How is CLAT different from AILET? Key differences in Pattern, Syllabus, Difficulty Level
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How is CLAT different from AILET is a common question asked by law aspirants. Students seeking admission in National Law Universities often get confused between AILET and Common Law Admission Test (CLAT). Both national-level entrance exams judge candidates for admission to five-year integrated law courses in National Law Universities (NLUs). However, they are different in terms of question structure and institutes for admissions. CLAT scores are accepted for admission to 24 NLUs, while All India Law Entrance Test (AILET) is accepted for admission to NLU Delhi.
The difference between CLAT and AILET also varies in structure and sections in the exam. The CLAT exam is comprehensive, while AILET checks logical reasoning. Understanding the CLAT and AILET difficulty level helps students to modify their mock test strategies. The overall scoring makes each exam unique for test-takers.
Also Read: CLAT Questions for Practice with Solutions: Free PDF Download
As a relief to law aspirants, both the law entrance exams have similar test patterns for UG law programmes i.e.
- The question papers of CLAT are based on subjects including English, General Knowledge and Current Affairs, Elementary Mathematics (Quantitative Techniques), Legal Aptitude & Reasoning and Logical Reasoning.
- This year, the Consortium of NLUs announced some notable changes in the CLAT exam pattern by reducing the number of questions to 120 from that of 150.
- The AILET exam pattern has been changed as well since NLU Delhi removed the Elementary Mathematics and Legal Aptitude sections from the question paper. This changed the section-wise weightage of the AILET question paper. Other than this, AILET exam mode, duration, and pattern remain the same.
Let us understand the key features of both the law entrance exams on this page below.
Also Read: All about NLU Courses - Five-Year LLB, LLM, PhD and Distance Law Courses
- Difference between CLAT UG and AILET UG Exam Pattern
- Difference between CLAT LLM and AILET LLM Exam Pattern
- Difference in CLAT and AILET Application Fees
- Which is Tougher – CLAT or AILET?
- Important FAQs regarding CLAT & AILET
Difference between CLAT UG and AILET UG Exam Pattern
The major differences and similarities in key features of AILET and CLAT exam pattern 2027 are as under:
| Subject |
Features of CLAT 2027 |
Features of AILET 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Exam mode | CLAT is conducted in a paper-based test mode. | AILET is also conducted in a paper-based test mode. |
| Exam timings | 2:00-4:00 PM. | 10:00-11:30 AM. |
| Test duration |
120 minutes |
90 minutes |
| Type of questions |
Objective-type of question-based on Reading Comprehension passages of about 300-450 words. |
The questions are completely multiple-choice based in all sections. |
| Total questions |
120 | There are 150 MCQs in total. |
| Negative Marking |
+1 for a correct answer |
+1 for a correct answer |
Also Read:
Section-wise Weightage of Questions and Marks
| Subjects |
Question and Marks for CLAT |
Question and Marks for AILET |
|---|---|---|
| 28-32 questions of 1 mark each |
50 questions of 1 mark each |
|
| 35-39 questions of 1 mark each | 30 questions of 1 mark each |
|
| 13-17 questions of 1 mark each |
Removed |
|
| 35-39 questions of 1 mark each |
Removed |
|
| 28-32 questions of 1 mark each |
70 questions of 1 mark each |
|
| Total |
120 questions and marks |
150 questions and marks |
Also Read:
Commonly asked questions
As per NIRF ranking 2025, NLSIU Bangalore is the No. 1 ranked NLU colleges in India. The table below has other NLUs in India rankwise.
Top NLUs in India | NIRF 2023 | NIRF 2024 | NIRF 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 1 | |
2 | 2 | 2 | |
4 | 4 | 4 | |
7 | 8 | 5 | |
18 | 21 | 27 | |
24 | 22 | 30 | |
30 | 26 | 15 | |
28 | 27 | 35 |
Disclaimer: This information is sourced from official website of the ranking body listed and may vary.
A bad rank in CLAT is relative and depends on factors like your category, the NLUs you target, and overall competition. For general category candidates, ranks above 15,000 to 20,000 are typically considered weak, reducing chances of admission into top or even mid-tier National Law Universities. For reserved categories, the threshold might be higher, but still, a rank significantly above the cutoff range may be viewed unfavorably. Ultimately, a "bad rank" hampers your chances of securing a coveted seat and may force you to consider alternative law schools or reattempt the exam in subsequent years. Improving your score remains essential.
Yes, it is tough for an average student. However, with good strategy and study plan cracking CLAT exam is not tough.
Difference between CLAT LLM and AILET LLM Exam Pattern
In case of PG courses of AILET and CLAT for LLM course, the exam pattern is distinct from each other. Check below the difference in CLAT LLM and AILET LLM paper as under:
| Features |
CLAT LLM Pattern |
AILET LLM Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Exam mode |
Pen-paper mode |
Pen-paper mode |
| Exam duration |
2 hours |
1 hour 30 minutes |
| Subjects |
Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence, other law subjects including contemporary issues |
Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, Law of Contract, Jurisprudence, Law of Tort and International Law |
| Type of questions |
Objective as well as subjective questions |
Multiple-choice questions |
| Total questions |
120 multiple-choice questions |
102 questions
|
| Total marks |
120 marks |
150 marks |
| Marking scheme |
|
Multiple-choice questions:
Descriptive questions:
|
Difference in CLAT and AILET Application Fees
There is a huge difference in the application form fees of AILET and CLAT and it can be understood from the table below:
| Categories | CLAT application fees | AILET application fees |
|---|---|---|
| General/Other Backward Class (OBC)/ Persons with Disability (PwD)/ Non-Resident Indians (NRI)/ Persons of Indian Origin (PIO)/ Overseas citizens (OCI)/ Kashmiri Migrant | INR 4,000 | INR 3,050 |
| Scheduled Class (SC)/ Scheduled Tribe (ST) | INR 3,500 | INR 1,050 |
| BPL candidates from SC and ST categories | INR 3,500 | Exempted |
Commonly asked questions
The CLAT syllabus is considered challenging due to its comprehensive, passage-based nature. Candidates will have to solve the questions within two hour time limit for 120 questions. The syllabus is tough and exam is difficult to crack.
To get good marks in CLAT 2027, focus on reading comprehension, daily current affairs, and consistent mock test practice. The exam consists of 120 questions, making speed and accuracy crucial. Prioritize Legal and Logical Reasoning, and use daily newspaper reading to boost your score in all sections.
To prepare for CLAT Exam you need right books and good study plan. You must solve past-year question papers and mock tests.
The Quantitative Techniques & Logical Reasoning sections are considered the most difficult to prepare for in the CLAT exam.
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Which is Tougher – CLAT or AILET?
Before appearing for the law entrance exams, the aspirants want to know which one is difficult to crack. If you compare the number of applicants per seat then definitely AILET is a tougher exam as compared to CLAT. It can be confirmed as under:
- More than 60,000 candidates appear in CLAT admission to 2,644 UG seats and 914 PG seats
- Approximately 19,000 candidates appear for 110 seats - BA LLB, 70 seats - LLM, and 18 seats - PhD
Thus, in CLAT approximately 20 candidates compete for a seat at CLAT participating NLUs, whereas in AILET around 100 candidates are competing for a seat at NLU, Delhi.
However, an important fact to consider is that the majority of the applicants apply for both AILET and CLAT exams. Since NLU Delhi is ranked among the top five NLUs of India, it makes it tougher to get admission in. Whereas, the difficulty level of CLAT question paper and AILET questions paper can be understood by the fact that the latter exam has tougher questions in Legal Aptitude, which is based on core law topics. Moreover, now the CLAT Consortium has modified the test paper by increasing the comprehensive type of questions to make it easier for candidates.
Read More:
Important FAQs regarding CLAT & AILET
Q: Which is better - CLAT or AILET?
A: Both CLAT and AILET are equally good as both give opportunity to secure admission in the prestigious National Law Universities in India. However, through AILET candidates can secure admission only in NLU Delhi. On the other hand, through CLAT, candidates can secure admission in 24 NLUs in India.
Q: Which law entrance exam is more difficult - CLAT or AILET?
A: The difficulty level of AILET is usually higher than CLAT. To check complete details, click on CLAT exam analysis and AILET Exam analysis links.
Q: Can I get admission in NLU without CLAT?
A: For admission in UG-level courses (such as BA/BBA LLB) and PG-level courses (such as LLM) offered at NLUs, it is mandatory for candidates to appear for either CLAT or AILET.
Q: Is the syllabus and exam pattern for CLAT and AILET different?
A: The exam pattern and syllabus for CLAT and AILET are different. So candidates need to refer to the specific pattern and syllabus when preparing for any of these exams.
Q: Do I need to adopt different preparation strategies for CLAT and AILET?
A: You can keep the same preparation strategy for CLAT and AILET as the paper pattern and syllabus for both the exams are largely similar.
Q: What is the application fee for CLAT and AILET?
A: The application fee for CLAT is INR 4,000 for the General category and INR 3,500 for SC/ST category. On the other hand, the AILET application fee is INR 3,050 for the General category and INR 1,050 for SC/ST category.
Q: How many seats are offered through CLAT and AILET exams?
A: The seat intakes for both the law entrance exams are as follows:
CLAT 2024:
- UG courses - 2, 644 seats
- PG courses - 914 seats
AILET 2024:
- BA LLB - 110
- LLM - 70
- PhD - 18
Q: In which modes are CLAT and AILET exams conducted?
A: Both CLAT and AILET are conducted in offline mode as pen-paper tests.
Q: What is the duration of CLAT and AILET exams?
A: CLAT exam is of two hours duration while AILET is of 90 minutes duration.
Q: Is there negative marking in CLAT and AILET exams?
A: Yes, there is negative marking of 0.25 marks in both CLAT and AILET exams.
Q: How many questions are asked in CLAT and AILET exams?
A: In both the exams, total 150 questions are asked in UG level.
Q: What type of questions are asked in CLAT and AILET exams?
A: In CLAT 2024, objective-type MCQs will be asked for UG and PG admission. AILET UG will have only MCQs, but PG paper will have both objective and descriptive questions.
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