What is a Good Score in CLAT 2026?: Expected Good Score in Top NLUs

What is a good score in CLAT under the new pattern?

The total number of questions in CLAT has dropped from 150 to 120. This change has significantly altered the estimates of what constitutes a good CLAT score. The revised CLAT pattern will have implications for overall CLAT cut-offs 2026 as well. Earlier, a score of 100+ marks (66%) out of 150 was considered enough to clear the CLAT cut-off for the general category. However, under the revised pattern, a good score in CLAT has increased to around 80-85% marks (100 marks out of 120). The good score in CLAT 2026 for other categories has also increased proportionately.

A relatively easy paper indicates that a good score in CLAT will be 90+ marks to get into the top 10 NLUs. Tier-2 and tier-3 NLUs have slightly lower cut-offs than the top ones. Still, the difference in cut-off marks among the top NLUs is not as wide as it appears when we look at the earlier cut-offs in terms of rank. This is due to the intense competition among applicants.

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Category Wise Analysis of Good Score in CLAT 2026

The analysis of the category-wise data available for previous CLAT results indicates that the good score in CLAT has risen considerably across all categories. A good score for a general candidate is in the range of 90-100+ marks. A good CLAT score for an EWS candidate is in the range of 85-95+ marks. The CLAT cut-off marks further decrease for other categories. For candidates under state reservation category, a good score in CLAT 2026 will be considerably lower than the score required for all other categories that do not come under state reservation or domicile reservation. A good score in CLAT 2026 for an OBC candidate will be 80-90+ marks. On the other hand, SC and ST candidates can secure a seat in top NLUs with a CLAT 2026 score of 75-85 marks without domicile reservation.

Category Wise Expected Good Score in CLAT 2026 in Top NLUs

*state category reservation

Category-wise Expected CLAT Cut-Off 2026 Rank in Top NLUs

*state category reservation

CLAT 2026 College Predictor

Candidates can also make use of the CLAT 2026 college predictor developed by Careers360 to know whether they have a good score in CLAT 2026 for admission into various NLUs. This free tool provides the candidates with a list of NLUs in which they have a strong chance of admission by taking inputs such as the candidate's overall rank, state, seat type, and category. The direct link to the college predictor is given below.

Careers360's College Predictor

What is a Good Attempt in CLAT 2026?

A good attempt in CLAT 2026 will be anywhere between 105-110 questions assuming there is not too much guesswork and loss of marks on account of negative marking. With an attempt of 105-110 questions and good accuracy, candidates can expect to score around 98-100 marks which is enough for admission in the top 3 NLUs.

Good Score in CLAT PG 2026

A good score in CLAT LLM 2026 is expected to be far less than what is required for CLAT UG. As per last year trends, a good score in CLAT PG 2026 is 71+ marks for admission into top NLUs. The CLAT PG vs rank analysis shows that with a score of 71+, a candidate can obtain a CLAT rank of 100 or higher. The CLAT LLM cut-off trends indicate that a rank of 100 in CLAT PG is good for admission into elite NLUs such as NLSIU Bengaluru and NALSAR Hyderabad.

CLAT 2026 Exam Analysis

Analysis of the CLAT question paper suggests that a good score in CLAT is around 100 marks for top NLUs such as NLSIU Bengaluru and NALSAR Hyderabad. The exam was as easy as it was last year. The cut-off rank is not expected to change as the NLU preferences of candidates continue to be the same, with NLSIU Bengaluru being the top choice.

CLAT 2026 Section-Wise Difficulty Level

NLUs with Low scores/Rank in CLAT 2026

The lower-ranked and new NLUs such as DBRANLU Sonipat have offered admission to students securing 46-48% marks in the past. However, due an easy paper in the revised pattern, a low score in CLAT, such as less than 50% may not be sufficient. For top NLUs, there has been a 15 percentage point increase in the expected good score which is now 90-100 marks. For lower-ranked NLUs, a score of 65-70% should be enough, i.e. a score of 75-80 marks. It is also a matter of the candidate's personal choice in whether to opt for admission to a lower-ranked NLU or look elsewhere.

What to Do in Case of Low Score in CLAT 2026?

If candidates have a low score in CLAT 2026, they can check the list of colleges for admission with low CLAT scores. Such candidates can also appear for other law entrance exams, where one can get admission into top-ranked law schools like NLU Delhi through AILET, or ILS Pune and GLC Mumbai through MH CET Law. There are many colleges other than NLUs that have better placement records, alumni base, infrastructure, etc. So, there is no dearth of options for candidates who do not have a good score in CLAT. The table below provides last year’s general category cut-offs for top-ranked NLUs in India.

Top NLU Cut Off Ranks 2025

Top NLU Cut Off Ranks 2024

Key takeaways from previous year CLAT cut-offs - Top Four NLUs

Let's look at some key insights and takeaways obtained by analysing CLAT 2025 scores for the top four NLUs.

NLSIU Bengaluru

NLSIU Bengaluru always remains the most preferred NLU among the students. Last year, the closing rank was 112 for the general category after three rounds. The institute has increased seats in the last two years, so cut-offs have gone up accordingly.

The NLSIU Bengaluru cut-off mark which used to be around 68-70% (103-104 marks) earlier has increased marginally. Under the new pattern, students should still try to score around 80% (100+ marks) or above to secure admission to this university. In case of a reserved category, even 4000 will be a good rank to obtain admission because of lower CLAT cut-off marks. The table below describes the cut-off rank for each category.

NLSIU Bengaluru CLAT Cut Off Rank 2025

NLSIU Bengaluru CLAT Cut Off Rank 2024

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NALSAR Hyderabad

The second most sought-after university among NLUs, the NALSAR Hyderabad BA LLB cut-off rank was 159 last year. The admission list shows that most of the top-ranked candidates who do not get NLSIU Bengaluru apply for NALSAR Hyderabad.

NALSAR Hyderabad BA LLB Cut Offs 2025

NALSAR Hyderabad BA LLB Cut Offs 2024

WBNUJS Kolkata

The third-best CLAT NLU, WBNUJS Kolkata is similar to NALSAR Hyderabad in terms of campus placement. Most students put WBNUJS in the third position while giving NLU preference. Last year, WBNUJS Kolkata's closing rank for the general category was 327

WBNUJS Kolkata BA LLB Cut Offs 2025

WBNUJS Kolkata BA LLB Cut Offs 2024

NLU Jodhpur

The general category CLAT cut-off rank for NLU Jodhpur was 367 last year. This means a good competitive pool of candidates went to NLU Jodhpur too.

NLU Jodhpur BA LLB Cut offs 2025

NLU Jodhpur BA LLB Cut offs 2024

Order of Preference

The rank list for the top 4 NLUs suggests that students have preferred the NLUs in the following order - NLSIU Bengaluru, NALSAR Hyderabad, WBNUJS Kolkata and NLU Jodhpur.

MNLU Mumbai

Interestingly, MNLU Mumbai which is new (establishment year - 2014) compared to top-ranked NLUs is also among the student’s preferred list. The general category closing rank for MNLU Mumbai comes within the 600 rank. However, one should also notice that MNLU Mumbai has 63% of seats reserved for Maharashtra-domiciled candidates. This is also a reason why only a few candidates under the open category get admission to this university and thus cut-offs are so competitive.

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