CLAT exam pattern 2021 (Released) - Mode, Types of Questions, Marking Scheme
CLAT exam pattern 2021 - The Consortium of NLUs has announced CLAT 2021 exam pattern on its official website; consortiumofnlus.ac.in. The exam pattern of CLAT 2021 is an important guide for candidates preparing for the Common Law Admission Test. The exam pattern provides all details related to the test modalities of CLAT 2021. The exam pattern of CLAT has undergone a major overhaul last year. The Consortium of NLUs introduced comprehension based questions in both CLAT UG and PG. The number of questions has been reduced from 200 to 150 in CLAT UG whereas, CLAT LLM has two sections; Objective and Subjective. However, last year, there was no subjective section. Unlike last year, CLAT 2021 will be conducted in offline mode. Read the complete article to learn more about CLAT exam pattern 2021, type of questions, marking scheme, and more.
LATEST UPDATE - Click here to apply for CLAT 2021 (Application form released)
CLAT syllabus for LLM revised, Check all details below!
Latest Updates for CLAT
- 23 Feb 2021:
CLAT syllabus revised; essay section dropped from PG-CLAT 2021; Read details - Click here
- 23 Feb 2021:
CLAT application form released, apply now!

CLAT 2021 exam pattern
Category | Details |
Duration | 2 hours |
Mode | Offline mode |
Type of Questions | Multiple Type Questions (MCQs) from given passages |
Number of Questions | Undergraduate Exam - 150 multiple choice type questions Postgraduate Exam (LLM) - 100 questions + 2 essays (Subjective section) |
Language | English |
Total Marks | UG - 150 marks PG - 150 marks |
Marking scheme | Each objective question (both UG and PG) will carry 1 mark. An incorrect question will invite a penalty of 0.25 marks. In CLAT PG, the evaluation of the essay section will be done manually by the expert team. Candidates who present the well-structured and crisp answers may get good marks. |
CLAT exam pattern 2021 - In details
Last year, the CLAT Consortium announced some important changes to the exam pattern of CLAT. These include the introduction of a comprehensive type of questions, reducing the number of questions and fixing the standard of CLAT UG at Class 12th level. The complete CLAT exam pattern of 2021 is explained below.
Skills to be tested - As per the Consortium of NLUs, the exam pattern of CLAT 2021 focuses on testing the reading ability of the candidates along with critical thinking and analytical skills. Before this, the CLAT papers were used to be designed to test the knowledge of various subjects and topics.
Type of questions - As per the CLAT 2021 exam pattern, all questions in UG and PG will be comprehension type. The test paper will consist of various passages of 300 - 450 words. Each passage will be followed by a series of multiple-choice type questions. Candidates will have to answer the questions only from the given passage. In most sections, no prior knowledge is required. However, having prior knowledge of the subject may help in understanding the passages more efficiently.
Download CLAT UG sample paper - Click here
Total number of questions in CLAT and marking scheme - In CLAT UG, there will be a total of 150 questions. However, the CLAT LLM will have 120 questions. Each question carries one mark and an incorrect answer will draw a negative marking of 0.25 marks.
CLAT syllabus - An overview
The CLAT UG syllabus has 6 subjects. Each subject will have a fixed number of questions and weightage. By referring to the CLAT syllabus, candidates will have a clear idea of what topics they have to prepare. The CLAT LLM syllabus is modelled in line with the syllabus of legal subjects. Most of the topics covered in CLAT LLM are taken from LLB subjects. These include topics like Law of Torts, Law of Contract, Constitutional law and others. Apart from legal subjects, current affairs with a special focus on legal issues are also included in the CLAT syllabus at PG level.
CLAT exam pattern 2021 (UG) - Subject wise questions and weightage
Subject/topics | Number of questions | Percentage weightage |
English Language | 28-32 questions | 20% |
Current Affairs, including General Knowledge | 35-39 questions | 25% |
Legal Reasoning | 35-39 questions | 25% |
Logical Reasoning | 28-32 questions | 20% |
Quantitative Techniques | 13-17 questions | 10% |
CLAT exam pattern 2021 (PG) - Subject wise questions and weightage
New CLAT test structure
Particular | No of Questions | Marks |
Objective section | 100 | 100 |
Subjective section | 02 (essays - each carrying 25 marks | 50 |
CLAT LLM pattern - Followed Last year
Subjects | Number of MCQ questions | Marks |
Constitutional Law | 60 | 60 |
Other Law Subjects including Contract, Torts, Criminal Law, International Law, IPR and Jurisprudence. | 60 | 60 |
Total | 120 | 120 |
WIll there be an essay section in CLAT LLM?
Yes, finally the consortium has announced that CLAT will be restored to its original form. The descriptive section is back in CLAT LLM. There will be a series of topics in this section and candidates will have to write two essays of around 800 words. Each essay will be of 25 marks, thus making the descriptive section of 50 marks.
In addition, the number of questions in the objective section has been reduced from 120 to 100. So, now the CLAT LLM will be of 150 marks examination.
Last year, the Consortium of NLUs had announced that there won’t be any essay section in CLAT LLM. The decision to drop the essay section was taken to reduce the burden from the candidates at the time of COVID-19 pandemic.
CLAT exam pattern 2021 - Minimum cutoff
The CLAT LLM will be subject to minimum cutoff. The minimum cut off for CLAT LLM is 40%. Candidates who are from SC, ST and PWD categories will have to score at least 35% marks. The evaluation of descriptive section will be done only if the candidate secures the minimum marks in the objective test.
CLAT 2021 exam pattern - Importance
For candidates appearing in CLAT 2021, it is extremely important to have a thorough understanding of the exam pattern of CLAT 2021. It provides all the important information related to the test modalities such as mode, duration, making scheme, number of questions and others.
The CLAT exam pattern also provides information about the type of questions asked in the examination and skills that are tested. Candidates should be particularly mindful of the type of questions asked in CLAT. The exam pattern of CLAT 2020 also informs about the marking scheme and the weightage of each topic included in the test paper.
Frequently Asked Question (FAQs) - CLAT exam pattern 2021 (Released) - Mode, Types of Questions, Marking Scheme
Question: What type of questions will be asked in CLAT 2021?
Answer:
Comprehension based questions will be asked in CLAT 2021. Each comprehension passage will be followed by a series of MCQ type questions.
Question: How many questions will be asked in CLAT UG 2021?
Answer:
A total of 150 questions will be asked in CLAT UG. Each question will carry one mark and incorrect answers attract a penalty of 0.25 marks.
Question: Is there any minimum cut off in CLAT LLM?
Answer:
Yes, In CLAT LLM candidates will have to score at least 40% marks. SC, SC and OBC candidates will have to score at least 35% marks.
Question: How many questions will be asked from the legal aptitude section of CLAT UG?
Answer:
The legal aptitude section carries 25% weightage in the paper. As per the CLAT exam pattern, there will be around 35-39 questions from this section.
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Questions related to CLAT
When I have to pay the fees and How to pay for CLAT 2021 ?
Hello,
The last date to apply for CLAT 2021 is March 31st 2021 and the late date to pay the fees is also same March 31st 2021. You need to pay the fees online. Candidates may submit the CLAT application form 2021 by using a credit or debit card/net banking or UPI options. The fees for General/ OBC/PwD/NRI/PIO//OCI category is Rs. 4000 and the fees for SC/ST/BPL category is Rs. 3500. The Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) will conduct CLAT exam on June 13 (from 2 pm-4 pm). Candidates may apply for CLAT by registering at the official website - consortiumofnlus.ac.in.
sir how to apply for clat 2021
Hello,
The CLAT registration has begun on January 1, 2021 and will end on March 31, 2021.
You will need the following documents when filling up the form:
-
Class 10th and 12th mark sheets and certificates
-
Photo and signature (scanned in prescribed format)
-
Email Id and mobile number
-
Caste certificate (if applicable)
-
Domicile certificate (if applicable)
-
BPL certificate (If applicable)
To fill up the form there are three main steps:
-
Online Registration
-
Filling of application form
-
Submitting the application fee
I will now share with you a link where detailed explanation of each of these steps have been given:
https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-application-form#CLAT-2021-application-form-date
Good Luck
suggest me best the book for legeal reasoning to prepare clat just 1book name
Hello Aspirant,
See there are multiple books form which one can prepare for Legal reasoning section of CLAT but if you want to go for only one book then to be honest you should go with Legal Awareness and Legal Reasoning by Pearson . I am enlisting down the best books for CLAT preparation for all subjects :-
@GK & CURRENT AFFAIRS
Manorama Year Book
General Knowledge by Arihant Publications
Current Affairs Yearly by Arihant Publications
@LOGICAL REASONING
A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning by RS Aggarwal
Analytical Reasoning (English) by M K Pandey
Quantitative Aptitude ebook (ALL Parts Solved) by R S Agarwal
@LEGAL REASONING
Legal Awareness and Legal Reasoning by Pearson
Objective Legal Aptitude by Rs Agarwal
@QUANTITATIVE APTITUDE
Fast Track Objective Arithmetic, Arihant Publications
Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by Pearson's
@ENGLISH
Objective General English by R S Aggarwal
Word Power Made Easy by Norman
For complete information kindly check out the link given below :
https://law.careers360.com/articles/best-books-for-clat
I hope this information helps you.
Good Luck!!
suggest me best coaching center to prepare clat 2021 in hyderbad
Hii,
Some of the best coaching Institute for preparation of CLAT 2021 in Hyderabad are the following.
Career Launcher - Ameerpet Centre
Career Launcher - Tarnaka Centre
Career Launcher - Himayathnagar
Abhyaas Secunderabad
Gyanville Academy
IMS Begumpet
IMS Narayanguda
IMS Madhapur
Hope this information will help you
suggest me single book for each subject to prepare for clat 2021..just single book from each subject
Hello,
Here we provide you some books that you can refer for preparation of CLAT 2021:
1. English Language - Word Power Made Easy by Normal Lewis
2. Quantitative Aptitude - Quantitative Aptitude by RS Aggarwal
3. Logical Reasoning - Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey
4. Legal Reasoning - Bare Acts of Indian Constitution
5. Current Affairs - India Year Book
Hope it helps.
Good Luck!