CLAT 2026 Exam Pattern: Total Marks, Marking Scheme, Chapter Wise Weightage, Duration

Updated By Ritoprasad Kundu on 05 Nov, 2025 08:15

27 days Remaining for the exam

CLAT exam pattern 2026 indicates the format of the test, number of sections, total marks, etc. For comprehensive preparation, aspirants must follow the CLAT exam pattern along with the syllabus.

Get CLAT Sample Papers For Free

CLAT 2026 Exam Pattern

The CLAT 2026 exam pattern indicates the structure of the test, marking scheme, duration, sections included, etc. Students preparing for CLAT must be acquainted with the pattern for effective preparation. Along with it, they must know the CLAT syllabus for a clear picture of which subjects they need to study and what are the major topics. Instead of evaluating a candidate's past legal knowledge, the CLAT UG exam is intended to assess their aptitude for legal study. Through objective-style questions, the offline (pen-and-paper) test assesses general awareness, comprehension abilities, and analytical thinking. English Language, Current Affairs (including General Knowledge), Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques are the paper's five main components. In evaluating a student's reading, reasoning, and problem-solving skills, each part has a distinct function. 

The exam duration is of two hours (120 minutes) in total and consists of 120 multiple-choice questions. Each question is worth one mark, and each wrong response is worth 0.25 points. In line with the abilities needed for success in legal studies and practice, the comprehension-based pattern that has been implemented in recent years places a strong emphasis on reading proficiency, critical thinking, and contextual awareness. Check out the below sections to learn about the CLAT 2026 exam pattern details.

Upcoming Law Exams :

  • AILET

    Exam date: 14 Dec, 2025

CLAT Exam Pattern 2026: Highlights

Check the table given below to know the basic details of the CLAT 2026 exam pattern. The highlights of the CLAT exam pattern have been provided here.

Parameter

Detail

Mode

Offline

Duration

2 Hours

Language

English

Type of Questions

UG: Multiple Type Questions (MCQs)

PG: Multiple Type Questions (MCQs) & Subjective

Number of Questions

CLAT UG - 120

CLAT PG - 120

Marking Scheme

For every correct answer: +1

For every incorrect answer: -0.25

For every unattempted question: 0

Total Marks

CLAT UG - 120 marks

CLAT PG - 120 marks

CLAT UG 2026 Exam Pattern

Below we have listed the new exam pattern for CLAT UG 2026 - 

  • Prior knowledge in the field of law is not compulsory, however, it may be beneficial in answering questions in the Current Affairs section on occasion.
  • The UG-CLAT 2026 will be a 2-hour exam with 120 multiple-choice questions worth one point each.
  • For each incorrect answer, 0.25 points will be deducted.

These questions will be divided into the five subjects listed below.

  • English Language
  • Current Affairs, including General Knowledge
  • Legal Reasoning
  • Logical Reasoning
  • Quantitative Techniques

CLAT PG 2026 Exam Pattern

The PG-CLAT 2026 will emphazie on students' comprehension abilities. It will last 120 minutes and consist of one section. Check out the details here -

  • The first section would consist of 120 objective-type questions worth one point each.
  • Every incorrect answer will result in a 0.25 point deduction.
  • The paper will be based on the undergraduate program's mandatory subjects, which will include Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence, Administrative Law, Contract Law, Torts, Family Law, Criminal Law, Property Law, Company Law, Public International Law, Tax Law, Environmental Law, and Labour & Industrial Law.
  • Students will be given extracts from primary legal materials, such as important court decisions in various fields of law, statutes, or regulations, in the Objective section of the PG-CLAT 2026.
  • The maximum number of marks of the exam is 120

Section-Wise Division of CLAT 2026 Question Paper

As per the CLAT exam pattern 2026, the section-wise CLAT 2026 weightage has been updated below.

CLAT UG 2026 Subject-Wise Weightage

Section

Weightage

English Language

22 - 26 questions or 20% of the paper roughly

Legal Reasoning

28-32 questions or 25% of the paper roughly

Current Affairs, including General Knowledge

28-32 questions or 25% of the paper roughly

Logical Reasoning

22 - 26 questions or 20% of the paper roughly

Quantitative Techniques

10 - 14 questions or 10% of the paper roughly

CLAT PG 2026 Subject-Wise Weightage

Section

Weightage

Constitutional Law

60 questions, or 50% of the paper

Other subjects of law such as Torts, Contract, International Law, Criminal Law, IPR and Jurisprudence

60 questions, or 50% of the paper

CLAT 2026 Marking Scheme

Candidates must prepare for CLAT 2026 keeping in mind the latest CLAT exam pattern 2026 and marking scheme along with the syllabus. 

Response

Marks (per Question)

Correct Answer for MCQs

+ 1 Marks

Incorrect Answer

- 0.25 Mark

Unanswered/ Unattempted Question

0 Mark

To get well-versed with the CLAT exam pattern, interested applicants must also practice the CLAT mock test and CLAT previous years questions.

CLAT Exam Pattern 2026: Key Features

Here are some key features related to the CLAT exam pattern 2026 that will help the candidates in their preparation journey -

  • Out of the 5 sections of CLAT 2026 (CLAT UG), 4 of them will have passage-based questions. Those 4 include English Language, Current Affairs, including General Knowledge, Legal Reasoning, and Logical Reasoning. 
  • As per the CLAT exam pattern 2026 for UG, the Quantitative Techniques section will have short sets, graphics, textual representations of data etc. By applying several 10th standard mathematical operations, candidates will have to derive information from the questions or small passages.
  • The CLAT UG question paper will evaluate the comprehension and reasoning ability of the aspirants. Overall it will assess whether the candidate has the required aptitude and skills for legal education.
  • As per the CLAT 2026 exam pattern, as there is a negative marking in both CLAT UG and CLAT PG, candidates need to be careful while attempting the questions.

CLAT Syllabus 2026

We have provided the section-wise detailed CLAT syllabus 2026 (for UG) below -

CLAT 2026 Syllabus for English Language

  • Reading Comprehension
  • Vocabulary Based Questions
  • Figures of Speech- Personification, Irony etc.
  • Tenses
  • Articles
  • Prepositions
  • Active & Passive Voice
  • Modals
  • Concord (Subject-Verb Agreement)
  • Spotting Grammatical Errors
  • Verbs formation
  • Verbs Usage

CLAT 2026 Syllabus for Current Affairs and General Knowledge

  • Current Affairs
  • Economy, Science
  • History
  • International events
  • Major developments in the areas of sports
  • Geopolitics and Important Environmental Agreements
  • Awards and honours
  • Eminent personalities
  • Static GK
  • Contemporary events of significance from India and the world
  • International Affairs
  • Arts and Culture

CLAT 2026 Syllabus for Legal Reasoning

  • Legal Maxims
  • Legal Terms
  • Indian Constitution
  • Torts
  • Criminal Law
  • Contracts
  • Landmark Judgements
  • Current Affairs Related to Law (Judgements/ Bills/ Acts etc.)

CLAT 2026 Syllabus for Logical Reasoning

  • Basics of Logic
  • Assumptions
  • Forcefulness of Arguments
  • Inferences
  • Premises & Conclusion
  • Strengthening & Weakening Arguments
  • Syllogisms
  • Cause & Effect
  • Courses of Action

CLAT 2026 Syllabus for Quantitative Techniques

  • Volume & Surface Area
  • Statistics
  • Basic Algebra
  • Average
  • Percentage
  • Ration & Proportion
  • Time & Distance
  • Data Interpretation

CLAT Books 2026

Discover the list of CLAT books 2026 provided below subject-wise -

CLAT Books 2026 for the English Language

Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning by RS Agarwal

Objective General English (English) by RS Aggarwal

Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis

High School English Grammar & Composition (English) by P C Wren, H Martin

CLAT Books 2026 for General Knowledge and Current Affairs

Manorama Yearbook (English)

Lucents General Knowledge (English)

Pratiyogita Darpan

Competition Review Yearbook 

CLAT Books 2026 for Legal Aptitude

Legal Awareness and Legal Reasoning: For CLAT and LLB Entrance Examinations (English) by Pearson

Objective Legal Aptitude by RS Aggarwal

Legal Aptitude and Legal Reasoning by A P Bhardwaj

CLAT Books 2026 for Quantitative Techniques

Quantitative Aptitude and Logical Reasoning (English) by RS Aggarwal

Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations (English) by Pearson

Fast Track Objective Arithmetic by Arihant

S Chand’s 30 Days Wonder for Maths

CLAT Books 2026 for Logical Reasoning

A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning by RS Aggarwal

Quantitative Aptitude ebook (All Parts Solved) by R S Agarwal

Analytical Reasoning (English) by M K Pandey

Verbal Reasoning by RS Aggarwal

Some additional books for CLAT 2026 preparation -

  • CLAT Solved and Practice Papers (English) by AP Bhardwaj
  • Chapter-wise Objective Question Bank (With Solution) Law (English) Author by Arihant Expert
  • Study Package for CLAT & LLB Entrance Examinations (English) by AP Bhardwaj
  • LST CLAT Books and Material (Set of 20 Books)
  • Universal's CLAT Solved Papers

Also Read:

CLAT 2026 Admit CardCLAT 2026 Eligibility
CLAT Sample PapersCLAT 2026 Exam Centres
CLAT 2026 Important DatesCLAT 2026 Coaching Institutes

Want to know more about CLAT

FAQs about CLAT Exam Pattern

What type of mathematics questions are asked in CLAT?

The Quantitative Techniques section includes elementary-level (Class X) math questions, often presented through data interpretation, graphs, and short passages.

Are comprehension-based questions asked in CLAT?

Yes. Most questions in CLAT UG are comprehension-based, requiring candidates to read passages and answer questions that test reasoning and interpretation skills.

What is the marking scheme for CLAT UG?

  • +1 mark for every correct answer

  • –0.25 mark for every incorrect answer

  • 0 mark for unattempted questions

What is the duration of the CLAT exam?

The total duration of the exam is 2 hours (120 minutes) for both UG (LL.B.) and PG (LL.M.) programmes.

Who will issue the CLAT exam pattern?

The CLAT exam pattern is issued by the Consortium of NLUs. Candidates have to visit the official website to check the details of the exam pattern.

What is the importance of the CLAT exam pattern?

Knowing the CLAT exam pattern is important as it will provide insights into the structure of the examination, marking scheme, number of sections included, overall marks, question type etc. For effective preparation, aspirants must have a clear idea of the pattern.

View More

Still have questions about CLAT Exam Pattern ? Ask us.

  • Typical response between 24-48 hours

  • Get personalized response

  • Free of Cost

  • Access to community

Top