CLAT 2026: Last 3 years Question Papers with New Pattern

CLAT 2026: Last 3 years Question Papers with New Pattern

Ongoing Event

CLAT Admit Card Date:22 Nov' 25 - 07 Dec' 25

Isha GargUpdated on 03 Dec 2025, 05:04 PM IST

CLAT has primarily become a comprehension-based, critical thinking exam since 2020. The total number of questions was reduced from 200 to 150 in 2020. The number of questions was further reduced to 120 in the CLAT 2024 exam to make it student-friendly and to ease exam stress. While the exam remains moderate to difficult, sections like English, legal reasoning, and logical reasoning mainly test inference and reasoning skills. Solving CLAT past year question (PYQ) papers is crucial for cracking the CLAT because it helps understand the comprehension-based format and improves speed and accuracy.

CLAT 2026: Last 3 years Question Papers with New Pattern
CLAT 2026 Last 3 years Question Papers with New Pattern

The English Language section of the CLAT exam evaluates reading comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary through passage-based questions. The general knowledge and current affairs still require prior knowledge of national and international events. Legal reasoning applies legal principles to factual situations, and logical reasoning is often the toughest, involving puzzles and patterns. Quantitative techniques cover basic arithmetic, percentages, ratios, and data interpretation. Even though the questions are fewer in number, but require accuracy and speed.

Comparison of Exam Patterns (2020 vs 2024-2026)

Exam period

Total questions

Sections

Duration

Marking scheme

Pre-2020

200

English, GK, Legal Aptitude, LR, QA

2 hours

+1 mark for correct answer and -0.25 for incorrect answer

2020-2023


150

English Language, Current Affairs (including General Knowledge), Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques

2 hours

+1 mark for correct answer and -0.25 for incorrect answer

2024 onwards


120

Same as 2020-2023 (passage-based format)

2 hours

+1 mark for correct answer and -0.25 for incorrect answer

CLAT UG Exam Section-wise Question Distribution (2024-2026)

The CLAT UG exam features 120 multiple-choice questions to be completed in 2 hours. Each correct answer awards 1 mark, with a negative marking of 0.25 marks for every incorrect response, and no penalty for unanswered questions. Questions are passage-based across five sections, testing comprehension, reasoning, and awareness skills at a 12th-grade level.

CLAT 2026 - Section-wise Distribution of Questions

Section

Number of questions

Weightage (%)

English Language

22-26

20

Current Affairs including GK

28-32

25

Legal Reasoning

28-32

25

Logical Reasoning

22-26

20

Quantitative Techniques

10-14

10

CLAT Exam Analysis - Last 3 Years (2023, 2024, 2025)

In 2023, the English section was easy, with 28-30 good attempts out of 30 questions. General knowledge was also easy to moderate with 30-35 good attempts, while quantitative aptitude was more challenging, with only 8-9 good attempts. Logical reasoning and legal reasoning were moderate to difficult, with good attempts ranging from 25-27 and 32-34, respectively. Overall, the exam was moderate to difficult.

In 2024, the CLAT exam pattern changed to 120 questions. English and general knowledge were easier, with good attempts above 20 and 25+, respectively. Quantitative aptitude and logical reasoning ranged between easy and moderate difficulty. Legal reasoning was easier compared to previous years. Overall, the exam was easy to moderate with about 105+ good attempts.

In 2025, English and general knowledge remained easy to moderate. Quantitative aptitude got relatively tougher, with good attempts rising to 24-25 from fewer questions. Legal reasoning stayed moderately difficult, while logical reasoning was considered easier compared to earlier. The total good attempts were about 90-95, indicating moderate difficulty overall.

Section-wise Difficulty and Attempts for 2023-2025

Year

Section

Good attempts

Difficulty level

Total questions

2023

English Language

28 - 30

Easy

30

General Knowledge

30 - 35

Easy to moderate

35

Quantitative Aptitude

8 - 9

Moderate to difficult

15

Logical Reasoning

25 - 27

Moderate to difficult

30

Legal Reasoning

32 - 34

Tough but easy

40

Overall

110+

Moderate to difficult

150

2024

English

20+

Easy

24

General Knowledge & Current Affairs

25+

Easy

28

Quantitative Aptitude

7+

Easy to moderate

12

Legal Reasoning

25+

Easy

32

Logical Reasoning

20+

Easy to moderate

24

Overall

105+

Easy to moderate

120

2025

English

18 - 19

Easy to moderate

22-26

General Knowledge

21 - 22

Easy to moderate

28-32

Quantitative Aptitude

24 - 25

Moderate

10-14

Legal Reasoning

17 - 18

Moderate

28-32

Logical Reasoning

8 - 9

Easy to moderate

22-26

Overall

90 - 95

Moderate

120

Category-wise Expected Good Score in CLAT 2026 in Top NLUs

NLU name

General

EWS

OBC

SC

ST

NLSIU Bengaluru

100+

95+

90+

83+

78+

NALSAR Hyderabad

100+

95+

90+

82+

78+

WBNUJS Kolkata

98+

-

56+*

80+

74+

NLU Jodhpur

95+

-

88+

79+

74+

GNLU Gandhinagar

95+

90+

87+

77+

70+

MNLU Mumbai

93+

81+

77+*

71+*

41+*

RMLNLU Lucknow

91+

85+

82+*

53+*

41+*

*state category reservation

Based on past year data and expected trends for CLAT 2026, for general category candidates, a score between 90 and 100+ marks out of 120 is considered competitive for top NLUs. EWS candidates should aim for 85-95+ marks to secure good chances. For OBC candidates, a score of around 80-90+ marks is advisable. SC and ST candidates can secure admissions with scores in the range of 75-85 marks. Generally, to rank among the top candidates, scoring above 90 marks is highly recommended. Reserve categories have slightly lower cut-offs, but high scores always increase the chances of securing the preferred NLU seat.

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Questions related to CLAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CLAT ?

Hello

The best way to cover the important current affairs is to read the newspaper daily. Then try to analyse the newspaper and remember the trending topics. Practice the previous year's question paper and understand the pattern of the question. Summarise all current affairs topics and understand them in brief. If you want more information about current affairs, then you will read the article How to Prepare for CLAT Current Affairs 2026 .

Thank you.

Hello,

Yes, you can prepare CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) in Hindi Medium and access syllabus in Hindi from mentioned link below:

https://law.careers360.com/hi/articles/clat-syllabus

Hope it helps.

Hello there!

Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) is a national level entrance exam for the programs related to engineering. It has two levels known as JEE mains (first level) and JEE advance (second level) . Many colleges from all over India in both government and private sector consider its scores. It is an online computer based test conducted by NTA ( National Testing Agency). Physics , Chemistry and mathematics are the major subjects to be focused in this exam.

Here is the link attached from the official website of Careers360 which will provide you with complete information about JEE.

https://engineering.careers360.com/exams/jee-main

NEET ( National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) is a national level examination for admission in undergraduate medical courses. It is also conducted by NTA but in offline mode as in pen and paper test. It includes courses like MBBS, BDS BHMS , BAMS etc. The exam consists of 180 questions in total 45 from each physics , chemistry , zoology and Botany. The total marks for the exam are 720 marks.

Here is the link attached from the official website of Careers360 which will provide you with complete information about NEET examination:

https://medicine.careers360.com/articles/neet-full-form

CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) is a national level entrance examination for the admission in national law colleges of India. The test is taken after 12th grade examination for the 5 years integrated programs in law. It tests students knowledge in legal aptitude. It also serves as a basis for public sector undertakings for legal positions.

Here is the link attached from the official website of Careers360 which will provide you with the complete information about the CLAT examination.

https://law.careers360.com/articles/what-is-clat-full-form-all-about-nlus-entrance-exam

thank you! Hope it helps!


Hello,

The CLAT PG exam pattern consists of 120 questions and 2-hour MCQ exam with negative marking.

Subjects Covered:

  1. Constitutional Law

  2. Jurisprudence

  3. Criminal Law

  4. Contract Law

  5. Other core law subjects

Here are some tricks which you must follow:

  1. Practice Previous Year Papers & Mock Tests
  2. Focus on Constitutional Law & Jurisprudence
  3. Time Management in Exam
  4. Revision Strategy

To know more access below mentioned link:

https://law.careers360.com/articles/how-to-prepare-for-clat-pg-exam

Hope it helps.

Hello,

In CLAT , the 9-digit admit card number is not the same as the roll number you have to write on the OMR sheet. The OMR sheet has only 7 blocks because the CLAT roll number is shorter.

You should check your admit card again and look for the roll number printed near your name and exam details. Fill only that roll number in the OMR sheet. Do not write the 9-digit admit card number.

If you still cannot find the roll number, you can ask the exam invigilator on the exam day.

Hope it helps !