The CLAT Exam Date 2026 for both UG and PG courses will be same. Conducted by the Consortium of National Law Universities, CLAT UG and CLAT PG are among the most competitive law exams in India. For more information on the exam pattern, syllabus, difficulty level, and essential tips to excel, read on.
CLAT UG Vs CLAT PG: Key differences in Exam pattern, syllabus, marks, and other important points
The Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) will conduct the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) for undergraduate and postgraduate courses tentatively in first week of December 2025. CLAT is one of the toughest exams in the country, with an acceptance rate of less than 3 percent. The consortium will conduct the CLAT UG Exam and CLAT PG 2025 on the same day. The consortium will announce the CLAT 2026 Exam Date in its official website. The CLAT 2026 Exam will be held in offline, pen-and-paper mode.
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There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.Candidates who clear the CLAT Exam 2025 will be eligible for admission to the 5-year integrated LLB and LLM courses offered by the participating national law universities. The Consortium will release the CLAT Result after publishing the CLAT 2026 Answer Key. Candidates should note that the CLAT Answer Key is released in two phases: the Provisional CLAT Answer Key 2026 and the CLAT Final Answer Key 2026. Now the question arises: do you want to clear CLAT UG 2026 on your first attempt or crack CLAT PG 2026 to complete your LLM and secure PSU jobs? This article highlights the key differences between these two exams to help you choose your path to legal success.
Q: How many questions will be asked in CLAT 2025?
As per the CLAT exam pattern, there will be 120 questions in CLAT 2025. Candidates must note that it is not mandatory to solve all the questions. Candidates should solve only those questions which they can solve correctly as there is negative marking in CLAT. During the exam preparation, focus on the chapters from which majority of the questions are added. This will help them in achieving the sectional and overall cut offs are required. The consortium has released the marking scheme for CLAT 2025 Exam too. Aspirants can refer to the marking scheme for UG courses below:
For every correct answer, candidates are awarded one mark
For every wrong attempt, 0.25 marks are deducted from their total score
No marks are awarded or deducted for questions not left un-attempted
Q: What is the new CLAT 2025 Exam pattern?
The consortium of NLUs has not come up with changes in the exam pattern of CLAT 2025 as of now. However, the consortium brought changes in the exam pattern for CLAT 2024. The total number of questions was reduced from 150 to 120. However, no changes were made to CLAT 2024 syllabus or the number of sections in the CLAT 2024 exam. The 120 questions were divided into the existing five sections; English Language, Current Affairs Including General Knowledge, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques.
Q: Is there negative marking in CLAT PG?
The CLAT exam's marking scheme is based on the idea of negative grading. This indicates that 0.25 points is subtracted from the candidate's final score for each wrong response. One mark is given for each accurate response, and 0.25 marks is subtracted for each erroneous response. Hence, candidates have to be very carefull while marking their answers. Since, CLAT PG 2025 will have negative marking, students are advised to avoid guesswork and only answer the questions they are confident about.
Also Read: CLAT 2026 Courses: Check complete list, subject-wise eligibility criteria and other details
What is CLAT UG?
The Common Law Admission Test, also known as CLAT, is a national-level law entrance exam that is conducted for admission to 24 national law universities (NLUs) and 61 affiliated colleges in the country. Candidates who score above the CLAT Cutoff will qualify for admission to a 5-year law undergraduate course such as BA LLB, BBA LLB, BCom LLB etc.
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Also Read: How to Prepare for CLAT along with Class 12 Board?
What is CLAT PG?
The Common Law Admission Test for Postgraduate 2025 (CLAT PG) is conducted for admission to one-year LLM courses. The scores of CLAT LLM 2026 will be accepted by 19 NLUs in the country. The exam authorities have added one more campus of Gujarat National Law University, Silvassa to the list of CLAT participating institutes.
Difference between CLAT UG and CLAT PG Exam Pattern
The major differences and similarities in key features of AILET and CLAT exam pattern are as under:
| Subject |
Features of CLAT UG 2026 |
Features of CLAT PG 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Exam mode | CLAT UG is conducted in a paper-based test mode. | CLAT PG is also conducted in a paper-based test mode. |
| Exam timings | 2:00-4:00 PM. | 2:00-4.00 PM |
| Test duration |
120 minutes |
120 minutes |
| Type of questions |
Objective-type of question-based on Reading Comprehension passages of about 300-450 words. |
The questions are comprehension-based from various legal subjects of graduation level |
| Total questions |
120 | There are 120 MCQs in total. |
| Negative Marking |
+1 for a correct answer |
+1 for a correct answer |
Q: What is the Exam Pattern of CLAT 2025?
The CLAT exam pattern for UG courses will include key features like type of questions, marking scheme, subjects, Section-wise weightage and other details. CLAT 2025 exam will be held in an offline I. e. Pen-Paper based test mode. The question paper of CLAT 2025 will be of 120 marks for a total of 120 multiple choices based question. Candidates will get two hours to attempt CLAT 2025 question paper. The subjects from which questions will be asked in the exam are English Current Affairs including GK, Legal Reasoning Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Techniques. The question paper language will be English only. The subject-wise weightage for each section of CLAT UG paper will be as under:
English Language - 28-32 questions
Current Affairs including General Knowledge - 35-39 questions
Logical Reasoning - 28-32 questions
Legal Reasoning - 35-39 question
Quantitative Techniques - 13-17 questions
Q: What changes have been made in CLAT exam pattern?
CLAT Consortium made few changes in CLAT 2024 exam pattern. Hence, the consortium did not bring any changes in exam pattern of CLAT 2025. As per the revised pattern, there were 120 questions for CLAT UG question paper. This means, 30 questions were reduced from CLAT UG 2025 question paper. Earlier, there were 150 questions in CLAT UG question paper. Moreover, the question paper were on similar lines as previous series i.e. passage-based objective-types questions of 1 mark each, and 0.25 marks to be deducted for incorrect attempts.
No change in the question paper of CLAT PG was made, and it was held as per the previous exam pattern i.e. 120 Objective Type Questions based on core law subjects.
In 2021, the Consortium had removed the descriptive section from the CLAT LL. M. exam pattern. All LL. M. candidates had to attempt 120 multiple-choice questions of 120 marks in a duration of two hours.
Q: Is there negative marking in CLAT Exam?
Yes, the CLAT exam has negative marking of -0.25 marks for wrong attempt. Unanswered questions have no negative marking. Candidates must select questions to solve very carefully in the CLAT exam. They should solve only those questions which they know they can solve accurately.
For every correct answer, candidates are awarded one mark
For every wrong attempt, 0.25 marks are deducted from their total score
No marks are awarded or deducted for questions not left un-attempted
| CLAT Marking Parameters | Marks Awarded |
|---|---|
| Correct answer | +1 marks |
| Incorrect answer | -0.25 marks |
| Un-attempted question | 0 marks |
Q: What type of GK is asked in CLAT?
The GK section carries a total 25 per cent weightage in the CLAT exam. Read below the best practices to follow to score well in GK section:
- You must be aware of the Daily Current Affairs in the area of the Economy, the Indian Constitution, Awards, sports, etc.
- Inculcate habit of reading the newspaper on a daily basis
- Static GK is also a part of the syllabus, but most of the questions are asked on the basis of the current affairs
- Try and read about various legal events and issues of the past
- Prepare your own notes. This will help you during your revision time
- Do not cram events. Try and understand why something happened and idea behind it
- Refer to as many Magazines, Newspapers, E-Newspapers, Blogs, etc., possible to be more aware of all the happenings worldwide
- Must watch news channels for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour per day
Q: Is CLAT Exam Pattern has changed?
CLAT Consortium, in its the latest notification, a few changes have been made in CLAT 2025 exam pattern. As per the new pattern, there will be 120 questions for CLAT UG question paper. This means, 30 questions have been reduced from CLAT UG 2025 question paper. Earlier, there were 150 questions in CLAT UG question paper. Moreover, the question paper will be on similar lines as previous series i.e. passage-based objective-types questions of 1 mark each, and 0.25 marks will be deducted for incorrect attempts.
No change in the question paper of CLAT PG has been made, and it will be held as per the previous exam pattern i.e. 120 Objective Type Questions based on core law subjects.
In 2021, the Consortium had removed the descriptive section from the CLAT LL. M. exam pattern. All LL. M. candidates had to attempt 120 multiple-choice questions of 120 marks in a duration of two hours.
CLAT UG vs CLAT PG Syllabus
Before starting your preparation, the first thing you should do is go through the CLAT syllabus carefully.
UG CLAT Syllabus 2026
Take a look at the syllabus for CLAT UG as mentioned in the table below:
| Subjects |
Topics |
|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CLAT LLM 2026 Syllabus
Check the table below for more details on LLM syllabus for CLAT:
| CLAT LLM Sections |
Main Topics |
|---|---|
| Sec A – Constitutional Law |
|
| Sec B - Contract, Torts, Criminal Law, International Law, IPR and Jurisprudence |
|
| Sec C – Law topics and Contemporary issues |
|
CLAT UG vs CLAT PG Exam Pattern 2026
Candidates can check the section-wise weightage of Questions and marks below:
| Subjects |
Question and Marks for CLAT UG |
Question and Marks for CLAT PG |
|---|---|---|
| English including Comprehension |
28-32 questions of 1 mark each |
22-26 questions of 1 mark each |
| General Knowledge including Current Affairs |
35-39 questions of 1 mark each | 28-32 questions of 1 mark each |
| Quantitative Techniques |
13-17 questions of 1 mark each |
10-14 questions of 1 mark each |
| Legal Aptitude/ Reasoning |
35-39 questions of 1 mark each |
28-32 questions of 1 mark each |
| Logical Reasoning |
28-32 questions of 1 mark each |
22-26 questions of 1 mark each |
| Total |
120 questions and marks |
120 questions and marks |
The difference in CLAT UG and CLAT PG Application Fees
There is no difference in the CLAT application fees of CLAT UG and CLAT PG and it can be understood from the table below:
| Categories | CLAT UG Application fees | CLAT PG Application fees |
|---|---|---|
| General/Other Backward Class (OBC)/ Persons with Disability (PwD)/ Non-Resident Indians (NRI)/ Persons of Indian Origin (PIO)/ Overseas citizens (OCI)/ Kashmiri Migrant | INR 4,000 | INR 4,000 |
| Scheduled Class (SC)/ Scheduled Tribe (ST) | INR 3,500 | INR 3,500 |
| BPL candidates from SC and ST categories | INR 3,500 | INR 3,500 |
Which is tougher – CLAT UG or CLAT PG?
Before appearing for the law entrance exams, the aspirants want to know which one is difficult to crack. If you compare the number of applicants per seat then definitely CLAT PG is a tougher exam as compared to CLAT UG. It can be confirmed as under:
- More than 60,000 candidates appear in CLAT UG admission to 2,644 UG seats
- Approximately 19,000 candidates appear in CLAT PG admission to 1,217 LLM seats
Thus, in CLAT UG approximately 20 candidates compete for a seat at CLAT participating NLUs, whereas in CLAT PG there are around 100 candidates competing for a seat at NLUs.
The difficulty level of the CLAT UG question paper and CLAT PG questions paper can be understood by the fact that the latter exam has tougher questions in Legal Aptitude which are based on core law topics. Moreover, now the CLAT Consortium has modified the test paper by increasing the comprehensive type of questions, to make it easier for candidates. Candidates need to secure a good rank in CLAT Exam 2026 to get admission into top NLUs.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 3 days ago
If you want to go through flat exam in university so you had to wait for 1 year but if you want to do your course you can take admission in private and better colleges
R
Beginner-Level 1
Answered 5 days ago
To apply for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), follow these steps:
Step 1: Meet the Eligibility Criteria
Ensure you meet the eligibility criteria for CLAT, which typically includes:
- - For UG Programmes: Passed 10+2 or equivalent examination with a minimum of 45% marks (40% for SC/ST candidates)
- -
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 6 days ago
The CLAT ranks below 1000 are enough for getting INLU of Nirma University.
Scholar-Level 18
Answered a week ago
No, its not at all mandatory to give CLAT to become a lawyer. Candidates can enroll in Law courses offered by various universities and colleges to pursue UG and PG law courses. However, those who wish to take admission in one of NLUs except NLU Delhi will have to appear for Common National Admission
M
Beginner-Level 4
Answered a week ago
Yes, Gujarat National Law University, accepts CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) scores for admission to its various undergraduate and postgraduate law programs, including the BA LLB, BCom LLB, BBA LLB, BSc LLB and LLM courses. CLAT is a common entrance test used by many of the top law schools in Indi
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
Your prospects of getting into a National Law University (NLU) with an All India Rank of 37,778 and a SC category rank of 2452 in the CLAT rely on a number of variables including seat availability, cutoff trends and reservation rules
elite NLUs: Because of higher cutoffs admission to elite NLUs such
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Chances of getting RGNLU Patiala can be made.
Scholar-Level 18
Answered a week ago
Chances of getting the following NLUs CA be made.
- NLU Kochi
- NLU Assam
- NLU Tripura
Scholar-Level 18
Answered a week ago
NLUs are not possible on this rank. Please try some private colleges.
Scholar-Level 18
Answered 2 weeks ago
The National Law University (NLU) admission prospects are slim in view of a CLAT rank of 7616 and an EWS rank of 640. Most of the NLU cut-off ranks tend to be exceptionally lower as compared to general category and EWS candidates, even in some of the most sought-after courses like BA LLB.
Factors inf
R
Contributor-Level 10
I am currently pursuing B.Sc Medical 1st semester. Now I want to do B.A LL.B but have missed CLAT 2025 exam. What should I do now?