Law · Consortium of National Law Universities
CLAT — Common Law Admission Test (UG) — 5-year integrated LL.B.
The complete CLAT blueprint: tier-wise pattern, topic weightage from previous-year analyses, and free chapter-by-chapter study material.
5 sections120 marks = your rank24+ NLUs + IIULER Goa Free · tutor-verified
CLAT at a glance
Conducted byConsortium of National Law Universities
CycleOnce a year (application ~Aug–Oct; exam on the first Sunday of December)
ModeOffline, pen-and-paper (OMR) — 120 comprehension-based MCQs
EligibilityPassed / appearing in 10+2 (or equivalent) with 45% marks (40% for SC/ST/PwD); no upper age limit
LanguagesEnglish only
Admission to5-year integrated LL.B. (B.A./B.B.A./B.Com/B.Sc./B.S.W. LL.B.) at 24 NLUs + IIULER Goa; 60+ affiliated colleges also accept the score
Top NLUs you can enter
NLSIU BengaluruNALSAR HyderabadWBNUJS KolkataNLU JodhpurGNLU GandhinagarNLIU BhopalHNLU RaipurRMLNLU LucknowRGNUL PatialaMNLU Mumbai+ 14 more NLUs & IIULER Goa
⚡ What changed recently
- The paper was shortened from 150 to 120 questions (still 1 mark each, still 2 hours). Fewer questions in the same time slightly eases the clock, but every question now carries more weight.
- Every section is comprehension-based: you read a ~450-word passage and answer 4–6 questions on it. Standalone one-line GK, grammar or maths questions are gone — application beats rote recall.
- There are no sectional time limits and no sectional cut-offs. You budget the full 120 minutes across all five sections yourself, so passage-reading speed is decisive.
- Negative marking is −0.25 per wrong answer. With no sectional locks, smart section-order and disciplined skipping of genuine unknowns matter more than raw attempts.
How CLAT selection works
Know what each stage is for before you spend a single hour preparing.
YOUR ENTIRE SCORE
CLAT exam
One 2-hour paper: 120 comprehension-based MCQs · 120 marks · −0.25 per wrong answer. There is no separate qualifying stage — this single score is your rank, so no section is 'just a gate'.
RANKING
All-India Rank & merit list
Your raw score (after negative marking) becomes an All-India Rank and a category rank. The Consortium publishes the merit list directly — CLAT UG has no interview or group discussion.
ADMISSION
Counselling & seat allotment
Register for centralised counselling, lock your NLU + programme preferences and pay the fee. Seats are allotted across five rounds by rank, preference and category to 24 NLUs + IIULER Goa.
The exam pattern, tier by tier
Marks, timing and negative marking exactly as per the official notification.
CLAT UG — single comprehension-based paper
Merit — this one paper decides your rank120 marks · 120 Q
2 hours (120 min) · −0.25 per wrong answer
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 22–26 | 22–26 | No sectional limit |
| Current Affairs incl. General Knowledge | 28–32 | 28–32 | No sectional limit |
| Legal Reasoning | 28–32 | 28–32 | No sectional limit |
| Logical Reasoning | 22–26 | 22–26 | No sectional limit |
| Quantitative Techniques | 10–14 | 10–14 | No sectional limit |
💡 Every question carries 1 mark and is tied to a passage. There are NO sectional time limits — the 120 minutes are yours to allocate. Legal Reasoning and Current Affairs are the two biggest sections (28–32 questions each), together nearly half the paper.
Where your 120 marks come from
CLAT is a single paper — unlike a two-stage recruitment exam, every one of the 120 marks counts straight toward your All-India Rank. There is no qualifying gate and no interview. Here is how the marks split across the five sections — click any block to open its chapters:
Legal Reasoning30 marks · 25%
28–32 questions. Pure principle-application — no prior law needed. The most learnable big block; toppers bank it near 90%.
Current Affairs incl. GK30 marks · 25%
28–32 questions off news-based passages. Zero calculation, but needs a year-long reading habit — the cheapest marks if you're current.
English Language24 marks · 20%
22–26 questions from 3–4 passages. Speed and inference here free up time for every other section.
Logical Reasoning24 marks · 20%
22–26 questions of critical reasoning — arguments, assumptions, inferences. A skill you drill, not facts you memorise.
Quantitative Techniques12 marks · 10%
10–14 questions of Class-10 maths on data caselets. Smallest section — but easy, high-accuracy marks if you don't panic.
Subjects in CLAT
Chapter-by-chapter study material built to the exam's own blueprint.
Topic-wise weightage — what to study first
Question counts per topic, distilled from previous-year paper analyses. Click any topic with a link to open its full chapter.
| Topic | Qs in paper | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Reading comprehension — the passage method | all | Very high |
| Main idea, summary and title | 4–6 | Very high |
| Inference and assumption questions | 5–7 | Very high |
| Author's tone, purpose and attitude | 3–5 | High |
| Vocabulary in context (meaning, synonym, antonym) | 4–6 | High |
| Comprehension-based grammar and usage | 2–4 | Medium |
🎯 CLAT English is 100% comprehension: contemporary passages followed by main-idea, inference, tone, and vocabulary-in-context questions. There is no standalone grammar to cram — the marks come from reading fast and reasoning about what the author actually says versus what merely sounds true. A daily habit of reading editorials quietly out-scores any grammar book.
| Topic | Qs in paper | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| How CLAT tests current affairs (passage method) | all | Very high |
| Indian polity & governance | 5–7 | Very high |
| Economy, business & the Budget | 4–6 | High |
| International relations & organisations | 4–6 | High |
| Science, technology & environment | 3–5 | High |
| Awards, sports, arts & culture | 3–5 | Medium |
| Static GK & history anchors | 3–5 | Medium |
🎯 The largest section alongside Legal Reasoning. Passages are drawn from the last 12 months of news; questions test both the passage and the static context around it (which body, which article, which past event). You cannot cram this in a week — build a daily reading + note habit across polity, economy, international affairs, science, and awards, and revise in monthly loops.
| Topic | Qs in paper | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| How legal reasoning works (principle → fact) | all | Very high |
| Law of contracts | 5–7 | Very high |
| Law of torts | 5–7 | Very high |
| Criminal law essentials | 4–6 | High |
| Constitution & fundamental rights | 4–6 | High |
| Legal maxims & current legal affairs | 3–5 | Medium |
🎯 The single most learnable big block. Each passage states a legal principle (or describes a rule) and gives a fact situation; you apply the principle mechanically — no outside legal knowledge is required or rewarded. Knowing the real frameworks of contracts, torts, crimes and constitutional rights makes the passages faster to read and the traps easier to spot. Master 'apply the principle exactly as given, even if it seems unfair'.
| Topic | Qs in paper | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| How CLAT logical reasoning works | all | Very high |
| Arguments — premises & conclusions | 4–6 | Very high |
| Assumptions, inferences & implications | 5–7 | Very high |
| Strengthen, weaken & find the flaw | 4–6 | High |
| Analogies & logical relationships | 2–4 | Medium |
| Analytical reasoning & sequences | 2–4 | Medium |
🎯 CLAT logical reasoning is critical reasoning, not the pattern/series drills of banking exams. Short passages present an argument; you identify the conclusion, the assumption it rests on, what strengthens or weakens it, and what can be inferred. The skill is reading precisely and separating what is stated from what is merely implied or assumed. A little analytical reasoning (sequences, relationships) rounds it out.
| Topic | Qs in paper | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| How CLAT quant works (data-caselet method) | all | Very high |
| Percentage, ratio & proportion | 3–5 | Very high |
| Averages, mixtures & alligation | 2–3 | High |
| Profit, loss, interest & discount | 2–3 | High |
| Data interpretation & caselets | 3–5 | Very high |
| Algebra, mensuration & number basics | 1–3 | Medium |
🎯 The smallest section, and the most misjudged. Every question sits under a short passage, chart or table and asks Class-10-level arithmetic — percentages, ratios, averages, interest and basic DI. There is no advanced maths. The trap is time, not difficulty: read the data carefully, and don't let a fear of maths make you skip 12 easy, high-accuracy marks.
CLAT resources
Everything you need to prepare.
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FAQs
Frequently asked questions
CLAT UG is a single 2-hour paper — 120 comprehension-based MCQs worth 120 marks. There is no separate prelims/mains and no interview for admission. Your raw score (after −0.25 negative marking) becomes your All-India Rank directly, which is then used in centralised counselling.
The paper was reduced from 150 to 120 questions (still 1 mark each, still 2 hours) and made fully comprehension-based — every question is tied to a passage, so standalone one-line GK, grammar or maths questions are gone. There are still no sectional time limits or sectional cut-offs.
No. Each Legal Reasoning passage supplies the principle or rule you must apply; you reason from the passage, not from memorised law. Knowing real contract, tort, criminal and constitutional frameworks only helps you read faster and spot traps — it is never a prerequisite.
Legal Reasoning and Current Affairs (incl. GK) are the two largest at 28–32 questions each — together nearly half the paper. English Language and Logical Reasoning are 22–26 each, and Quantitative Techniques is the smallest at 10–14 questions.
0.25 marks are deducted for every wrong answer; unattempted questions carry no penalty. There are no sectional cut-offs and no sectional time limits — you allocate the full 120 minutes across all five sections yourself, so managing pace across passages is a core skill.
CLAT UG is used for admission to 24 National Law Universities and IIULER Goa, plus 60+ affiliated private law colleges. Note that NLU Delhi does NOT use CLAT — it runs its own AILET exam separately.
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