NLSAT 2026 Exam - Registration, Exam Date, Syllabus & Pattern, Preparation Tips

Candidates who wish to enrol for the 3 year LLB course at NLSIU Bengaluru must ensure that they meet the eligibility criteria prescribed by the institute. The NLSAT 2026 eligibility criteria will describe the requirements in terms of academic qualifications, minimum passing marks in the qualifying exam, age limit and more. The eligibility criteria for NLSAT 2026 have been described in the table below:

NLSAT-LLB Eligibility Criteria 2026

As mentioned in the above table, the candidate must be a graduate in any discipline to be eligible to apply. The final-year candidates are also eligible to apply provided that they submit their qualifying certificate at the time of admission. Candidates must have obtained a minimum of 45% in aggregate in the qualifying exam if they are from the general category and 40% in case they belong to SC/ST/OBC-NCL/PWD categories.

NLSIU Bengaluru will open the NLSAT application form 2026 in the first week of January 2026. Candidates will have to visit the website and complete the application process. The application fee for NLSAT 2026 is Rs. 2500 for general category candidates and Rs. 2000 for SC/ST/OBC-NCL candidates. The NLSAT-LLB 2026 application process includes steps such as online registration, filling the application form, uploading documents and fee payment. 

Steps to fill NLSAT 2026 application form

• Visit the official website of NLSIU Bengaluru - nls.ac.in

• Open the LLB admission tab

• Click on the application form link

• Register by filling out all the relevant information 

• Fill out the application form by entering details like personal information, educational qualification and communication details

• Upload the required documents and signature

• Review all the details

• Submit the application form and pay the application fee

NLSAT 2026 Application Fee

Candidates will have to pay the stipulated application fee for NLSAT-LLB 2026 in order to complete the registration. General category candidates will be required to pay Rs. 2500 as the NLSAT application fee at the time of registration. The SC/ST/OBC-NCL/PwD/EWS categories will be required to pay Rs. 2000 as the application fee.

NLSIU Bengaluru Reservation and Seat Matrix

The total number of seats available for the 3-year LLB course at NLSIU Bengaluru is 120. The seats are allocated to candidates from different categories as per the reservation policy followed by the institute. The table given below describes the NLSIU Bengaluru reservation policy.

NLSIU Bengaluru 3-year LLB Reservation Policy

Any candidate aspiring to appear for NLSAT-LLB 2026 should necessarily go through the exam pattern. The NLSAT 2026 exam pattern informs aspirants about the type of questions, marking scheme, qualifying marks and negative marking, if any. This will help candidates in chalking out the preparation strategy. Tabulated below is the exam pattern of NLSAT 2026.

NLSAT 2026 Exam Pattern

NLSAT 2026 Syllabus

National Law School of India University, Bengaluru will prescribe the NLSAT syllabus 2026 on the official website - nls.ac.in. The NLSAT 2026 syllabus consists of an objective and a descriptive section. The objective section in the NLSAT 2026 syllabus covers comprehension, critical reasoning and current affairs. The descriptive section tests the candidate's legal aptitude and awareness of current matters. 

Part A will consist of multiple-choice questions concerning comprehension, current affairs and critical reasoning. This section would be for a total of 75 marks. 

Part B is the descriptive section that will consist of 10 descriptive questions + 1 essay question, which shall be for a maximum of 75 marks. 

The Part A is an objective-type section and it includes 8-10 passages of around 500 words that will be followed by multiple-choice questions based on the passage. The question in Part B needs to be answered in 300-350 words. However, candidates don’t need prior knowledge of the law to answer the questions. 

Candidates can follow the preparation tips given below to ace the NLSAT 2026 exam.

• Study the NLSAT 2026 syllabus and exam pattern well to prepare a study plan and preparation strategy.

• Solve as many mock tests and sample papers as you can get to build comfort with the paper pattern and improve speed.

• Read law magazines and legal articles to improve legal reasoning and also write structured arguments in the essay paper.

• Practise writing skills and develop good handwriting. This will help candidates attempt the descriptive section quickly and in a better way.

NLSIU Bengaluru will issue the NLSAT 2026 admit card on its official website. Candidates can download the admit card through their login. The admit card of NLSAT 2026 is a mandatory document for the exam. Candidates must take a printout and carry it to the exam hall. The admit card contains important details such as

• Candidate's name
• Photograph
• Roll number
• Exam date and time
• Test centre details
• Reporting time
• Exam instructions

The National Law School of India, Bangalore will release the NLSAT 2026 answer key a few days after the examination on its official website. The NLSAT 2026 answer key is provisional, and the university will allow candidates to submit their objections online. The answer key will help candidates evaluate their performance in the exam by comparing their answers with those mentioned in the NLSAT-LLB answer key. Candidates also get the option to raise objections if they find any discrepancies or errors in the answer key. 

How to Check NLSAT 2026 Answer Key?

• Visit the official admission portal of NLSIU Bengaluru - nls.ac.in/admissions

• Sign in with the login credentials 

• Click on the NLSAT-LLB answer key link

• Download and save it for future reference

NLSIU Bengaluru will declare the NLSAT 2026 result in online mode a few weeks after conducting the exam. Candidates can access the results by signing in with their login credentials. After declaring the NLSAT 2026 result, the university will also open a window to allow candidates to submit their grievances against the results. Candidates shortlisted in the NLSAT 2026 result can obtain admission into the NLSIU Bengaluru 3-year LLB programme.

The merit list will be prepared based on cumulative scores in both Part A and Part B of the NLSAT-LLB. Candidates must qualify in the individual sections as per the laid down passing criteria and also obtain a good aggregate score to emerge on top in the admissions process. Candidates whose names will be there in the merit list will be called to complete the admission formalities and report for classes.

The selection procedure of NLSIU Bengaluru is a two-stage process. Candidates have to separately qualify in the two parts of the NLSAT 2026 paper. For Part A, candidates from the general and EWS categories are required to obtain a score above the 75th percentile, while candidates from  SC, ST, OBC-NCL or PwD categories are required to obtain a score above the 40th percentile. Only candidates who obtain the above-mentioned percentile will only be eligible for evaluation of their Part B answers. Candidates must also have obtained a non-zero score in order to be considered for evaluation of Part B. From among the eligible candidates for evaluation of the descriptive section, candidates will be selected for evaluation in the ratio of 1:5, i.e. 5 candidates for every available seat. 

Candidates must have a non-zero score in order to qualify for this section. Just like in Part A, candidates from the general and EWS categories must score above the 75th percentile, while candidates from SC, ST, OBC-NCL or PwD categories are required to obtain a score above the 40th percentile to qualify in this section. 

Candidates who are successful in both Part A and Part B will be eligible for admission to the 3-year LLB course. NLSIU Bengaluru will publish a merit list of candidates based on the cumulative scores in both parts of the NLSAT-LLB question paper.