CLAT Full Form, Exam Syllabus & Preparation Guide (2026)
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CLAT stands for Common Law Admission Test. It is the centralized entrance test for admission to the 25 National Law Universities (NLUs) in India. CLAT UG tests English, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, Current Affairs, and Quantitative Techniques through passage-based questions — no separate reading of law is required before attempting CLAT.
CLAT Full Form and Overview
CLAT at a Glance
National law entrance for NLUs
25 National Law Universities
120 minutes
Negative marking applies
Min. 45% (40% for SC/ST)
India's #1 law school
CLAT 2026 Section-wise Syllabus
| Section | Questions | Key Topics | Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 22–26 | RC passages (fiction, non-fiction, literary), Grammar, Vocabulary in context | Read 1 RC passage daily; improve reading speed |
| Current Affairs & GK | 28–32 | National/international news, Supreme Court judgements, legislation, government schemes, sports, science | Daily newspaper (The Hindu/IE) + monthly CLAT CA digest |
| Legal Reasoning | 28–32 | Passage-based — apply given legal principle to new facts; Tort, Contract, Constitution, Criminal, Property law | Practice application-based thinking; no law-school knowledge required |
| Logical Reasoning | 22–26 | Critical reasoning, arguments, assumptions, conclusions, logical puzzles, analogies, sequences | Passage-based; practice identifying conclusions and underlying assumptions |
| Quantitative Techniques | 10–14 | Data interpretation from graphs/tables, ratio, percentage, profit/loss, speed-distance-time, Class 10–level maths | Weakest section for most students; focus on accuracy over speed |
NLU Ranking and CLAT Cutoffs 2026
| NLU | Location | Approx. CLAT UG Rank (General) |
|---|---|---|
| NLSIU Bengaluru (National Law School) | Bengaluru | 1–200 |
| NALSAR Hyderabad | Hyderabad | 200–600 |
| NUJS Kolkata | Kolkata | 600–1,200 |
| NLIU Bhopal | Bhopal | 1,200–1,800 |
| GNLU Gandhinagar | Gandhinagar | 1,800–2,500 |
| RMLNLU Lucknow | Lucknow | 2,000–3,000 |
| NLU Jodhpur | Jodhpur | 2,000–3,000 |
| Newer NLUs (Aurangabad, Tripura, Himachal, etc.) | Various | 3,000–10,000+ |
CLAT UG Eligibility (2026)
- Qualification: Class 12 passed (or appearing in 2026) from any recognised board
- Minimum marks: 45% in Class 12 (40% for SC/ST/PwD)
- Age limit: No upper age limit (removed from 2023)
- Attempts: No limit
- Stream: Any stream — Science, Commerce, or Arts
CLAT vs AILET: NLU Delhi Requires a Separate Exam
NLU Delhi (one of India's top 3 law schools) conducts its own entrance test, AILET (All India Law Entrance Test), separately from CLAT. AILET has 100 questions in 90 minutes (similar section pattern). If NLU Delhi is your target, prepare for AILET simultaneously — both exams have overlapping syllabi but different question sets and cutoffs. CLAT rank is NOT used for NLU Delhi admissions.
Need help improving your CLAT reading comprehension, current affairs writing, or NLU application essays? Our academic specialists guide law aspirants through the full admission journey.
Related Reading from Thesis Ace Writers
Need academic writing support for your CLAT preparation or NLU application? Talk to Thesis Ace Writers today.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The full form of CLAT is Common Law Admission Test. It is the national-level entrance examination for admission to undergraduate (BA LLB) and postgraduate (LLM) programmes at 25 National Law Universities (NLUs) in India. CLAT is conducted by the Consortium of NLUs. Approximately 80,000–1,00,000 candidates appear annually for about 3,000 undergraduate law seats across all NLUs.
CLAT 2026 exam pattern for UG: Total questions: 120 MCQs. Duration: 120 minutes (2 hours). Marking: +1 for correct, -0.25 for incorrect. Sections: (1) English Language — 22–26 questions; (2) Current Affairs including General Knowledge — 28–32 questions; (3) Legal Reasoning — 28–32 questions; (4) Logical Reasoning — 22–26 questions; (5) Quantitative Techniques — 10–14 questions. All questions are passage-based/comprehension-based — no standalone fact recall questions.
CLAT Legal Reasoning is passage-based — a legal rule or principle is presented, and candidates must apply it to fact situations. Topics include: Principles of Tort Law (negligence, nuisance, defamation), Contract Law (offer, acceptance, consideration, void/voidable contracts), Constitutional Law (fundamental rights, directive principles), Criminal Law (IPC — murder, theft, culpable homicide), Property Law, Family Law basics. No prior law knowledge is required — only the ability to read and apply legal principles as given in the passage.
CLAT Current Affairs includes: National and international news (political, economic, social, environmental), Supreme Court and High Court judgements, constitutional amendments and new legislation, India's foreign policy and international relations, economic developments, sports achievements (national and international level), scientific and technological developments, government schemes and policies, and static GK (Indian constitution, history, geography). This section tests reading of quality newspapers (The Hindu, Indian Express) over 12 months before the exam.
6-month CLAT preparation plan: Month 1–2: English (reading comprehension daily, vocabulary); Legal Reasoning basics (Tort, Contract, Constitution fundamentals); Logical Reasoning (puzzles, deductions daily). Month 3–4: Current Affairs (daily newspaper reading, monthly digests); Practice passage-based questions in all sections; First mock tests (1/week). Month 5–6: Full mocks (3–4/week) + analysis; Legal Reasoning topical practice; Current Affairs revision notes compilation. Key: All sections are passage-based, so reading speed and comprehension are the most critical skills across all sections.
NLSIU Bengaluru (National Law School of India University) is India's top-ranked law school and has the highest CLAT cutoff. General category 2025 cutoff: approximately 95–100+ correct out of 120 (approximately 100th–200th rank). The top 100 ranks in CLAT are typically required for NLSIU. NLU Delhi (via AILET — a separate exam) and NALSAR Hyderabad are the other two most competitive NLUs, with cutoffs at rank 200–500.