Entrance Exam · Law

Common Law Admission Test

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Conducting body: Consortium of National Law Universities

Official website: https://consortiumofnlus.ac.in/" class="inlink">consortiumofnlus.ac.in

Admission route: Five-year integrated undergraduate law programmes at participating NLUs

CLAT is the common entrance-and-counselling route used by participating National Law Universities for five-year integrated LL.B. programmes. The Consortium also conducts CLAT PG for LL.M. admission, but its eligibility, syllabus and merit list are separate. This guide focuses on CLAT UG after Class 12.

NLU Delhi does not use CLAT for its regular B.A. LL.B. admission; it conducts AILET. Foreign-national and some NRI/NRI-sponsored routes may be handled directly by individual NLUs rather than through Consortium allotment.

Eligibility

The verified CLAT UG rules require:

  • 10+2 or an equivalent examination;
  • at least 45% marks or equivalent grade for the general eligibility route;
  • at least 40% for SC, ST and PwD candidates;
  • no upper age limit.

Candidates appearing for the qualifying examination may take CLAT, but must prove that they passed by the admission stage. Eligibility to sit for CLAT does not override an NLU’s valid programme, reservation or document requirements.

Exam pattern

CLAT UG is an offline, comprehension-based paper:

SectionApproximate questions/weight
English Language22–26 / about 20%
Current Affairs including General Knowledge28–32 / about 25%
Legal Reasoning28–32 / about 25%
Logical Reasoning22–26 / about 20%
Quantitative Techniques10–14 / about 10%
**Total****120 questions / 120 marks**
  • Duration: two hours.
  • Correct response: +1.
  • Incorrect response: −0.25.
  • Unanswered response: 0.

With roughly one minute per question including passage reading and OMR marking, selection and reading discipline are essential.

What “comprehension-based” means

Most sections use passages followed by questions. The paper tests whether a candidate can locate information, draw inferences, compare arguments and apply a supplied principle. Legal Reasoning does not require a prior law degree or memorisation of every statute; legal and public-policy awareness helps, but answers must follow the passage and question.

Section-wise preparation

English Language

Read argumentative and narrative prose. Practise central idea, tone, inference, vocabulary in context and relationships between paragraphs. Reject options that sound plausible but are not supported by the passage.

Current Affairs and General Knowledge

Follow major national and international developments, law and courts, government policy, international organisations, economy, science, environment, awards and significant events. Build issue-based notes connecting facts, institutions, dates and consequences.

Legal Reasoning

Practise principle–fact application, identifying issues, comparing arguments and recognising how a rule changes an outcome. Apply the principle supplied even when outside knowledge suggests a different answer.

Logical Reasoning

Prepare conclusions, premises, assumptions, inference, strengthening/weakening and flaws. Translate long arguments into a short structure before evaluating options.

Quantitative Techniques

Practise school-level numerical operations, percentages, ratios, averages and interpretation of tables/charts embedded in short factual sets. Calculation speed matters, but reading the data correctly matters more.

Application process

1. Register through the official Consortium portal.

2. Select CLAT UG and enter identity/contact details accurately.

3. Upload photograph, signature and applicable category/BPL documents.

4. Enter qualifying-examination details.

5. Review NLU brochures, programme eligibility and reservation/domicile rules.

6. Pay the applicable online application fee.

7. Download and check the admit card.

8. Follow official answer-key and objection notices after the exam.

9. Download the result and counselling invitation from the login.

Application fees, dates and objection charges can change and should be taken from the live instructions. The verified instructions also treat the application fee as non-refundable/non-adjustable.

NLU preferences: the most important form decision

The preference order tells the counselling system which NLU/programme combinations you value more. Build it after checking:

  • exact degree title and campus;
  • course structure and electives;
  • domicile and category rules;
  • total fees, hostel and refund policy;
  • verified internships and placement reports;
  • location and personal constraints.

Do not copy a ranking blindly. A candidate cannot use `Float` to move downward to a less-preferred choice, and later preference changes may be restricted by the counselling rules.

Result, rank and cutoff

The scorecard provides marks and rank/category information under the notified scheme. Admission cutoffs should be expressed as the closing All India Rank or category rank for a named NLU, programme and counselling round.

There is no single “CLAT cutoff.” The last allotted rank varies because of:

  • NLU and programme demand;
  • category and horizontal reservation;
  • state domicile or other NLU-specific reservation;
  • preference order;
  • withdrawals and upgrades across rounds.

Raw-mark predictions before the final key are especially uncertain. Use official allotment lists and the final result, not unattributed coaching tables.

Counselling workflow

1. Check whether the Consortium invited you to counselling.

2. Register and pay the counselling-registration fee by the deadline.

3. Verify your submitted NLU preferences.

4. Check each provisional allotment list.

5. Choose the permitted option and pay the confirmation/university fee when required.

6. Upload or submit documents to the allotted NLU.

7. Continue monitoring later rounds until you freeze a seat or exit.

8. Complete physical reporting and admission formalities at the NLU.

Freeze

Choose `Freeze` when accepting the allotted seat and giving up consideration for a higher preference. Pay the required fees and complete the NLU’s document process.

Float

Choose `Float` when holding the current allotted seat while remaining eligible for a higher preference in a later round. If upgraded, the previous seat cannot be reclaimed. Float is unavailable when the allotted seat is already the highest possible preference and may stop before the final round.

Exit

Choose `Exit` when leaving the central counselling process. Understand the applicable refund/fee consequences before confirming.

The official 2026 instructions use Freeze, Float and Exit. Students should not assume a separate “Slide” option unless a later official instruction explicitly creates one.

Documents commonly required

Prepare originals and copies of:

  • Class 10 certificate for date of birth;
  • Class 12 marks sheet and passing certificate;
  • CLAT application/admit card/scorecard;
  • allotment letter and payment receipts;
  • category, domicile, PwD or BPL certificate where claimed;
  • transfer/migration and character certificates;
  • identity proof and photographs.

The allotted NLU’s reporting notice controls the final checklist. A category mismatch can remove the reservation benefit or affect admission.

Reservation is NLU-specific

Do not publish one reservation table as applying to all NLUs. Each university’s brochure can contain its own state domicile, women, PwD, ward or other horizontal/vertical provisions. Read every NLU brochure before finalising preferences.

CLAT UG versus CLAT PG versus AILET

ExaminationMain route
CLAT UGFive-year integrated LL.B. at participating NLUs
CLAT PGLL.M. at participating NLUs; requires the specified LL.B. qualification
AILET UGB.A. LL.B. (Hons.) at NLU Delhi

Scores are not interchangeable.

Official resources