov.pk for online registration.
If any issue during online registration emerges, the applicants should visit the website:
onlinehelp.hec.gov.pk.
It is worth noting here that the Supreme Court via its Order dated March 6, 2018 has directed the restoration of the Law Graduate Assessment Test (LAW-GAT) by the PBC (Pakistan Bar Council) via the Higher Education Commission (HEC).
Objectives of the assessment test
The key objective of the Assessment Test/Examination is to ensure proper scrutiny and assessment of the law graduates desirous of joining the legal profession so that only deserving and competent individuals possessing the necessary basic knowledge of law may join the legal profession for practicing law.
Therefore, a law graduate will only become eligible to apply to a Bar Council in the country for enrolment as an advocate/lawyer if he/she becomes able to qualify the Assessment Test to be supervised by HEC, Pakistan, having been so authorized by PBC, according to the aforementioned Order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and read with Section 26 (cc) of Legal Practitioners and PBC Act 1973 and rules of the Pakistan Bar Council.
The students are advised to download bank Fee Challan during registering for the test at http://etc.hec.gov.pk.
(Fee Challan is only available on ETC online registration portal).
All candidates need to upload the paid and scanned fee challan, properly stamped by an official from the HBL branch, while filling the application form of ETC online registration page to submit the application. The fee submitted for the test is non-refundable and non-transferable.
It is compulsory to bring the original applicant copy of paid fee challan on the day of the assessment test along with the original CNIC/original Passport, otherwise, candidates will not be allowed to sit in the examination.
Last date and Criteria
The last date for online registration is 4 p.m. January 30, 2023.
A minimum of 50% score is needed to pass the Law Graduate Assessment Test (GAT) for students.
All the applicants will have to meet other relevant criteria, if any, as per Rules and Regulations of the PBC.
Applicants will have a maximum of five chances to clear the test. The Commission will conduct the test on a quarterly basis.
The candidates must get any complaints/queries resolved before the closure of the web registration page. Meanwhile, handling of Queries/Complaints beyond the registration deadline is denied by the system because of logistics/security reasons.
