CLAT Application Date:01 Aug' 25 - 31 Oct' 25
The two most important exams to consider to gain admission into a National Law University are AILET and CLAT. An evaluation of CLAT vs AILET can be done using various parameters. The main difference between CLAT and AILET exam is that the Common Law Admission Test is conducted by the Consortium of National Law Universities to admit students into NLUs that participate in the CLAT admission process. On the other hand, the All India Law Entrance Test is conducted by NLU Delhi to admit students into its law programmes. The other university that is not part of the Consortium of NLUs is NLU Meghalaya. It conducts its entrance exams separately.
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The difference between CLAT and AILET also exists in their mark distribution, time duration, and syllabus. Candidates can gain admission into five-year LLB and LLM courses through these two law entrance exams. Read the full article to learn everything about the AILET vs CLAT comparison.
| Particulars | CLAT | AILET |
|---|---|---|
Conducting Body | Consortium of National Law Universities | NLU Delhi |
Exam Level | National Level | National level |
Frequency of Exams | Once a year | Once a year |
Participating Institutes | 24 NLUs and 65 participating institutes | NLU Delhi |
Law Programmes Offered | 5 Year LLB, LLM | BA LLB, LLM |
The main difference between CLAT and AILET is in the colleges into which one can be admitted after appearing for these two law entrance exams. In CLAT 2026, there are 24 participating NLUs and 65 participating institutes which are part of the examination. Through CLAT, candidates will be admitted into various five-year integrated law courses and LLM. On the other hand, through AILET 2026 candidates will get admission into BA LLB and LLM courses of NLU Delhi. NLU Meghalaya is the only other remaining NLU that conducts its own entrance exam to admit students.
Another difference between AILET and CLAT lies in the examination pattern of both exams. The Consortium of National Law Universities and NLU Delhi had revised the exam pattern of their law entrance examinations to make the exam more student-friendly. In the CLAT exam pattern, the consortium reduced the number of questions to 120 in the UG paper. On the other hand, the AILET exam pattern now gives candidates more time than earlier to solve the same number of questions. The time duration has also now been increased to 120 minutes.
There is no change in the exam pattern of the CLAT PG exam. However, the AILET LLM will only have objective questions from different areas of law as the descriptive section has been removed. The time duration of AILET LLM has been increased to 120 minutes.
| Particulars | CLAT 2026 | AILET 2026 | CLAT PG | AILET LLM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mode of Exam | Offline | Offline | Offline | Offline |
Duration | 2 hours | 2 hours | 2 hours | 2 hours |
Type of Questions | Objective | Objective | Objective | Objective |
Number of Questions | 120 | 150 | 120 | 100 |
Total Marks | 120 | 150 | 120 | 100 |
Negative Marking | 0.25 mark per question | 0.25 mark per question | 0.25 mark per question | 0.25 mark per question |
The two tables below provide the section-wise exam pattern for CLAT 2026 and AILET 2026.
| Sections | No. of questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
English | 22-26 | 120 Minutes |
Current Affairs including GK | 28-32 | |
Legal Reasoning | 28-32 | |
Logical Reasoning | 22-26 | |
Quantitative Techniques | 10-14 |
| Section | Number of questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
English | 50 | 120 Minutes |
Current Affairs | 30 | |
Logical Reasoning | 70 | |
Total | 150 |
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In the CLAT vs AILET comparison, an important element to focus on is the syllabus of both the law entrance exams. One major difference between CLAT 2026 syllabus and AILET 2026 syllabus is the presence of maths in CLAT. The CLAT UG syllabus has more sections and includes a quantitative techniques section which is not present in AILET. The syllabus of the PG exams for both the law entrance exams is more or less the same with the difference being only in the number of questions and time duration.
| Sections | Topics |
|---|---|
Grammar, reading comprehension, vocabulary, fill in the blanks | |
National and international events in the field of sports, economy, politics, arts and culture. | |
Current legal affairs, important judgements, constitution, law of torts, family law | |
Drawing inferences and conclusions from given arguments, puzzles and seating arrangements, series and sequences | |
Basic arithmetic, mensuration, ratio and proportion, profit and loss, time and work. |
| Sections | Topics |
|---|---|
English | Comprehension, grammar, sentence correction and vocabulary |
Current Affairs | Recent national and international events of significance from various fields such as politics, business, sports, awards, arts and culture. |
Logical Reasoning | Logical and analytical reasoning skills |
Law of Torts | |
Administrative law | Criminal Law |
Property law | Public international law |
Company law | |
Intellectual Property Law | International Law |
Tax law | Law of Contracts |
| Subjects |
|---|
Different areas of law: (Constitutional law, Jurisprudence, Administrative Law, Law of Contract, Torts, Family Law, Criminal Law, Property Law, Company Law, Public International Law, Tax Law, Environmental Law, and Labour & Industrial Law) |
The eligibility criteria for CLAT and AILET exam are similar in many aspects, be it academic requirement or age limit. The difference between CLAT and AILET eligibility lies in the minimum marks requirement in the qualifying exam.
To be eligible in CLAT, general category students need to have secured at least 50% marks in the qualifying exam, and 45% marks for reserved categories. Whereas, for AILET exam, general category students need 45% marks and reserved category students require 40% marks in the qualifying exam.
When it comes to the subjects students can choose for CLAT and AILET exam, the exam subjects remain almost the same including subjects like Legal reasoning, current affairs, logical reasoning and more.
However, the main difference between CLAT and AILET subjects are that AILET does not include mathematics.
Both CLAT and AILET are hugely popular among law aspirants. The colleges that candidates can get into through these exams are frequently ranked among the top law colleges in NIRF law college rankings. NLU Delhi, NLSIU Bengaluru, and NALSAR Hyderabad usually bag the top 3 places in the NIRF rankings for law. However, the answer to the question of CLAT or AILET- which is better, will also depend on individual perceptions of the candidate about the college. It is always advised to prepare and appear for both exams to improve one’s chances of getting into a good law college.
CLAT is usually considered very tough due to its length and complexity. It is reading intensive and one of the lengthiest law entrance exams. CLAT has 5 sections while AILET has three sections. CLAT also requires the candidates to prepare for Mathematics, a section not present in AILET, which candidates may find difficult. However, it must be said that In the debate over which is tougher among AILET and CLAT, both exams are equally complex and difficult. The difficulty level of both the exams also move in sync.
The Consortium of National Law Universities revised the syllabus of CLAT by reducing the number of questions from 150 to 120 for CLAT UG exam. It was with the intention of making the exam more student-friendly.
This was followed by NLU Delhi revising its own exam pattern for both the AILET UG and AILET LLM. It has increased the time duration by a further 30 minutes for UG. While for AILET LLM, it has done away with the descriptive section of LLM and kept only MCQs about different areas of law.
From CLAT 2025 towards, RPNLU Prayagraj and IIULER Goa will conduct their admissions through the CLAT counselling process. Earlier, both universities conducted their admissions separately. For AILET, NLU Delhi is the only participating university.
The CLAT and AILET exam are similar in many ways. The points given below illustrate the convergences between the two exams -
Both exams have objective questions that are based on a particular passage/statement preceding them.
Both exams are a test of a candidate’s ability to read and comprehend quickly, as both exams are reading intensive.
Even though CLAT has a mathematics section, it has a lesser weightage with more importance being given to the reasoning, English and GK sections which are also present in AILET.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
No, there is no age limit for appearing in CLAT.
24 NLUs are participating in CLAT 2026.
Both the exams are popular among law aspirants. It depends on the personal preference and convenience of the candidate.
No, the syllabus of both the exams are different. CLAT has five sections and also has a maths section
The AILET is conducted by NLU Delhi.
AILET is conducted to admit candidates into the BA LLB and LLM courses.
On Question asked by student community
Hello,
No, you are not elligible to appear for the CLAT exam while in Class 11, as the elligiblity criteria require you to be in or have completed Class 12 . However, you can start preparing for the exam now.
You can get the CLAT Exam practice tests by following this link:
Hello,
Yes, if a student is from Telangana, they can apply for a reserved seat in CLAT only if they belong to a reserved category such as SC, ST, OBC, EWS, or PwD, as per the rules of CLAT and the participating National Law Universities (NLUs).
However, please note:
CLAT does not have a separate “Telangana state quota.”
Reservation is given based on category , not on the state, except in some NLUs that offer domicile (state) reservation for their own state students.
So, if you are from Telangana, you can:
Apply under your category reservation (like SC/ST/OBC/EWS) .
And you may get Telangana domicile reservation only in those NLUs that are located in Telangana (for example, NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad ).
Hope it helps !
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!!
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