Official CLAT 2026 Sample Papers Released!

Official CLAT 2026 Sample Papers Released!

Isha GargUpdated on 27 Nov 2025, 04:15 PM IST

Sample papers play a vital role in CLAT preparation. They closely simulate the actual CLAT exam’s pattern, question types, and difficulty. This helps aspirants become familiar with the format. Every year, the Consortium of NLUs releases official sample papers to assist candidates. For CLAT 2026, the first official sample paper has been released on the CNLU’s website on November 27, 2025. This sample paper release provides candidates with the first official look at the types and styles of questions for the upcoming CLAT exam. The sample papers' release sometimes faces delays, as seen in previous years, but they remain a key resource for preparation.

Official CLAT 2026 Sample Papers Released!
Official CLAT 2026 Sample Papers Released

How to Access the CLAT Official Sample Paper

To prepare effectively, aspirants should download and practice the official CLAT sample paper. Follow these simple steps to get the official sample paper:

  • Visit the official CLAT 2026 website at consortiumofnlus.ac.in/clat-2026

  • Look for the section titled ‘Question Format’ or ‘Sample Papers’

  • Click the link to download the PDF file of the official sample paper. No login or payment is required

  • Save the PDF to your device and print it for easier practice

CLAT Exam Pattern and Structure 2026

The syllabus of CLAT features 120 multiple-choice questions across five sections. Each question carries one mark, with a negative marking of 0.25 marks for incorrect answers. The total exam duration of CLAT 2026 is 2 hours. All questions follow a passage-based format to test candidates’ comprehension and analytical skills.

CLAT 2026 Exam Pattern: Section-wise Overview

Section

Number of questions

Weightage

Key topics

English language

22-26

20%

Reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, inferences, tone, main ideas, synonyms/antonyms, literary devices, para jumbles

Current affairs including general knowledge

28-32

25%

Contemporary issues, politics, economy, international relations, history, art & culture, awards, sports, constitution, static GK

Legal reasoning

28-32

25%

Legal principles & cases, constitutional law, jurisprudence, administrative law, fundamental rights, landmark judgments

Logical reasoning

22-26

20%

Analytical reasoning, critical reasoning, puzzles, syllogisms, blood relations, seating arrangements, assumptions, inferences, cause-and-effect

Quantitative techniques

10-14

10%

Basic math and data usage, arithmetic, algebra, geometry, data interpretation, graphs, percentages, ratios and proportions, mensuration

Total

120

100%


Benefits of Solving CLAT Official Sample Papers

Effective preparation for CLAT requires a planned strategy. Here are some practical preparation tips for solving CLAT sample papers:

  • Familiarity with exam pattern: Sample papers closely simulate the exam format, helping aspirants get used to the question types, exam structure, and marking scheme.

  • Understanding difficult level: Sample papers provide a realistic measure of the exam’s difficulty, enabling candidates to adjust their preparation accordingly.

  • Time management practice: Solving full-length sample papers under exact timed conditions teaches students to allocate minutes per question efficiently.

  • Improvement of accuracy and speed: Repeated practice helps build quick and precise answering skills and reduces careless mistakes.

  • Identification of strengths and weaknesses: By analysing results, students can identify topics or sections that need more focus.

  • Stress reduction and confidence building: Simulating exam conditions through sample papers increases comfort and reduces anxiety on the actual exam day.

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Questions related to CLAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CLAT ?

Hello,

Based on previous year CLAT cutoff trends , your chances for NLSIU Bangalore are very low .

NLSIU Bangalore has the highest cutoff among all NLUs . In recent years, the final closing rank for General category has been around AIR 100–120 only.

You have:

  • General category AIR: 658

  • Women category rank: 313

  • No Karnataka domicile

Women reservation in NLUs is horizontal , not a separate quota. This means it does not add extra seats . It only helps when candidates are very close to the general cutoff. At a rank of 313 , the gap is too large.

Even in spot or final rounds, NLSIU does not go beyond ~120 rank for General category candidates without domicile.

However, with these ranks, you have good chances in other top NLUs like NALSAR Hyderabad, WBNUJS Kolkata, NLU Jodhpur, GNLU Gandhinagar, and NLIU Bhopal, depending on counselling rounds.

You can also use our CLAT College Predictor Tool to predict which colleges you can get based on your score and rank.

Hope it helps !

Good afternoon,

With 86.7 marks and 1906 rank in CLAT 2026, you have a chance to get admission in mid-tier and the newest NLUs. The list of probable NLUs where you can get admission is mentioned below.

1. RMLNLU Lucknow

2. MNLU Mumbai

3. DSNLU Visakhapatnam

4. NLU Odisha

5. CNLU Patna

Thank you.

Hello,

Yes, a student with CLAT 2026 rank around 12,000 can register for counselling.

However, chances of getting a seat in the top NLUs (like NLSIU Bangalore, NALSAR Hyderabad, WBNUJS Kolkata, NLIU Bhopal) are very low, as their closing ranks are usually below 4,000 for the general category.

For mid-tier NLUs (like NLU Jodhpur, HNLU Raipur, GNLU Gandhinagar, RMLNLU Lucknow), closing ranks generally go up to 5,000–8,000, so it will still be difficult.

Lower-tier NLUs (like NLU Odisha, NUALS Kochi, NUSRL Ranchi, NLUJA Assam, DSNLU Vizag, TNNLU, HPNLU Shimla) sometimes admit candidates with ranks in the 10,000–30,000 range , especially in later counselling rounds or if there are vacancies. State quota reservations can also improve chances.

You can also use our CLAT College Predictor Tool to predict which colleges you can get based on your score and rank.

Hope it helps !

Hello,

A CLAT score of 81.25 places you in the moderate range, where admission to top NLUs becomes difficult, but opportunities may still remain in newer and mid-tier NLUs, depending on your category, seat movement, and round wise cutoffs.

https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-2026-college-predictor

Hope you understand.

Hello there first of all congratulations on scoreing so well in your CLAT examination

With general AIR 33490 and clat score nearby 96 or 95 , getting admission in RGNUL Patiala under punjab domicile is POSSIBLE but NOT GUARANTEED