CLAT Exam Pattern 2026 (Revised): Total Questions, Negative Marking, Topic-Wise Weightage, Total Marks

Common Law Admission Test 2026 ( CLAT )

This exam is conducted for courses given below:
Anupama Mehra
Updated on Dec 6, 2025 10:13 IST

By Anupama Mehra, Assistant Manager – Content

CLAT 2026 exam pattern - The Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) published the CLAT Exam Pattern 2026 along with the CLAT Notification 2026. The Consortium had revised the CLAT exam pattern in 2024. Hence, the CLAT Exam pattern was not changed. The CLAT Question Paper will carry 120 questions in MCQ format. The questions will be asked from five subjects: English Language, Current Affairs including GK, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Techniques. 

Candidates are advised to go through the exam pattern of CLAT 2026 thoroughly before appearing for CLAT Exam 2026. It must be noted that CLAT has negative marking too. 0.25 marks will be deducted for every wrong attempt. Read below all about CLAT exam pattern 2026, including sectional weightage, exam structure, sectional time limit, marking scheme and sections.

Also Read: Best Books for CLAT 2026

 
 

 

Table of contents
  • CLAT Exam Pattern 2026 - Key Features
  • CLAT 2026 Exam Pattern: Highlights
  • CLAT 2026 Sectional Weightage
  • CLAT 2026 Exam Pattern: Marking Scheme
  • CLAT Syllabus 2026
  • CLAT Books 2026
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CLAT Exam Pattern 2026 - Key Features

Candidates can check CLAT Exam Pattern 2026 below to start CLAT preparation:

  • Except for the CLAT Quantitative Technique section 2026, the remainig four sections will include passage-based questions. The English, Current Affairs, and Logical Reasoning sections will include 450-word passages. The Logical Reasoning section will have short passages of about 350 words. A series of questions will follow each passage. 
  • The exam will carry 120 multiple-choice questions. It  is conducted for 120 marks.
  • There will be a negative marking of 0.25 marks for an incorrect answer. For each correct answer 1 mark will be awarded.
  • The difficulty of the CLAT exam 2026 will be of Class 12. Questions asked in Quantitative Techniques are of Class 10 difficulty level.  

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

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Will marks be deducted for unanswered questions in CLAT?
A: 

According to the CLAT exam pattern, there will be no deduction of marks for unanswered questions. Such questions will not be taken into consideration while calculating the total marks of a candidate. Hence, if candidates are not sure about the answer of a question, it is better to leave it unattempted rather than doing a guess work, to avoid negative marking.

Q:   What is CLAT Exam Pattern?
A: 

The CLAT exam for both the undergraduate and postgraduate courses will be conducted for 2-hour; i.e. 2 pm to 4 pm. Candidates must note that the exam will be conducted in offline mode. There will be 120 MCQs. Total number of sections in the question paper will be five. 

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CLAT 2026 Exam Pattern: Highlights

Check the CLAT Exam Pattern here

Particulars CLAT Exam Pattern Highlights

Exam mode

Pen-and-paper exam

Exam duration

Two hours

Test language

English 

Type of questions

Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs)

Exam subjects

Five (English Language, Current Affairs including General Knowledge, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Techniques)

Total questions

120 MCQs

Maximum marks

120 marks

Marking scheme

+1 for correct answer

-0.25 for incorrect answer

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

 

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Is it necessary to pass in individual sections of CLAT?
A: 

There will be no sectional qualifying criterion for CLAT 2027. The overall marks will be considered while preparing the merit list for CLAT. But to ensure a good score, candidates must ensure a high number of attempts with full accuracy. 

Q:   Is it better to start preparing for CLAT Exam along with boards?
A: 

It totally depends on you that when you should start preparing for CLAT. If you want really good marks in board exams, focus on that at first and then prepare for CLAT. If you can manage boards and CLAT preparation side by side then go for it, but do not affect your board scores.

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CLAT 2026 Sectional Weightage

Going by the CLAT 2026 sectional weightage, candidates can check the section-wise questions weightage for each section as under:

Sections

MCQs per section

Maximum Marks

Approximate Weightage (in %)

English Language

28-32 

28-32 

18.66 - 21.33

Current Affairs including General Knowledge

35-39 

35-39 

23.33 - 26

Logical Reasoning

28-32 

28-32

18.66 - 21.33

Legal Reasoning

35-39 

35-39

23.33 - 26

Quantitative Techniques (Elementry Mathematics up to Class 10)

13-17 

13-17 

8.66 - 11.33

Total 

120

120

100%

Also Read: CLAT GK Questions With Answers

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Commonly asked questions
Q:   What is the mode of CLAT Exam?
A: 

The mode of the CLAT exam is offline or paper-based mode. Candidates are handed over hardcopy of CLAT question paper and OMR sheets to answer the questions. Candidates will have to be careful while filling OMR sheet as any scratch or cuts in the OMR sheet will lead to disqualification. 

Q:   What is CLAT Marking Scheme?
A: 

Candidates can check the CLAT 2027 Marking Scheme below

CLAT Marking ParametersMarks Awarded
Correct answer+1 marks
Incorrect answer-0.25 marks
Un-attempted question0 marks
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CLAT 2026 Exam Pattern: Marking Scheme

The CLAT 2026 exam pattern remains unchanged. The consortium has released the marking scheme for CLAT 2026 Exam. Aspirants can refer to the marking scheme for UG courses below:

  • For every correct answer, candidates are awarded one mark

  • For every wrong attempt, 0.25 marks are deducted from their total score 

  • No marks are awarded or deducted for questions not left un-attempted

CLAT Marking Parameters Marks Awarded
Correct answer +1 marks
Incorrect answer -0.25 marks
Un-attempted question 0 marks

Also Read: How To Score 100+ In CLAT 2026?

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Commonly asked questions
Q:   Can I complete CLAT Syllabus in a month?
A: 

While it is not impossible, it is a really challenging task. To score well, you must start preparing for CLAT at least six months before. It is very important to score well if you are looking forward to getting into good NLU. For top 10 NLU, you at least need to score between 100 to 105 as per past trends.

Q:   Who releases the CLAT Syllabus?
A: 

The CLAT Syllabus is published by the Consortium. The syllabus has been announced. Candidates who are preparing for the exam must note that there are no changes made in the syllabus so far.  Candidates can check the syllabus by visiting the official website. You can only download the PDF from website.

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CLAT Syllabus 2026

The details of CLAT syllabus for each section are:

CLAT Sections Important Topics
English Language
  • Grammar (correction of incorrect grammatical sentences, fill in the blanks, etc.)
  • Vocabulary
Current Affairs including General Knowledge
  • Static GK (Arts & Culture and History)
  • Knowledge of all events happening nationally and internationally
Logical Reasoning
  • Relationships
  • Analogies
  • Logical Sequences
  • Arguments
Legal Reasoning
  • General awareness of contemporary legal and moral issues
Quantitative Techniques
  • Ratios and Proportions
  • Basic Algebra
  • Mensuration
  • Statistics

Also Read: Important topics to study from CLAT 2026 syllabus

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Can I practice CLAT 2027 sample papers?
A: 

Yes, candidates who have regsitered for the CLAT exam can access the sample papers through their login credentials. They can practice the questions for all the sections. This exercise will help to evaluate the areas that are strong and weak and needs more attention. 

Q:   How to practice CLAT 2027 Official Sample Papers?
A: 

 The practice the sample papers of CLAT 2027 released by the consortium follow these steps

  1. Go to consortiumofnlus.ac.in
  2. Login and click on attempt sample paper
  3. You will now see instructions on your screen
  4. Read the instructions and click on Start Mock Test
  5. Attempt the question paper
View Syllabus
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CLAT Books 2026

Check few important section-wise CLAT books  that candidates can refer to prepare for the exam:

CLAT Sections Important CLAT Books
English Language
  • English Grammar by Wren & Martin
  • Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
Current Affairs including General Knowledge
  • General Knowledge 2022-2023-2024 by Arihant Publications
  • Manorama Year Book
Logical Reasoning
  • A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning by RS Aggarwal
  • Arihant’s A New Approach to Verbal and Analytical Reasoning
Legal Reasoning
  • Pearson's Legal Awareness and Legal Reasoning
  • Pearson’s Guide to the CLAT
Quantitative Techniques
  •  NCERT Class 10 Book
  • Quantitative Aptitude by RS Aggarwal

Also Read: CLAT Sample Papers 2026 PDF - Previous Years' Sample Paper Download Link

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   How to prepare GK for CLAT?
A: 
Hi Paras, The strategy for the GA portion is: Current Affairs: The Hindu Newspaper + Daily current affairs through any good online website (bankers adda, Mrunal, Insight, etc.). Also, focus on business, sports, international, national, etc. news Static GK: A basic knowledge of History, Geography and Sciences will suffice.Try to focus more on Indian history. The world history questions are rarely asked. In geography, the emphasis should be laid on world and Indian geography. For science, please focus more on the day to day general science questions. Also, give due weightage to Inventors, discoveries and past Nobel prize winners etc.
Q:   How to prepare for CLAT Quantitative Techniques Section?
A: 

To prepare for this section which cover 10 percent marks of the total CLAT paper it is important to have a right approach. Candidates must note that you can score really well if you study the Class 19 level mathematics properly. Be regular and plan strategically rather than trying to learn advance maths,

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Answered 22 hours ago

Candidates must understand that the CLAT Exam is for admission to NLUs and it is national level competitve exam. But AIL LET Exam is for one specific college. It is completly a personal choice to choose.

N

Nitesh Srivastava

Contributor-Level 7

Answered 22 hours ago

The AIL LET Exam is comparatively easier than the CLAT. While CLAT is held for NLUs, the AIL LET Exam is only for Army Institute of Law. Hence, the competition and difficutly level is bit less.

M

Manisha Gard

Contributor-Level 7

Answered 2 days ago

The Chanakya National Law University Patna BA LLB (hons) cutoff trend has shown an increase in competition for admissions. The BA LLB (hons) admission cutoff has seen a small increase which might be the result of either better CLAT-UG scores than the previous year or more applicants for BA LLB (hons

...Read more

S

Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 days ago

Candidates with a high score in CLAT may be preferred for selection in BA LLB at Ramaiah College of Law. But if you qualify the eligibility criteria and clear all the rounds of the selection process, you may get a seat at Ramaiah College of Law without appearing for CLAT.

S

Saumya Gairola

Beginner-Level 5

Answered 2 days ago

Candidates with a high score in CLAT may be preferred for selection in BA LLB at Ramaiah College of Law. But if you qualify the eligibility criteria and clear all the rounds of the selection process, you may get a seat at Ramaiah College of Law without appearing for CLAT.

S

Saumya Gairola

Beginner-Level 5

Answered 2 days ago

No, the CLAT-UG has been concluded for the 2026 Chanakya Law University Patna BBA LLB admissions. Candidates who are interested in applying for the aforementioned course are now required to wait for CLAT 2027 to begin. The CLAT-UG registrations generally begin in the month of August.

S

Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 days ago

Yes, the CLAT-UG is a mandatory entrance exam for Chanakya National Law University Patna BBA LLB (hons) admissions. There are no other entrance exams that are accepted by Chanakya National Law University Patna for deciding the admissions to its BBA LLB (hons) course.

S

Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 days ago

Both exams are national level. While AIBE is a certification exam, CLAT is an entrance exam to get admission into NLUs. The difficulty level of both the exams are more or less same. 

N

Nitesh Srivastava

Contributor-Level 7

Answered 2 days ago

To download the admit card for CLAT 2026-
  • Go to consortiumofnlus.ac.in.
  • Enter your registered mobile number and password.
  • Click on the Login button.
  • Click on the Download Admit Card.

M

Mukul Singh

Contributor-Level 7

Answered 3 days ago

The Allahabad HC has ordered that Question No. 9 of Booklet C (and its equivalent questions across all sets) be re-evaluated by treating both options 'B' and 'D' as correct answers. The revised CLAT Score 2026 shall not affect candidates who have already been allotted seats in Round 1 of CLAT UG 202

...Read more

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Anupama Mehra

Contributor-Level 10

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