CLAT Application Date:01 Aug' 25 - 31 Oct' 25
The Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) conducts the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), the biggest law entrance exam in India. CLAT exam is conducted for admission to 24 NLUs. The All India Law Entrance Test (AILET) is conducted by National Law University, Delhi, for admissions exclusively to NLU Delhi. Both CLAT and AILET are amongst the most difficult law entrance exams in the country. The difficulty level and paper pattern of both these exams are largely similar. In terms of number of candidates vs number of seats available, the CLAT 2025 success rate was approximately 6%. In comparison, the AILET 2025 success rate was just 0.59%. However, candidates cannot take the success rates of both these exams at face value. Read the complete article for a detailed analysis on CLAT vs AILET exam in terms of difficulty level, success rate, syllabus and more.
Year | Candidates Appeared in AILET | AILET Seats | AILET Success Rate (%) | Candidates Appeared in CLAT | CLAT Seats | CLAT Success Rate (%) |
2025 | 18,717 | 110 | 0.59% | 60,544 | 3,700 | 6.11% |
2024 | 17,174 | 110 | 0.64% | 53,180 | 3,200 | 6.02% |
2023 | 15,454 | 110 | 0.71% | 42,766 | 2,860 | 6.68% |
2022 | 15,642 | 70 | 0.45% | 53,226 | 2,801 | 5.26% |
2021 | 13,824 | 70 | 0.51% | 53,532 | 2,622 | 4.90% |
On first look, the success rate of AILET and CLAT may create a perception that AILET is more difficult to crack than CLAT. However, a deeper analysis reveals, there is not much difference. AILET exam is conducted only for admissions to NLU Delhi, while CLAT exam is conducted for admissions to 24 NLUs and other participating universities and law schools. If you compare the success rate of AILET with tier 1 NLUs participating in CLAT, the former has slightly better passing rate than NLSIU Bengaluru and NALSAR Hyderabad. Rest all NLUs have a higher success rate than NLU Delhi, which means they are easier to get into compared to NLUD. In this context, NLU Delhi, very closely competes with NLSIU and NALSAR Hyderabad, the top NLUs in CLAT. The below-given table below denotes last year's success rates of all participating NLUs of CLAT.
Name of Exam | Total Seats | Number of Candidates | Success Rate |
CLAT | 3705 (approx) | 62,832 | 5.896 |
AILET | 110 | 19830 | 0.554 |
NLU Name | Closing Rank | Success Rate (in %) |
NLSIU Bengaluru | 112 | 0.30 |
NALSAR Hyderabad | 159 | 0.42 |
WBNUJS Kolkata( BA LLB) | 327 | 0.86 |
NLU Jodhpur | 367 | 0.97 |
GNLU Gandhinagar | 444 | 1.17 |
NLIU Bhopal (BA LLB) | 480 | 1.27 |
WBNUJS Kolkata (BSc.LLB Hons) | 711 | 1.88 |
RMLNLU Lucknow | 780 | 2.06 |
HNLU Raipur | 807 | 2.13 |
NLIU Bhopal (BSc LLB) | 915 | 2.41 |
NLU Odisha BA LLB | 1013 | 2.67 |
NLU Odisha BBA LLB | 1176 | 3.10 |
RGNUL Patiala | 1279 | 3.38 |
NUALS Kochi | 1346 | 3.55 |
CNLU Patna (BA LLB) | 1398 | 3.69 |
GNLU Silvassa Campus | 1461 | 3.86 |
MNLU Mumbai | 558 | 1.47 |
MNLU Nagpur - BA LLB | 1529 | 4.04 |
CNLU Patna (BBA LLB) | 1555 | 4.10 |
MNLU Nagpur - BBA LLB | 1623 | 4.28 |
NUSRL Ranchi BA LLB | 1667 | 4.40 |
DSNLU Visakhapatnam | 1682 | 4.44 |
NUSRL Ranchi BBA LLB | 1760 | 4.64 |
TNNLU Tiruchirappalli BA LLB | 1763 | 4.65 |
DBRANLU Sonepat | 1930 | 5.09 |
TNNLU Tiruchirappalli BCom LLB | 1947 | 5.14 |
MNLU Aurangabad- BA LLB | 1949 | 5.14 |
NLUJA Assam | 2141 | 5.65 |
MPDNLU Jabalpur | 2243 | 5.92 |
MNLU Aurangabad - BBA LLB | 2393 | 6.32 |
RPNLU Prayagraj | 2469 | 6.52 |
HPNLU Shimla - BA LLB | 2555 | 6.74 |
HPNLU Shimla - BBA LLB | 2634 | 6.95 |
IIULER Goa BA LLB | 2784 | 7.35 |
IIULER Goa BA LLB | 2832 | 7.47 |
NLUT Agartala | 2855 | 7.53 |
Above, we have compared the CLAT and AILET success rate in terms of number of students against the seats available and also on the basis of how hard it is to get admission through these exams based on cutoff. However, the syllabus of both these exams is also a crucial factor that affects the success rate. Talking about the difficulty level, both exams have a vast syllabus. While CLAT syllabus has more subjects than AILET, the latter has more questions than CLAT (150 vs 120). Furthermore, CLAT requires reading of 8-10,000 words in two hours, making it extremely challenging. AILET, in this respect, has a more balanced approach. It requires reading skill, but has a lot of objectivity in questions. A detailed comparison between CLAT vs AILET in terms of syllabus has been discussed in the table below:
Aspect | CLAT 2026 | AILET 2026 |
Total Questions | 120 (comprehension-based) | 150 |
Total Marks | 120 | 150 |
Sections | 5 – English, Current Affairs including GK, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude | 3 – English Language, General Knowledge & Current Affairs, Logical Reasoning |
Most Weightage Given To | Legal Reasoning & Current Affairs (25% each) | Logical Reasoning (47% of paper) |
Quantitative Section | Yes (10%) – requires basic maths with topics like basic arithmetics, profit and loss, time and work, ratio and proportion, algebra. | Not included |
Legal Reasoning | 25% – case-based reasoning required | Legal reasoning not part of the syllabus, but some questions in Logical Reasoning require legal knowledge; all in all, weightage is less than that of CLAT |
Current Affairs (GK) | 25% – heavy reading-based comprehension | 20% – more direct questions |
Question Type | Entirely comprehension-based | English & Logical Reasoning section has passage-based MCQs, GK & CA has direct MCQs |
Reading Load | Very High – all sections are passage-based | Moderate when compared with CLAT. The GK & CA section has no passages. |
Speed Requirement | Moderate (deep focus on understanding) | High – 150 questions in 120 minutes |
Overall Difficulty Level | Conceptual & reasoning-intensive | Speed + logic intensive |
There can be many subjective opinions around which is the more difficult exam - CLAT or AILET. While in AILET, candidates have no room for errors as they’ll lose out on an NLU Delhi seat, whereas in CLAT, if the candidates miss out on top 1000 ranks, they can still aim for tier-2 or tier-3 colleges. Also, if you are a law aspirant who isn’t specifically looking for a college in Delhi, it is advisable to appear for both AILET and CLAT exams. If candidates choose to appear for just AILET, they will lose out on some of the best law schools of the country. Law aspirants can prepare for both the exams simultaneously. It may sound hard, but if candidates plan their preparation properly, they can prepare for both the exams together by segregating common topics and preparing for unique subjects and topics separately.
On Question asked by student community
Hello,
While NLUs are costly, you can still pursue government-funded law education through state-funded universities and their affiliated colleges that accept CLAT scores, such as institutes like Banaras Hindu University and Aligarh Muslim University.
I hope it will clear your query!!
It is always better to take the CLAT exam right after Class 12 if your goal is to build a career in law, because CLAT UG is specifically designed for admission into integrated five-year law programs like BA LLB, BCom LLB, or BBA LLB. Appearing after Class 12 saves you time, as you complete both graduation and law together in a single course. On the other hand, if you first complete graduation and then plan for law, you will not be eligible for CLAT UG but instead for CLAT PG, which is meant for admission into LLM programs. This path takes longer, because you first spend three or four years on graduation and then add another three years in an LLB program if you choose not to go for an integrated course. So, if you are already sure about pursuing law as your career, writing CLAT right after Class 12 is the smarter and time-saving option, while writing it after graduation makes sense only if you are considering higher studies in law or a shift in career later.
For CLAT, the most important topics are from Legal Reasoning, Current Affairs & GK, the Indian Constitution, English Language, Quantitative Techniques and Logical Reasoning. For a brief detail you can go through the following link: https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-important-topics
Thank You.
Hi dear candidate,
Both the colleges Maharaja Agrasen (MAIMS) or Gitarattan (GIBS) are affiliated to IP University and allows admission either by CLAT or IPU CET Law. Without either of these exams, your admission is NOT accepted there. You can try looking for management quota seats in these colleges if you have got good marks in 12th class.
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Hi dear candidate,
You can easily register yourself for CLAT exam by visiting the Consortium of NLUs official website and follow these steps:
Know the complete process at:
CLAT Registration 2026 (Started): Documents Required, Application Fee, Link, Steps to Apply
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