CBSE Schools vs Other Boards in CLAT: Here's Why CBSE Outnumber Other Boards!
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CBSE Schools vs Other Boards in CLAT: Here's Why CBSE Outnumber Other Boards!

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CLAT Application Date:01 Aug' 25 - 31 Oct' 25

Team Careers360Updated on 22 Jan 2025, 04:57 PM IST

An RTI response by the Consortium of NLUs provides some interesting facts about the background of the candidates who get the CLAT 2025 counselling invites. The RTI data reveals that 58% of the candidates invited for the CLAT counselling process come from schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). If compared with the number of schools CBSE and other boards have, the data indicates that CBSE schools send almost 6 times more students in CLAT counselling than all other boards combined.

CBSE Schools vs Other Boards in CLAT: Here's Why CBSE  Outnumber Other Boards!
CBSE Schools vs Other Boards in CLAT: Here's Why CBSE Outnumber Other Boards!

The high success percentage of students from CBSE-affiliated schools assumes even more significance when considering that the share of CBSE schools in the total number of higher secondary schools in India is only 18%. It means that 18% of the schools produce 58% of the students who succeed in the Common Law Admission Test. But why is this so? Let’s find out in this article.

RTI Data For CLAT 2024 Counselling

The RTI data available for CLAT 2024 counselling invitees is given in the table below. The data shows that 58% of the counselling invitees come from CBSE schools, and 42% come from schools of other boards. The total number of candidates who appeared for CLAT UG 2024 was 53180 out of 54808 who completed CLAT registration. Out of this, around 42% received counselling invites.

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CLAT UG 2024 Student Break-up

ParticularsNo. of students qualified for counsellingPercentage

Candidates from CBSE board

12827

58%

Candidates from state and other boards

9390

42%

Total

22217

100%

Senior Secondary School Education Scene in India

Around 1.50 lakh schools are offering senior secondary education in India. Of these, 28,135 CBSE schools which make up about 18% of the schools. The remaining 82% of the schools from other boards add up to 121,865. These schools include those affiliated to the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), state boards, the National Institute of Open Schooling, the International Baccalaureate (IB) and others.

Board-wise Break Up of Senior Secondary Schools

ParticularsDetailsPercentage share

CBSE Schools

28135

18%

Other Schools

121865

82%

Total

150000

100%

Success Rate in CLAT 2025 for Students From CBSE Vs Other Boards

The table below compares the number of candidates qualified for CLAT 2025 counselling and the number of schools in CBSE and other Boards. The data points out that the success rate of CBSE students in CLAT is approximately 6 times higher than that of students from other boards.

CBSE vs Other Boards' Success Rate

Board

Number of schools

No. of candidates qualified

Success rate

CBSE

28135

12827

46%

Other board

121865

9390

8%

Why do CBSE Students Enjoy Higher Success in CLAT?

There are four main reasons why students from CBSE-affiliated schools are six times more likely to succeed in CLAT than other candidates.

  • CBSE’s curriculum is more closely aligned with the syllabus of various national-level law entrance exams such as CLAT.

  • The primary source of questions for national-level entrance exams is the NCERT textbook used in CBSE schools.

  • Student assessments in CBSE schools are based on multiple-choice questions that test the candidate’s logical and critical thinking skills, which are also the same skills tested in most national-level entrance exams.

  • CBSE students often have better access to study material, coaching centres and mentors, which help them perform better in the entrance exams.

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Estimates For CLAT 2025 Counselling Invitees

The table given below provides the estimated number of counselling invitees for the CLAT 2025 counselling process based on the available data. It must be noted that due to ongoing CLAT 2025 court cases, the Consortium has postponed the counselling process indefinitely.

CLAT UG 2025 Counselling Invitees Estimates

Particulars

Details

No. of candidates registered

62832

No. of candidates appeared

60544

No. of Counselling Invitees

25400 (approx 42%)

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Questions related to CLAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CLAT ?

Hello,

For CLAT PG 2026 application :

Photograph: JPEG/JPG, 200x230 pixels, 20–50 KB, white/light background, recent passport-size photo.

Signature: JPEG/JPG, 140x60 pixels, 10–20 KB, sign on white paper with black ink, must match exam documents.

Hope it helps !

Hi dear candidate,

On our official website, you can find various study material EBooks and Sample Papers that can help you prepare better that you can download for free.

Kindly refer to the link attached below:

CLAT E-books and Sample Papers

CLAT Study Material 2026 PDF - Books, Mock Test, Question Papers

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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.