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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.
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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
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
It is always better to take the CLAT exam right after Class 12 if your goal is to build a career in law, because CLAT UG is specifically designed for admission into integrated five-year law programs like BA LLB, BCom LLB, or BBA LLB. Appearing after Class 12 saves you time, as you complete both graduation and law together in a single course. On the other hand, if you first complete graduation and then plan for law, you will not be eligible for CLAT UG but instead for CLAT PG, which is meant for admission into LLM programs. This path takes longer, because you first spend three or four years on graduation and then add another three years in an LLB program if you choose not to go for an integrated course. So, if you are already sure about pursuing law as your career, writing CLAT right after Class 12 is the smarter and time-saving option, while writing it after graduation makes sense only if you are considering higher studies in law or a shift in career later.
For CLAT, the most important topics are from Legal Reasoning, Current Affairs & GK, the Indian Constitution, English Language, Quantitative Techniques and Logical Reasoning. For a brief detail you can go through the following link: https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-important-topics
Thank You.
Hi dear candidate,
Both the colleges Maharaja Agrasen (MAIMS) or Gitarattan (GIBS) are affiliated to IP University and allows admission either by CLAT or IPU CET Law. Without either of these exams, your admission is NOT accepted there. You can try looking for management quota seats in these colleges if you have got good marks in 12th class.
BEST REGARDS
Hi dear candidate,
You can easily register yourself for CLAT exam by visiting the Consortium of NLUs official website and follow these steps:
Know the complete process at:
CLAT Registration 2026 (Started): Documents Required, Application Fee, Link, Steps to Apply
BEST REGARDS
Right now there is no official e-guide for CLAT 2026 released by the Consortium of NLUs. They usually provide sample questions and model papers closer to the exam, but not a complete guide at this stage.
You can still prepare using free study material available online. Many websites provide free downloadable PDFs, mock tests, and previous year papers that will help you understand the pattern and practice important topics.
If you want a structured book, there are two good options. The Oswaal CLAT & AILET guide has past year solved papers, topic-wise questions, and mock tests. The Arihant CLAT Conqueror book has more than 3000 practice questions with solutions. Both are helpful depending on whether you prefer solved papers or more practice questions.
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