CLAT 2026 Exam Pattern: The Consortium of National Law Universities (NLU) will prescribe the CLAT 2026 exam pattern for UG and PG programmes on its official website - consortiumofnlus.ac.in. Candidates must be thoroughly aware of the CLAT paper pattern 2026. The CLAT exam pattern 2026 will provide important details about the exam such as the type of questions, total number of questions, CLAT exam marks distribution, mode of exam, duration etc. In the CLAT paper pattern 2026, there will be a total of 120 multiple-choice questions spread over five sections. The CLAT subjects weightage will not spread uniformly across the five sections. The CLAT PG exam comprises 120 objective-type questions. Until the authority announces any changes in the CLAT 2026 pattern it will remain consistent with the previous year's CLAT format.
CLAT 2026: Practice Questions - Maths | English | Logical Reasoning | Legal Reasoning
CLAT 2026: Best Books for CLAT Preparation | 10 Free Mock Tests | Syllabus
Suggest: CLAT 2025 College Predictor
CLAT 2025: Expected Cut Off & Past Trends | Marks vs Rank
The Common Law Admission Test is conducted for admissions at 24 participating NLUs and 60+ affiliated law schools into the 5-year LLB programme. CLAT 2026 will be conducted in the first week of December 2025 in offline mode, pen and paper-based mode. Read the complete article to get complete details of the exam pattern of CLAT 2026, CLAT section wise marks, CLAT exam format, and other important details.
Here are some important points related to the CLAT paper pattern:
The CLAT 2026 exam will evaluate the comprehension and reading skills of the candidates.
The exam is designed not to check a candidate’s prior knowledge of law, instead, it is a test of aptitude and skills that are required for legal education.
There are a total of five subjects in CLAT 2026 - English Language, General Knowledge & Current Affairs, including General Knowledge, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Techniques.
The duration of the CLAT 2026 exam will be two hours.
The exam will comprise passage-based questions.
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| Category | Details |
|---|---|
Time duration | 2 hours |
Mode | Offline mode (pen paper-based mode) |
Conducting Body | Consortium of National Law Universities (CNLU) |
Type of questions | Objective-type questions |
Number of questions | CLAT UG - 120 questions CLAT PG - 120 questions |
Total marks in CLAT | 120 marks (Both CLAT UG and CLAT PG) |
CLAT UG marking scheme | Correct answer - 1 mark Incorrect answer - 0.25 marks deduction Un-attempted questions - No negative marking |
Language | English |
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The CLAT section-wise marks will vary as per the weightage of subjects in the exam. The current affairs and legal reasoning section carries the maximum weight in the CLAT paper pattern. Candidates are given two hours to complete the CLAT 2026 exam. As per the CLAT 2026 pattern, all the questions in the entrance exam will be objective-type questions. The section-wise CLAT weightage is given below.
Section | Numbers of Questions | CLAT section-wise Marks | Weightage |
|---|---|---|---|
English Language | 22-26 | 22-26 | 20% |
Current Affairs including General Knowledge | 28-32 | 28-32 | 25% |
28-32 | 28-32 | 25% | |
22-26 | 22-26 | 20% | |
Quantitative Techniques | 10-14 | 10-14 | 10% |
Total | 120 | 120 | 100% |
Check topic-wise CLAT Syllabus:
As per the CLAT marks distribution, each question in CLAT 2026 will carry one mark each. There is also a provision of a negative marking of 0.25 marks for each incorrect response. The maximum mark in CLAT 2026 is 120. No marks will be deducted for unanswered questions.
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
Correct response | 1 mark |
Incorrect response | -0.25 mark |
Unanswered question | 0 mark |
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Along with the exam pattern, candidates must be well-versed in the syllabus of CLAT UG 2026. The syllabus of CLAT 2026 will comprise important topics and subjects that will be covered in the exam. The detailed CLAT 2026 syllabus are mentioned in the table below:
| Subjects | Topics |
|---|---|
English Language | Grammatical errors and sentence correction, Synonyms & Antonyms, Tenses, Fill in the Blanks, Active & Passive Voice |
Current Affairs, including General Knowledge | National & international events, Govt. schemes, Science & Technology, Sports, Awards & honors, Arts & Culture, Historical events of current relevant |
Legal Reasoning | Indian Constitution - Fundamental Rights, Duties, Judiciary, Parliament, Directive Principles of State Policy, Local governments, Significant amendments and provisions, Landmark judgments, Current legal affairs, Law of Torts, Laws of Contract, IPR Law, Family Laws |
Logical Reasoning | Analogies, Series, logical sequences and matching, Seating arrangement, Syllogisms, Blood relations |
Quantitative Techniques | Ratios and proportions, Basic algebra, Mensuration, Statistical estimation, Algebra |
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Candidates can check the CLAT paper pattern for each section below:
CLAT English Language: This English section of CLAT 2026 comprises 22 to 26 questions and it is given a weight of 20% in the exam. The CLAT English Language section will comprise passages of around 450 words derived from historically significant non-fiction and fiction writing. The difficulty level of this section is as per class 12. According to students who appeared for the previous sessions of the exam, this section of CLAT is usually easy but tricky.
CLAT Current Affairs including General Knowledge: The GK and current affairs section of the exam contains a total of 28 to 32 questions and it is given 25% weightage in the entrance test. The CLAT Current Affairs including General Knowledge section also comprises passage-based questions on current affairs. The questions are asked about topics like static general knowledge, national and international news, and other related topics. According to past year candidates, this section is the easiest section of the CLAT exam.
CLAT Quantitative Techniques: The maths section carries the minimum weight in the CLAT exam. There are a total of 10-14 questions in CLAT Quantitative Techniques section of CLAT. The questions in this section are based on elementary mathematics from topics like ratio and proportions, basic algebra, mensuration, and statistical estimation.
CLAT Legal Reasoning: The CLAT Legal Reasoning section of CLAT 2026 will consist of 28 to 32 questions. The questions will comprise 450-word passages on topics such as public policy-making, legal matters, or moral philosophical inquiries. As per the previous year's analysis, this section was easy and the passages were short.
CLAT Logical Reasoning: This section has a total of 22 to 26 questions and carries 20% weightage in the exam. The CLAT Logical Reasoning section will also comprise 450-word passages followed by multiple-choice questions based on the passage. Questions in this section are of easy to moderate difficulty level.
Here are some preparation tips to ace the CLAT exam:
Aspirants must consider various factors such as the experience and credentials of the author, the reputation of the publication, price, syllabus, and the inclusion of enough practice questions and sample papers. Given below are books for each section of the CLAT 2026 exam pattern. The list is not exhaustive and candidates can research for the books based on the parameters listed above.
Subject | Author |
|---|---|
General Awareness, Current affairs |
|
Logical Reasoning |
|
| Legal Reasoning | Legal Aptitude for CLAT and other Law Exams: Workbook by A. P Bhardwaj. Legal news websites such as Live Law and Bar & Bench |
English |
|
| Quantitative Techniques | Class 10 NCERT textbook Quantitative Aptitude by RS Aggarwal |
Previous Year Papers | Previous Year Papers by A.P. Bhardwaj |
Additional Resources | Newspaper - The Hindu or The Indian Express, legal journals, articles, editorials, explanations |
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A total of 120 questions will be asked in the CLAT UG exam.
The duration of CLAT 2026 will be two hours.
According to the CLAT exam pattern 2026, the exam will be conducted offline through pen and paper based test mode. CLAT 2026 will have objective-type questions based on passages.
CLAT will be conducted in offline mode.
Candidates can obtain maximum 120 marks in the CLAT exam.
CLAT 2026 will be conducted for UG and PG programmes. The CLAT UG exam will be conducted for admissions to five-year integrated law programmes at NLUs, while CLAT PG exam will be conducted for admission to LLM courses.
Yes, CLAT exam has negative marking of 0.25 mark for every wrong answer.
Multiple Choice based questions are asked in the CLAT exam in each section.
Yes, candidates can attempt the CLAT exam again if have failed to do so in the previous attempt.
The most difficult section of CLAT 2025 is considered to be the "Legal Reasoning" section.
Hello ,
As per your mentioned query, you will be glad to know that yes you are eligible for giving CLAT exam , if you haven't maths in your class 11th. As per the eligibility criteria , student must passed their class 12th from any recognised board from any stream having the minimum percentage of 45% .
To know more , refer this :
https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-eligibility-criteria
All the best !!
Hi aspirant,
Securing a seat with a rank of 8290 in CLAT 2025 may be difficult, but not impossible, given the cutoff trends from the previous year and the fact that IP University (Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University) takes into account CLAT scores for admission to its BA LLB program. This is especially true if you are a candidate from Delhi.
According to the 2024 cutoff data, some colleges connected with IP University had closing ranks for the BA LLB program that exceeded 8,000 in subsequent rounds, especially for the Delhi area.
To find out the precise requirements for admission and the list of linked universities that accept CLAT scores, it is best to consult the official IP University admission pamphlet for 2025. Additionally, after every counseling session, monitor the cutoff lists that IP University releases.
All the best!
Hello,
Yes, you can take part in CLAT counselling even if you passed through a supplementary exam. But make sure you have your final passing marksheet or result before the admission process starts.
Most colleges will ask for proof that you have passed your Class 12 before giving final admission. So, if your result comes out in time, you won’t face any problem.
Hope it helps !
The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is a national-level entrance exam for law programs in India. As a Class 12 student, you're eligible to take the exam if you meet the minimum percentage requirements: 45% for general category and 40% for SC/ST.
Exam Pattern:
- Mode: Offline (pen-and-paper test)
- Duration: 2 hours
- Questions:120 multiple-choice questions
- Subjects: English Language, Current Affairs & GK, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques
- Marking Scheme: 1 mark for correct answers, -0.25 marks for incorrect answers
Subjects and Weightage:
- English Language (20%):Comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, and verbal reasoning
- Current Affairs & GK (25%): Awareness of current events and general knowledge
- Legal Reasoning (25%): Understanding legal principles and rules
- Logical Reasoning (20%): Logical and analytical reasoning skills
- Quantitative Techniques (10%): Mathematical operations and problem-solving
Preparation Tips:
- Start early to cover all topics thoroughly
- Practice regularly with mock tests to familiarize yourself with the exam format and timing
- Utilize resources like CLAT study materials and online platforms for structured preparation
- Join study groups to share knowledge and stay updated
Coaching and Study Materials:
- Consider joining CLAT coaching after your 12th board exams, unless you're a self-study expert
- Use recommended study materials like "Word Power Made Easy" by Norman Lewis for English, "Lucent's General Knowledge" for GK, and "Manorama Yearbook" for current affairs
*Eligibility and Application:*
- Check the official CLAT website for application deadlines and process
- Ensure you meet the minimum percentage requirements and have a valid ID proof
and passport-sized photographs.
For more information CLAT 202 6
Hello,
In Vijayawada, several institutes offer CLAT coaching alongside intermediate studies. Here are some options:
1. Sri Chaitanya IAS Academy
2. Abhyaas LawPrep
3. T.I.M.E. Institute
4. Career Launcher
5. IMS Victory Academy
Hope it helps !
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