CLAT Syllabus 2026

What is CLAT?

CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) is the national entrance exam for admission to undergraduate (5-year integrated BA LLB / BBA LLB / BSc LLB) and postgraduate (LLM) law programmes at 24 National Law Universities (NLUs) in India — including NLSIU Bangalore (ranked No. 1), NALSAR Hyderabad, WBNUJS Kolkata, NLU Delhi (through separate AILET), NLU Jodhpur, GNLU Gandhinagar and others.

CLAT is conducted by the Consortium of NLUs. CLAT 2026 exam date: Typically December 2026 (10th and 12th grade students appear together for UG CLAT).

Eligibility for UG CLAT: 10+2 (Class 12) or equivalent with minimum 45% aggregate (40% for SC/ST). Students appearing in Class 12 in 2026 can apply provisionally. No age limit.

Total NLU UG seats: Approximately 2,900–3,100 seats across all participating NLUs. 50,000–80,000 candidates appear each year — competition is high for top NLUs.

Scoring: 120 questions, 120 marks, 2 hours. Negative marking: 0.25 marks per wrong answer.

CLAT Exam Pattern

CLAT shifted to a comprehension/passage-based format in 2020 — this is a critical change from earlier years' direct knowledge-testing approach. Each section consists of passages followed by questions testing analytical ability, not just recall.

Section 1 — English Language: 22–26 questions, approximately 20% of paper. 1–2 comprehension passages (around 450 words each). Tests: inferential questions, vocabulary in context, grammar correction, sentence rearrangement, summary.

Section 2 — Current Affairs, including General Knowledge: 28–32 questions, approximately 25% of paper. Passages based on current news events, developments in law, politics, economics, science, international affairs. Tests: comprehension, inference, and GK application from the passage and surrounding knowledge.

Section 3 — Legal Reasoning: 35–39 questions, approximately 30% of paper. Passages present legal propositions (principles), factual scenarios, and cases. Tests: application of given principles to facts; identification of legal issues; conclusions from legal rules. No prior law knowledge required — the principle is always stated in the passage.

Section 4 — Logical Reasoning: 28–32 questions, approximately 25% of paper. Passages followed by arguments, statements, conclusions, inferences. Tests: critical reasoning, strengthening/weakening arguments, logical structure of passages, analogy, pattern completion.

Section 5 — Quantitative Techniques: 10–14 questions, approximately 10% of paper. Data in graphs, charts or tables. Tests: basic arithmetic (percentage, ratio, profit/loss) and data interpretation. Class 10 level Maths — the least weight of all sections.

English Language Preparation

CLAT English tests comprehension quality, vocabulary and grammar — not literature knowledge. The passages are from reputable English-language sources (The Economist, The Atlantic, The Hindu, literary fiction).

Key skills: Reading speed with high retention (practice daily reading of quality English). Inference questions — the answer is never directly stated; you must draw from the text. Vocabulary in context — a word may have an unusual meaning in context. Grammar correction requires understanding sentence structure, not just rules.

Preparation: Read one long-form English article daily (editorial or analysis). Do not read newspapers for GK in this section — the comprehension passage contains all the information needed to answer questions. Practice with RC passages from CLAT previous papers.

Current Affairs and GK Preparation

Current Affairs is unique in CLAT — it is passage-based, not direct GK questions. A news story (economic policy, international summit, judicial decision, scientific discovery) is presented as a passage, and questions test your understanding of the passage AND related knowledge.

Topics covered: Supreme Court and High Court judgements (especially constitutional law cases); legislation passed by Parliament; RBI and economic policy; international treaties and agreements; major sports events; science and technology developments; awards and appointments; appointments to constitutional bodies.

Strategy: Keep a current affairs diary — note major events weekly from January 2026. Focus on events with legal/constitutional dimensions (Supreme Court orders, new acts passed) as these appear most in CLAT. Use monthly current affairs PDFs (Legal Desire Monthly, Bar and Bench weekly roundup).

Legal Reasoning Preparation

Legal Reasoning is CLAT's most distinctive and highest-weightage section. It tests your ability to apply given legal principles to factual scenarios — the ability to 'think like a lawyer.'

How it works: A passage presents legal rules (e.g., 'A person is liable for negligence if they owe a duty of care, breach it, and cause damage'). Questions then present scenarios: 'Ram, a driver, was speeding and hit Shyam. Shyam suffered injuries. Is Ram liable for negligence?' You apply the stated rule — not your general knowledge of law.

Common areas for passages: Tort law (negligence, defamation, nuisance), Contract law (offer, acceptance, consideration, void/voidable contracts), Criminal law (murder, theft, sections of IPC), Constitutional law (fundamental rights cases), Property law, Consumer protection.

Preparation: No legal knowledge is assumed — but familiarity with how legal principles are structured helps. Read CLAT previous year Legal Reasoning passages (2020–2024) to understand the format. Practise applying rules to facts methodically — read the principle carefully, identify the legal issue in the scenario, apply the principle step by step.