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CLAT
Common Law Admission Test
🎓 Undergraduate and Postgraduate Law Admission Offline, pen-and-paper format. ⏱ Valid: A given year's CLAT score is valid only for that year's NLU admission cycle and cannot be carried forward to a later year. Since 2008 ⚡ Considered demanding primarily due to its strict 2-hour time limit relative to 120 comprehension-heavy questions, rather than requiring deep prior legal knowledge, since the redesigned format tests applied reasoning…
🕐 Last updated: September 7, 2026
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Quick Summary

CLAT is the Consortium of National Law Universities' single common entrance test for undergraduate and postgraduate law admission across all 25 NLUs, and its defining structural feature since a 2020 redesign is testing applied reasoning through comprehension passages rather than memorized legal knowledge — even the Legal Reasoning section now presents unfamiliar principles a candidate analyzes on the spot. Run as a strict 2-hour, 120-question pen-and-paper exam with 0.25-point negative marking, CLAT remains one of the few major Indian entrance tests still administered entirely on paper, and because it's a single nationwide sitting on one day, no shift-wise score normalization is needed the way JEE Main or NEET UG require. A candidate's All India Rank alone determines NLU seat allocation through centralized Consortium counselling, with the most competitive NLUs like NLSIU Bangalore typically requiring scores in the 95-100+ range out of 120 in recent years. Because the redesigned format rewards fast, accurate reading and applied reasoning over rote legal-fact recall, candidates working from older pre-2020 preparation materials are often working from an outdated premise about what the exam actually tests.

📋 Exam Overview
🎯
Score Range
0 to 120 (1 mark per question, minus 0.25 for each incorrect answer)
💳
Fee
$48 approx. (₹4,000 for General/OBC candidates; ₹3,500 for SC/ST/BPL candidates)
📅
Valid For
A given year's CLAT score is valid only for that year's NLU admission cycle and cannot be carried forward to a later year.
🖥
Mode
Offline, pen-and-paper format.
🗓
Frequency
Once a year
🏛
Conducted By
Consortium of National Law Universities
⚡
Difficulty
Considered demanding primarily due to its strict 2-hour time limit relative to 120 comprehension-heavy questions, rather than requiring deep prior legal knowledge, since the redesigned format tests applied reasoning over memorized fact recall.
🌍 Accepted By
The common entrance test for all 25 National Law Universities, and also accepted by a number of private law schools and other institutions beyond the NLU Consortium itself.
The single pen-and-paper gate into India's 25 National Law Universities, deliberately reading-heavy rather than knowledge-heavy since its 2020 redesign
👤 Who Should Take This Exam?
Any student seeking undergraduate (five-year integrated) or postgraduate law admission at one of India's 25 National Law Universities needs to sit CLAT, since it's the sole common entrance test the Consortium administers for that purpose. Since its 2020 redesign, CLAT deliberately shifted away from testing static legal knowledge toward comprehension-based reasoning — most passages, including the Legal Reasoning section, are built around unfamiliar text a candidate reads and analyzes on the spot rather than recalling memorized rules — so strong reading speed and comprehension under time pressure matters more here than rote legal fact memorization. Because CLAT remains one of relatively few major Indian entrance exams still administered entirely on paper rather than computer, a candidate accustomed to computer-based exams like JEE or CUET should specifically practice the pen-and-paper format rather than assume the skills transfer automatically.
🎓 Education Level
Undergraduate and Postgraduate Admission
🌍 Accepted In
India
📝 Exam Structure & Format
Question Types
Multiple-choice questions only, based on comprehension passages across all sections.
Language / Medium
English
Total Duration
2 hours
Total Questions
120 questions
Sections
English Language, Current Affairs & General Knowledge, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Techniques
⚙️ More format details (timing, marking, equipment)See all ▾
Time Per Section
No separately timed sub-sections — candidates manage all five sections within the single 2-hour window at their own pace.
Negative Marking
Yes — 0.25 marks deducted for each incorrect answer; unattempted questions receive no penalty.
Calculator Allowed
No — calculators and any electronic aids are strictly prohibited.
Scratch Paper
Yes — space within the test booklet may be used for rough work.
Breaks Allowed
No breaks within the single continuous 2-hour session.
Home Edition
No — CLAT is administered only at designated physical test centres.
📑 Section Details
All five sections are built around comprehension passages rather than standalone fact-recall questions — even Legal Reasoning presents an unfamiliar legal principle or scenario a candidate must apply to answer, rather than testing memorized statutes directly. Current Affairs & General Knowledge draws heavily on recent events and general knowledge passages, while Quantitative Techniques tests basic mathematical reasoning through short data-based passages rather than complex calculation.
🎯 Scoring System
Score Range
0 to 120 (1 mark per question, minus 0.25 for each incorrect answer)
Good / Passing Score
There is no fixed universal passing score — admission depends entirely on a candidate's All India Rank relative to available seats at each NLU, which varies by year based on that cycle's overall applicant performance.
How Scoring Works
Each of the 120 questions is worth 1 mark, with 0.25 deducted for an incorrect answer, producing a raw score that also determines a candidate's All India Rank — CLAT does not normalize scores across multiple shifts the way some exams do, since it's administered as a single nationwide sitting on one day rather than across several dates or shifts. That single-sitting design means two candidates' raw scores are always directly comparable without any statistical adjustment, unlike exams such as JEE Main or GATE that require normalization across sessions.
🏆 Minimum Scores for Top Universities
Admitted candidates at the most competitive NLUs, such as NLSIU Bangalore and NALSAR Hyderabad, typically score in the 95-100+ range out of 120 in recent years, while less oversubscribed NLUs and affiliated private law schools become accessible at meaningfully lower scores, varying by category and home-state quota. Because CLAT is a single nationwide sitting with no shift-based normalization, a specific raw score carries the same meaning for every candidate that year, making year-over-year score comparisons more reliable here than for exams requiring normalization.
📊 Section / sub-scoresSee all ▾
Reading
Assessed throughout every section given CLAT's comprehension-based format, though not broken out as its own separate figure from the overall score.
Grammar
Assessed within the English Language section, folded into that section's contribution to the overall score rather than reported separately.
Analytical
Assessed through the Logical Reasoning section, contributing to the overall score rather than reported as a standalone figure.
Quantitative
Assessed through the Quantitative Techniques section, contributing to the overall score rather than reported separately.
All Sub-Scores
Section-wise scores are not typically disclosed to candidates in detail — the primary reported result is the overall score out of 120 and the resulting All India Rank.
🔼 Score Improvement
The Consortium does not publish a standardized retake-improvement figure for repeat CLAT candidates, and since CLAT runs only once a year, a candidate's next attempt after an unsatisfactory result requires waiting a full year rather than resitting within the same cycle.
💳 Registration & Fees
Fee (USD)
$48 approx. (₹4,000 for General/OBC candidates; ₹3,500 for SC/ST/BPL candidates)
~ approx. equivalent
Fee (INR)
₹4,000 for General and OBC candidates; ₹3,500 for SC/ST/BPL candidates.
📝 Register Now →
📋 Policies (rescheduling, cancellation, verification, waivers)See all ▾
⏰ Register in Advance
Registration typically opens around early August and closes in early November, ahead of the December exam date.
🔄 Rescheduling Policy
CLAT is held on a single fixed national date with no individual rescheduling option; a candidate unable to sit must wait for the following year's exam.
❌ Cancellation Policy
Once submitted, application fees are generally non-refundable.
🔍 Score Verification
Yes — the Consortium publishes a provisional answer key and allows candidates to raise objections within a fixed challenge window before final results.
📋 Score Audit
Handled through the Consortium's answer-key challenge process, where candidates can contest specific questions within the published objection window before final results.
↩ Reinstatement Policy
No
🎁 Fee Waiver Criteria
Reduced fees apply automatically for SC/ST and BPL (Below Poverty Line) candidates, reflected directly in the tiered fee schedule.
📅 Exam Dates & Schedule
📆 Available Months
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
🔁 Frequency
Once a year
📊 Results Declared
Results are typically declared within a few weeks of the exam date, following the answer-key challenge window.
🔄 Retake Policy
CLAT runs only once a year, so a candidate not satisfied with their result must wait for the following year's exam to reattempt — there's no limit on the number of years a candidate can attempt, but no way to retake sooner within the same cycle.
⏰ Register By
Registration typically opens around early August and closes in early November, ahead of the December exam date.
✅ Eligibility & Access
🎂 Age Limit
No formal age limit for the undergraduate exam, though candidates must meet the standard Class 12 completion requirement.
🎓 Education Required
Class 12 (or equivalent) completion with a minimum aggregate percentage set by the Consortium for the undergraduate exam; a relevant bachelor's degree for the postgraduate exam.
🛂 Citizenship
Open to Indian citizens and, under separate provisions, foreign nationals and NRI candidates depending on each specific NLU's own quota policies.
More on accommodations, ID, and special versionsSee all ▾
🪪 ID Required
The test centre checks both the admit card and a valid original photo ID before letting a candidate in.
♿ Accessibility
A documented disability gets a candidate compensatory time and a scribe under government PwD guidelines, arranged when registering.
🔀 Special Versions
Beyond scribe assistance and extra time for PwD candidates, there's no other exam format variant.
📐 Subject Variants
A separate postgraduate CLAT exam exists for LLM admission, distinct in format and content emphasis from the undergraduate exam, though administered by the same Consortium.
🤝 Disability Accommodations
Compensatory time and scribe assistance are available for candidates with benchmark disabilities per government PwD guidelines, arranged through prior application during registration.
🗓 Exam Day Guide
✅ What to Bring
The admit card, an original photo ID, and a passport photo matching the one from registration.
🚫 Prohibited Items
Calculators, phones, and smartwatches stay outside, along with notes and anything the admit card hasn't specifically permitted.
📋 Exam Day Rules
Once the gate closes at the exam's start time, there's no late entry, so arriving early matters; frisking and identity checks are standard at every centre.
After the exam: score reporting and deliverySee all ▾
⏱ Score Reporting
Typically within a few weeks of the exam date.
📤 Score Sending
Results feed directly into the Consortium's centralized counselling process for NLU seat allocation — there is no separate manual score-sending process to individual NLUs.
🎓 Score Recipients
Results are accessed directly by the candidate through the Consortium's portal and used automatically for centralized NLU counselling.
📚 Preparation Guide
📅 Recommended Prep Time
6-12 months for most candidates.
🗓 Avg Prep Months
9 months
Because CLAT's redesigned format emphasizes comprehension and applied reasoning over memorized legal knowledge, most effective preparation centres on timed reading practice with dense, unfamiliar passages across all five sections rather than extensive rote legal-fact study. Current Affairs specifically requires sustained daily reading habits built over months, since it draws heavily on recent events that can't be crammed effectively in the final weeks alone.
💡 Top Tips & Tricks
Since every section is comprehension-based, practicing efficient passage-reading strategies — skimming for structure before diving into detail — tends to save more time across all 120 questions than any section-specific content trick alone. Given the 0.25-point penalty for a wrong answer, an educated guess on a question that's been narrowed down is usually still worth attempting, but blind guessing on a completely unfamiliar question carries real downside.
Full study plan, resources, and common mistakesSee all ▾
📅 Study Plan
A common approach spends 6-12 months building daily newspaper-reading habits for Current Affairs alongside structured practice with comprehension-based passages across the other four sections, shifting to full-length timed mock tests in the final two months to build comfort with the strict 2-hour, 120-question pace. Since the format rewards fast, accurate reading over deep prior knowledge, timed practice specifically — not just content review — tends to produce the most direct score improvement.
📖 Recommended Books
Universal's CLAT Guide and various Consortium-endorsed mock test series are commonly used, alongside daily current-affairs digests specifically curated for CLAT preparation.
🏫 Popular Prep Courses
Career Launcher, CLATapult, and LegalEdge are among the most widely enrolled coaching programmes specifically built around the post-2020 CLAT format.
📱 Popular Prep Apps
LegalEdge and Testbook both offer CLAT-specific mock tests and current-affairs digest features.
✅ Official Practice Tests
The Consortium publishes official past CLAT papers reflecting the current redesigned format on its website. — Free — the Consortium's official past papers carry no cost.
🆓 Free Online Resources
The Consortium publishes official past CLAT papers and sample questions on its website, reflecting the current post-2020 redesigned format.
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
Preparing with older, pre-2020 CLAT materials that emphasize direct legal-knowledge recall is a common and increasingly outdated mistake, since the current format is built almost entirely around comprehension and applied reasoning instead. Neglecting daily current-affairs reading until the final weeks before the exam is another frequent gap, since that section specifically rewards sustained exposure over cramming.
💡 EduAtlasHub Exclusive Insights
🔍 Insider Tips
Treat the Legal Reasoning section as a reading test; the answer is always within the passage regardless of your external legal knowledge. Prioritize sections based on your personal strength to build confidence early in the two-hour window.
⭐ Unique Features
Remaining a pen-and-paper exam while most other major Indian entrance tests have shifted to computer-based formats is a distinctive administrative choice, and its 2020 redesign toward comprehension-based reasoning across every section — including Legal Reasoning — represents an unusually complete format overhaul relative to how gradually most comparable exams evolve. Running a separate postgraduate CLAT for LLM admission under the same Consortium, with its own distinct format and content emphasis, also gives it a broader institutional footprint than exams serving undergraduate admission alone.
🎓 How This Score Impacts Your Application
CLAT's All India Rank directly determines seat and NLU allocation through centralized Consortium counselling — there is no separate interview or holistic review layered on top for standard undergraduate admission, making it a purely rank-driven process similar in spirit to JEE Main's role in engineering admission. Because seats at the most competitive NLUs like NLSIU Bangalore are extremely limited relative to applicant volume, even a strong score doesn't guarantee a preferred NLU, since final placement depends on relative rank against that year's full applicant pool.
More insights: country notes, comparisons, myths, examiner tipsSee all ▾
🌍 Country-Specific Notes
CLAT is specific to India's National Law University admission framework, with some provisions for NRI and foreign national candidates handled through individual NLUs' own separate quota policies rather than a uniform Consortium-wide rule.
⚖️ Comparison with Alternatives
Unlike JEE Main or NEET UG, which are computer-based and run across multiple shifts requiring statistical normalization, CLAT's single nationwide paper-based sitting means every candidate faces literally identical questions with no shift-wise adjustment needed, making its raw score directly comparable across every test-taker. Compared to its own pre-2020 format, current CLAT tests applied reasoning through unfamiliar passages rather than direct legal knowledge recall, a shift that puts it structurally closer to a comprehension-based aptitude test than a subject-knowledge exam.
🆕 Recent Changes
CLAT's most significant recent structural change was its 2020 redesign, shifting every section — including Legal Reasoning — toward passage-based comprehension and applied reasoning rather than direct knowledge recall, a shift that has continued to shape question style in subsequent years.
🔜 Upcoming Changes
No further major structural changes to CLAT's five-section, comprehension-based format have been announced beyond the 2020 redesign's continued refinement.
🧐 Myths vs Facts
A common misconception, especially among candidates using older preparation materials, is that CLAT's Legal Reasoning section tests memorized legal knowledge; since the 2020 redesign, it instead presents unfamiliar legal principles a candidate applies on the spot, making prior legal study far less important than strong reading comprehension. Another frequent assumption is that CLAT scores are normalized across shifts the way JEE Main's are — in fact, CLAT runs as a single nationwide sitting on one day, so no shift-wise normalization is needed or applied.
📋 Post-Exam Steps
After the provisional answer key is released, candidates should review it carefully against their own recorded responses and file objections within the challenge window, since final scores incorporate the outcome of that review process. Once results are out, checking the Consortium's previous year's opening and closing ranks by NLU and category helps set realistic expectations heading into counselling, especially given how much cutoffs can shift year to year.
🎯 Score Uses Beyond Admission
Beyond NLU admission itself, CLAT scores are also accepted by a number of private law schools and other institutions outside the Consortium for their own separate admission processes.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the CLAT score valid?+
A given year's CLAT score is valid only for that year's NLU admission cycle and cannot be carried forward to a later year.
How much does the CLAT cost?+
$48 approx. (₹4,000 for General/OBC candidates; ₹3,500 for SC/ST/BPL candidates)
How often can I retake the CLAT?+
CLAT runs only once a year, so a candidate not satisfied with their result must wait for the following year's exam to reattempt — there's no limit on the number of years a candidate can attempt, but no way to retake sooner within the same cycle.
When are CLAT results declared?+
Results are typically declared within a few weeks of the exam date, following the answer-key challenge window.
Which universities accept the CLAT?+
The common entrance test for all 25 National Law Universities, and also accepted by a number of private law schools and other institutions beyond the NLU Consortium itself.
Is a calculator allowed in the CLAT?+
No — calculators and any electronic aids are strictly prohibited.
How should I prepare for the CLAT?+
Because CLAT's redesigned format emphasizes comprehension and applied reasoning over memorized legal knowledge, most effective preparation centres on timed reading practice with dense, unfamiliar passages across all…
📝
Register for CLAT
The single pen-and-paper gate into India's 25 National Law Universities, deliberately reading-heavy rather than knowledge-heavy since its 2020 redesign
Register Now →
📊 Quick Facts
Official Site →
Conducted ByConsortium of National Law Universities
Year Started2008
CategoryUndergraduate and Postgraduate Law Admission
Emailhttps://consortiumofnlus.ac.in/
Last UpdatedSeptember 7, 2026
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