CLAT Exam Pattern 2026: Mode of Exam, No. of Questions, Sectional Weightage, Negative Marking

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 2026 exam will be held in an offline I. e. Pen-Paper based test mode. The question paper of CLAT 2026 will be of 120 marks for a total of 120 multiple choices based question. Candidates will get two hours to attempt CLAT 2026 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

 CLAT syllabus for English carries the following important topics: 

• Correcting Incorrect Grammar Sentences
• Synonyms & Antonyms
• Tenses
• Fill in the Blanks
• Spotting Grammatical Errors
• Active & Passive Voice

Through CLAT English section, the consortium tested following skills:

• Comprehension and language skills.
• Ability to read and comprehend the arguments and viewpoints discussed in the passage.
• The capacity to draw inferences and conclusions
• The ability to summarise a passage.
• The ability to compare and contrast various arguments or viewpoints
• Comprehension of words and phrases.

CLAT Consortium made few changes in CLAT 2024 exam pattern. Hence, the consortium has not brought any changes in exam pattern of CLAT 2025. So, it is expected that CLAT 2026 Exam Pattern will remain same. As per the CLAT Exam pattern, there will be 120 questions for CLAT UG question paper. This means, 30 questions will be reduced from CLAT UG 2026 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 to 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.

The CLAT Exam Pattern 2026 has not been officially revised as of now. The exam structure typically remains consistent, but changes are announced by the Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) if required. Candidates should regularly check the official website for updates regarding any modifications. Traditionally, the CLAT exam includes:

For Undergraduate (UG) Program:

Total Questions: 120
Sections: English Language, Current Affairs (including General Knowledge), Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques
Type: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
For Postgraduate (PG) Program:

Total Questions: 120
Focus Areas: Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence, and other legal subjects
Any changes for CLAT 2026 will be notified in the official notification or brochure released by the consortium.

The ideal time to start preparing for the CLAT exam varies from person to person and depends on several factors such as your familiarity with the subject, the level of understanding of the topics covered in the syllabus, and the amount of time and effort you can devote to the preparation. However, as a general guideline, it is recommended that you start preparing for the exam at least 6-8 months before the exam date. This will give you sufficient time to cover the entire syllabus, revise the important topics, solve mock tests and previous year papers, and identify your strengths and weaknesses. If you are already familiar with the subject and have a good understanding of the topics covered in the syllabus, you can start preparing for the exam 3-4 months before the exam date. However, if you are new to the subject or need to improve your understanding of the topics, you may need to start preparing earlier. It is important to note that the CLAT exam is a highly competitive exam, and the level of competition is increasing every year. Therefore, it is important to start preparing early and stay consistent with your preparation. With a focused approach and consistent effort, you can increase your chances of qualifying for the CLAT exam.

In 2022, CLAT exam was held twice, I. e. on June 19 as CLAT 2022, and on December 18, 2022 as CLAT 2023. However, from 2024 onwards, CLAT exam is to be conducted once in a year only, as confirmed by the exam officials in the latest notification. Earlier, CLAT exam was conducted in May or June, but from 2024 onwards the entrance exam will be conducted in December (of preceding year to the admission year) itself for concluding admissions on time. Therefore, CLAT counselling process will be completed by May of each academic year.

The CLAT question paper for UG courses had objective-type questions from subjects such as Logical Reasoning, Legal Reasoning Quantitative Techniques, English and Current Affairs including General Knowledge. The CLAT paper for the LLM. course had both objective questions from law subjects such as Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence, Administrative Law, Law of Contract, Torts, Family Law, etc. Generally, the questions are designed as passage followed by series of questions of one mark each. Candidates had to attempt the questions by reading and interpreting the passages only. 

The total score in the CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) varies depending on the program:

CLAT UG (Undergraduate):

Total Marks: 120
Each question carries 1 mark, and there is a negative marking of 0.25 for each incorrect answer.

CLAT PG (Postgraduate):

Total Marks: 120
Each question carries 1 mark, with a negative marking of 0.25 for incorrect answers.
The scoring pattern emphasizes accuracy, and candidates should carefully manage negative marking to maximize their scores.

Yes, you can definitely appear for the CLAT exam again if you did not clear it in the first attempt. The CLAT exam is conducted once a year by the Consortium for enrolling students in various law courses offered at 24 NLUs in the country.

There is no limit on the number of attempts that you can make for the CLAT exam. However, you have to fulfill the eligibility criteria to appear in the exam. All those candidates who are willing to appear for the CLAT 206 should meet the eligibility criteria as announced by the Consortium of National Law Universities. All eligible candidates must fill the CLAT 2026 application form before the last date.The consortium released the updated eligibility criteria of CLAT 2026 for admission to 5-year LLB and LLM courses on its official website. These criteria include parameters like academic qualification, minimum marks, age limit, etc.

CLAT 2026 is expected to be held in regional language. The Bar Council of India is planning to include vernacular languages as medium of paper in the coming years. Till CLAT exam 2024, it was held in the English language only like in previous years. CLAT 2025 PG Exam is also expected to be conducted in English only.

As per the CLAT exam pattern, there will be 120 questions in CLAT 2026. 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 2026 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

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

The CLAT question paper for UG courses had objective-type questions from subjects such as Logical Reasoning, Legal Reasoning Quantitative Techniques, English and Current Affairs including General Knowledge. The CLAT paper for the LLM. course had both objective questions from law subjects such as Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence, Administrative Law, Law of Contract, Torts, Family Law, etc. Generally, the questions are designed as passage followed by series of questions of one mark each. Candidates had to attempt the questions by reading and interpreting the passages only. 

As per the CLAT exam pattern released by the NLU Consortium, Legal Reasoning remained a part of the question paper along with Quantitative Techniques, English Current Affairs including General Knowledge and Logical Reasoning. If the exam authority decides to remove any of the sections of CLAT UG question paper in 2026, then it will inform the candidates in admission notification itself, so that candidates can prepare for the exam accordingly.However, no such announcement has been made so far. The Legal Reasoning section has been removed from AILET question paper only.

The CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) is conducted in offline (pen-and-paper) mode. Candidates are required to mark their answers on an OMR (Optical Mark Recognition) sheet using a black or blue ballpoint pen. This format allows students to read questions on paper and fill in the corresponding bubbles for the correct answers.

Key features of the CLAT exam mode:

Offline Mode: Conducted at designated test centers across the country.
Duration: 2 hours for both UG and PG exams.
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs).
Marking: Each question carries 1 mark, with a negative marking of 0.25 for wrong answers.
Candidates should regularly check updates from the CLAT Consortium for any changes in the exam pattern or mode.

The CLAT Exam 2026 will carry 120 questions. UG CLAT syllabus 2026 consist of five sections - English language, General knowledge and current affairs, legal aptitude, logical reasoning and quantitative abilities. The CLAT LLM syllabus consist of topics from common law subjects of LLB programmes.

The level of questions for CLAT 2026 paper defines the difficulty level of the question paper. Therefore, the level of the questions asked in CLAT UG exam is of Class 12 or above except for Quantitative Techniques questions. The difficulty level of Quantitative Techniques section is of Class 10 or basic level. Candidates should note that the level of questions asked in General Knowledge and Current Affairs is not defined, and it can be asked from any where including newspapers and past one year Current Affairs.

The Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) has not announced the exam date of CLAT 2026. The Consortium is likely to conduct CLAT 2026 Exam on December 7, 2025. The exam authority will publish the admission notification for CLAT 2026 with details of syllabus, exam pattern and events on the official website. The CLAT Exam will be held in pen-and-paper mode.

Yes, the CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) is MCQ (Multiple Choice Question) based for both the Undergraduate (UG) and Postgraduate (PG) programs. Each question offers multiple options, and candidates must select the correct one.

Key Points for CLAT MCQ Pattern:

CLAT UG:

Total Questions: 120
Sections: English Language, Current Affairs (including General Knowledge), Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques
CLAT PG:

Total Questions: 120
Questions cover Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence, and other core law subjects.
There is negative marking of 0.25 marks for each incorrect answer, making careful selection of answers important.

As per the exam analysis of CLAT exam held in previous years, the difficulty level of all the sections are as under: English Language - Generally the questions asked in this section are considered easy. However, candidates can find them lengthy and time-taking as the questions are based on passages only. Current Affairs including General Knowledge - The questions in this section are of Easy to Moderate difficulty level depending on the events and technicality. Logical Reasoning - The questions asked in this section of CLAR paper are of easy to moderately difficult level due to facts and data interpretation. Legal Reasoning This section of CLAT paper is of easy to moderate difficult level as the questions are mostly asked from Legal domain, trending events, lex maxims, and current landmark judgements. Quantitative Techniques - Although the weightage of this section is lesser than the rest, the questions asked around Mathematics subject can be tricky/ twisted, which makes it moderate to difficult level. Know all about CLAT question paper analysis here - https://www.shiksha.com/law/clat-exam-analysis.

 CLAT syllabus for English carries the following important topics: 

• Correcting Incorrect Grammar Sentences
• Synonyms & Antonyms
• Tenses
• Fill in the Blanks
• Spotting Grammatical Errors
• Active & Passive Voice

Through CLAT English section, the consortium tested following skills:

• Comprehension and language skills.
• Ability to read and comprehend the arguments and viewpoints discussed in the passage.
• The capacity to draw inferences and conclusions
• The ability to summarise a passage.
• The ability to compare and contrast various arguments or viewpoints
• Comprehension of words and phrases.

 

Candidates can check the detailed syllabus for CLAT logical reasoning section below:

Particulars	Details
Number of questions asked	28-32
Weightage	18.66 - 21.33 %
Type of questions asked	Passage-based questions.  Length - Each passage will be around 300 words. Questions - Each passage will be followed by a series of questions
Skills tested	Recognize an argument, its premises, and conclusions; Read and identify the arguments set out in the passage; Critically analyze patterns of reasoning, and assess how conclusions may depend on particular premises or evidence; Infer what follows from the passage and apply these inferences to new situations; Draw relationships and analogies, identify contradictions and equivalence and assess the effectiveness of arguments.
Question areas	Sources include opinion and editorial pieces from newspapers and magazines, and essays on moral philosophy available online and in various books. Some passages will be created specifically for the exam. Examples of source material include: Ethics in the real world - 82 brief essays on Things That Matter by Peter Singer Articles and Editorials taken from The Economist, a leading international newspaper History for Health published by the Telegraph Where I am - An editorial published in the Indian Express.

The CLAT syllabus for the Undergraduate (UG) exam includes five key sections: English Language, focusing on comprehension and grammar; Current Affairs including General Knowledge, covering recent events and static GK; Legal Reasoning, which tests understanding of legal concepts and logical reasoning; Logical Reasoning, emphasizing analytical skills; and Quantitative Techniques, involving basic mathematics up to Class 10.

For the Postgraduate (PG) exam, the syllabus covers Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence, and other major law subjects. Questions are designed to test legal knowledge, reading, and analytical abilities. Aspirants should follow the official syllabus to prepare effectively for the exam.

Among all the books of CLAT 2026 in the world, first, go for the NCERT books. You must complete all the NCERT books first before moving to other reference books available in the market. After completing the NCERT books, you can go for the following books to boost up your practice and concepts: Universal’s LLB Entrance Guide, Lexis Nexis, Objective Arithmetic, GK Today, India Year Book and Analytical, Logical Reasoning by RS Aggarwal,  Word Power Made Easy,  Verbal Reasoning by RS Aggarwal,  Manorama Year Book and Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey.

English sections of CLAT will test the reading, comprehension and basic grammar skills of the aspirants. Aspirants must focus on improving their reading skills while preparing for CLAT English section. Candidates should concentrate on grammar and vocabulary too. Candidates can check CLAT 2026 best books for English Language including comprehension here: English is Easy by Chetananand Singh,  Barron’s Pocket Guide to Vocabulary,  Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis,  Objective General English by RS Aggarwal, High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren & Martin.

For general knowledge, one can refer to the Lucent GK. The Current Affairs for CLAT 2026 can be prepared by reading daily newspapers and monthly magazines. The CLAT legal aptitude will have questions on topics such as Constitutional law, Law of Torts, Personal laws, Law of Contract, Jurisprudence, legal Current Affairs etc. There are various study materials available in online mode, including online coaching. The e-paper, articles, journals, and YouTube videos on CLAT preparation are important resources. Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey Bare Acts of Indian Constitution LexisNexis Butterworths Legal Awareness and Legal Aptitude by Andhra Pradesh Bhardwaj Universals CLAT Guide

Yes, the difficulty level of AILET is usually higher than CLAT as the competition is five times more for the limited seats of B.A. LL.B. And LL. M. courses available at NLU Delhi. Moreover, the exam pattern of AILET is also different than CLAT exam pattern. The cutoff marks are also higher for AILET conducted by NLU Delhi. CLAT cutoff marks vary every year but are moderate as there are 23 participating National Law Universities. Therefore, candidates can assume that AILET is tougher than CLAT exam.

No, the candidates were not allowed to take breaks or exit the exam centre while they are attempting CLAT exam. Candidates were allowed to drink water, eat or use the washroom only before or after the exam timings. Therefore, on the day of examination candidates should prepare themselves to sit for two hours straight without any breaks. They should use washroom right before entering the examination hall. They were allowed to carry a transparent water bottle for themselves. However, they should limit the amount of water intake to avoid taking break in between. No request to leave examination hall will be allowed by the centre officials to avoid cheating or any other activities. If you have any medical condition that requires you to take a break, it will be allowed only at prior notification and permission by the exam authority.

If you are a dropper, you know that it is not just the knowledge that is tested in the CLAT exam; it tests your intellect. If you are a dropper, you have plenty of time to practice mock tests because your basics are clear. So try to attempt one mock test daily and slowly increase it to two mock tests. After taking the test it is important to analyze your test and evaluate your performance regularly. While practising, you can also explore your choices. Try attempting different sections first, and know your strong area to start in the exam. After practising a lot of tests, you will have an idea about which section to attempt first and how much time to allot to each section. Once you build this master plan before the exam, nobody can stop you from cracking it. A dropper can devote more time to CLAT preparation as compared to the school students. This can be your plus point and a motivation factor to crack the exam this year. If you get frustrated thinking about your year dropped, just think, You Can And You Will. If this method does not work, talk to your mentors and your friends, and keep yourself motivated. Make your own strategy and work on it rather than seeing other students. Always make sure to satisfy yourself with the preparation you do. Some tips for the droppers- You may sometimes feel that your class fellows are joining the best colleges and having all the fun. But joining a college of your choice is better to keep away from future regrets. Never think that you are wasting your time. Take it as an opportunity to crack your dream law school. Don't self doubt. Mock test marks are not your original CLAT score. They are just the parameters to guide you in your journey. Scores will keep changing if you put more efforts in improving your weaknesses. Let failure not bother you. Fearing results will lead to stress and stop you from giving your best. Understand that your hard work needs a little bit of intelligence to produce good results. All the Best. Good luck.

In the revised CLAT exam pattern implemented since 2020, the CLAT UG exam no longer includes sections on Elementary Mathematics as a separate section. Instead, it has been replaced by Quantitative Techniques, which integrates math-based reasoning questions, primarily focused on data interpretation, graphs, and simple arithmetic concepts.

Additionally, static legal knowledge questions have been removed from the Legal Aptitude section. The emphasis has shifted from prior legal knowledge to legal reasoning, where candidates must analyze provided passages to answer legal questions without requiring pre-existing legal knowledge.

These changes were introduced to focus more on comprehension, reasoning, and analytical thinking.