The CLAT exam pattern explained

The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is the entrance exam for the five-year undergraduate law programmes at most National Law Universities (NLUs). It is run by the Consortium of National Law Universities and is usually held in December. CLAT 2027, for admission in 2027, is scheduled for 6 December 2026 in the afternoon.

Before you pick up a single book, understand the shape of the paper. CLAT rewards a particular set of skills, and the pattern tells you exactly which ones.

The paper at a glance

There is also a separate CLAT PG for LL.M. admission. This guide is only about the undergraduate paper.

Sections and weightage

The Consortium publishes an approximate range for each section. The paper stays at 120 questions, so the exact split shifts a little from year to year within these bands.

Two sections, Current Affairs and Legal Reasoning, together make up roughly half the paper. Quant is the smallest section, but ten or more marks is still a big number at the top of a merit list.

How each section works

Since 2020, every section has been built around passages. You read a text, then answer several questions based on it.

• English Language: passages of about 450 words from fiction and non-fiction. Questions ask for the main idea, inferences, the author's tone and argument, and the meaning of words and phrases in context.
• Current Affairs and GK: passages of up to about 450 words drawn from news and non-fiction writing. The passage is a starting point. Many questions test knowledge that is not in the passage, such as a related organisation, place, date or earlier event.
• Legal Reasoning: passages of about 450 words describing a legal principle, a situation or a public-policy question. You apply the rule to facts and pick the outcome. No prior legal knowledge is required, but familiarity with basic law makes you faster.
• Logical Reasoning: short argument passages. Questions ask about the conclusion, assumptions, inferences, strengthening and weakening, flaws and analogies.
• Quantitative Techniques: sets of numerical facts in a paragraph, table or chart, with questions using Class 10 mathematics: percentages, ratios, averages, basic algebra, mensuration and simple statistics.

A worked example: how much reading is in the paper?

This is a rough estimate, not an official figure, but it shows why reading speed matters so much.

Suppose the paper has about 20 passages averaging 400 words. That is about 8,000 words of passages. Add the questions and options, say about 60 words for each of 120 questions, which is another 7,200 words. Together that is roughly 15,200 words.

The faster reader has almost an extra twenty minutes to think. That is the difference between finishing the paper calmly and leaving whole passages untouched.

Marking: a quick worked example

Suppose a candidate attempts 100 questions, gets 80 right and 20 wrong, and leaves 20 blank.

1. Marks for correct answers: 80 × 1 = 80.
2. Deduction for wrong answers: 20 × 0.25 = 5.
3. Blank questions: 0.
4. Final score: 80 − 5 = 75 out of 120.

Four wrong answers cancel one right answer. That is milder than exams with a one-third penalty, but it still punishes careless attempts. The full arithmetic of guessing is in the guide to negative marking in CLAT.

What the pattern means for preparation

Reading is the core skill. Every section, including legal and quant, begins with text. Reading speed with accurate understanding decides how much of the paper you can attempt well. Build it from day one with the approach in reading for CLAT.

Time is the real constraint. One minute per question sounds generous until you remember each question sits on a passage you must read first. Since there are no sectional clocks, you choose the section order and time split yourself, and you should test that plan in mocks.

Current affairs needs a year of steady work. It is about a quarter of the paper and cannot be crammed in the last two months, because questions go beyond the passage into related facts.

Legal reasoning rewards discipline, not law knowledge. The most common error is answering from your own sense of fairness instead of the principle given. Practise applying rules exactly as stated.

Quant is small but scoring. The maths is Class 10 level. With practice, a candidate can get most of these questions right in about ten to twelve minutes.

Quick self-check

Answer these from the tables above.

1. How many marks does a candidate get for 90 right and 16 wrong?
2. Which two sections together make up about half the paper?
3. Is there a separate time limit for the legal section?
4. How many wrong answers cancel out one correct answer?

Answers:

1. 90 − (16 × 0.25) = 90 − 4 = 86.
2. Current Affairs and GK, and Legal Reasoning (about 25% each).
3. No. The two hours cover the whole paper and you choose how to split them.
4. Four, because 4 × 0.25 = 1.

What to do next

• Download the latest official sample paper and previous-year papers from the Consortium's site.
• Time yourself reading one 450-word editorial and work out your words per minute.
• Start a daily news habit and a monthly current-affairs notebook this week.
• Read the section-by-section CLAT syllabus next, then pick a study plan.