CLAT 2026 Exam: Schedule, Guidelines, Bell Timings

CLAT 2026 Exam: Schedule, Guidelines, Bell Timings

Sansar Singh ChhikaraUpdated on 07 Dec 2025, 05:54 PM IST

The Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) conducted the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) exam 2026 today i.e. December 7, 2025. The CLAT 2026 unofficial answer key by Careers360 will be available shortly. Candidates who appeared for the exam will be able to check out their probable scores using the CLAT 2026 answer key. The CLAT exam was conducted offline, in pen-and-paper mode, at more than 130 test centres across the country. The CLAT 2026 entrance exam is conducted for admissions to the participating National Law Universities (NLUs). Apart from the NLUs, over 60 law schools also accept CLAT scores. Read the complete article for CLAT 2026 exam day live updates, exam analysis, answer key updates and more.

CLAT 2026 Exam: Schedule, Guidelines, Bell Timings
CLAT 2026 Exam

CLAT 2026 Exam Schedule

Events

Dates

Last date to download CLAT admit card 2026

December 7, 2025 (till 1:30 pm)

CLAT 2026 exam date

December 7, 2025

Release of CLAT answer key

December 7, 2025 (Expected)

Important Guidelines for CLAT 2026 exam day

Here are some important exam day guidelines for CLAT 2026 exam:

  • Carry your CLAT admit card 2026 along with a verifiable photo ID proof.

  • Students need to reach the exam centre by 1 pm.

  • It is advisable to report at the exam centre by 1:30 pm.

  • The exam will begin at 2 pm sharp. However, It must be noted that no students will be allowed to enter the exam hall after 2:15 pm.

  • Candidates are allowed to carry black/blue ballpoint pen, transparent water bottle, their admit cards and id proof inside the exam hall.

  • Electronic items like calculators, mobile phones, smartwatches etc are strictly prohibited inside the exam hall.

  • Candidates will be allowed to retain their CLAT 2026 question paper and their signed admit cards.

CLAT 2026 Important Bell Timings

Time

Type of Bell

Purpose

1:00 P.M.

Long Bell

This bell marks the entry time for students to get inside the exam hall.

1:30 P.M.

Long Bell

After this bell students will be allowed to enter the exam hall.

1:50 P.M.

Short Bell

- Distribution of the sealed Envelopes

- Announcement of Instructions by the Invigilators

2:00 P.M.

Long Bell

The CLAT 2026 exam will start after this bell.

2:15 P.M.

Short Bell

After this bell, no candidate will be allowed to enter the test centre.

3:00 P.M.

Short Bell

This bell means one hour out of the two hours given to complete the exam.

3:50 P.M.

Short Bell

This is a warning Bell to indicate that 10 (ten) minutes are left for the test to end.

4:00 P.M.

Long Bell

This bell marks the completion of the exam.

Going by the trend of previous years, the CLAT 2026 answer key is usually released on the same day after the exam is over. The authorities also start the online window to raise objections soon after the release of the CLAT answer key.

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Questions related to CLAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CLAT ?

With an AIR of 34724 and OBC category rank of 7153, chances of getting a seat in DSNLU Visakhapatnam are low in early rounds. However, since you are already invited for counselling, there may be some chance in later rounds depending on seat vacancy and cut-off movement. You should participate

With a CLAT LLM rank of 13656, getting a top NLU is difficult. You may have chances in lower-ranked NLUs or private law universities, depending on seat availability and category.


You can check CLAT LLM counselling details here:

https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-llm-cut-off


Hello there,

Having a 15000 general rank and 1740 as your SC category rank, your chances of securing a seat are very low. As per the previous trends, it is a direct no for you to get into the top-tier NLUs since the closing general rank is around 1500-3000. If

With a CLAT PG rank of 1257 in the SC category and being a woman candidate with Rajasthan domicile, you do have a realistic chance of securing admission to several National Law Universities, though the top NLUs may be difficult at this rank. Admission chances depend heavily on category-wise cut-offs,

With a CLAT PG rank of around 11,000, getting admission into the top National Law Universities (NLUs) is not likely, as their general category cut-offs usually close much earlier. However, you still have realistic chances in lower-ranked and newer NLUs, especially in the later rounds of CLAT counselling or through