CLAT vs LSAT India - Difference, Colleges, Syllabus, Difficulty level

CLAT vs LSAT India - Difference, Colleges, Syllabus, Difficulty level

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CLAT Application Date:01 Aug' 25 - 31 Oct' 25

Sumeet SudarshanUpdated on 22 Aug 2023, 06:21 PM IST

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.

This Story also Contains

  1. LSAT—India Vs CLAT Comparison Overview
  2. CLAT Vs LSAT—India - Nature of Exam, Participating Colleges and Courses
  3. LSAT—India Vs CLAT - Exam Pattern
  4. LSAT—India Vs CLAT Syllabus
  5. What is More Difficult CLAT or LSAT—India
  6. CLAT Vs LSAT—India - Level of Competition
  7. LSAT—India Vs CLAT - Convergence and Similarities
  8. Which is Better? CLAT or LSAT—India
CLAT vs LSAT India - Difference, Colleges, Syllabus, Difficulty level
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LSAT—India Vs CLAT Comparison Overview

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

17 private law colleges

24 National Law Universities and 65 participating colleges

Law programmes offered

5 year LLB, 3 year LLB, LLM

5 year LLB, LLM

CLAT Vs LSAT—India - Nature of Exam, Participating Colleges and Courses

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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LSAT—India Vs CLAT - Exam Pattern

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

You may also check -

CLAT Sample Paper 2026 with Answer Key- Careers360
Download the CLAT Sample Paper 2026 PDF featuring the latest exam pattern with descriptive-type questions for effective preparation.
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LSAT—India Vs CLAT Syllabus

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

  1. Constitutional Law

120

120 minutes

  1. Other areas:

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

What is More Difficult CLAT or LSAT—India

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

CLAT Vs LSAT—India - Level of Competition

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.

LSAT—India Vs CLAT - Convergence and Similarities

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.

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Which is Better? CLAT or 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.

Also check -

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Is LSAT better than CLAT?
A:

CLAT is undoubtedly one of the biggest law entrance  exams in India. Compared  with LSAT, CLAT is more widely accepted.

Q: Is LSAT and CLAT similar?
A:

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.

Q: How many NLUs are participating in CLAT 2024?
A:

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.

Q: How many private colleges are participating in CLAT 2024?
A:

There are 65 private colleges participating in CLAT 2024.

Q: Who administers the LSAT—India exam?
A:

The LSAT—India is administered by Pearson Vue

Q: How many participating colleges are there for LSAT—India?
A:

At present there are 17 participating colleges for LSAT—India

Q: How many colleges participate in LSAT India?
A:

As of now, there are around 12 law colleges associated with LSAT India. 

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Questions related to CLAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CLAT ?

Hello Mujahideen

Around 75,000 - 80,000 students have registered for CLAT examination this year. There are approximately 3,700 seat available in all NLUs through CLAT 2025.

In NLSIU Bengaluru, total 300 UG seats are available while in TNNLU Trichy, 180 are available.

Hope this answer helps! Thank You!!!

Hello,

If you want to prepare for the CLAT 2026 LLM exam. You should first understand the CLAT PG exam's syllabus, exam pattern, and weightage of sections like constitutional law and jurisprudence. Also, after that, create a structured study plan with good time management, and focus on your weak areas to improve yourself for the exam. You can also prepare with PYQ and mock tests.

I hope it will clear your query!!

Yes, the School of Excellence in Law (SOEL) accepts CLAT scores for admissions, and there are cutoffs for different categories. SOEL, part of TNDALU, offers BA LLB (Hons), BBA LLB (Hons), and BCA LLB (Hons) programs. The cutoffs vary based on the category and program.

For the OC category, the cutoff for BA LLB/BBA LLB was 97.750, and for BCA LLB, it was 96.5.

The cutoff can fluctuate based on the number of applicants, the difficulty of the exam, and the number of seats available

Hello

Yes, scholarships are available for CLAT merit holders. Many law schools, including some top institutions, offer financial assistance based on CLAT scores. For example, National Law Universities (NLUs) often offer merit-cum-means scholarships to students who excel in the exam. Additionally, some private organizations and law firms also offer scholarships to top CLAT scorers. The amount and criteria for these scholarships vary, but they usually cover tuition fees or provide financial support for study materials and other expenses.

Hello,

Here is the link where you can access Free Mock tests : CLAT Mock Test 2026

Hope it helps !