CLAT 2026 on 7th December 2025 (Dates Declared)

1. What is CLAT?

• CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) is a national-level entrance exam conducted by the Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs).
• It is conducted for admissions to:
• Undergraduate (UG) 5-year integrated law programs such as BA LLB, BCom LLB, BSc LLB, BBA LLB.
• Postgraduate (PG) one-year LLM programs.
• 24 NLUs accept CLAT UG scores and 21 NLUs accept CLAT PG scores.
• Many private law colleges (e.g., Amity University, Bennett University, GGSIPU) also accept CLAT scores for admission.
• Various public sector organizations (such as ONGC, BHEL) and the Indian Army (JAG Branch) also consider CLAT PG scores for recruitment purposes.

2. CLAT 2026 & Important Dates

• Official Notification Released: 20 July 2025.
• CLAT Registration Window:
• Opens: 1 August 2025
• Closes: 31 October 2025
• Admit Card Release: Expected around mid-November 2025.
• CLAT 2026 Exam Date: 7 December 2025 (Offline mode), 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
• Result Declaration: Likely by the end of December 2025.

3. Eligibility Criteria

For Undergraduate (UG) Courses

• Must have passed Class 12 or equivalent.
• General/OBC category: Minimum 45% marks.
• SC/ST category: Minimum 40% marks.
• No upper age limit.
• No limit on number of attempts.

For Postgraduate (PG) Courses

• Must have completed a 3-year or 5-year LLB degree.
• General/OBC category: Minimum 50% marks.
• SC/ST category: Minimum 45% marks.
• No upper age limit.
• No limit on number of attempts.

4. Exam Pattern & Structure

UG CLAT Pattern

• Number of Questions: 120 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs).
• Duration: 2 Hours.
• Marking Scheme:
• +1 for every correct answer.
• −0.25 for every incorrect answer.

Section-wise Distribution

• Section Number of Questions Weightage English Language 22–26 20% Current Affairs including GK 28–32 25% Legal Reasoning 35–39 25% Logical Reasoning 28–32 20% Quantitative Techniques 13–17 10% Passage-Based Questions: English, GK, Legal, and Logical sections contain reading passages (350–450 words).
• Quantitative Techniques: Based on Class 10-level mathematics and data interpretation.

PG CLAT Pattern

• Number of Questions: 120 MCQs.
• Duration: 2 Hours.
• Focus areas include:
• Constitutional Law
• Jurisprudence
• Criminal Law
• Contract Law
• International Law
• Property Law
• Company Law
• Tax Law
• Environmental Law

5. Application Process

• Mode: Online only via the official CLAT Consortium website.
• Steps to Apply:

1. Register using valid email ID and mobile number.
2. Fill out the application form with personal and academic details.
3. Upload scanned documents (photo, signature, certificates).
4. Pay the application fee:

• General/OBC: Rs. 4,000
• SC/ST/BPL: Rs. 3,500
• Correction Window: A short duration is provided after the application window closes to make any corrections.

6. Exam Centres & Day Guidelines

• CLAT is conducted in over 130 cities across India.
• Applicants can select up to three exam centre preferences.
• Reporting Time: Around 1:00 PM on exam day.
• Required Documents:
• Admit Card
• Government-issued photo ID (Aadhaar, Voter ID, Passport, etc.)
• Allowed Items:
• Two pens (blue/black)
• HB pencil
• Transparent water bottle
• Not Allowed: Calculators, mobile phones, smartwatches (A virtual calculator is provided on-screen, if needed).

7. Result, Counselling & Admission Process

• Answer Key: Provisional key released after the exam for objections; followed by a final answer key.
• Result Format: Contains section-wise marks, total marks, and All India Rank (AIR).
• Counselling Process:

1. Online registration for counselling.
2. Seat allotment based on merit rank and preference list.
3. Option to accept, freeze, or upgrade the allotted seat.
4. Final admission at respective NLU after document verification and fee payment.

8. Syllabus Overview (UG)

• English Language:
• Reading comprehension
• Vocabulary and grammar
• Inference and tone-based questions
• Current Affairs & General Knowledge:
• Current events (national and international)
• Static GK (History, Geography, Polity, Science)
• Legal Reasoning:
• Legal principles and facts
• Legal awareness and current legal issues
• Logical Reasoning:
• Critical reasoning
• Analogies
• Logical sequences and puzzles
• Quantitative Techniques:
• Basic arithmetic (ratios, percentages, averages)
• Algebra
• Mensuration
• Time, speed, distance
• Time and work

9. Preparation Strategy

• Make a Study Plan: Allocate daily/weekly time to each subject.
• Practice Previous Year Papers: Helps understand the pattern and improve speed.
• Mock Tests: Take full-length mock tests regularly and analyze performance.
• Read Newspapers & Current Affairs Magazines: For GK and Legal updates.
• Focus on Reading & Comprehension: Helps in Legal, English, and Logical sections.

10. Changes & Recent Updates

• Number of Questions Reduced: From 150 to 120 in CLAT UG (from 2024 onwards).
• Exam Mode: Offline (pen and paper based).
• Exam Frequency: Once a year in December.
• Regional Languages: Still conducted in English only (regional language introduction under consideration).

Summary of CLAT 2026

• Application Dates: 1 August to 31 October 2025
• Exam Date: 7 December 2025 (2 PM to 4 PM)
• Mode: Offline
• Question Format: 120 MCQs, passage-based
• Marking: +1 for correct, −0.25 for wrong answers
• Eligibility: Class 12 for UG, LLB for PG, with minimum percentage
• Accepted by: 24 NLUs (UG), 21 NLUs (PG), plus many private universities and some PSUs