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CLAT 2026 Exam Date, Notification Exam Pattern, Eligibility Criteria, Admission Process & More
December 12, 2024
What is CLAT Exam 2026?
The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is a centralized national-level entrance test for admissions to 25 National Law Universities (NLUs) in India. Some private universities and self-financed law schools in India also use these scores for admissions. The CLAT 2026 exam is conducted for undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) degree programs in law.
The undergraduate program assesses you on subjects like English, General Knowledge and Current Affairs, Quantitative Techniques, Legal Reasoning, and Logical Reasoning. The aim is to evaluate the aptitude and suitability of the candidates for legal education.
For the postgraduate program, the test evaluates candidates on various law subjects, such as Constitutional Law and jurisprudence, and other law subjects, such as Contract, Torts, Criminal Law, International Law, IPR, and Environmental Law.
CLAT 2026 Exam Date & Schedule [Official]
Check out the table below for the critical CLAT 2026 exam dates and latest updates:
| CLAT 2026 Important Events | CLAT 2026 Events Date |
| Starting Date to Apply | TBA |
| Last Date to Apply | TBA |
| Last Date for Online Fee Payment | TBA |
| Admit Card Release Date | TBA |
| Admit Card Last Date to Download | TBA |
| CLAT 2026 Exam Date | TBA |
| Release Date of Provisional Answer Key | TBA |
| Final Answer Key Release Date | TBA |
| Result Date 2026 | TBA |
| Registration for Counselling 2026 Starts | TBA |
| Registration for Counselling 2026 Ends | TBA |
CLAT 2026: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who can apply for the CLAT 2026? Students applying for UG courses must have cleared their class XII or appeared for their class 12 exams this year. The criteria also entail that in 10+2 qualifying examinations, you must secure 45% or its equivalent grade if you are from General / OBC / PWD / NRI / PIO / OCI categories and 40% in case you belong to SC/ST categories.
- What does the exam consist of? It is divided into five sections: English Language, Current Affairs, General Knowledge, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques.
- I will be in my Class 12 from April 2025, effective April. Am I eligible for CLAT 2026? Yes, you are! Anyone taking their class 12 exams in April/May 2026 can apply for this exam.
- I come from a Science background. Can I apply for CLAT? Yes, this exam is open to all streams. It also gives science students opportunities to explore careers beyond engineering and medicine.
Are you a PG aspirant? Check more updates on the CLAT PG Exam here.
CLAT 2026 Examination: Overview
Look at the table below to get an overview of the CLAT 2026 Notification:
| CLAT Full Form | Common Law Admission Test |
| Conducting Body | Consortium of NLUs |
| Exam Frequency | Once a year |
| Exam Level | National Level |
| Mode of Application | Online |
| Application Fee (General) | 4000 Rs [Online] |
| Exam Mode | Offline |
| Participating Colleges | 25 |
| Exam Duration | 2 Hours |
| Number of Seats | 3700+ Seats (as of 2025) |
| CLAT Official Website | https://consortiumofnlus.ac.in/ |
CLAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria [UG & PG]
The Consortium has set mandatory criteria for applying for either course's CLAT 2026 entrance exam. We have enlisted them for both UG and PG below:
CLAT 2026 Eligibility for UG Program
You must satisfy the following CLAT eligibility criteria to apply for the law undergraduate courses:
- There is no upper age limit for UG.
- Following the official notification, you must have completed your 10+2 or equivalent examination with at least 45% marks if you belong to the General / OBC / PWD / NRI / PIO / OCI categories.
- If you belong to the SC/ST category, you must have scored at least 40% marks.
- Students appearing for the 10+2 examination in the academic year (March/April 2026) are also eligible to apply.
CLAT 2026 Eligibility for PG Program
The CLAT 2026 PG exam is conducted for those aspiring to secure admission for post-graduation courses, i.e., Master of Law in top Law Universities.
Have a look at the detailed CLAT PG Eligibility Criteria for exact requirements:
- There is no upper age limit for the PG Program.
- Those belonging to the General/OBC/PWD/NRI/PIO/OCI categories must have a minimum of 50% of marks in the LLB degree or its equivalent grade.
- According to the official notification, those belonging to SC/ST categories must have secured 45% marks in an LLB degree or equivalent grade.
- You must have cleared your final semester or final year of the qualifying paper on the admission date.
- To be eligible for the exam, you must be an Indian citizen, and NRIs and foreign nationals may also be eligible to apply for the exam. Still, you should check the eligibility criteria for each participating college separately, as it may vary from one college to another.
CLAT 2026 Exam Pattern
The CLAT 2026 notification regarding the exam pattern is yet to be released! So, here is the CLAT exam pattern based on last year's notification.
CLAT UG Exam Pattern 2026
The following table shows the question paper pattern for the undergraduate courses:
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Exam Mode | Offline |
| Exam Centers | Designated national exam centres |
| Exam Duration | 2 hours |
| Question Type | Multiple-choice questions (comprehension-based) |
| Total Questions | 120 |
| Sections | 5 sections |
| 1. English Language | 28-32 questions (comprehension passages, grammar, vocabulary) |
| 2. General Knowledge & Current Affairs | 35-39 questions (current events, general knowledge) |
| 3. Quantitative Techniques | 13-17 questions (basic mathematical skills) |
| 4. Legal Aptitude | 35-39 questions (legal propositions, law-related facts) |
| 5. Logical Reasoning | 28-32 questions (analyzing and solving problems logically) |
CLAT PG Exam Pattern 2026
Check out the table below for the detailed Exam Pattern of CLAT PG Exam :
| Mode of Exam | Offline |
| Medium of Question Paper | English (only) |
| Type of Exam | Objective |
| Duration | 2 hours |
| Type of Questions | Objective Type |
| Number of Multiple Choice Questions | 120 |
| Marks Obtained for Correct Answer | +1 |
| Marks Deducted for Incorrect Answer | -0.25 |
| Topics Asked in MCQ | Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Criminal Law, Family Law, Property Law, Company Law, Labour Law, Environmental Law, etc. |
CLAT 2026 Syllabus [UG & PG]
The CLAT Syllabus lists the critical topics from the exam point of view. The previous year's notification shows that the UG and PG programs' syllabi differ.
CLAT UG Syllabus 2026
Check out the table below to learn the detailed syllabus of CLAT UG:
| Subjects | Syllabus |
| English Language | 450 words passage based on contemporary or historically significant fiction and non-fiction writing |
| 5-6 questions testing comprehension and language skills | |
| Read and comprehend the main points, arguments, and viewpoints in the passage | |
| Draw inferences and conclusions, summarize, compare and contrast arguments or viewpoints | |
| Understand the meaning of words and phrases used in the passage | |
| Current Affairs & GK | 450 words passage based on news, journalistic sources, current affairs, and general knowledge, covering: |
| Contemporary events of significance from India and the world | |
| Arts and Culture | |
| International affairs | |
| Historical events of continuing significance | |
| Legal Reasoning | 450 words passage involving legal matters, public policy questions, or moral philosophical enquiry |
| Identify and infer rules and principles in the passage | |
| Apply rules and principles to various fact situations | |
| Understand how changes to laws or principles may alter their application to different fact situations | |
| Logical Reasoning | Series of short passages (about 300 words each) |
| Recognize arguments, premises, and conclusions | |
| Read and identify arguments in the passage | |
| Critically analyze patterns of reasoning and assess the effectiveness of arguments | |
| Infer from the passage, apply inferences to new situations, draw relationships, and identify contradictions or equivalences. | |
| Quantitative Techniques | Short sets of facts or propositions, graphs, or other textual, pictorial, or diagrammatic representations |
| Derive, infer, and manipulate numerical information from passages, graphs, or other representations. | |
| Apply 10th-standard mathematical operations, such as ratios and proportions, introductory algebra, measurement, and statistical estimation. |
CLAT LLM Syllabus 2026
The PG syllabus is also based on comprehension-based questions. The descriptive section was removed from the syllabus as per last year's notification.
Have a look at the table below to learn the most important topics from CLAT PG Syllabus:
| Constitutional Law | Jurisprudence |
| Torts | Family Law |
| Company Law | Public International Law |
| Labour Law | Industrial Law |
How To Apply For CLAT Exam 2026?
The CLAT Registration Form can only be filled out online. There are four stages to the application process: online registration, filling out the form, uploading documents, and paying the application fee.
Follow the below steps to complete the process smoothly:
- Step 1: Visit the official website, i.e., https://consortiumofnlus.ac.in/
- Step 2: On the Home page, click the link "REGISTER" to complete the registration process by entering your name and mobile number and setting a password.
- Step 3: Enter the OTP received on the registered mobile number. This completes the registration process.
- Step 4: Log in to the portal using the registered mobile number and password.
- Step 5: Complete the application form by entering all the correct details.
- Step 6: Upload necessary scanned images, documents, and signatures in the specified format.
- Step 7: Pay the fee through the different online payment modes to complete the application process.
Photo & Signature Dimensions for CLAT 2026 Registration
Refer to the dimensions and format below to complete the registration form for the Common Law Admission Test:
| Dimensions | Image Size (Maximum) | Format |
| Photograph | 500 KB | .jpg/.jpeg |
| Signature | 100 KB | .jpg/.jpeg |
CLAT 2026 Registration Fees
The application fees vary for each category. Check out the table below for the registration fees per your category:
| Category | CLAT Exam Fees |
| General / OBC / PWD/ | Rs. 4000 |
| NRI / PIO / OCI candidates | Rs. 4000 |
| SC / ST / BPL candidates | Rs. 3500 |
You can download the CLAT Admit Card only from the official website. You must follow the steps below to download the admit card:
- Visit the official website.
- On the homepage, click on the link "Download Common Law Admission Test Admit Card 2026."
- Enter your login credentials and click on the submit button.
- The admit card will be displayed on the screen.
- Download and take a printout of the admit card for future reference.
CLAT 2026 Exam Centers List [State-Wise]
The previous year, the Exam was conducted at 139 test centres in 25 states and four union territories across India. The table below shows the state-wise list of CLAT Exam Centers.
The CLAT 2026 exam centres list PDF will be available on the official Consortium website.
| Exam Centre States | Exam Centre Cities |
| Andhra Pradesh | Anantapur, Chirala, Eluru, Guntur, Kadapa, Kakinada, Kurnool, Nellore, Ongole, Rajahmundary, Srikakulam, Tekkali, Tirupathi, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Itanagar / Naharlagun |
| Assam | Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Silchar, Tezpur |
| Bihar | Muzaffarpur, Patna, Arrah, Bhagalpur, Darbhanga, Purnea |
| Chhattisgarh | Bilaspur, Raipur, Chandigarh, Bhilai Nagar, Durg |
| Delhi | New Delhi |
| Goa | Panaji / Madgoan |
| Gujrat | Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Anand, Bhavnagar, Himatnagar, Jamnagar, Mehsana, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara |
| Haryana | Faridabad, Gurugram, Ambala, Hisar, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Panipat, Rohtak, Sonipat, Yamuna Nagar |
| Himachal Pradesh | Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Una |
| J&K | Jammu, Srinagar, Samba |
| Jharkhand | Jamshedpur, Ranchi, Bokaro Steel City, Dhanbad, Hazaribagh, |
| Karnataka | Ballari(Bellary), Belagavi(Belgaum), Bengaluru, Bidar, Davanagere, Dharwad / Hubli, Kalaburagi (Gulbarga), Hassan, Mangaluru(Mangalore), Mysuru(Mysore), Shivamogga(Shimoga), Tumakuru(Tumkur), Udupi, Vijayapura(Bijapur) |
| Kerala | Alapuzzha, ErnakulamIdukki, Kannur, Kasaragod, Kollam, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur |
| Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Sagar, Satna, Ujjain |
| Maharashtra | Akola, Amravati, Aurangabad (Maharashtra), Chandrapur, Dhule, Jalgaon, Kolhapur, Latur, Mumbai/Navi Mumbai, Nagpur, Nanded, Nashik, Pune, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sangli, Satara, Solapur, Thane, Wardha |
| Manipur | Imphal |
| Meghalaya | Shillong |
| Mizoram | Aizwal |
| Nagaland | Kohima |
| Odisha | Balasore, Berhampur-ganjam, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack , Dhenkanal , Rourkela , Sambalpur |
| Punjab | Amritsar, Bhatinda, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Mohali, Patiala, Sangrur |
| Rajasthan | Alwar, Bikaner, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Sikar, Sriganganagar, Udaipur |
| Sikkim | Gangtok |
| Tamil Nadu | Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Erode, Thanjavur, Nagercoil, Tirunelveli, Tiruchirappalli, Vellore, Namakkal |
| Telangana | Khammam, Karimnagar, Warangal, Nizamabad, Mahabubnagar |
| Tripura | Agartala |
| Uttar Pradesh | Greater Noida, Meerut, Noida, Agra, Aligarh, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Jhansi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Mathura, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Allahabad, Ghaziabad |
| Uttarakhand | Dehradun, Haldwani, Haridwar, Roorkee |
| West Bengal | Asansol, Burdwan(Bardhaman), Siliguri, Hooghly, Barasat, Howrah, Barrackpore, Kalyani, Kolkata |
CLAT 2026 Preparation Books
Choosing suitable study materials can significantly boost your preparation for the CLAT 2026 exam. These recommended books from expert authors cover the syllabus comprehensively, helping you understand and master the concepts better.
Here is a list of recommended books by various authors for CLAT 2026:
| Author | Book Name |
|---|---|
| A. P. Bhardwaj | "Study Package for CLAT" |
| Arihant Experts | "Self-Study Guide CLAT" |
| Universal’s | "Guide to CLAT & LLB" |
| Singh, R. K. and Singh, S. | "CLAT/ AILET 2026 (Guide)" |
| R.S. Aggarwal | "A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning" |
| Abhinav Misra | "Word Power Made Easy – The Complete Handbook for Building a Superior Vocabulary" |
| M Laxmikanth | "Indian Polity" |
| Manorama Year Book | "Manorama Yearbook 2025" |
| Pearson Education | "Legal Awareness and Legal Reasoning for CLAT and LL.B. Entrance Examinations" |
Before purchasing, ensure that the edition is the most recent, as the pattern and syllabus of the exam may change over time. Also, it is beneficial to supplement these books with online resources and CLAT mock tests for a well-rounded preparation.
CLAT Previous Year Exam Analysis
The Common Law Admission Test is conducted annually to offer admission to UG and PG programs. The analysis can help you know the exam's difficulty level, the number of reasonable attempts, and more.
Here is the brief previous year's Exam Analysis for the UG Exam 2025:
- Overall Paper Overview:
- Super easy paper, very similar to CLAT 2024.
- A higher cutoff is expected due to the ease of the paper.
- Small passages with contextual questions.
- The questions were to the point and straightforward.
- Good Attempts 105+.
CLAT 2026 Answer Key
After the exam, the Consortium releases the provisional answer key. If you have any objections, you can send them via the official website. The final answer key for CLAT 2026 will be released based on the objections received.
Here are the steps that can be followed to download the CLAT 2026 Answer Key for both UG and PG programs:
- Visit the official website.
- On the homepage, click the "Common Law Admission Test Answer Key" link available in the Notification section of the website.
- Please enter your login credentials and submit them.
- Now, you can view the answer key for your respective course and set.
- Verify the answers; if there is any error, objections must be raised within the stipulated time.
- Download and take a printout of the answer key PDF for future reference.
CLAT 2026 Result
The CLAT Result is prepared based on the final answer key. The result is released as a merit list of shortlisted aspirants through the Law Entrance Test score for the counselling procedure.
Results can be viewed only on the official website. The exam scorecard will be released before the merit list.
Here are the steps you need to follow while checking the results of the CLAT Paper:
- Visit the official website
- Click on the link "Common Law Admission Test Result."
- Enter the Registration Number & Password and click on submit
- Click on the scorecard tab after logging in
- A new page will open, showing the results of the scorecard
- Save and download the scorecard PDF for future reference
CLAT 2026 Cut-Off Marks
The Consortium decides the CLAT cutoff based on various factors like the difficulty level of the exam, the number of seats, and the number of students appearing for the exam.
Here is essential information based on CLAT 2025 first allotment list:
1] Category-Wise Opening and Closing Ranks:
- General: The range varies significantly, with top NLUs like NLU Bangalore having an opening rank of 1 and a closing rank of 84.
- OBC: The opening and closing ranks are more comprehensive. For instance, NALSAR Hyderabad starts at 189 and goes up to 1076.
2] Admission Cutoffs for Top 3 NLUs:
- NLU Bangalore: For the general category, the cutoff range is 1-84.
- NALSAR Hyderabad: The range for the general category is 6-158.
- NLU Kolkata: The cutoff for the general category falls between 140 and 262.
CLAT 2026 Merit List
The merit list is generally released after the results by the Consortium of NLU.
The CLAT Merit List will be released separately on the official website for UG and PG.
- The merit list will be released separately for all counselling rounds.
- The Merit List includes the category-wise merit rank of the applicant who has qualified in the exam.
- It is prepared by using the scores of all aspirants, with the higher scores at the top and followed by the lowest scores.
- The details on the merit list include your admit card number, All India Rank, and Total marks obtained in the entrance exam.
CLAT 2026 Counselling
The counselling begins after the release of the merit list. The CLAT counselling is conducted online.
To register for the counselling process, you must pay Rs. 30000/—for the General Category and Rs. 20000/—for ST/SC/OBC/BC/ EWS/ PWD and other reserved categories online.
Once the first provisional list is released, you must choose any of the three options:
- Accept the allotted seat (Freeze Option)
- Apply for an Upgrade (Float Option)
- Exit from the admission process (Exit Option)
- If the first option is chosen, you must upload all the required documents and pay the requisite fee to the allotted NLU.
- Choose the second option, i.e., accept and upgrade. You must pay the specific fees (as mentioned in the CLAT 2026 Notification) to the allotted University and upload documents as per the schedule.
- If the last option is chosen, the allotted seat will be lost, and you will not be considered for further allotment. You can still opt for this option if you have not been allotted a seat.
Documents Required in Common Law Admission Test Counselling
You must carry the following documents at the time of counselling:
- Application Form
- Scorecard
- 10th & 12th Marksheets
- Admit Card
- Specially-abled Certificate (if applicable)
- Domicile Certificate (if applicable)
- Caste Certificate (if applicable)
- NRI Certificate (if applicable)
- Sponsored NRI Certificate (if applicable)
The NLU begins the CLAT Seat Allotment according to the merit-cum-preference.
Refer to the table below for the college-wise seat distribution for both LLB and LLM courses:
| Name of the CLAT Participating Colleges (2024) | UG Seat Intake | PG Seat Intake | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru | 300 | 120 | ||
| National Academy of Legal Study & Research (NALSAR), Hyderabad | 132 | 66 | ||
| National Law Institute University (NLIU), Bhopal |
|
60 | ||
| The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (WBNUJS), Kolkata |
|
100 | ||
| National Law University (NLUJ), Jodhpur | 120 | 50 | ||
| Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU), Raipur | 170 | 90 | ||
| Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), Gandhinagar | 172 | 57 | ||
| Dr Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University (RMLNLU), Lucknow | 169 | 48 | ||
| Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL), Patiala | 180 | 60 | ||
| National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), Kochi | 60 | 60 | ||
| National Law University Odisha (NLUO), Cuttack |
|
44 | ||
| National University of Study & Research in Law (NUSRL), Ranchi | 134 | 60 | ||
| National Law University & Judicial Academy (NLUJA), Assam | 60 | 60 | ||
| Damodaram Sanjivayya National Law University (DSNLU), Visakhapatnam | 120 | 60 | ||
| The Tamil Nadu National Law University (TNNLU), Tiruchirapalli |
|
60 | ||
| Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Mumbai | 100 | 50 | ||
| Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Nagpur |
|
60 | ||
| Maharashtra National Law University, (MNLU) Aurangabad |
|
60 | ||
| Himachal Pradesh National Law University, (HPNLU), Shimla |
|
80 | ||
| Dharmashastra National Law University (DNLU), Jabalpur | 120 | 50 | ||
| Dr B R Ambedkar National Law University (DBRANLU), Sonipat, Haryana | 120 | - | ||
| National Law University Tripura (NLUT), Agartala | 60 | 50 | ||
| Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), Silvasa | 66 | 33 | ||
| Total (not including supernumerary, NRI, extra, and FN seats) | 3163 | 1378 |
Note - The table only includes the seats for UG and PG programs and does not account for supernumerary, NRI, extra, and FN seats.
CLAT UG Placement Statistics (5-year Program)
Check out the table below to learn about the CLAT PG Placements for the year 2022:
| Name of NLU | No. of students graduating | No. of students placed | Median Placement Package(Rs.) |
| National Law School of India University (NLSIU ), Bangalore | 76 | 65 | 16,00,000 (Sixteen Lakh Only) |
| National Law University (NLU), Delhi | 85 | 59 | 19,00,000 (Nineteen Lakhs Only) |
| NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad | 118 | 96 | 16,00,000 (Sixteen Lakh Only) |
| West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (WBNUJS), Kolkata | 127 | 80 | 16,00,000 (Sixteen Lakh Only) |
"Consistency is the key to my success!" - Divas Upadhyay (CLAT 2024 AIR 6)
Did you know? CLAT 2024 topper Divas Upadhyay, with an AIR of 6, says consistency is the key to success. Discover his success strategies for acing the exam, from consistent study and quality material to efficient time management!
Conclusion
In this captivating blog, we took you on a thrilling journey, exploring the ins and outs of the CLAT 2026 - a vital gateway to your dream law school. As we navigated this legal labyrinth, we uncovered essential insights just for you:
- CLAT 2026 significance in securing admission to premier law schools.
- A comprehensive breakdown of the exam pattern and syllabus.
- Techniques to conquer the exam with confidence and finesse.
- The critical role of diligent preparation and smart strategies.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do the NLUs consider Class 12 marks for admission?
How does the allotment of NLUs happen through CLAT?
What is the age eligibility condition to apply for CLAT 2025?
When is the CLAT 2025 Exam Date?
If I do not clear CLAT exam according to their cut off, will I be eligible for the final admissions?
What is Horizontal Reservation in CLAT?
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