How to prepare for CLAT 2026 Legal Reasoning?

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

Anupama Mehra

Assistant Manager – Content

Updated on Jun 19, 2025 16:17 IST

By LegalEdge Tutorials

Appearing for CLAT 2026? Know how to prepare for CLAT Legal Reasoning section by experts as shared in this article.

CLAT 2026 preparation is sorted if candidates approach each section separately. CLAT Exam Date has not been announced yet. However, it is likely that CLAT 2026 Exam will be held on December 7, 2025. CLAT 2026 will be held in a pen-paper-based test mode. CLAT 2026 Legal Reasoning section is one of the most scoring sections as it carries 25 per cent weightage in the exam. According to CLAT exam pattern, there will be 30-33 questions in this section.

Also Read: How to Score 25+ in CLAT Legal Reasoning? Tips to prepare for CLAT 2026

Moreover, CLAT Consortium modified the exam pattern, there will be passages of around 450 words followed by multiple questions. In this article, we have discussed preparation tips for the Legal Reasoning section, the type of questions, how to attempt, how to Prepare Legal Reasoning Questions for CLAT 2026 and other details.

Also Read: Idioms and Proverbs for CLAT 2026 With Meaning

Table of content

Legal Reasoning for CLAT 2026: Highlights
How to prepare for CLAT Legal Reasoning?
CLAT 2026 Legal Reasoning: Important Topics
Tips to score well in CLAT Legal Reasoning 2026 section
CLAT Free Mock Test by SHIKSHA
Section-Wise CLAT 2026 Preparation Tips

Legal Reasoning for CLAT 2026: Highlights

Here are the key features of the CLAT Legal Reasoning section that candidates must not miss out on:

Legal Reasoning section of CLAT 2026 will consist of approximately 30-32 questions carrying one mark for each correct answer
There will be a negative marking of 0.25 marks for each wrong answer.
The CLAT 2026 Legal Reasoning section will include questions based on Legal Comprehension i.e. there were passages related to any static or current legal issue followed by 5-6 questions.
The questions will be of both natures straightforward and Legal Reasoning based. The straightforward questions will test the ability of the student to put forth the best conclusion or supporting argument related to the legal issue discussed in the passage. This required good and unbiased comprehending skills of the students to answer such questions.
The other kind of questions will be based on Legal Reasoning i.e. students will be given a hypothetical situation and will have to decide the case applying the legal knowledge provided to them in the passage.
Legal Reasoning questions are majorly based on the previous pattern of principle-fact-based questions. The only difference is, instead of a legal principle, there will be a passage related to law.

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How to prepare for CLAT Legal Reasoning?

There is no doubt that with the change in the pattern, the Legal Reasoning section has become lengthy and students will find it difficult to finish the entire section in the stipulated time of 30 to 32 minutes. The only skill in the rescue will be a decent reading speed and covering your CLAT Syllabus before time. So read, read and read (as much as you can).

With a year left for CLAT 2026, students should be spending around 2 to 3 hours reading newspapers, blogs, magazines etc. Start with any good newspaper (The Hindu or Economic Times).
Read the editorial section and all-important news articles in the newspaper, this will not only serve as a good read but the information provided here will help you with your preparation for both Legal Reasoning as well as current affairs section.
Apart from newspapers, read blogs. Many online blogs mention the reading time required to read the entire article. You might initially end up spending more than the required time to read the content but make sure you come along the same speed by doing the reading exercise every day.

Also Read: CLAT 2026 Courses: Check complete list, subject-wise eligibility criteria and other details

Q: When should I start preparing for CLAT 2026?

The ideal time to start preparing for the CLAT exam varies from person to person and depends on several factors such as your familiarity with the subject, the level of understanding of the topics covered in the syllabus, and the amount of time and effort you can devote to the preparation. However, as a general guideline, it is recommended that you start preparing for the exam at least 6-8 months before the exam date. This will give you sufficient time to cover the entire syllabus, revise the important topics, solve mock tests and previous year papers, and identify your strengths and weaknesses. If you are already familiar with the subject and have a good understanding of the topics covered in the syllabus, you can start preparing for the exam 3-4 months before the exam date. However, if you are new to the subject or need to improve your understanding of the topics, you may need to start preparing earlier. It is important to note that the CLAT exam is a highly competitive exam, and the level of competition is increasing every year. Therefore, it is important to start preparing early and stay consistent with your preparation. With a focused approach and consistent effort, you can increase your chances of qualifying for the CLAT exam.

Q: Please provide all the details about CLAT exam.

The Common Law Admission Test CLAT is an entrance exam conducted annually for admission to undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) law programs at National Law Universities (NLUs) and other law colleges in India. The exam is conducted by the National Law School of India University, Bangalore on behalf of the 18 participating NLUs. Here is some more information about CLAT: Eligibility: To be eligible to take the CLAT UG exam, you must have passed your 10+2 (higher secondary school) examination or an equivalent exam with a minimum of 45% marks in aggregate (40% for SC and ST candidates). To be eligible for the CLAT PG exam, you must have a bachelor's degree in law LL.B. Or an equivalent degree with a minimum of 55% marks in aggregate (50% for SC and ST candidates). Exam structure: The CLAT UG exam consists of multiple-choice questions in the following subjects: English General Knowledge and Current Affairs Legal Aptitude, and Logical Reasoning. The CLAT PG exam consists of multiple-choice questions in the following subjects: Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence, Other Law subjects, and Legal Reasoning. The exam is conducted in an online format and has a duration of two hours. Application process: To apply for CLAT you must submit an online application through the official CLAT website. The application process typically opens in the month of January and closes in the month of March. You will need to pay an application fee and upload the required documents as part of the application process. Selection process: After the CLAT exam is conducted, a merit list is prepared based on the candidates' scores in the exam. Candidates are then invited to participate in the counseling process, during which they can select their preferred law school and programme. The final admission decisions are based on the availability of seats, the candidates' scores in the CLAT exam, and their preferences for law schools and programs. I hope this information is helpful! Please let me know if you have any other questions about CLAT.

Q: Please explain a proper strategy for CLAT for pure droppers, with proper schedule.

If you are a dropper, you know that it is not just the knowledge that is tested in the CLAT exam; it tests your intellect. If you are a dropper, you have plenty of time to practice mock tests because your basics are clear. So try to attempt one mock test daily and slowly increase it to two mock tests. After taking the test it is important to analyze your test and evaluate your performance regularly. While practising, you can also explore your choices. Try attempting different sections first, and know your strong area to start in the exam. After practising a lot of tests, you will have an idea about which section to attempt first and how much time to allot to each section. Once you build this master plan before the exam, nobody can stop you from cracking it. A dropper can devote more time to CLAT preparation as compared to the school students. This can be your plus point and a motivation factor to crack the exam this year. If you get frustrated thinking about your year dropped, just think, You Can And You Will. If this method does not work, talk to your mentors and your friends, and keep yourself motivated. Make your own strategy and work on it rather than seeing other students. Always make sure to satisfy yourself with the preparation you do. Some tips for the droppers- You may sometimes feel that your class fellows are joining the best colleges and having all the fun. But joining a college of your choice is better to keep away from future regrets. Never think that you are wasting your time. Take it as an opportunity to crack your dream law school. Don't self doubt. Mock test marks are not your original CLAT score. They are just the parameters to guide you in your journey. Scores will keep changing if you put more efforts in improving your weaknesses. Let failure not bother you. Fearing results will lead to stress and stop you from giving your best. Understand that your hard work needs a little bit of intelligence to produce good results. All the Best. Good luck.

CLAT 2026 Legal Reasoning: Important Topics

To be able to perform better at Legal Reasoning, read articles related to static and current legal issues. Go through the current legal issues in the last ten months and read about them. Apart from this,

Read about the landmark and important cases decided in the last one year, all the new amendments and enactments done in both monsoon and winter session of the parliament along with contemporary issues like LGBTQ rights or death penalty which have been a part of the news in the last few months.
Reading about static and current legal issues before your CLAT 2026 will give you a basic understanding of the topic which will further help you in understanding the passage easily and at a much faster pace during your final exam.
Secondly, you might land up in a situation where you are running out of time, and cannot invest the last three-four minutes left in reading the entire passage. Here, your prior basic understanding of the legal issue will be of great help as you might be able to answer a couple of questions even without reading the entire passage word for word.

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So, reading is the key to scoring well in CLAT 2026.

The next problem students face is a lack of understanding of legal terms in the passage and in questions. For this,

Improve your legal vocabulary including legal jargon, legal terms, foreign phrases and maxims.
To improve this area, going through the list of such terms with their meanings multiple times will help, but the most effective way to improve the legal vocabulary would be marking all such terms you come across while reading an article or passage, looking up its meaning and interpreting the term in its contextual meaning.

Tips to score well in CLAT Legal Reasoning 2026 section

Once you have started your reading journey and working on your legal vocabulary, the next are the tips and tricks to score well in the exam.

Always read the comprehension first and then attempt the questions. This will make sure that you do not form opinions by reading the hypothetical situation first and end up marking answers in a biased manner.
Keep in mind the views of the author while answering the questions and do not confuse it with your own. While choosing the right option among the two correct options, always go with the one that has a clear reference in the passage.
Most important of all, do not miss any CLAT mock test or any practice test provided to you. As you would know there are no proper reference books available on the new pattern and the only source to practice these questions are the tests provided to you. So take the tests seriously and try to improve your legal comprehension skills through these tests.

Remember, working consistently on your reading skills is key to succeeding in CLAT 2026. You might not get an instant takeaway after reading for a couple of hours but trust the process. Eventually, you will get a complete hang of the new pattern. So, stay positive and prepare well. All the best!

CLAT Free Mock Test by SHIKSHA

Candidates can practice the free CLAT Mock Test given below to prepare for the upcoming CLAT Exam:

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

Also Read: Mock Test for CLAT 2026, Sample Papers: Things to keep in mind

Section-Wise CLAT 2026 Preparation Tips

Q: Is it worth to drop an year for CLAT?

Dear Sir, I do not recommend this at all. I have seen with so many bright students dropping a year just to prepare well and appear for the next years CLAT or NEET or JEE etc. To prepare well in Entrance you need to sincerely study atleast 3-4 hrs daily for 2 months before Exam date. So dropping a year will not help you - trust me. In case you could not get through this years CLAT prepare again and appear next year. But continue your education. If you are going to sit for CLAT exam then it is very much important to know about the CLAT Exam pattern, syllabus, questions type. There are five important Topics which you need to focus on CLAT exams. These five topics are English comprehension, Mathematics, Logical Reasoning, Legal Aptitude, General Knowledge and Current Affairs. Depth knowledge and good practice can only give you the success. You can get in touch with any good law entrance coaching, they will help you to clear your CLAT exam. There are a number of top law colleges in India that you can apply for, but you should know the admission process. Most of the colleges or universities that offer courses in law have their own entrance examinations. One of the most recognised examinations is CLAT which stands for the Common Law Entrance Test. The test score of CLAT is accepted by major universities as well as law colleges in India. There are multiple universities from where you can do 5-year LL.B. Like IILM University Gurugram offers BBA LL.B. & B.A. LL.B. & LL. M. with Moot Court Internship, Seminar, Workshops, Experiential Learning along with Inter-Disciplinary Curriculum. For more details check their website https://iilm.edu.in.

Q: Which is the most difficult section of the CLAT 2026?

As per the exam analysis of CLAT exam held in previous years, the difficulty level of all the sections are as under: English Language - Generally the questions asked in this section are considered easy. However, candidates can find them lengthy and time-taking as the questions are based on passages only. Current Affairs including General Knowledge - The questions in this section are of Easy to Moderate difficulty level depending on the events and technicality. Logical Reasoning - The questions asked in this section of CLAR paper are of easy to moderately difficult level due to facts and data interpretation. Legal Reasoning This section of CLAT paper is of easy to moderate difficult level as the questions are mostly asked from Legal domain, trending events, lex maxims, and current landmark judgements. Quantitative Techniques - Although the weightage of this section is lesser than the rest, the questions asked around Mathematics subject can be tricky/ twisted, which makes it moderate to difficult level. Know all about CLAT question paper analysis here - https://www.shiksha.com/law/clat-exam-analysis.

Q: Which exam is more difficult - CLAT or AILET?

The difficulty level of CLAT is generally moderate while the AILET paper is usually difficult, as per students' feedback and experts' views. Note that around 3000 UG and 1000 PG seats offered by the NLUs will be filled through CLAT. However, NLU Delhi conducts the AILET exam for filling around 120 UG seats and 80 PG seats offered by the university. Given fewer seats, competition in AILET is higher.

Q: What is the difficulty level of CLAT 2026?

If you go through the pattern of CLAT exam, you will see that it is mostly general and does not involve any difficult subject. If you have basic understanding of English and have some interest in reading news and Current Affairs you are ready for two sections. The most challenging part, for most students, is Mathematics. However, it is of elementary standard and does not require special knowledge. If you did well in Math in class X, you have an edge. Only section that needs special preparation is legal aptitude. Most class XII students do not have idea about law. If you start in time and join coaching classes for help, you can get a hold of the basics in no time.
So, we can say that CLAT is easy if you have basic knowledge of topics involved and you are prepared for some hard work to hone your skills further.

Q: What is the best strategy to crack CLAT in first attempt? Which section should I concentrate more on?

Hi, Cracking CLAT is not very difficult provided you are disciplined enough. Step1- have faith in yourself, plan out your study, mark your weaknesses, have a leisure time as well. Step2-Read more and practice more. Reading is a must. Newspaper, Law, English and then read more. Step3 -Practice maths and reasoning. step 4- Go through past year's papers and mock tests. Step 5- Revise whatever you read. Make a schedule of revising whatever you read throughout the week. Step 6 -Sit back and relax. Step 7- Cover the topics and then revise and 10 days prior to exam just revise. Step 8- The d day, be confident, attempt more, take risks and don't be overconfident.

Click on the links below to know how to prepare for different sections of the CLAT 2026 exam below:

Section-Wise CLAT 2026 Preparation Tips
Tips to Prepare for English Section of CLAT 2026 Exam	Tips to prepare for Logical Reasoning section of CLAT
How to prepare for CLAT Current Affairs & GK	How to Prepare for CLAT Quantitative Techniques

About the Author:

Sakshi Tomar is the Head of Department (HOD) for Legal Aptitude and Reasoning subject at LegalEdge Tutorial.

LegalEdge is among the top law coaching institutes and has seven coaching centres across India including, Jaipur, Lucknow, Kanpur, Bhopal, Raipur, Prayagraj and Indore

About the Author

Anupama Mehra

Assistant Manager – Content

"The pen is mightier than the sword". Anupama totally believes in this and respects what she conveys through it. She is a vivid writer, who loves to write about education, lifestyle, and governance. She is a hardcor... Read Full Bio

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