In this guide
A single exam is a single point of failure. A bad afternoon, a fever or one unfamiliar legal passage can undo a year of work. That is why most serious law aspirants sit two or three entrance tests. The good news is that the core skills are shared: careful reading, logical reasoning and a year of current affairs. The extra work for a second exam is mostly about learning its pattern and pace.
This guide compares the main alternatives to CLAT and shows how to fit them into one plan.
The main options at a glance
| Exam | Conducted by or for | Mode (recent years) | What stands out |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLAT UG | Consortium of NLUs, for about two dozen NLUs | Offline, pen and paper | 120 passage-based questions, five sections, −0.25 per wrong answer |
| AILET UG | National Law University, Delhi | Offline, pen and paper | One university only, very few seats, own pattern |
| SLAT | Symbiosis International (Deemed University), for its law schools | Computer-based | Short, fast paper with its own section mix |
| MH CET Law | Maharashtra State CET Cell | Computer-based | For law colleges in Maharashtra, separate papers for five-year and three-year LL.B. |
| University tests and CUET | Individual private and public universities | Varies | Some run their own test; some accept CLAT or CUET UG scores |
AILET: the one most CLAT aspirants add
NLU Delhi does not take part in CLAT. It admits students through its own All India Law Entrance Test (AILET). It is one of the most sought-after law schools in the country, so almost every CLAT aspirant aiming for the top NLUs also takes AILET.
How it compares with CLAT, as reported for recent cycles:
| Feature | CLAT UG | AILET UG (recent cycles) |
|---|---|---|
| Sections | English, Current Affairs and GK, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Techniques | English, Current Affairs and GK, Logical Reasoning (legal-style questions reported within reasoning) |
| Maths | A separate quant section | No separate quant section reported |
| Negative marking | −0.25 | Reported as −0.25 |
| Seats | A few thousand across the NLUs | A small number at one university |
What this means in practice:
- Logical reasoning carries more weight in AILET than in CLAT, so the arguments, assumptions and puzzles work you do for CLAT pays off even more.
- Seats are few, so the margin is thin. Treat AILET as an additional chance, not a replacement for CLAT.
- The dates can fall close together. Both exams have usually been held in December. Plan your final month so that both papers get a proper mock or two.
SLAT
The Symbiosis Law Admission Test admits students to the Symbiosis law schools. In recent cycles it has been a short computer-based test, with reasoning, reading comprehension and general knowledge sections, and it has been reported to carry no negative marking. Candidates have also been allowed more than one attempt within a cycle, with the better score counting.
The skill that changes is speed. A short paper leaves little time for each question, so practise a few timed sample papers to get used to the pace. Because there may be no penalty, the guessing arithmetic is different too: if a wrong answer costs nothing, leaving a question blank gains nothing. Check the current rules before you apply that logic.
MH CET Law
The Maharashtra State CET Cell runs MH CET Law for admission to law colleges across the state, including many well-known colleges in Mumbai and Pune. There are separate tests for the five-year and three-year LL.B. The five-year paper has covered legal aptitude, general knowledge, logical reasoning, English and basic mathematics.
If you live in Maharashtra, or would like to study there, it is worth adding. Its questions are generally more direct than CLAT's passage-based sets, so a few weeks of practice on its sample papers is enough to adjust.
University tests, CUET and CLAT scores
Several private universities run their own law entrance tests, and some accept CLAT UG scores instead. A number of central and state universities offer integrated law programmes through CUET UG or their own process. Each university sets its own rules, so shortlist the ones you would actually attend, then check:
- which test or score it accepts
- the application deadline, which may come before your CLAT result
- the fees, including any non-refundable deposit to hold a seat
What overlaps and what does not
| Skill | CLAT | AILET | SLAT and MH CET Law |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading long passages | Central | Central | Useful, but passages are usually shorter |
| Logical reasoning | About a fifth of the paper | A large share | Present |
| Legal principles applied to facts | About a quarter | Reported within reasoning | Present, often in a more direct form |
| Current affairs | About a quarter | Present | Present |
| Maths | Small quant section | Not a separate section in recent reports | Basic maths in MH CET Law |
| Speed per question | About one minute | Similar | Often faster |
Most of your preparation serves every exam. What you adjust is the pace and the balance between sections.
A worked plan for three exams
Suppose an aspirant plans to take CLAT, AILET and MH CET Law. Here is one way to divide the effort without losing focus on CLAT.
- Until the last three months: prepare for CLAT as normal. Once a month, solve one AILET paper and note where it felt different.
- Three months before CLAT: add one AILET mock every fortnight. Put extra time into logical reasoning, because AILET weighs it heavily.
- The final month: alternate full CLAT mocks with at least two AILET papers, spaced so that the last paper you take before each exam matches that exam.
- After CLAT: switch to MH CET Law or another exam that comes later in the year. Spend two to three weeks on its sample papers and speed, and keep current affairs revision going.
Common mistakes
- Applying late. Some application windows close months before the exam.
- Assuming the patterns are the same. A candidate who takes AILET with CLAT timing, or SLAT with CLAT's guessing rules, gives away marks.
- Letting a second exam eat CLAT time. CLAT decides the most seats, so it should get most of your hours.
- Skipping backup options. A university test or a state exam can be a good choice, not only a fallback.
Quick self-check
- Which university admits through AILET instead of CLAT?
- In an exam with no negative marking, should you leave questions blank?
- What should you check first about any university that "accepts CLAT scores"?
Answers:
- National Law University, Delhi.
- No. If a wrong answer costs nothing, attempt every question, but confirm the marking rule in the current bulletin first.
- Its application deadline and process, because you usually have to apply to it separately.
What to do next
- List every exam you will take, with official websites and application windows.
- Solve one past or sample AILET paper this month and compare it with a CLAT mock.
- Read the CLAT exam pattern again, then the guide to CLAT counselling so you know what follows the results.
A note on dates and numbers. Exam patterns, vacancies and schedules change from year to year. Always confirm the current details in the latest notification on the Consortium of National Law Universities website .
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