NLSAT Exam Pattern 2026: Check Section-wise Format, Mode, Marking Scheme & Weightage

National Law School Admission Test 2026 ( NLSAT )

DeskCalelnderRegistration - 26 Apr '26

Nidhi Gupta
Updated on Mar 5, 2026 15:27 IST

By Nidhi Gupta, Deputy Manager

The NLSAT exam pattern 2026 mentions details of the question paper of the 3-year LLB course offered at NLSIU Bangalore. As per the NLSAT 2026 pattern, the exam is conducted in two parts- Part A and Part B. Part A is objective type, and Part B is subjective. The NLSAT 2026 exam will be held offline in pen-and-paper-based mode. The exam pattern is provided by the exam authority so that candidates can prepare for the entrance exam well in advance. Check the detailed pattern of NLSIU Bangalore's LLB entrance exam, including subjects, marking scheme, section-wise weightage, and other key details on this page below.

Table of contents
  • NLSAT 2026 Exam Pattern: Key Details
  • NLSAT Exam Pattern: Part A vs Part B
  • NLSAT 2026 Section-wise Weightage
  • NLSAT Marking Scheme 2026
  • NLSAT Syllabus 2026
  • NLSAT Exam Pattern FAQs 2026
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NLSAT 2026 Exam Pattern: Key Details

Some of the important features of NLSAT 2026 that candidates must know are as under: 

Features  Exam Pattern Details
Exam mode Pen-paper based test mode
Papers Single question paper in two parts - Part A and Part B
Test medium  English only
Total Subjects  5 subjects 
Type of questions  MCQs for Part A, and subjective (short answer type and Essay) for Part B of the question paper
Duration of exam 2 hour 30 minutes
Total questions  75 questions for Part A and 11 questions for Part B
Total marks 150 marks
Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Is there negative marking in NLSAT Exam?
A: 

Yes, the NLSAT exam has negative marking of -0.25 marks for wrong attempt. Unanswered questions have no negative marking. Candidates must select questions to solve very carefully in the NLSAT exam. They should solve only those questions which they know they can solve accurately.

  • 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

Q:   What is NLSAT Exam Pattern 2026?
A: 

NLSAT 2026 Exam pattern consist of multiple choice questions. This section will be for a total of 75 marks. Part B is the subjective based for 60 marks and analytical ability for 15 marks. The negative marking of 0.25 marks is also there.

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NLSAT Exam Pattern: Part A vs Part B

The NLSAT 2026 exam pattern for both Part A and Part B has been provided below:  

Feature 

Part A (Objective)

Part B (Subjective)

Total Marks

75 Marks

75 Marks

Question Type

75 Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs)

10 Short Answers + 1 Essay

Subjects

Reading Comprehension, Current Affairs, Critical Reasoning

Legal Aptitude/Reasoning, Analytical Essay

Negative Marking

-0.25 for wrong answers

No negative marking in this section

Role

First-stage qualifier/screening round

Final selection & tie-breaker

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   How many NLSAT preparation books are required to crack the test?
A: 

You can refer to any book you want there is no restrictions on it. The focus should be on quality preparation. You should solve old question papers and take lots of practise tests in addition to consulting the well known literature.

Q:   Is NLSAT online or offline?
A: 

The mode of examination is offline. As per the pattern the exam will be conducted in two parts. The part A of the exam will carry objective questions while second part will have subjective based questions. 

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NLSAT 2026 Section-wise Weightage

To understand the actual format of NLSAT 2026 question paper, candidates must know the subject-wise weightage of each part as described below

Part A - NLSAT 2026 sectional weightage

Subjects

Questions per section

Marks per section

English Comprehension

25 questions 

25 marks 

Current Affairs

25 questions 

25 marks 

Critical Reasoning (including logical reasoning and legal aptitude)

25 questions 

25 marks 

Total 

75 questions 

75 marks 

The second part i.e. Part B of NLSAT 2026 will have subjective questions, and the sectional weightage will be as under:

Part B - NLSAT 2026 sectional weightage

Subjects

Questions per section

Marks per section

Legal Aptitude and Reasoning 

10 questions 

50 marks 

Analytical Ability

1 essay based question 

15 marks 

Total 

11 questions 

65 marks 

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   How many hours should I study to crack NLSAT Exam?
A: 

If you have enrolled in a coaching centre and already preparing for entrance exams then it is enough to crack NLSAT. For self-preparation, you need to have at least 1-1.5 months time which will be available as the NLSAT test comes at last only.
You need to keep an eye on the complete syllabus and practice as many problems as you can with the time limit as NLSAT requires speed and accuracy.

Q:   Is it hard to crack NLSAT exam for average student?
A: 

NLSAT is one of the highly competitive law exams and is considered to be one of the toughest exams to clear. However, aspirants should not worry, as with the right preparation and attitude you can definitely ace in the NLSAT exam. The toppers of NLSAT have suggested that aspirants should trust NCERT books and a habit to read newspaper daily to crack the exam. The difficulty level of NLSAT paper is usually moderate. For complete insights on NLSAT paper difficulty level, check analysis for current and previous years above. 

Q:   Is the NLSAT exam MCQ type?
A: 

The mode of examination is offline. As per the pattern the exam will be conducted in two parts. The part A of the exam will carry objective questions while second part will have subjective based questions. Yes, the NLSAT exam question paper will be in offline mode. It will be MCQ based. It will be conducted in two parts. The first section will be of objective type and second part will be of subjective type.

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NLSAT Marking Scheme 2026

Since the NLSAT 2026 exam is divided into two parts, the marking scheme for both parts of the question paper is different. Candidates can check the marking scheme of the 3-year LLB entrance exam: 

Part A:

  • Each question carries 1 mark
  • 0.25 marks to be deducted for each incorrect attempt
  • No marks to be deducted for unattempted questions

Part B: 

  • Short Answer type questions for Legal Aptitude and Reasoning will carry 10 marks each
  • Essay-based question for Analytical Ability will carry 15 marks
  • No negative marking applicable for NLSAT Part B 
Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Is 'Legal Aptitude' section removed from the NLSAT question paper?
A: 

As per the NLSAT exam pattern released by the NLSIU, Legal Reasoning remains a part of the question paper along with Quantitative Techniques, English Current Affairs including General Knowledge and Logical Reasoning. If the exam authority decides to remove any of the sections, then it will inform the candidates in admission notification itself, so that candidates can prepare for the exam accordingly. 

Q:   What is the total score in NLSAT?
A: 

The NLSAT Exam is for 150 marks. It is divided into two parts. First exam will be conducted for 80 makrs and then for 70 marks.

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NLSAT Syllabus 2026

The NLSAT syllabus is designed by the conducting body, NLSIU Bengaluru, to conduct the 3-year LLB exam. As per the syllabus shared with the candidates, the exam has two sections, Part A and Part B. In the first Part, objective-type questions are asked, and in the second part, descriptive-type questions are given in the exam. Candidates will have to prepare for the essay writing, which is also asked in Part B.  

Read More:

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NLSAT Exam Pattern FAQs 2026

Carefully read the NLSAT 2026 exam pattern-related FAQs to appear for the exam here: 

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NLSAT Exam

Student Forum

chatAnything you would want to ask experts?
Write here...

Answered 3 weeks ago

The NLSAT answer key will be released by the conducting body within a week's time after the exam date. Candidates will first be able to access the provisional answer key, followed by the final one on the result day.  

N

Nishtha Kumar

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 3 weeks ago

The NLSAT 2026 Application Form was available till March 30, 2026 after the deadline was extended by the conducting body, NLSIU, Bengaluru. Candidates will have to fill out the form in online mode. 

S

Saumya Bhandari

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 3 weeks ago

The NLSAT syllabus can be checked as follows:

  • Visit nls.ac.in
  • Click on the Admission tab
  • Choose the course for which you want to appear in the exam
  • On the particular course page, syllabus details can be seen

A

Aishwarya Pathak

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 3 weeks ago

The NLSAT exam is conducted once a year to grant admission to courses such as LLB, BA, and Ph.D. This year, the Law entrance exam will be held on April 26, 2026. It is your gateway to pursue a legal career from NLSIU Bengaluru. 

N

Nishtha Nishtha

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a month ago

Yes, the NLSAT-PhD registrations 2026 are still open for National Law School of India University, Bangalore PhD admissions. The registrations are scheduled to stay open until March 23, 2026. Candidates can apply until 11:59 pm on the aforementioned date to appear for the NLSAT-PhD 2026.

S

Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

Yes, NLSAT-PhD is a mandatory entrance exam for all candidates applying for the National Law School of India University, Bangalore PhD course. Before registering for the NLSAT-PhD, candidates should ensure their compliance with the set eligibility criteria. The registrations are done on the website

...Read more

S

Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

The NLSAT-BA is scheduled to take place on April 26th for National Law School of India University, Bangalore BA (hons) admissions in 2026.

The aforementioned entrance exam is scheduled to take place between 10 am and 12:30 am across all centres within India on the aforementioned date.

S

Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

NLSAT 2026 will be held offline in pen-paper based test mode. The NLSAT 2026 exam pattern is provided by the exam authority so that candidates can prepare for the entrance exam well in advance.

M

Mohit Dhawan

Contributor-Level 8

Answered 2 months ago

NMIMS LAT is conducted in two phases once a year in online mode. Candidates who score above the cut-off marks can get admission to the 5-year integrated BA LLB and BBA LLB programme.

 

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Anupama Mehra

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

Candidates must note that the NLSAT Application Process is completely online. There is no such provision to fill the NLSAT Application Form in offline mode. 

M

Mohit Dhawan

Contributor-Level 8

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