Common Law Entrance Test (CLAT) is drawing near as the official exam date has been announced as December 7, 2025. Now, with roughly 30 days left, law aspirants are honing their edge for the nation's premier law entrance exam. Among all the sections, the Legal Reasoning section particularly carries a substantial 25% weightage. The section is aimed at testing the candidate’s memory and analytical mindset that defines exceptional lawyers. This section evaluates your ability to apply legal principles to factual scenarios, draw reasoned conclusions and navigate ambiguities with precision.
Through this article, Hitbullseye brings you a comprehensive breakdown of the section, drawing from official patterns and post-exam analyses of CLAT from 2021–2025. We'll dissect trends, highlight evolving demands and arm you with proven, actionable strategies to turn this high-reward section into your strength. Consistency and critical thinking are your weapons; wield them to secure your seat in a top National Law University.
Decoding the Legal Reasoning Section
As per the exam pattern defined by the Consortium of National Law Universities, the exam is 120-minutes long, offline (pen and paper) test with 120 MCQs. +1 is rewarded for correct answers, -0.25 deducted for incorrect and no penalty for unattempted questions. The sectional split is as follows:
|
Section
|
Number of Questions
|
Percentage
|
|
Legal Reasoning
|
28–32
|
25%
|
|
Current Affairs (incl. GK)
|
28–32
|
25%
|
|
English Language
|
22–26
|
20%
|
|
Logical Reasoning
|
22–26
|
20%
|
|
Quantitative Techniques
|
10–14
|
10%
|
Since CLAT 2020, the legal reasoning section has adopted a passage-based structure, with a bracket of 5–7 passages of up to 450 words each. The passages are usually sourced from editorials, judgments or hypothetical legal scenarios, avoiding direct reliance on prior legal knowledge. Question types include:
- Principle-Fact Application: Identify the governing legal principle and apply it to given facts. These questions are most common and are likely to appear this year as well.
- Inference and Conclusion: Draw logical outcomes or implications from the principle.
- Strengthen/Weaken Arguments: Evaluate options that bolster or undermine the application
- Analogical Reasoning: Extend the principle to new situations or spot parallels.
- Exception Identification: Determine if facts trigger exceptions or qualifications in the principle.
Pro tip: Try the structural reading method, meaning, grasp the principle first, map facts systematically, and eliminate distractors. This format mirrors legal practice, where clarity amid complexity wins cases.
CLAT 2021–2025 Trends: Legal Reasoning Section
CLAT from 2021 to 2025 underscores a deliberate shift towards comprehension-driven, analytical questions. Question count has remained consistent with a range of 28–32 from 2024 onward (down from 35–40 earlier). Difficulty has varied by slot but trended moderate, with inference-heavy queries rising from 20% in 2021 to 40–50% recently. Passages increasingly draw from contemporary issues, integrating constitutional law with current events.
The following table consists a detailed view of the year-wise insights from official papers and expert reviews:
|
Year
|
Difficulty and Details
|
Passage Topics
|
Question Analysis
|
Good Attempt
|
|
2021
|
- Moderate-Easy
- 35–36 questions
- 7–8 passages
|
- Contracts
- Torts
- Criminal Law
- Constitutional Basics
- Family Law
|
- 65% principle-fact
- 25% inference
- 10% static elements; straightforward applications.
|
30–32
|
|
2022
|
- Moderate
- 35 questions
- 7 passages
|
- Constitutional Rights
- IPC Sections
- Contracts
- Vicarious Liability
- International Law
|
- 60% application
- 30% inference
- 10% analogies
|
28–31
|
|
2023
|
- Moderate-Difficult
- 35 questions
- 5–6 lengthy passages
|
- Article 21 Expansions
- Environmental Law
- Contractual Disputes
- Penal Provisions
- Monism vs. Dualism
|
- 50% fact-principle
- 40% inference
- 10% exceptions; tricky distractors.
|
24–27
|
|
2024
|
- Moderate
- 28–30 questions
- 5–6 passages
|
- Fundamental Rights
- Torts (Negligence)
- Contracts (Breach)
- Criminal Intent
- Public Policy
|
- 55% direct application
- 30% inference
- 15% strengths/weaknesses
|
22–25
|
|
2025
|
- Moderate
- 28–30 questions
- 5 passages
|
- Constitutional Amendments
- IPR Basics
- Contractual Validity
- Criminal Conspiracy
- Affirmative Action
|
60% principle-fact
30% logical extensions
10% static integration; objective and scorable.
|
23–26
|
In conclusion to deconstructing trends, principle-fact questions dominate the legal reasoning section with inference types surging over the years, testing a candidate’s ‘what if’ scenarios. Static GK integration (e.g., linking Article 14 to equality debates) have risen by 20–30%. Slot discrepancies exist, yet accuracy above 85% in good attempts consistently secures 90+ percentiles. The section favors readers who connect dots swiftly, reflecting real legal advocacy.
How to Build a Strong Foundation for CLAT 2026?
With almost a month left until the exam day, it is time to start revising your concepts from one shoulder and diving into that mock test drill from another to get acquainted with your strengths and weaknesses. Implement the following targeted strategies to successfully crack the CLAT 2026 exam:
- Daily Principle Drills: Continue reading 1–2 editorials or simplified judgments from The Hindu, LiveLaw, or CLAT resources for 30–45 minutes. Extract principles, hypothesize applications. This builds intuition for passages on rights or liabilities.
- Structured Passage Attack: Practice by skimming for principle points, underlining facts and implementing elimination method.
- Type-Specific Practice: Drill 15–20 questions daily and divide it wisely, for example, devote time on 10 principle-fact, 5 inferences and 5 argument evaluation type questions. Time yourself, flag weak areas and discuss in groups if confused.
- Mock Analysis and Iteration: Complete 1 full section weekly, review errors categorically. Further, make sure yo u journal your progress and follow up by working on them.
Remember, consistency breeds confidence, knowledge and eventually rewarding results. You're not memorizing laws, you're training yourself to think like a lawyer: objectively, ethically and persuasively. This section isn't a hurdle; it's your launchpad to analyzing precedents, drafting arguments and upholding justice.
Stay committed! Read actively, reason deeply and practice with purpose. A commanding Legal Reasoning score reflects not just preparation, but the analytical acumen that top NLUs seek. All the best! Excellence in law awaits your disciplined effort.
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.jpg?null&itok=iBjPNDwu "List of NLUs participating in CLAT 2024-2025")
