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Beyond Doctor,
Engineer, CA

How to prepare

CLAT UG

Common Law Admission Test (Undergraduate). Run by Consortium of National Law Universities.

The exam
A two-hour, pen and paper test of 120 multiple-choice questions, one mark each, with 0.25 marks cut for each wrong answer.
Opens
CLAT UG is the entrance test for the five-year integrated law degrees (BA LLB and similar) at the National Law Universities in the Consortium; 27 NLU campuses are listed for CLAT 2027, and NLU Delhi uses its own test, AILET, instead.
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Your plan, step by step

  1. Class 11, now to March 2027

    Build the reading habit

    Read one serious newspaper for 30 to 45 minutes a day and one long article or essay a week. Note down in your own words what the writer argues. This one habit feeds English, Current Affairs, Legal Reasoning and Logical Reasoning. Keep your school marks up: you need 45 per cent in Class 12, and boards also decide admissions if CLAT does not go well.

  2. Class 11, April to July 2027

    Learn the question types

    Download the CLAT UG syllabus page and read it fully. Solve one official sample or past paper untimed, section by section, and mark which question types you got wrong. Revise Class 10 maths (ratios, percentages, averages, basic algebra, mensuration) for Quantitative Techniques. Start a monthly current-affairs notebook with events, not just names.

  3. Class 12, August to October 2027

    Apply and start timed practice

    Apply when the CLAT 2028 form opens (for CLAT 2027 it was 3 August to 31 October), and do not leave it to the last week. Decide whether you will also write AILET (NLU Delhi). Move to one timed full paper a week and spend twice as long reviewing it as writing it. Keep school work going; do not drop school for coaching.

  4. Class 12, November to exam day (early December 2027)

    Full mocks and revision

    Two or three timed full papers a week at 2 pm, the real exam time, on paper with an OMR-style answer sheet. Revise your current-affairs notebook for the last 12 months. Work on the section you lose most marks in. Guess only when you can rule out at least two options, because of the 0.25 penalty.

  5. December 2027 to January 2028

    After the exam

    Check the provisional answer key and raise an objection within the window if you are sure of an error. Counselling runs in December and January (it did for CLAT 2027). Keep each NLU's fees and reservation rules in front of you when you fill preferences. Then go back to boards; you still need the Class 12 minimum.

This plan is advice from the author, not an official schedule. Adjust it to your school and your pace.

What the exam testsPapers, marks, marking and the syllabus

A two-hour, pen and paper test of 120 multiple-choice questions, one mark each, with 0.25 marks cut for each wrong answer. Almost every question is built on a reading passage of about 450 words, so reading speed and careful reasoning matter more than memorised facts. (CLAT 2027, Consortium website.)

  • 120 questions, 120 marks, 2 hours. Offline (pen and paper) mode. PwD candidates who are eligible get 2 pm to 4.40 pm.
  • Plus 1 for a right answer, minus 0.25 for a wrong answer, nothing for a question left blank.
  • English Language: about 22 to 26 questions (roughly 20 per cent). Passages of about 450 words from fiction and non-fiction, tested for comprehension, inference and meaning of words in context.
  • Current Affairs, including General Knowledge: about 28 to 32 questions (roughly 25 per cent). Passages from news and non-fiction; no fixed time window is set for this section.
  • Legal Reasoning: about 28 to 32 questions (roughly 25 per cent). Passages about legal or moral situations; no prior knowledge of law is needed, you apply the principle given.
  • Logical Reasoning: about 22 to 26 questions (roughly 20 per cent). Short passages where you find arguments, premises and conclusions, and judge what strengthens or weakens them.
  • Quantitative Techniques: about 10 to 14 questions (roughly 10 per cent). Class 10 level maths (ratios, basic algebra, mensuration, statistical estimation) applied to data in a passage.
  • Ties are broken by higher marks in Legal Reasoning, then higher age, then a computerised draw of lots.
  • AILET, the other big law test: NLU Delhi does not take CLAT and runs its own All India Law Entrance Test. AILET 2027 is on Sunday 13 December 2026, 2 pm to 4 pm, one week after CLAT. The B.A. LL.B. (Hons) paper has 150 MCQs, 150 marks, 120 minutes: English Language 50, Current Affairs and General Knowledge 30, Logical Reasoning 70 (legal principles may appear here, but no legal knowledge is needed). 0.25 marks are cut per wrong answer. Ties go to higher Logical Reasoning marks. Source: NLU Delhi, B.A. LL.B. exam details, AILET 2027.

When. Usually the first half of December for admission the following July or August. CLAT 2027 is on Sunday 6 December 2026, 2 pm to 4 pm, with applications open 3 August to 31 October 2026 (CLAT 2027 press release). For a student now in Class 11, the relevant test is CLAT 2028, expected in December 2027 while you are in Class 12; its date is not announced yet.

Syllabus. No textbook syllabus. The Consortium describes CLAT as a test of comprehension and reasoning, not prior knowledge. The five areas are English Language, Current Affairs including General Knowledge, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Techniques (Class 10 maths). Read the official CLAT 2027 UG syllabus page for what each section asks.

Source: Consortium of NLUs: CLAT 2027 UG question paper formatSource: Consortium of NLUs: CLAT 2027 UG syllabus
Study materialFree official material first, then books

Free and official

Books students commonly use

Commonly used, not endorsed. Finish the free official material first.

  • Legal Aptitude and Legal Reasoning by A.P. Bhardwaj

    Legal Reasoning practice with principle-and-facts questions. Commonly used, not endorsed.

  • Objective Legal Aptitude by R.S. Aggarwal

    Extra Legal Reasoning drills. Commonly used, not endorsed.

  • Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis

    Vocabulary for reading passages faster. Commonly used, not endorsed.

  • High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren and Martin

    Grammar reference for the English section. Commonly used, not endorsed.

  • A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal

    Basic reasoning practice before moving to passage-based arguments. Commonly used, not endorsed.

  • Magical Book on Quicker Maths by M. Tyra

    Speed in arithmetic for Quantitative Techniques. Commonly used, not endorsed.

  • Manorama Yearbook by Malayala Manorama

    Static general knowledge background for the Current Affairs passages. Commonly used, not endorsed.

  • Mathematics textbook, Class 10 by NCERT

    The official level for Quantitative Techniques is Class 10 maths, so start here.

Source: Careers360: Best books for CLAT 2027 (updated 24 September 2026) (not official)
Coaching: do you need it?Your options, how to choose, red flags

Self-study with free material

Free, apart from the Rs 500 official past-paper pack and a newspaper

Strong readers who can keep a daily routine. CLAT tests reading and reasoning, not a syllabus, so steady self-study with past papers works for many students.

Online course or test series

ThePrint (April 2026) reported CLAT coaching from about Rs 25,000 for shorter online or crash courses

Students who need structure, a mock-test calendar and feedback, especially in small towns without a centre nearby.

Classroom programme (one or two years)

ThePrint (April 2026) reported long-term classroom programmes above Rs 1.5 lakh

Students who struggle to self-start and have a reputable centre nearby. It helps most with discipline and mock review; it cannot replace your own reading.

How to choose a coaching centre

  • Ask for a free demo class and sit in a real batch, not a showcase lecture.
  • Ask how many full CLAT-pattern mocks they give, and whether each one is reviewed with you question by question.
  • Ask the batch size and who actually teaches it. Get the teacher names in writing.
  • Ask for the fee, the instalment plan and the refund policy in writing before paying. The 2024 Ministry of Education guidelines ask centres to publish fees and refund pro rata within 10 days if a student leaves midway.
  • Ask who the counsellor is, whether batches are split by test scores, and where the helpline is displayed. The Supreme Court's July 2025 directions require these in larger institutions.
  • Check that class timings do not clash with school. CBSE enforces 75 per cent attendance for board eligibility.

Red flags

  • A guaranteed NLU seat or a promised rank.
  • Pressure to pay the full one or two years upfront, or a discount that expires today.
  • No refund policy in writing.
  • Very large batches with no mock review.
  • Topper photos with no mention of which course the topper took. The CCPA has penalised coaching institutes for exactly this.
  • Advice to skip school or join a 'dummy' school.
Names families usually consider
Mocks and the last monthsPractice tests, final months, common mistakes

Official: the Consortium sells past CLAT question papers for Rs 500 with the application (CLAT 2027 instructions), and in past cycles it has released sample papers on consortiumofnlus.ac.in; check the site in 2027 for CLAT 2028 material. NLU Delhi publishes AILET B.A. LL.B. past papers from 2008 to 2026 free as one PDF, which is good extra passage practice. SATHEE has free mock tests. Paid test series from coaching providers are optional; if you buy one, make sure it follows the current passage-based pattern.

  • Write full papers at 2 pm, the real CLAT time, on paper, with a strict 120-minute timer.
  • Spend more time reviewing a mock than writing it. For every wrong answer, write down why the right option is right.
  • Revise your current-affairs notes month by month for the past year; do not start new thick books now.
  • Decide your section order and a time budget per section in advance, and stick to it in every mock.
  • Sleep and eat on exam-day timings for the last two weeks. Keep the admit card, ID and pens ready the day before.

Common mistakes

  • Memorising legal facts. CLAT gives you the principle; you only have to apply it to the facts in the passage.
  • Reading current affairs as one-line news items. The section is passage-based, so read the background of big events.
  • Guessing blindly. Four wrong guesses cost one full mark.
  • Ignoring Quantitative Techniques because it is only about 10 per cent; it is often the quickest marks in the paper.
  • Letting Class 12 marks slip. You need 45 per cent (40 per cent for SC, ST, PwD) to take the seat.
Who can sitAttempts, age, marks and subjects
  • No upper age limit for the UG programme (CLAT 2027).
  • Pass Class 12 or equivalent with at least 45 per cent marks, or 40 per cent for SC, ST and PwD candidates.
  • Students writing Class 12 in March or April of the admission year can apply, but must show proof of passing at admission time.
  • The CLAT 2027 eligibility page lists no required Class 12 subjects, so students from any stream apply.
  • Indian nationals, NRIs, PIO and OCI card holders can sit CLAT. Foreign nationals cannot, and apply to each NLU directly.
  • Application fee (CLAT 2027): Rs 4,000 for General and OBC; Rs 3,500 for SC, ST, BPL and PwD. Past question papers cost Rs 500 extra. The fee is not refundable.
  • AILET 2027 (NLU Delhi): 45 per cent in Class 12 (42 per cent OBC, 40 per cent SC, ST, PwD); Class 12 students writing boards in 2027 can apply. 110 B.A. LL.B. seats on AILET merit plus 10 for foreign nationals and OCI/PIO. Fee Rs 3,000 (Rs 1,000 for SC, ST, PwD); SC, ST and women candidates below the poverty line pay nothing. Applications ran 7 August to 10 November 2026. Tuition in 2027-28 is Rs 1,63,000 a year before other charges and hostel. Sources: NLU Delhi admission announcement (7 August 2026) and fees page.
Source: Consortium of NLUs: CLAT 2027 UG eligibility and instructions

This exam leads to

Law

Want a plan for your own situation?

Tell Raahi your class, your marks and how many hours you have.

Plan my CLAT UG preparation
Sources, checked 27 September 2026

Rules change every year. Confirm each detail on the official site before you register or pay.