CLAT: Exam Pattern, Syllabus, Eligibility and Preparation

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CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) is the national entrance exam for five-year integrated law programs at National Law Universities. It is conducted by the Consortium of National Law Universities, and the UG test leads to programs such as BA LLB, BBA LLB, BCom LLB, BSc LLB and BSW LLB (Hons.).

CLAT UG is a two-hour, pen-and-paper test with 120 passage-based multiple-choice questions and negative marking of 0.25 per wrong answer. It is usually held in early December, and your rank is used in a centralized counseling process run by the Consortium. A separate CLAT PG test is used for LLM admissions.

CLAT at a glance

Full name	Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) UG
Conducted by	Consortium of National Law Universities
Exam level	National
Held	Once a year, usually in early December
Mode	Offline, pen-and-paper (OMR)
Duration	2 hours
Subjects	English Language, Current Affairs including GK, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Techniques
Total marks	120
Negative marking	0.25 marks deducted per wrong answer
Languages	English
Leads to	Five-year integrated LLB programs at participating NLUs, plus other colleges that accept CLAT scores
Official website	consortiumofnlus.ac.in

CLAT important dates

These dates update automatically from Kosuki’s exam calendar. “Announced” dates come from the official notice; “Expected” months are based on past years.

!Dates can change. Always confirm on the official website. Report a wrong date · How we check dates

What is CLAT?

CLAT is a single test for admission to most National Law Universities. Nearly every NLU takes part and fills its undergraduate seats through CLAT ranks. The main exception is NLU Delhi, which runs its own test, AILET. You do not need any prior knowledge of law. The paper tests reading, reasoning and awareness through passages.

The Consortium, made up of the participating NLUs, sets the paper, publishes the result and runs counseling. A number of private and state law colleges also use CLAT scores for their own admissions.

CLAT eligibility

CLAT UG eligibility is broad, which is why the applicant pool is large.

• You must have passed Class 12 or an equivalent exam, or be appearing for it in the year of the test.
• You need at least 45% marks in Class 12 if you are in the General, OBC, PwD, NRI, PIO or OCI category, and at least 40% if you are SC or ST.
• There is no upper age limit for CLAT UG.
• Any stream is allowed: science, commerce or humanities.
• Appearing students must show proof of passing with the required marks at the time of admission.

CLAT exam pattern

The CLAT exam pattern has 120 questions spread across five sections. The Consortium gives an approximate range for each section rather than a fixed count, and almost every question is based on a passage you must read first.

Section	Approx. questions	Approx. weightage
English Language	22 to 26	20%
Current Affairs including General Knowledge	28 to 32	25%
Legal Reasoning	28 to 32	25%
Logical Reasoning	22 to 26	20%
Quantitative Techniques	10 to 14	10%
Total	120	100%

CLAT marking scheme

• +1 mark for each correct answer.
• 0.25 marks deducted for each wrong answer.
• No marks deducted for unanswered questions.
• Answers are marked on an OMR sheet, so shade carefully; changes are not possible once shaded.
• Ties in scores are broken using rules set in the Consortium’s notice, such as higher Legal Reasoning marks and then age.

CLAT syllabus

CLAT tests skills rather than memorized content. Here is what each section asks of you.

• English Language: passages of about 450 words from fiction and nonfiction, with questions on main idea, inference, tone, argument and vocabulary in context.
• Current Affairs including GK: passages on news and events from roughly the past year, with questions on the related facts, history and legal background.
• Legal Reasoning: passages on legal principles, public policy or moral questions; you apply a stated rule to facts. General awareness of legal issues helps, but no law knowledge is required.
• Logical Reasoning: short passages with questions on arguments, premises and conclusions, assumptions, strengthening and weakening, and analogies.
• Quantitative Techniques: sets of facts, graphs or tables, with Class 10 level math such as percentages, ratios, averages, profit and loss, and basic algebra and geometry.

CLAT result and counseling

The Consortium releases a provisional answer key a day or two after the exam, invites objections, and then publishes the final answer key and result, usually within a few weeks. The result gives your score and All India Rank.

Counseling is centralized and online. You register for counseling, fill in your NLU and program preferences, and seats are offered over several rounds based on rank, category and domicile reservation. After each round you choose to accept a seat or wait for a better option under the rules published by the Consortium. Missing a payment or reporting deadline can cost you the seat.

How to prepare for CLAT

CLAT is a reading test more than anything. You will read many long passages in two hours, so reading speed and comprehension decide how many questions you can attempt with confidence.

• Read a quality newspaper and a long-form article every day. This builds speed for English and Logical Reasoning and covers Current Affairs at the same time.
• Keep monthly current affairs notes for the 12 months before the exam. With about a quarter of the paper, this section rewards steady revision.
• For Legal Reasoning, practice applying a given principle strictly to the facts. Do not use outside legal knowledge that contradicts the passage.
• Quant is only about 10% of the paper but can be scored quickly. Revise Class 10 arithmetic and practice data-based sets.
• Mind negative marking. Four wrong answers cancel one right answer, so skip questions where you cannot narrow the options.
• Solve previous CLAT papers from the current 120-question format and take full two-hour mocks weekly, then analyze every mistake. You can log mock scores and section accuracy in Kosuki to track progress.
• Practice on OMR sheets in the final weeks so shading does not slow you down on exam day.

How to apply for CLAT

1. Register on the Consortium website with your mobile number and email.
2. Fill in personal, academic and category details and upload a photo, signature and certificates as required.
3. Choose your test center preferences.
4. Pay the application fee online and submit the form.
5. Download the admit card when released and check the center address and reporting time.
6. After the result, register for counseling and submit your NLU preferences.

CLAT FAQs

Related exam guides

• AILET: Exam Pattern, Syllabus, Eligibility and Preparation
• MH CET Law: Exam Pattern, Syllabus, Eligibility and Preparation
• SLAT: Exam Pattern, Syllabus, Eligibility and Preparation
• AP LAWCET: Exam Pattern, Syllabus, Eligibility and Preparation
• TG LAWCET: Exam Pattern, Syllabus, Eligibility and Preparation

Sources

• consortiumofnlus.ac.in
• testfunda.com/blog/clat-2027-notification-out-complete-preparation-guide
• law.careers360.com/articles/clat-exam-pattern

Last reviewed September 2026 against the official Consortium of NLUs notice and information brochure. Exam rules can change from year to year, so always confirm details on the official website before you apply. Kosuki is independent and is not connected with any exam body. Spotted something out of date? Write to contact@kosuki.com.