CLAT explained: what the law entrance tests and how NLU seats are allotted

Every December, tens of thousands of students sit a two-hour paper that decides where they will study law for the next five years. The Common Law Admission Test, or CLAT, is the main route into India's National Law Universities. Much of what circulates about it is out of date, because the exam, the list of universities and the counselling rules have all changed in the last few years. Here is how it works for the current cycle.

Who runs CLAT

CLAT is not run by the government, the National Testing Agency or the Bar Council of India. It is conducted by the Consortium of National Law Universities, which was established on 19 August 2017 to improve legal education, and which conducts the test on behalf of its member universities. The universities take turns to act as convenor; for CLAT 2027 the convenor is WBNUJS, Kolkata.

For CLAT 2027, the Consortium says 26 National Law Universities are members, up from 24 two cycles earlier. One important law university is not among them: National Law University Delhi admits students through its own test, the All India Law Entrance Test (AILET). For 2027-28 it will hold AILET on 13 December 2026, a week after CLAT. A CLAT score does not get a student into NLU Delhi, so students who want it must take both tests.

Dates and fees for CLAT 2027

Despite its name, CLAT 2027 will be held in 2026: on Sunday, 6 December 2026, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., as an offline, pen-and-paper test, for admission in the 2027-28 academic year, though the Consortium says the schedule is subject to revision if necessary. This December pattern is now regular; CLAT 2026 was scheduled for 7 December 2025.

Online enrolment opened on 3 August 2026 and is due to close on 31 October 2026. The fee is Rs 4,000 for General and OBC candidates and Rs 3,500 for SC, ST, BPL and PwD candidates, and it is not refundable. Deadlines have been extended before, as happened in 2025, but it is safer not to count on that.

Who can apply

For the five-year undergraduate programme, a candidate needs to have passed Class 12 or an equivalent examination with at least 45 per cent marks, or 40 per cent for SC and ST candidates (the Consortium's page also lists PwD candidates at 40 per cent, but NLSIU's brochure asks PwD candidates for 45 per cent, so check each university's brochure). Students who are taking their Class 12 exams in March or April 2027 may apply now, but must show that they passed at the time of admission.

There is no upper age limit. An earlier Bar Council of India age cap was stayed by the Supreme Court in 2017, and the Consortium's rules for CLAT 2027 state plainly that there is no upper age limit for the undergraduate programme. Indian nationals, NRIs and OCI card holders may appear; foreign nationals may not.

What the paper tests

The undergraduate paper has 120 multiple-choice questions in two hours. Each correct answer earns one mark, and 0.25 marks are deducted for every wrong answer, so guessing blindly can cost marks. There are five sections, and the Consortium gives approximate shares, not fixed counts:

• English Language: about 22 to 26 questions, roughly 20 per cent of the paper.
• Current Affairs, including General Knowledge: about 28 to 32 questions, roughly 25 per cent.
• Legal Reasoning: about 28 to 32 questions, roughly 25 per cent.
• Logical Reasoning: about 22 to 26 questions, roughly 20 per cent.
• Quantitative Techniques: about 10 to 14 questions, roughly 10 per cent.

The test is built on comprehension. Most questions follow passages of about 450 words, or short sets of numerical information. The legal reasoning section does not require any prior knowledge of law: the principles needed are given in the passage, and the skill tested is applying them carefully. If two candidates have the same score, the one with higher marks in legal aptitude ranks higher, then the older candidate, and finally a computerised draw of lots.

The pattern is fixed for CLAT 2027. The Consortium has resolved that there will be no changes to the syllabus and sections this year. An expert committee, in a report of February 2026, recommended a three-section paper and the complete removal of general knowledge and current affairs. That proposal is being considered for CLAT 2028 at the earliest, so students preparing now should prepare for the five-section paper.

There is also a postgraduate CLAT for the one-year LL.M., held in the same slot. It has 120 one-mark objective questions on subjects such as constitutional law, contract, torts and criminal law, with the same negative marking, and requires an LL.B. with at least 50 per cent marks, or 45 per cent for SC and ST candidates (the Consortium's page also lists PwD candidates at 45 per cent, but NLSIU's brochure asks PwD candidates for 50 per cent, so check the brochure).

How seats are allotted

After the results, the Consortium publishes a merit list and runs centralised counselling. The rules for CLAT 2027 counselling have not yet been announced, so the details below come from the CLAT 2026 process and may change.

In 2026, candidates were called according to their rank and each university's admissions matrix. They had to register, pay a counselling registration fee of Rs 30,000 (Rs 20,000 for reserved categories; refundable in some cases), and list at least 15 university preferences for the undergraduate programme. A candidate would be considered only for the universities on their list, so a short or careless list could cost a seat. There were five rounds. When a seat was allotted, the candidate had three choices:

• Freeze: accept the seat and leave the process, paying a non-refundable confirmation fee.
• Float: keep the seat but stay in the running for a higher preference. A candidate could move up but never back down, and this option was not available in the fifth and final round.
• Exit: leave the process altogether.

Doing nothing was treated as not being interested, and the seat was lost. The confirmation fee is adjusted against the university's fees, but is forfeited if the candidate exits after freezing or floating.

Seat rules also differ from one university to another. Each university sets its own reservations, and many have a domicile quota for students from their state. NLSIU Bengaluru reserves 25 per cent of seats horizontally for students who have studied in Karnataka for at least seven years; NLU Jodhpur has a 25 per cent Rajasthan domicile quota; NLU Meghalaya reserves 50 per cent for eligible Meghalaya domicile candidates. The Consortium does not allot NRI seats, which each university handles itself. It is worth reading the brochure of every university on your list, and checking that it is for the right year.

When the answer key goes to court

CLAT has been challenged in court in two recent years, with different outcomes. For CLAT 2025, after a High Court case, the Supreme Court in May 2025 examined six disputed questions. It deleted three, accepted a second option as correct for one, restored the Consortium's answer for one that the High Court had thrown out, and left one unchanged, and directed the Consortium to revise the marksheet and republish the final list. It also recorded its "deep anguish regarding the callous and casual manner" in which questions were framed.

For CLAT 2026, a single judge of the Allahabad High Court ordered a revised merit list over one question, which delayed counselling in early 2026. A Division Bench later set that order aside and restored the Consortium's answer key. The lesson for students is simple: check the provisional answer key carefully when it is published, and use the official objection window if an answer seems wrong (in 2026 it stayed open for two days and charged Rs 500 for each objection, refunded if it was upheld; the 2027 terms are not out yet).

What to take from this

CLAT rewards careful reading and reasoning more than memorised law. For the 2027 cycle, the essentials are: apply by the deadline, take AILET too if NLU Delhi is on your list, prepare for the five-section paper, and when counselling comes, list your preferences with care and act in every round. The rules change often, so the Consortium's own website, not a coaching summary, is the place to check them.