CLAT Application Date:01 Aug' 25 - 31 Oct' 25
Are you preparing for CLAT 2026? The Common Law Admission Test CLAT 2026 examination will be conducted in December 2025. Achieving success in the CLAT entails passing the entrance exam and getting accepted into National Law Universities (NLUs) which are among the best-ranked universities. However, since NLUs only have a small number of seats available, the entrance exam becomes very competitive. To succeed in CLAT 2026, applicants must follow a well-thought-out preparation approach. The CLAT test assesses legal reasoning, critical thinking, fast reading comprehension, and basic quantitative abilities. Candidates must spend at least seven to eight months preparing for the CLAT.
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Examination Full form | |
Conducting Body | Consortium of NLU |
Examination Date | December (Date yet to be notified) |
Exam Duration | 2 hours |
No. of question | 120 |
Total no. of marks | 120 |
Marking Scheme | Correct answer: 1 Mark Negative marking: 0.25 |
Prior knowledge of the law is not required from an aspirant for the examination. The examination tests if the aspirant possesses critical thinking, logical thinking, and problem-solving skills. The CLAT 2026 syllabus will consist of five subjects from which the questions will be asked in the examination. The five subjects are English, current affairs and general knowledge, legal reasoning, logical reasoning, and quantitative aptitude. Let us discuss in detail the syllabus and strategy of each section separately.
No. of questions asked | 22-26 |
Section weightage | 20% |
Type of Questions Asked | Reading comprehension passages of around 450 words are given. The type of questions asked from the passages are:
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Skills required |
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A lot of coaching materials and books are available in the market. The most recommended books for this section are as mentioned below.
Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
General English by RS Aggarwal
30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary by Norman Lewis
Verbal and Non-verbal Reasoning by RS Aggarwal
Study Package for CLAT & LLB by McGraw Hill
CLAT English will test the reading and comprehension skills of the candidate. Let us discuss some tips that can help in the preparation.
Read books and novels regularly. It helps in enhancing the reading speed and vocabulary.
Read newspapers, articles, and editorials daily as a majority of passages are taken from newspapers. After reading the articles, try to conclude it.
Make notes and maintain a vocabulary notebook.
Regular revision of notes helps in retaining what the candidate has learned before.
Practice of mocks and reading comprehension.
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No. of questions asked | 28-32 |
Section weightage | 25% |
Type of Questions Asked | Five to seven passages will be given in the form of a reading comprehension consisting of 400 to 450 words.
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Skills required |
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Selecting books for entrance exam preparation is tough. Especially when there are a lot of options available. Here are the book recommendations that can be helpful to the candidate:
Newspapers - preferably The Hindu and Times of India.
General Knowledge by Lucent Publication
Pratiyogita Darpan
IAS Current Affairs magazines
Manorama Yearbook by Manorama
The CLAT current affairs section which also includes general knowledge carries good marks weightage in the examination. The candidate needs to have a good approach for this section. Some of the tips to prepare CLAT current affairs as mentioned below.
Watch the news and read newspapers, especially editorials. Be in touch with news and latest events.
For the CLAT general knowledge portion, make notes of important historical events and dates.
Learn international institutions, their headquarters, date of establishment, etc.
Aspirants should revise their notes regularly.
The current affairs magazines are provided by various coachings.
No. of questions asked | 28-32 |
Section weightage | 25% |
Type of Questions Asked | A passage of approximately 400 to 450 words is given. The candidate has to answer the questions asked from the passages. The types of questions asked are:
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Skills required |
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You may also check -
Aspirants sometimes become confused about the source to consult for this portion. Let us look at a few significant books available on the market that students might utilise for their preparation.
Objective Legal Aptitude by RS Aggarwal
Legal Awareness and Legal Reasoning by Pearson
The Pearson Guide to the CLAT by Harsh Gagrani
Bare Act of India
The CLAT legal reasoning section does not require legal knowledge. This section acquires a weightage of 25% which makes it an important portion. Let’s look at some strategy tips that candidates can use to approach this section.
Develop familiarity with the basic legal terminologies.
Make notes of popular Supreme Court verdicts, acts, and laws.
Practice a lot of mocks and sample papers.
Analyse CLAT past year papers to see the pattern and most asked areas.
No. of questions asked | 22-26 |
Section weightage | 20% |
Type of Questions asked | Logical reasoning section contains two to three passages, from which questions are asked. Some examples of the questions are:
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Skills required |
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The logical reasoning section needs a good objective questions book from which candidates can practice daily. The list of recommended books for CLAT logical reasoning is mentioned below.
Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal
Logical Reasoning by Arun Sharma
Analytical and Logical Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal
A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning by RS Aggarwal
Candidates find the logical reasoning portion a little tough. But at the same time, it can be scoring too. Let’s discuss what candidates should do to ensure good marks.
The correct approach to securing good marks in logical reasoning is to analyze the past year's papers and check the pattern of questions asked.
Solve as many sectional tests as possible.
After solving sets and mocks, analyze the weak points, and work on them.
No. of questions asked | 10-14 |
Section weightage | 10% |
Type of Questions Asked | The pattern of questions asked in this section is the same as in the other sections. Passages are given, which contain data. The candidates are expected to answer the questions by analyzing the data and information given in the passage. Topics from which the questions are asked are as follows
(Other 10th level maths question) |
Skills required |
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A lot of students find this section a little challenging. But with practice, a candidate's quantitative aptitude can improve. Below are a few materials and books that students can use for preparing the quantitative section.
10th standard Maths NCERT
Data interpretation by R.S Aggarwal
Quantitative Aptitude by R.S Aggarwal
Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by Pearson's
The CLAT quantitative section has the least weightage as compared to the other sections. However, it can be scored as the questions asked in the examination are of the 10th standard level. Now let’s look at the strategy that can help aspirants.
Read the syllabus carefully and analyze previous year’s papers to understand the pattern. By analyzing the paper, the candidate will also be able to understand the micro topics that are asked from the quantitative sections.
Start with basics and practice from 10th standard NCERT.
Make notes of formulas and revise them regularly.
Take as many CLAT mock papers and sectional tests as possible.
As we have mentioned before, the preparation takes around seven to eight months. Apart from the subject-wise approach and strategy, there are several things a candidate can do to ensure success in CLAT 2026.
The candidates should check the CLAT eligibility criteria before starting the preparation.
An aspirant should understand and learn the syllabus. It guides the candidates about the structure and pattern of the exam.
The candidates should follow standard books for CLAT preparation. These books should be concise, easy to understand and based on the updated CLAT syllabus.
Making a timetable for the CLAT exam would help the candidates organize their preparation and prepare in a targeted manner. On average the candidate is expected to give seven to eight hours daily.
Start with the basics of the subjects given in the syllabus. Building a strong foundation helps in understanding the subjects.
Complete the whole syllabus at least one month before the exam. Once the majority of topics are covered, candidates should start taking CLAT mocks.
Practice makes a man perfect. Therefore, the candidate should solve a lot of CLAT mock papers. Simultaneously, candidates should also solve the previous year's CLAT papers to understand the difficulty level of the exam and important topics that feature regularly in the question papers.
Time management is one of the most important aspects of CLAT preparation. Students often find it difficult to complete the CLAT exam within two hours. Therefore, one must master time and stress management. It will help the candidate on the main examination day.
Also check - How to Prepare for CLAT in 6 Months
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The five sections in CLAT 2026 are English language, current affairs that includes general knowledge, legal reasoning, logical reasoning, and qualitative techniques.
Candidates can crack CLAT 2026 with proper strategy, hard work, dedication and planning. They need to follow the success tricks discussed in this article to crack CLAT 2024.
Candidates with a proper preparation strategy can crack CLAT 2026 within 5-6 months.
Yes, candidates by solving CLAT mock tests can understand the exam pattern as well as their weak points.
On Question asked by student community
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
BEST REGARDS
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!!
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.
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