Common Law Admission Test (CLAT)

The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is the national entrance examination for admission to undergraduate law programmes at 24 participating National Law Universities across India. The exam is a 120-minute, reading-intensive analytical test evaluating a candidate’s ability to interpret legal and policy issues through structured reasoning rather than prior legal knowledge.

Selection Logic
CLAT follows a merit-cum-preference system. While rank is determined by the entrance exam score, final admission is governed by an interlocking matrix of Vertical and Horizontal reservations. Because the vast majority of questions are passage-based, the exam rewards candidates who can quickly interpret arguments, identify assumptions, and apply reasoning principles to unfamiliar scenarios.

Exam Mechanics
The examination is conducted as a 120-minute test containing about 120 multiple-choice questions. Questions are organised into five sections: English Language, Current Affairs including General Knowledge, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques. Each correct answer carries +1 mark, while −0.25 marks are deducted for incorrect responses.
A defining feature of CLAT is that nearly all questions are passage-based, meaning candidates must read short texts and answer several questions linked to each passage.

Strategic Insight
Legal Reasoning and Current Affairs constitute 50% of the total marks, often determining rank stability. The legal section does not require prior study of law; it tests the application of provided legal principles to specific fact situations. Quantitative Techniques, though smaller in volume (10%), focuses on 10th Standard mathematical operations and data interpretation, offering a high-accuracy scoring opportunity.

Admission Mechanics
Candidates participate in a centralised online counselling process. Seat allocation is based on the CLAT Merit Rank, candidate preferences, and applicable reservation categories (Social and Domicile). Admission involves five rounds of allotment where candidates must choose to Freeze, Float, or Exit. Note that NLU Delhi remains outside this process, conducting its own exam (AILET).

Competition Signal
For the 2026 cycle, roughly 4,092 undergraduate seats are available across participating NLUs (including NRI and Supernumerary seats). Admission to Tier-1 institutions like NLSIU Bengaluru (310 seats) or NALSAR Hyderabad (158 seats) typically requires a rank within the Top 100–150 for General All-India candidates due to significant Horizontal Domicile Reservations (e.g., 25% at NLSIU).

Preparation Tip
A critical preparation method is Passage Clustering. Since the exam is entirely reading-heavy, practice reading a 450-word passage once and answering all 4–5 associated questions without re-reading the text. This builds the structural retention necessary to manage the 120-minute time constraint effectively.