CLAT Exam 2026

The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2026 for Undergraduate courses is a national-level entrance examination. Below are the key highlights:

• Exam Level: National
• Conducting Body: Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs)
• Exam Frequency: Once a year
• Mode of Exam: Offline (Pen-and-paper based)
• Duration: 2 Hours
• Courses Offered: 5-year Integrated LLB (BA LLB, BBA LLB, B.Com LLB, etc.)

While official dates are yet to be announced, the tentative schedule for CLAT 2026 is as follows:

• Release of Notification: July 2025
• Start of Online Application: August 2025
• Last Date to Apply: November 2025
• Admit Card Release: Late November 2025
• CLAT 2026 Exam Date: First Sunday of December 2025 (for the 2026 academic session)
• Result Declaration: January 2026

The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is a centralized national-level entrance test for admissions to 24 National Law Universities in India. Most private and self-financed law schools in India also use these scores for their law admissions. It is designed to test the candidate's aptitude and reasoning skills rather than rote learning.

The full form of CLAT is the Common Law Admission Test. It serves as the gateway for students to enter the prestigious National Law Universities (NLUs) across India for undergraduate and postgraduate law programs.

The CLAT exam has evolved significantly. Initially conducted by rotation by NLUs, it is now managed by a permanent Consortium of NLUs. In recent years, the exam pattern was revised to reduce the number of questions from 150 to 120, and the focus has shifted heavily toward comprehension-based questions to evaluate analytical skills.

Candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria for CLAT UG 2026:

• Educational Qualification: Candidates must have passed 10+2 or an equivalent examination.
• Minimum Marks: 45% marks for General/OBC/PWD/NRI categories and 40% for SC/ST categories.
• Age Limit: There is no upper age limit for appearing in the CLAT UG exam.
• Appearing Candidates: Students appearing for their board exams in March/April 2026 are also eligible to apply.

The application process is entirely online via the official website of the Consortium. The steps include:

1. Registration using mobile number and email ID.
2. Filling out the application form with personal and academic details.
3. Uploading scanned documents (Photograph, Signature, Category Certificate).
4. Selecting NLU preferences.
5. Paying the application fee (approx. ₹4,000 for General and ₹3,500 for SC/ST/BPL).

The CLAT UG question paper is divided into five key subjects:

• English Language
• Current Affairs, including General Knowledge
• Legal Reasoning
• Logical Reasoning
• Quantitative Techniques (Elementary Mathematics)

The syllabus focuses on passage-based questions:

• English: Comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar.
• GK/Current Affairs: National and international events, arts, and culture.
• Legal Reasoning: Application of legal principles to factual situations.
• Logical Reasoning: Identifying patterns, arguments, and syllogisms.
• Quantitative Techniques: Data interpretation and basic 10th-standard mathematics.

The CLAT 2026 Exam Pattern is as follows:

• Total Questions: 120
• Type of Questions: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
• Marking Scheme: +1 mark for every correct answer.
• Negative Marking: -0.25 marks for every incorrect answer.
• Language: English only.

The admission process involves the following stages:

1. Appearing for the CLAT Entrance Test.
2. Declaration of Merit List based on scores.
3. Centralized Admission Process (CAP) or Counselling.
4. Verification of documents and payment of admission fees at the allotted NLU.

There are 24 National Law Universities participating in CLAT, including:

• NLSIU (Bengaluru)
• NALSAR (Hyderabad)
• WBNUJS (Kolkata)
• NLU (Jodhpur)
• GNLU (Gandhinagar)
• NLU (Raipur) and others.

Additionally, over 60 private law colleges accept CLAT scores.

The results are declared on the official website consortiumofnlus.ac.in. Candidates can download their scorecards by logging into their accounts. The result displays the candidate's score, All India Rank (AIR), and Category Rank.

Once results are out, the Consortium releases a calendar for the Counselling Process. Candidates must register for counselling and pay a registration fee to be considered for seat allotment in various NLUs based on their rank and preference list.

The counselling is conducted in multiple rounds (usually five). Candidates have three options for their allotted seat:

• Freeze: Accepting the allotted seat and exiting further rounds.
• Float: Accepting the seat but opting for a higher preference in the next round.
• Exit: Withdrawing from the admission process.

The cut-off varies every year based on the difficulty level of the paper and the number of applicants. Generally, for top NLUs like NLSIU Bangalore, a rank within the Top 100 is required for the General category. For other NLUs, ranks up to 2000-3000 may secure a seat depending on the category.

Note: CLAT is not conducted by NTA; it is conducted by the Consortium of NLUs. You can reach them at:

Address: GNLU Campus, Koba, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Email: clat@consortiumofnlus.ac.in
Website: consortiumofnlus.ac.in