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

National Law School Admission Test 2026 ( NLSAT )

Anupama Mehra
Updated on Jun 3, 2026 14:28 IST

By Anupama Mehra, Deputy Manager – Content

NLSAT Exam Pattern 2026: Question paper of the exam have two parts: Part A and Part B. Part A will include 75 multiple-choice questions, whereas Part B consists of subjective question which will be of 75 marks. Candidates are required to provide short answers and write an essay in Part B. Total time duration of NLSAT exam 2026 is 150 minutes. 

NLSAT 2026 exam was held on April 26, 2026 and the registration process concluded on March 30, 2026. The official notification of the NLSAT 2026 exam pattern has been released. Candidates can check the detailed NLSAT 2026 pattern on this page.

Table of contents
  • NLSAT 2026 Exam Pattern Highlights
  • NLSAT Exam Pattern: Part A vs Part B
  • NLSAT 2026 Section-wise Weightage
  • NLSAT Marking Scheme 2026
  • NLSAT Section-Wise Important Topics
  • NLSAT Exam Pattern FAQs 2026
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NLSAT 2026 Exam Pattern Highlights

Candidates preparing for NLSAT 2026 exam can check the table below to know the pattern highlights:

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:   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. 

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.

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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

NLSAT 2026 part A of question paper includes objective questions. Check the table below to know the number of question in this section:

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 

Part B - NLSAT 2026 Sectional Weightage

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

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 Section-Wise Important Topics

NLSAT syllabus 2026 has been released officially. Candidates can check the table below to know NLSAT 2026 section-wise important topics:

Section Name Important Topics
Reading Comprehension Academic passages
Current Affairs & GK Focuses on politics, law, economics and landmark Supreme Court judgements
Critical Reasoning and Legal Aptitude Logical puzzles, seating arrangements, argument evaluation and assumption-conclusion relationships
Quantitative Reasoning Percentages, ratios, averages, and data interpretation

 

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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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