CLAT Exam Pattern 2027 (Latest) - Mode, No. of Questions, Marking Scheme

The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is a national-level entrance test conducted annually by the Consortium of National Law Universities. This entrance test is conducted for admissions to both 5-year integrated UG (LLB) and PG (LLM) law programs. CLAT is commonly accepted by 26 National Law Universities (NLU) and other private, government, and affiliated universities. The next CLAT exam has officially been scheduled for December 6, 2026. Therefore, those looking to appear for the CLAT 2027 entrance exam must be clear about the exam pattern, sectional division, marking scheme, and other technical details by now.

To help understand better, Hitbullseye has compiled together an article for every aspirant to understand the CLAT 2027 Exam Pattern, sectional division, and marking scheme. Following the technical details, the article also includes some relevant and useful CLAT preparation tips for you to consult and prepare optimally.

CLAT 2027 Exam Pattern

The Consortium of NLUs has been following a dedicated exam pattern and marking scheme for several years now. CLAT is conducted in an offline mode and is divided into five sections. It is a two-hour-long exam and consists of 120 questions. For more details on the CLAT entrance exam, refer to the table below:

Aspect	Details
Conducting Body	Consortium of National Law Universities
Eligibility	10+2 or equivalent with at least 45% (40% for SC/ST)
Duration	2 hours (120 minutes)
Exam Mode	Pen and Paper Mode
Number of Questions	120 Questions
Sectional Division	English Language Current Affairs, including General Knowledge Legal Reasoning Logical Reasoning Quantitative Techniques
Marking Scheme	+1 for each correct answer -0.25 for each incorrect answer 0 for unattempted question

CLAT 2027 Sectional Division & Weightage

For the unversed, the CLAT Entrance Exam is divided into five sections with the aim of testing their knowledge, speed, accuracy, logical reasoning, and time management skills. The five sections are English Language, Current Affairs & General Knowledge, Legal Reasoning, and Logical Reasoning, which are divided as follows:

Subjects	Number of Questions	Weightage (%)
Current Affairs & General Knowledge	28-32	25%
English Language	22-26	20%
Logical Reasoning	22-26	20%
Quantitative Techniques	10-14	10%
Legal Reasoning	28-32	25%
Total	120 questions	120 marks

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CLAT 2027 Marking Scheme

As mentioned before, the CLAT marking scheme is designated at +1 for every correct answer, followed by -0.25 for every incorrect answer and 0 for unattempted questions. The marking scheme is uniform across all sections.

CLAT 2027 Important Dates

CLAT is conducted in December every year, with this year’s exam officially scheduled for December 06, 2025. The registrations for CLAT 2027 have officially begun; for more details on the same, refer to the table below:

Events	Dates
Date of Notification	July 22, 2026
Registration Starts	August 03, 2026
Last Date to Apply	October 31, 2026
Issue of Admit Card	To be announced
CLAT Exam Date	December 06, 2026

CLAT 2027 Preparation Tips and Strategy

The CLAT Entrance Exam is focused on testing the candidate on the basis of knowledge, logical reasoning, speed, accuracy, and time management skills. It is important to build that proficiency by learning the balance between these parameters. To do so, we advise you to plan well and prepare optimally. The following routine can act as an aid for those looking to prepare and appear for CLAT 2027:

First and foremost, it is important to properly understand the exam pattern, important dates, and syllabus. Once that is out of the way, take a blank page and lay out your study timetable. Start slow by putting in a few hours to understand the subjects, chapters, and the reading material.
Then, start a routine of reading newspapers daily alongside using study material to strengthen your concepts and knowledge base. Newspapers will help you build vocabulary, reading pace and stay updated with current news events. On the other hand, studying the dedicated syllabus is an entirely different approach to understanding the syllabus, which could help you attempt the entrance exam later. Remember to slowly build your daily study bracket too.
Next, once you think you have built a base, start by attempting sectional mock tests and practice papers. Evaluate your performance and work on rectifying your mistakes.
Once the base is strong enough, attempt full-length mock tests and previous year question papers to assess your understanding, speed, and accuracy.

CLAT 2026 Sectionwise Analysis

For the CLAT 2026 round, the total number of questions remained unchanged at 120, and candidates were expected to complete them in 2 hours. The sections remained unchanged too at General Knowledge & Current Affairs; English (including comprehension); Legal Reasoning; Logical Reasoning; and Quantitative Techniques. To understand each section better, the following pointers detail how many questions the respective section consisted of, the difficulty level and the important topics that were stressed upon.

English and Reading Comprehension

The English and RC section consisted of 24 questions. Students reported that the section was easy to moderately difficult, but the passages were lengthy. The exam carried five passages, which were relatively straightforward to comprehend and primarily aimed at testing contextual understanding. Each passage had 4 questions based on facts, figures of speech, tones, reasoning, and conventional themes. The passages revolved around the non-cooperative movement, the evolution of humankind & history, the evolution of democracy with the essence of World War, text from Tagore’s Hungry Stones, and text from George Orwell's Animal Farm. Therefore, a good attempt in this section was considered to be around 20-22 questions.

Current Affairs, including General Knowledge

In the 2026 cycle, this section was reported to be moderately difficult, with 26 questions included. The questions mainly revolved around static and contemporary background knowledge. The important topics seen in the entrance exam were Donald Trump’s H-1B visa policy & Tariffs issues with India, Pahalgam & Indus Water Treaty, Indian Chess Sector & Indian Grandmasters, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, & Ahmedabad Plane crash incident. To conclude, a good attempt was considered to be around 22-25 questions.

Legal Reasoning

The Legal Reasoning Section consisted of 30 questions, which were distributed across five passages. Each passage had six questions, which were drawn from prominent topics like One Nation, One Election, Framing of the Indian Constitution, Manoj Narula v. Union of India, State of Tamil Nadu v. Governor of Tamil Nadu & Same-Sex Marriages. The overall difficulty of the section ranged from moderate to difficult, with certain passages demanding deeper critical reasoning and familiarity with recent constitutional issues. Overall, a good attempt can range between 26–28 questions.

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Logical Reasoning

In the 2026 entrance exam, the logical reasoning section was a surprise to all, as there was an increase in the number of questions to 26 from the previously expected 24 questions. Last year, this section was heavily focused on conventional analytical reasoning-based questions, like puzzles based on rearrangement of letters of the word Electrocardiograph, a case regarding stealing of Sunburst Medallion, blood relations of four teams competing in the Science Olympiad. Since this section saw a change, initially the students were taken aback; however, they were able to perform well later on. To conclude, overall, a good attempt in this section was considered to be 20-22 questions.

Quantitative Techniques

Last year, this section saw 2 sets of 6 questions, which were reported to be of medium to tough difficulty level. The first set was about the coverage of rural & urban populations under health insurance, which was said to be moderate in difficulty, however, it was a quite lengthy one. The second set was based on electricity production and progress in the power sector and was said to be a manageable one. Overall, a good attempt in this section was considered to be between 8 and 10 questions.

CLAT 2027 Interesting Facts

The following pointers are some interesting facts about CLAT aimed at helping you understand the entrance exam a little better:

A significant change in the CLAT exam pattern was the reduction in the number of questions. In CLAT 2027, students can expect 120 questions, and total marks will be 120.
The CLAT exam is one of the few entrance exams that still hold traditional value and the exam will be conducted in the pen and paper mode as announced by the consortium in the recent notification.
There is no change in the duration of the exam. The CLAT 2027 will be for 120 minutes.
The change in the CLAT pattern indicates the stress on the reading abilities of the CLAT aspirant. Students have to be skilled in inferential reasoning, and students with good reading habits will be better positioned to crack CLAT.
CLAT exam will comprise passages of 450-500 words containing 5-6 questions.
Reading skills are important, as each section will contain passages and questions related to it.
The candidate needs to be quick in reading and understanding the passages to answer the questions efficiently and in time.
Candidates must strategize their time to complete the examination within the allotted time and achieve 100% accuracy.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is CLAT Exam Pattern 2027?

A: CLAT is conducted in an offline mode and is divided among five sections. The entrance exam is a two-hour-long exam and consists of 120 questions.

Will CLAT 2027 be held in the offline or online mode?

A: For the 2027 cycle, CLAT is officially scheduled for December 6, 2026.

Were any changes introduced to CLAT exam pattern 2027?

A: The exam pattern for CLAT has been following the same pattern since a few years now. However, in an attempt to improve the design, the number of questions for CLAT UG have been reduced from 150 to 120.

Will CLAT 2027 have negative marking?

A: CLAT 2027 will have a negative marking of 0.25 marks. However, for every correct answer, candidates will be awarded 1 mark.

How many sections are there in CLAT 2027?

A: There are 5 sections in CLAT 2027, namely, English and Reading Comprehension; Legal Reasoning; Current Affairs including General Knowledge, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques.

What are the total marks for CLAT UG?

A: CLAT 2027 will be of 120 marks, with 1 mark awarded for every correct answer.

Can I appear for CLAT 2027 after 12^th?

A: Yes, if you are appearing for Class 12^th or any equivalent exam, you can apply for CLAT 2027. However, candidates must pass the minimum qualifying marks required.