Law entrance exams
CLAT 2027: Exam Pattern, Syllabus & Eligibility
Common Law Admission Test · conducted by Consortium of National Law Universities
CLAT is the entrance exam for the five-year integrated LLB (UG) and the LLM (PG) programmes at the participating National Law Universities, and its scores are also used by many other law schools. The UG paper is a 2-hour pen-and-paper test of 120 passage-based multiple-choice questions across English, Current Affairs & GK, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Techniques, marked +1 for a correct answer and −0.25 for a wrong one.
When is CLAT?
CLAT 2027 is on Sunday, 6 December 2026, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Online applications are open until 31 October 2026.
CLAT at a glance
- Conducted by
- Consortium of National Law Universities
- CLAT 2027 date
- 6 December 2026, 2:00–4:00 pm
- Mode
- Pen and paper (offline)
- Duration
- 2 hours
- Questions (UG)
- 120
- Total marks
- 120
- Marking
- +1 correct, −0.25 wrong
- Age limit
- None
CLAT exam pattern
| Section | Approximate questions | Approximate weightage |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | 22–26 | 20% |
| Current Affairs, including General Knowledge | 28–32 | 25% |
| Legal Reasoning | 28–32 | 25% |
| Logical Reasoning | 22–26 | 20% |
| Quantitative Techniques | 10–14 | 10% |
| Total | 120 | 100% |
- Questions are based on reading passages; the Consortium confirmed no change to the pattern for CLAT 2027.
CLAT syllabus
English Language
- Passages of about 450 words
- Main idea, inference and argument
- Vocabulary in context
Current Affairs, including General Knowledge
- National and international news
- Legal developments
- Arts and culture
- Historical events of continuing significance
Legal Reasoning
- Applying legal principles given in a passage to facts
- Awareness of legal and policy issues — no prior legal knowledge required
Logical Reasoning
- Arguments, premises and conclusions
- Assumptions and inferences
- Analogies and relationships
Quantitative Techniques
- Data from graphs, tables and passages
- Class 10 mathematics: ratios, percentages, algebra, mensuration, statistics
CLAT eligibility
- UG: Class 12 or equivalent with at least 45% marks (40% for SC/ST); students appearing in Class 12 can apply.
- PG: an LLB degree with at least 50% (45% for SC/ST), or final-year LLB students.
- No upper age limit.
How to prepare for CLAT
- 1Read long passages daily — newspaper editorials and long-form articles — since every section is passage-based.
- 2Track the past 12 months of current affairs, including legal news.
- 3For Legal Reasoning, practise applying only the principle given in the passage, not outside knowledge.
- 4With −0.25 per wrong answer, attempt questions where you can eliminate options.
CLAT FAQs
When is CLAT 2027?
CLAT 2027 is on Sunday, 6 December 2026, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Applications are open online until 31 October 2026.
Is there negative marking in CLAT?
Yes. Each correct answer gets 1 mark and 0.25 marks are deducted for each wrong answer.
Is there an age limit for CLAT?
No. There is no upper age limit for CLAT UG or PG.
Is CLAT online or offline?
Offline — CLAT is a pen-and-paper exam held at centres across India.
Do I need legal knowledge for CLAT?
No. Legal Reasoning questions give you the principle in the passage; you apply it to the facts.
Does NLU Delhi accept CLAT?
No. National Law University Delhi admits students through its own exam, AILET. Most other NLUs, such as NLSIU Bengaluru, NALSAR Hyderabad and WBNUJS Kolkata, use CLAT.
Practise CLAT on GyanBook
Timed quizzes and mock tests that follow the real marking scheme, instant scores with step-by-step solutions, and progress tracking for every subject. Free to start.
Related exams
GyanBook India is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with the body that conducts CLAT. These details were checked against official sources on 13 October 2026. Exam dates, eligibility rules and patterns can change — always confirm them on the official website (consortiumofnlus.ac.in) before you apply.