CLAT Exam Pattern 2026 – The Consortium will release the exam pattern of CLAT 2026 along with the exam notification in July 2025 (tentative). The CLAT 2026 exam pattern will contain insights into the types of questions asked, marking scheme, sections and section-wise questions, weightage, test duration, etc.
Note the consortium has the mandate to make changes to the CLAT 2025 exam pattern if it deems it necessary. So, candidates preparing for CLAT 2026 must keep visiting this space for any updates on the exam pattern.
The CLAT 2026 exam will be administered in pen-and-paper mode and include 120 MCQs that candidates have to attempt in 120 minutes.
Questions will be asked from five sections; i.e. English Language, Current Affairs including GK, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Techniques.
Along with the pattern, also refer to the CLAT 2026 syllabus for exam preparation.
Keep reading to learn the full details about the CLAT 2025 exam pattern.
Latest Updates:
Table of Contents
CLAT Exam Pattern 2025 – Snapshot
The Consortium of NLUs releases the exam pattern separately for the UG and PG courses. Read the exam pattern for each program below.
CLAT UG 2025 Exam Pattern
A quick snapshot of the CLAT UG 2026 exam pattern is given in the table below.
| Particulars | Description |
| Mode | Pen-and-paper exam |
| Exam duration | Two hours |
| Test language | English |
| Type of questions | Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) |
| Exam subjects | English Language Current Affairs including GK Legal Reasoning Logical Reasoning Quantitative Techniques |
| Total questions | 120 MCQs |
| Maximum marks | 120 marks |
| Marking scheme | +1 for correct answer -0.25 for incorrect answer |
Also Read:
- CLAT Sample Papers 2026 – Download Link, When and How many to Solve
- CLAT 2026 – Best Books to Prepare for the Exam
- CLAT Cut-off 2025 – Check Institute-wise Cut-Off, Opening and Closing Ranks
CLAT Exam Pattern (PG) 2025
A snapshot of the CLAT PG 2026 exam pattern is given below.
| Particulars | Description |
| Mode | Pen-and-paper exam |
| Exam duration | Two hours |
| Test language | English |
| Type of questions | Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) |
| Exam subjects | Constitutional Law Other areas of law such as Jurisprudence, Administrative Law, Law of Contract, Torts, Family Law, Criminal Law, Property Law, Company Law, Public International Law, Tax Law, Environmental Law, and Labour & Industrial Law |
| Total questions | 120 MCQs |
| Maximum marks | 120 marks |
| Marking scheme | +1 for correct answer -0.25 for incorrect answer |
CLAT UG Exam Pattern 2026 – A brief analysis
Here is a closer look at the CLAT UG 2026 exam pattern and question paper.
- Passage-based questions: All four subjects (excluding the Quantitative Technique section) will include passage-based questions. The English, Current Affairs, and Logical Reasoning sections will include 450-word passages. The Logical Reasoning section will have short passages of about 350 words. Each passage will be followed by a series of questions.
- Quantitative Techniques section: This section will include short sets of facts, propositions, graphs, pictorial representation, etc. The candidate will have to derive answers from such passages, representations, etc.
- How many questions will be asked? – A total of 120 multiple-choice questions will be asked
- Marking scheme: Each question is worth 1 mark; 0.25 marks will be deducted for an incorrect answer.
- Difficulty level of questions: The difficulty level of CLAT 2026 will be of Class 12. Questions asked in Quantitative Techniques are of Class 10 difficulty level.
- Skills evaluated: The CLAT UG question paper will test the comprehension and reasoning skills of candidates. This means to do well in the exam, the candidate must do more than just try to memorise the theories.
CLAT UG Exam Pattern 2026 – Section-wise No. of Questions Asked
| Sections | MCQs per section | Maximum Marks | Approximate Weightage (in %) |
| English Language | 22-26 | 22-26 | 20% |
| Current Affairs including GK | 28-32 | 28-32 | 25% |
| Legal Reasoning | 28-32 | 28-32 | 25% |
| Logical Reasoning | 22-26 | 22-26 | 20% |
| Quantitative Techniques | 10-14 | 10-14 | 10% |
Is CLAT 2026 be an open-book exam?
CLAT 2026 will not be an open-book exam.
Note: For you knowledge, the All India Bar Examination (AIBE) was conducted as an open-book exam till AIBE 16. However, since then only Bare Acts without short notes are allowed. Books, notebooks, or any textual material are not allowed inside the AIBE exam hall.
In contrast, the candidate is not allowed to carry bare acts, short notes, books, notebooks, and any written material inside the CLAT 2026 exam center.
CLAT Syllabus 2026
Candidates preparing for the CLAT 2026 exam must also refer to the CLAT 2026 syllabus to prepare for the exam. While the exam pattern will tell you how to study, the syllabus will outlined what to study.
For instance, the CLAT syllabus will include the section-wise topics, from which questions will be asked in the exam. Additionally, the syllabus will also state the skills that are being evaluated. This will help you get a better insights into the exam.
To complete the syllabus on time, it is recommended to have a study time table. You can also segregate the syllabus in segments – easy, moderate, difficult. This will help you pay special attention to the difficult and high weightage topics.