How to prepare for CLAT 2026 Legal Reasoning in 150 days (5 Months)?

The Legal Reasoning section in CLAT 2026 plays a pivotal role in determining your rank among thousands of aspirants. Accounting for nearly 25 per cent of the total marks, CLAT Legal Reasoning section tests your ability to apply legal principles, understand arguments, and solve legal passage-based questions, which do not require any prior legal knowledge. However, with increasing competition and a reading-heavy pattern, mastering legal reasoning requires a consistent, structured, and smart preparation strategy.

If you're starting your CLAT 2026 legal reasoning preparation with five months in hand, you're right on time. Don’t worry about how to prepare for CLAT 2026 legal reasoning section in 5 months. This article brings you a complete roadmap that includes the CLAT legal reasoning syllabus, the most important topics, the CLAT marking scheme, best books to score well in Legal Reasoning Section, important questions of CLAT Legal Reasoning and a daily, weekly, and monthly study plan.

CLAT 2026 Legal Reasoning Section Overview

It is very important to understand the legal reasoning section before you start preparing for CLAT 2026. Read below to know more.

Features	Details
Section Name	Legal Reasoning
Weightage	28–32 questions out of 120
Question Type	Passage-based MCQs (approx. 450 words each)
Skills Tested	Reading and understanding complex legal texts Applying legal principles to factual situations Logical deduction and ethical reasoning
Negative Marking	+1 for correct, –0.25 for incorrect answers

Also Read How to Prepare for CLAT 2026 from Scratch: Best Strategy, Daily Study Plan & Top Books

CLAT 2026 Legal Reasoning Syllabus & Topics

Although the CLAT Consortium does not provide a strict list of topics, the following are the topics that most frequently come up in relation to the CLAT 2026 legal reasoning syllabus and approach:

 Legal Concepts and Their Use

 Contracts: Proposal, approval, and violation

 Torts: Ignorance, slander, and annoyance

 Criminal Law: Self-defense, responsibility, and intent

 Constitutional Law: Preamble, DPSPs, and Fundamental Rights

 Legal Terminology & Maxims

 Legal Maxims

 Contextual meaning and legal terminology

 Current Affairs in Law (2025–26)

 Recent rulings from the Supreme Court

 Amendments to the Constitution

 National bills and legal news

 Different Legal Arguments

 Questions involving assertion and reasoning

 Public Morality and Legal Ethics

 Puzzles involving legal reasoning

Also Read: CLAT 2026 Official website: Important Information, Check CLAT Consortium Official Site

Best Books for CLAT Legal Reasoning 2026

Candidates preparing for Legal Reasoning 2026 can refer to the list of CLAT books given below. These are some of the best books for CLAT legal reasoning 2026.

Book Title	Author/Publisher
Legal Aptitude for CLAT	A.P. Bhardwaj
Universal's Guide to LLB	LexisNexis
Pearson Legal Reasoning	Objective-type questions
CLAT Previous Year Papers	N.K. Gupta
Manorama Yearbook + The Hindu	-
CLAT Previous Year Papers	Shiksha CLAT Question Papers

Also Read: Idioms and Proverbs for CLAT 2026 With Meaning

Daily Study Plan for CLAT Legal Reasoning

It is very important to have a daily study-plan in hand to crack CLAT Legal Reasoning Section. Read further to know more about CLAT 2026 daily study plan legal aptitude.

Timing	What to cover
7:00–7:30 AM	Read legal news/editorials
10:00–11:00 AM	Study a legal topic (e.g. Torts)
2:00–3:00 PM	Practice 2 legal passages
5:30–6:00 PM	Solve 10 MCQs or review past mistakes
9:00–9:30 PM	Revise legal notes or flashcards

Also Read: CLAT Legal Reasoning 2026: Legal Aptitude Questions, Preparation Tips & Tricks

Week-by-Week CLAT Legal Reasoning Preparation Plan

With just a few months left it is important to have a good weekly plan to prepare for CLAT 2026 Legal Reasoning Section. Check below week-by-week legal reasoning plan CLAT 2026:

Week 1–4: Work on your basics and concept clarity

• Study Constitution, Torts, and Contracts basics
• Solve 8–10 legal passages per week
• Take 1 sectional mock every week

Week 5–8: Application Mastery

• Focus on solving Principle-Fact questions
• Practice assertion-reason, legal vocab
• Attempt 2 sectional mock test week + 1 full CLAT mock test

Week 9–12: Mixed Practice

• Mix topics in mocks (Legal GK + legal principle)
• Practice full-length legal sets daily
• Study 1 landmark judgment/week

Week 13–16: Speed & Accuracy

• Solve 3 legal passages/day
• Focus on mock test analysis
• Create flashcards for revision

Week 17–20: Final Prep

• Take 3–4 full mocks/week
• Revise all laws, maxims, judgments
• Watch quick revision YouTube videos or shorts

Also Read:

• Synonyms & Antonyms for Law Entrance 2026: List of Most Commonly Asked Words

Month-by-Month Legal Reasoning Strategy

Along with the weekly plan, it is important to understand how to utilize next five months to crack CLAT 2026 in first attempt. Read further to know more.

Month	Goals
Month 1	Understand core subjects: Constitution, Torts, IPC. Practice 1 passage/day. Read The Hindu legal news.
Month 2	Master Legal maxims, assertion-reasoning. Solve 2 passages/day. Attempt topic-wise tests.
Month 3	Practice full mock tests + PYQs. Focus on judgment reading and application
Month 4	Revise all key legal topics. Solve passage sets and attempt full paper tests
Month 5	Final revision. 3–4 mocks per week. Improve passage reading speed. Don’t pick new topics.

Also Read: CLAT 2026 Sample Papers PDF (Out) - Past Years' Free Sample Paper Download Link

Preparation Tips to Crack CLAT Legal Reasoning in 5 Months

Candidates can follow these tips to crack CLAT 2026 without coaching and in next 150 days.

• Don’t Memorise Law: Focus on logic, principle application, and understanding.
• Solve Daily Legal Passages: Practice 2–3 passages each day.
• Read Legal News
• Keep a Legal Notes Diary
• Practice Previous Year Paper
• Time Yourself: Solve every passage within 6–8 minutes to boost exam speed.

Important CLAT Legal Reasoning Questions from Previous Years

Q. 1:  The Supreme Court dismissed petitions challenging the Delhi High Court judgment which upheld the Agnipath scheme for recruitment to the armed forces. Some of the petitioners included candidates who were shortlisted in the earlier recruitment process to Army and Air Force. Advocate Prashant Bhushan who appeared for some of these candidates told the apex court that their names appeared in a provisional list for recruitment to Air Force but the recruitment process was cancelled when Agnipath scheme was notified. He argued that the government must be directed to complete the old process citing the doctrine of promissory estoppel. Bhushan argued that there was written exam, physical test, medical exam conducted under the old recruitment process after which a provisional selection list was published with the ranks. “Thereafter for more than one year, every three months they kept saying that appointment letters were going to be issued, however they were postponed due to Covid-19, in the meantime they did recruitment rallies for the same posts claiming it was for fast-track recruitments to address the demographic imbalance to recruit tribal people, etc”.

He added that these candidates had got jobs in BSF and other paramilitary organizations, but had refused as they were told that Air Force recruitment letters will be issued. “They didn’t say that the issue of letters was being postponed due to Agnipath,” he said, adding there was the issue of promissory estoppel. A claim of doctrine of promissory estoppel essentially prevents a “promisor” from backing out of an agreement on the grounds that there is no “consideration.” The doctrine is invoked in court by a plaintiff (the party moving court in a civil action) against the defendant to ensure execution of a contract or seek compensation for failure to perform the contract. In a 1981 decision in Chhaganlal Keshavalal Mehta v. Patel Narandas Haribhai, the SC lists out a checklist for when the doctrine can be applied: First, there must be a clear and unambiguous promise. Second, the plaintiff must have acted relying reasonably on that promise. Third, the plaintiff must have suffered a loss. Bhushan’s argument invoking the doctrine essentially means that the government’s actions of putting up a shortlist would be a “promise” made by it. The other party here — the candidates acted based on that promise — they refused other jobs in CRPF, BSF etc and now must be compensated for their loss.

According to the ChhaganlalKeshavalal Mehta v. Patel NarandasHaribhai decision, what are the conditions that need to be satisfied for the doctrine of promissory estoppel to be applied?

1. There must be a clear and unambiguous promise, and the plaintiff must have acted relying unreasonably on that promise.
2. There must be a clear and unambiguous promise, and the plaintiff must have acted relying reasonably on that promise and suffered a loss.
3. There must be a clear and unambiguous promise, and the plaintiff must have suffered a loss due to the promise.
4. There must be a clear and unambiguous promise, and the plaintiff must have acted relying unreasonably on that promise and suffered a loss.

Answer: (B)

Q. 2: W and Y agreed to a contract in which W would supply curtains to Y in bulk for him to sell in single pieces. W supplied the products on credit to Y because they used to trade in this manner frequently. Y had already promised his regular customer that if he paid in advance, he would give him 50 curtains at 10% discount. After twenty days of dealing with the customer, Y offered to buy 50 curtains from W, but he refused owing to a labour shortage. Y brought a claim against W based on promissory estoppel.

Determine whether his complaint in this situation can be upheld.

(a) In this situation, Y's complaint cannot be upheld because he would have purchased the goods from W on credit.

(b) Given that Y had already engaged into a contract with his customer, his complaint can be upheld.

(c) Y's complaint cannot be upheld because he established the contract with his customer before deciding to buy the curtains from W.

(d) Y's complaint will be upheld, and promissory estoppel will be imposed because he suffered a significant loss.

Answer: (C)

Q. 3 Read the passage and answer:

The Supreme Court dismissed petitions challenging the Delhi High Court judgment which upheld the Agnipath scheme for recruitment to the armed forces. Some of the petitioners included candidates who were shortlisted in the earlier recruitment process to Army and Air Force. Advocate Prashant Bhushan who appeared for some of these candidates told the apex court that their names appeared in a provisional list for recruitment to Air Force but the recruitment process was cancelled when Agnipath scheme was notified. He argued that the government must be directed to complete the old process citing the doctrine of promissory estoppel. Bhushan argued that there was written exam, physical test, medical exam conducted under the old recruitment process after which a provisional selection list was published with the ranks.

“Thereafter for more than one year, every three months they kept saying that appointment letters were going to be issued, however they were postponed due to Covid-19, in the meantime they did recruitment rallies for the same posts claiming it was for fast-track recruitments to address the demographic imbalance to recruit tribal people, etc”. He added that these candidates had got jobs in BSF and other paramilitary organizations, but had refused as they were told that Air Force recruitment letters will be issued.

“They didn’t say that the issue of letters was being postponed due to Agnipath,” he said, adding there was the issue of promissory estoppel. A claim of doctrine of promissory estoppel essentially prevents a “promisor” from backing out of an agreement on the grounds that there is no “consideration.” The doctrine is invoked in court by a plaintiff (the party moving court in a civil action) against the defendant to ensure execution of a contract or seek compensation for failure to perform the contract. In a 1981 decision in Chhaganlal Keshavalal Mehta v. Patel Narandas Haribhai, the SC lists out a checklist for when the doctrine can be applied: First, there must be a clear and unambiguous promise.

Second, the plaintiff must have acted relying reasonably on that promise. Third, the plaintiff must have suffered a loss. Bhushan’s argument invoking the doctrine essentially means that the government’s actions of putting up a shortlist would be a “promise” made by it. The other party here — the candidates acted based on that promise — they refused other jobs in CRPF, BSF etc and now must be compensated for their loss.

A. According to the ChhaganlalKeshavalal Mehta v. Patel NarandasHaribhai decision, what are the conditions that need to be satisfied for the doctrine of promissory estoppel to be applied?

(a) There must be a clear and unambiguous promise, and the plaintiff must have acted relying unreasonably on that promise.  

(b) There must be a clear and unambiguous promise, and the plaintiff must have acted relying reasonably on that promise and suffered a loss.

(c) There must be a clear and unambiguous promise, and the plaintiff must have suffered a loss due to the promise.

(d) There must be a clear and unambiguous promise, and the plaintiff must have acted relying unreasonably on that promise and suffered a loss.

B. Q and Z had agreed to a deal in which Q offered to provide oil to Z at a reduced price every month if Z made an advance payment. Q dealt in five types of oil and was the state's largest wholesaler of oil. Z once offered to buy 25 litres of oil from Q. Q agreed to the same, and as a result, Z struck a deal with a foreign client to ship the same oil to him. However, three days before the delivery of the oil, Q denied making the delivery. Determine whether the principle of promissory estoppel can be applied to the present scenario.

(a) Considering Z altered his position as a result of Q's promise to deliver the oil, the concept of promissory estoppel can be applied in this situation.

(b) The concept of promissory estoppel cannot be used since the necessary conditions have not been met.

(c) In the above scenario, the concept of promissory estoppel can be applied if it can be demonstrated that Z suffered a significant financial loss as a result of Q's incapacity to fulfil his obligations.

(d) Since Z voluntarily entered into a contract with Q, the principle of promissory estoppel cannot be used in this circumstance.

C. W and Y agreed to a contract in which W would supply curtains to Y in bulk for him to sell in single pieces. W supplied the products on credit to Y because they used to trade in this manner frequently. Y had already promised his regular customer that if he paid in advance, he would give him 50 curtains at 10% discount. After twenty days of dealing with the customer, Y offered to buy 50 curtains from W, but he refused owing to a labour shortage. Y brought a claim against W based on promissory estoppel. Determine whether his complaint in this situation can be upheld.

(a) In this situation, Y's complaint cannot be upheld because he would have purchased the goods from W on credit.

(b) Given that Y had already engaged into a contract with his customer, his complaint can be upheld.

(c) Y's complaint cannot be upheld because he established the contract with his customer before deciding to buy the curtains from W.

(d) Y's complaint will be upheld, and promissory estoppel will be imposed because he suffered a significant loss.

D. R and T had agreed to a deal in which R would supply wheat and rice to T at a subsidized rate and T would supply him with maize and gram at a subsidized rate as well. As a result, T guaranteed his customers a discount on the grains. R, on the other hand, failed to deliver the items on time, but T delivered one week before the deadline. Customers also chose to buy more maize instead of wheat and more grams instead of rice, and all of the grains were sold, resulting in a 20,000 profit for T. He did, however, initiate a complaint against R based on promissory estoppel. Determine the principle's applicability.

(a) Since T sustained no damage as a result of R's delay, the principle of promissory estoppel cannot be applied in this situation.

(b) Considering T voluntarily entered into a contract with R, the principle of promissory estoppel cannot be used in this circumstance.

(c) Given that T had already promised customers subsidized grains, the principle of promissory estoppel can be applied in this situation.

(d) The principle of promissory estoppel can be applied in the given circumstance because the prerequisites have been met.

E.. M and N, who were brothers, shared ownership of the grocery store that their father had bequeathed to them in his will. They used to run the store together and split the profits and losses. After a few months, they began to argue and experience trust concerns. M offered N 20 crore rupees in exchange for his moving out of the city and taking the money. N also reserved an apartment in another state and paid the required down payment. M refused to give the money when N requested it. Analyze if the promissory estoppel concept applies and whether N is entitled to any legal redress.

(a) There is no legal recourse because N should not have purchased the flat before receiving the money from M.

(b) N has no legal recourse because he voluntarily got into such an agreement with his brother.

(c) N can use promissory estoppel since he acted on the promise and giving up his stake of the shop would result in a substantial loss.

(d) N can use promissory estoppel because he has already moved to another city with his family based on M's commitment. 

CLAT Mock Papers

The Consortium shares the online mock tests for CLAT 2026 UG and PG exams. However, it starts mock test by September onwards. But, to help you prepare well Shiksha has created CLAT Free Mock Tests. Candidates can practice and get ready for the upcoming CLAT Exam 2026. Check the table below to access Shiksha’s free CLAT Mocks for practice:

CLAT Mock Test Set 1	Clat Mock Test 1 Solutions
CLAT Mock Test Set 2	CLAT Mock Test Set 2 Solutions
CLAT Mock Test Set 3	CLAT Mock Test Set 3 Solutions
CLAT Mock Test Set 4	CLAT Mock Test Set 4 Solutions
CLAT Mock Test Set 5	CLAT Mock Test Set 5 Solutions
CLAT Mock Test Set 6	CLAT Mock Test Set 6 Solutions
CLAT Mock Test Set 7	CLAT Mock Test Set 7 Solutions
CLAT Mock Test Set 8	CLAT Mock Test Set 8 Solutions
CLAT Mock Test Set 9	CLAT Mock Test Set 9 Solutions
CLAT Mock Test Set 10	CLAT Mock Test Set 10 Solutions

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• Important topics to study from CLAT 2026 syllabus
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