Amity University-Noida Law Admissions 2026
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CLAT Vs LSAT—India: Candidates aspiring to get into top law schools in the country have to pass one important hurdle and that is the law entrance exams. The CLAT and LSAT—India are two very popular exams to gain admission into law programmes in India, giving rise to the LSAT—India vs CLAT debate. Through the Common Law Admission Test, candidates can get admission into National Law Universities in the country and 65 participating colleges. On the other hand, through the Law School Admission Test - India, candidates can get into some of the top private law schools and other participating law colleges. Is that the only difference between CLAT and LSAT—India? No. The difference between LSAT—India and CLAT lies on many other fronts. Read the full article to get all details in the CLAT vs LSAT—India comparison.
In the table below are the counselling dates of CLAT 2026.
| Event | Date |
| Release of the first allotment list | January 7, 2026 (10:00 AM) |
| Payment of the seat confirmation fee | January 7 - January 15, 2026 |
| Deadline for document upload | January 15, 2026 (1:00 PM) |
| Release of the second allotment list | January 22, 2026 |
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Particulars | LSAT—India | CLAT |
Conducting Body | Pearson Vue | Consortium of National Law Universities |
Exam Level | National Level | National Level |
Frequency of exam | Twice a year | Once a year |
Participating Institutes | ||
Law programmes offered | 5 year LLB, 3 year LLB, LLM | 5 year LLB, LLM |
An important difference between LSAT—India and CLAT lies in the colleges and courses a candidate gets admission into after attempting the exam. In CLAT, there are participating NLUs and colleges that accept CLAT scores. On the other hand, in the LSAT—India there are colleges that accept the LSAT—India scores and admit candidates into the courses. Given below are important points in this regard for the two exams
CLAT
The Consortium of National Law Universities conducts CLAT once a year.
There are 24 participating NLUs in the CLAT exam
Through the CLAT UG and CLAT PG examinations, candidates are admitted into the 5 year integrated law courses and LLM course
Other than the participating NLUs, candidates can also get admission into law courses in 65 participating colleges
LSAT—India
Pearson Vue administers the LSAT—India twice a year
There are 17 participating institutes for LSAT—India at present which are very very well-known private law schools in the country.
Candidates can get admission into the 5 year LLB, 3 year LLB and LLM courses through the LSAT—India exam
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Another important difference between CLAT and LSAT—India lies in the exam pattern of both exams. The CLAT 2024 exam pattern includes 120 questions to be completed in 2 hours. On the other hand, LSAT—India 2024 exam pattern has 92 questions to be completed in 2 hours and 20 minutes. The table given below describes the exam pattern of both exams.
CLAT Vs LSAT—India - Exam Pattern Overview
Particulars | CLAT | LSAT—India | |
Mode of Exam | Offline | Online - remote proctored mode | |
Duration | 2 hours | 2 hours 20 minutes | |
Language | English | English | |
Type of Questions | Objective Type Questions | Objective Type of Questions | |
Number of Questions | 120 questions | 92 questions (approximate) | |
Total Marks | 120 | Candidates would be marked on a score between 420 and 480 | |
Negative Marking | 0.25 for every wrong answer | No negative marking | |
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There are some major differences between CLAT and LSAT in terms of their syllabus. While the focus of both the CLAT syllabus and LSAT syllabus is on testing the reading and critical thinking ability of candidates, the exams vary in terms of the sections and the content of their syllabus. Given below is the syllabus of both the law entrance exams.
CLAT UG Syllabus
Sections | No. of Questions | Total Time |
English | 22-26 | 120 Minutes |
Current Affairs including GK | 28-32 | |
Legal Reasoning | 28-32 | |
Logical Reasoning | 22-26 | |
Quantitative Techniques | 10-14 |
CLAT PG Syllabus
Sections | Number of Questions | Time |
| 120 | 120 minutes |
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 |
LSAT—India Syllabus
Sections | Number of Questions (Approximate) | Time Allotted |
Analytical Reasoning | 23 | 35 minutes |
Logical Reasoning (1) | 22 | 35 minutes |
Logical Reasoning (2) | 23 | 35 minutes |
Reading Comprehension | 24 | 35 minutes |
CLAT is considered to be one of the lengthiest law entrance exams and close to 70000 candidates appear for it every year. 120 questions to be completed in 120 minutes, candidates get approximately 1 minute per question. Some of the NLUs such as NLSIU Bengaluru and NALSAR Hyderabad are ranked among the top 5 law schools in NIRF law rankings 2023 issued by the Ministry of Education.
LSAT—India on the other hand is conducted by Pearson Vue which is well-known globally for administering exams. LSAT—India also has some big names from private law schools as its participating institutes. With approximately 92 questions to be completed in 120 minutes, candidates get more time per question when compared to CLAT. There is no negative marking as well.
So, In the CLAT vs LSAT—India debate over the difficulty level it can be said that LSAT—India is relatively easier than the Common Law Admission Test.
Also Read: Top Law Entrance Exam - CLAT, AILET, AP LAWCET, TS LAWCET, MH CET Law
To understand the level of competition in the LSAT—India vs CLAT, one has to see the number of candidates appearing for the exam and the number of seats on offer. Around 70000 candidates write the CLAT exam every year. There are approximately 3300 seats for 5 year LLB and close to 1300 seats for LLM.
On the other hand, close to 10000 candidates appear for the LSAT—India exam and about 5000 seats are on offer for 5 year LLB, 3 year LLB and LLM.
The difference between LSAT—India and CLAT in terms of the level of competition looks quite significant with more competition present in CLAT.
While there are many differences between LSAT—India and CLAT, both exams also have a few similarities and converging points. Overlaps in the syllabus of the exams will also ease the pressure on the candidates to prepare for these exams.
Both CLAT and LSAT India contain questions where the candidates have to read a piece of text or passage and answer questions based on the passage.
Both exams try to assess the candidate’s complex reading ability and logical and reasoning skills as these skills are deemed very necessary in the legal profession.
The emphasis on reading and reasoning is also evident by the lower weightage assigned to Mathematics in the CLAT and the absence of such a section in the LSAT—India.
As can be seen above, a lot of differences exist between the two popular law entrance exams. To answer the question of LSAT—India or CLAT is best? one has to look at the colleges that one can get into after clearing the exams and also look at the future prospects after completing legal studies from a particular institute. The perceptions about a particular institute may differ among the candidates leading to varied perceptions about which one is the better exam.
However, candidates would do well to appear for both exams. This will greatly increase the pool of colleges available to the candidates. Certain similarities in the syllabus of both exams exist as outlined above. This will help candidates prepare for both exams at the same time.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
CLAT is undoubtedly one of the biggest law entrance exams in India. Compared with LSAT, CLAT is more widely accepted.
There are differences between LSAT—India and CLAT in terms of syllabus, exam pattern and participating colleges. However, they also converge on certain points. Both the exams are a test of the candidate's comprehension and reasoning ability.
There are 23 NLUs that are participating in the CLAT 2024 with the exceptions being NLU Delhi and NLU Meghalaya that have their own exams.
There are 65 private colleges participating in CLAT 2024.
The LSAT—India is administered by Pearson Vue
At present there are 17 participating colleges for LSAT—India
As of now, there are around 12 law colleges associated with LSAT India.
On Question asked by student community
Since you scored 8000 AIR in CLAT, getting into top NLUs may not be possible, so it is a good idea to look for affordable and good law colleges.
State government law colleges are usually low in fees, and have decent reputation. Some options include Government Law College, Mumbai, Faculty
Yes you can get addmission into UPES dehradun with the clat rank of 8037
Through the below college predictor you will get the list of best collges based on your rank:
CLAT College Predictor 2026 (Free) - https://law.careers360.com/clat-college-predictor
Hope it helps
With 67 marks in and SC rank 415 in CLAT, you have a very good chance of getting admission in CNLU Patna BA LLB. The SC category cut-off at Patna NLU are usually much lower than the general category, so your rank is well within the likely range. Final admission
HELLO,
For CLAT 2026 counselling , the only official registration window announced by the Consortium of NLUs was from 17 Dec 2025 to 27 Dec 2025 that was last date to register and pay the fee. There are no additional or alternate registration dates released for 2026 beyond this window.
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
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