CLAT 2027: Exam Date, Eligibility, Pattern, Syllabus & Preparation Guide

CLAT 2027: Complete Guide for Law Aspirants

Last updated: 28 October 2026

CLAT 2027 will be held on Sunday, 6 December 2026, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM in offline pen-and-paper mode. The Consortium of National Law Universities conducts it for admission to 5-year integrated LLB and LLM programmes at 26 participating NLUs and 60+ affiliated law schools. Registration closes on 31 October 2026 at 11:59 PM, so candidates who have not applied must finish the form, fee payment and final submission now.

Quick answer: CLAT 2027 at a glance

Exam date: 6 December 2026 (Sunday), 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Registration: 3 August to 31 October 2026, online at consortiumofnlus.ac.in
Application fee: ₹4,000 (General/OBC/PwD/NRI/PIO/OCI); ₹3,500 (SC/ST/BPL)
UG eligibility: Class 12 with 45% marks (40% for SC/ST/PwD); no upper age limit
Pattern: 120 passage-based MCQs, 120 marks, 2 hours, minus 0.25 per wrong answer
Sections: English, Current Affairs & GK, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Techniques
Result: expected in mid-December 2026
Top 15 LLB Colleges Through CLAT 2027

The Consortium confirmed in July 2026 that the CLAT 2027 syllabus and exam pattern are unchanged from CLAT 2026. This guide covers every detail you need: dates, eligibility, fees, pattern, syllabus, NLU cutoffs, and a focused preparation plan for the final weeks.

What is CLAT 2027?

CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) 2027 is a national-level law entrance exam that the Consortium of NLUs uses to fill seats at National Law Universities for the 2027–28 academic year. A single CLAT score replaces separate entrance tests for each NLU, and many private law schools and public sector undertakings also accept it.

Particular	Details
Exam name	Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2027
Conducting body	Consortium of National Law Universities
Official website	consortiumofnlus.ac.in
Exam level	National
Programmes	5-year integrated UG law (BA LLB, BBA LLB, etc.) and 1-year LLM
Exam mode	Offline, pen-and-paper (OMR)
Duration	2 hours (120 minutes)
Questions	120 MCQs (UG and PG)
Medium	English
Participating institutions	26 NLUs + 60+ affiliated law schools
Frequency	Once a year

CLAT 2027 Important Dates

The most important CLAT 2027 dates are the registration deadline of 31 October 2026 and the exam on 6 December 2026. Dates marked “expected” follow the CLAT 2026 cycle and will be confirmed by the Consortium.

Event	Date	Status
Official notification	22 July 2026	Released
Registration opens	3 August 2026 (10:00 AM)	Done
Last date to apply and pay	31 October 2026 (11:59 PM)	Closing soon
Application correction window	First week of November 2026	Expected
Admit card	Third or last week of November 2026	Expected
CLAT 2027 exam	6 December 2026, 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM	Upcoming
Provisional answer key	Within a day or two of the exam	Expected
Result	Mid-December 2026	Expected
Counselling (first allotment list)	Early January 2027	Expected

The Consortium rarely extends the CLAT registration window, and the portal is busiest in the final days. Applicants should submit well before the deadline to avoid payment or server issues.

CLAT 2027 Eligibility Criteria

To apply for CLAT 2027 UG, you need to have passed Class 12 (or be appearing in it) with at least 45% marks, or 40% if you belong to the SC, ST or PwD category. Eligibility is unchanged from CLAT 2026.

CLAT 2027 UG eligibility

Category	Minimum marks in Class 12 or equivalent
General / OBC / EWS / NRI / PIO / OCI	45%
SC / ST / PwD	40%

Age limit: There is no upper age limit for CLAT UG.
Appearing students: Students taking their Class 12 board exams in March–April 2027 can apply. They must show proof of passing with the required marks at the time of admission.
Stream: Students from any stream (Science, Commerce or Humanities) are eligible.

CLAT 2027 PG (LLM) eligibility

Category	Minimum marks in LLB or equivalent
General / OBC / EWS / NRI / PIO / OCI	50%
SC / ST / PwD	45%

Candidates in the final year of their LLB, appearing for exams in April–May 2027, can also apply for CLAT PG. There is no upper age limit for the LLM programme.

CLAT 2027 Application Fee and How to Apply

The CLAT 2027 application fee is ₹4,000 for most candidates and ₹3,500 for SC, ST and BPL candidates. It is paid online only and is non-refundable.

Category	Application fee
General / OBC / PwD / NRI / PIO / OCI	₹4,000
SC / ST / BPL	₹3,500

Bank charges, if any, are paid separately. Check the fee shown for your category on the portal before paying, as some coaching sites list PwD candidates under the ₹3,500 slab.

How to fill the CLAT 2027 application form

Go to the official website, consortiumofnlus.ac.in, and open the CLAT 2027 link.
Register with your name, mobile number and email ID, then verify with the OTP.
Log in and fill in personal, academic and category details.
Choose the programme (UG or PG) and your reservation category. NLU preferences are filled later, during counselling.
Pick three test centre preferences.
Upload your photograph, signature, and category or PwD certificate if applicable.
Pay the fee online through net banking, debit card, credit card or UPI.
Click final submit and download the confirmation page.

Your form counts only after the fee is paid and the final submit is clicked. Incomplete forms are not considered.

CLAT 2027 Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme

The CLAT 2027 UG paper has 120 passage-based multiple-choice questions across five sections, to be answered in 2 hours. Each correct answer earns 1 mark, each wrong answer loses 0.25 marks, and unanswered questions carry no penalty.

Section	Approx. questions	Weightage
English Language	22–26	20%
Current Affairs, including General Knowledge	28–32	25%
Legal Reasoning	28–32	25%
Logical Reasoning	22–26	20%
Quantitative Techniques	10–14	10%
Total	120	100%

Marking scheme

Response	Marks
Correct answer	+1
Incorrect answer	−0.25
Not attempted	0

What this means for strategy: Four wrong answers cancel one right answer. Attempt a question when you can eliminate at least two options; skip blind guesses. All five sections are compulsory, and there are no sectional time limits.

CLAT 2027 Syllabus (UG): Section-Wise Topics

The CLAT UG syllabus tests reading comprehension and reasoning, not prior knowledge of law. Every section is built around passages of roughly 300–450 words, followed by questions based on them.

1. English Language

You read passages from contemporary or historically significant fiction and non-fiction, at a level a Class 12 student can finish in about 5–7 minutes.

Main idea, author’s tone and arguments in the passage
Inferences and conclusions drawn from the text
Summarising the passage
Comparing and contrasting viewpoints
Meaning of words and phrases used in context

2. Current Affairs, including General Knowledge

Passages come from news, journalism and other non-fiction writing. Questions check your awareness of the events and the legal information connected to them.

National and international current affairs (roughly the 12 months before the exam)
Arts and culture
International affairs and organisations
Historical events of lasting significance
Important government schemes, reports and indices

3. Legal Reasoning

Passages describe factual situations, legal principles or public policy questions. You apply the principle given in the passage to the facts; no prior legal knowledge is required, though awareness helps.

Applying rules and principles to facts
Identifying the legal issue in a scenario
How a change in the principle changes the outcome
Common areas: Constitution, contracts, torts, criminal law, and recent landmark judgments

4. Logical Reasoning

Short passages of around 300 words present arguments that you analyse.

Identifying an argument’s premises and conclusion
Strengthening and weakening arguments
Assumptions and inferences
Analogies, relationships and contradictions
Critical reasoning (logical sequences, puzzles may appear occasionally)

5. Quantitative Techniques

Short sets of facts, graphs, tables or charts are followed by questions that need Class 10-level maths.

Ratio and proportion, percentages
Basic algebra and averages
Profit and loss, time and work
Mensuration
Data interpretation from tables, bar graphs and pie charts

CLAT 2027 PG (LLM): Pattern and Syllabus

CLAT PG 2027 has 120 MCQs worth 120 marks in 2 hours, with the same +1/−0.25 marking as the UG paper. Questions are based on extracts from important judgments, statutes and other legal material, and the Consortium does not publish a fixed subject-wise split.

Parameter	CLAT PG 2027
Questions	120 MCQs
Marks	120
Duration	2 hours
Marking	+1 correct, −0.25 wrong
Mode	Offline, pen-and-paper

Subjects covered: Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence, Law of Contract, Law of Torts, Criminal Law, Family Law, Property Law, Administrative Law, Company Law, Public International Law, Tax Law, Environmental Law, and Labour and Industrial Law.

CLAT PG scores are also used by several public sector undertakings to recruit legal officers, which makes a strong PG rank useful beyond LLM admission.

Participating NLUs and Previous Year CLAT Cutoffs

CLAT scores are accepted by 26 participating NLUs, and NLSIU Bengaluru remains the most competitive. In the CLAT 2026 first allotment list, NLSIU closed at All India Rank 101 for the General category, followed by NALSAR Hyderabad at 148 and WBNUJS Kolkata at 284.

CLAT 2026 Round 1 closing ranks (General category, top NLUs)

NLU	Closing rank (Round 1, 2026)
NLSIU Bengaluru	101
NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad	148
WBNUJS Kolkata	284

What score do you need?

Target	Approx. CLAT rank (General)	Approx. score out of 120
Top 3 NLUs	Under 150	90+
Top 5 NLUs	Under 400	85+
Tier 2 NLUs	400–1,000	80–85
Newer NLUs	1,500–2,000+	Below 80

These are estimates from the CLAT 2026 cycle. Cutoffs move with paper difficulty, the number of candidates and seats, and reservation categories, so treat them as a target band rather than a guarantee. Cutoffs also fall across counselling rounds as seats are vacated.

Other well-known participating NLUs include NLU Jodhpur, NLIU Bhopal, GNLU Gandhinagar, HNLU Raipur, RMLNLU Lucknow, RGNUL Patiala, NLU Odisha and MNLU Mumbai. NLU Delhi is not part of CLAT and admits students through its own exam, AILET.

How to Prepare for CLAT 2027 in the Final Weeks

With about five weeks left before 6 December 2026, the best preparation for CLAT 2027 is timed full-length mocks, careful analysis of every mock, and daily current affairs revision. New topics matter far less now than accuracy and speed.

Five-week CLAT 2027 study plan

Week	Dates (approx.)	Focus
1	28 Oct – 3 Nov	Finish registration; 3 full mocks; list your weakest section
2	4 – 10 Nov	3 mocks; fix weak-section errors; revise current affairs from Jan–Jun 2026
3	11 – 17 Nov	3–4 mocks; revise current affairs from Jul–Oct 2026; download admit card when released
4	18 – 24 Nov	4 mocks under exact exam timing (2–4 PM); previous year CLAT papers
5	25 Nov – 5 Dec	2–3 light mocks; revise notes and error log; rest before the exam

Section-wise tips

English: Read one editorial or long-form article daily and summarise it in two lines. Focus on the author’s main argument and tone.
Current Affairs: Revise monthly compilations rather than reading new sources. Prioritise events of the last 12 months, landmark judgments and international organisations.
Legal Reasoning: Apply only the principle given in the passage, even if it differs from real-world law. Practise recent Supreme Court judgments as passage sets.
Logical Reasoning: Identify the conclusion first, then the premise. Practise strengthen, weaken and assumption questions.
Quantitative Techniques: Revise percentages, ratios and averages. Attempt data sets that look quick first, and skip calculation-heavy sets.

Mock test strategy

Take each mock at 2:00 PM to match the real exam slot.
Spend at least as long analysing a mock as taking it.
Keep an error log: question type, why you got it wrong, and the fix.
Track accuracy, not just score; aim for 85%+ accuracy on attempted questions.
Fix a section order that works for you and stick to it on exam day.

CLAT 2027 Admit Card, Exam Day, Result and Counselling

The CLAT 2027 admit card is expected in the third or last week of November 2026 and will be available only online. The result is expected in mid-December, followed by counselling from early January 2027.

Admit card

Download it from consortiumofnlus.ac.in using your registered login.
Check your name, photograph, test centre and reporting time.
Report any error to the Consortium immediately.

Exam day checklist

Printed admit card
Original government photo ID (Aadhaar, passport, etc.)
Black or blue ballpoint pens, as instructed on the admit card
Transparent water bottle, if permitted
Arrive well before the reporting time stated on the admit card

Electronic devices, calculators, watches and study material are not allowed in the exam hall.

Answer key and result

The Consortium usually publishes a provisional answer key within a day or two of the exam, opens a short window for objections, and declares the result based on the final answer key. For CLAT 2026, the exam was held on 7 December 2025 and the result came out on 16 December 2025.

Counselling

CLAT counselling is centralised and run by the Consortium in several rounds (five in the 2026 cycle). Candidates register for counselling, rank their NLU preferences, and receive allotments based on rank, category and preference. After each allotment, you choose to:

Freeze: accept the allotted seat and leave counselling.
Float: accept the seat but stay in the running for a higher preference in later rounds.
Exit: withdraw from counselling altogether.

A confirmation fee must be paid to hold an allotted seat.

Frequently Asked Questions about CLAT 2027

When is the CLAT 2027 exam?

CLAT 2027 will be held on Sunday, 6 December 2026, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM, in offline pen-and-paper mode.

What is the last date to apply for CLAT 2027?

The last date to submit the CLAT 2027 application and pay the fee is 31 October 2026, 11:59 PM, on consortiumofnlus.ac.in.

What is the CLAT 2027 application fee?

The fee is ₹4,000 for General, OBC, PwD, NRI, PIO and OCI candidates, and ₹3,500 for SC, ST and BPL candidates.

Is there an age limit for CLAT 2027?

No. There is no upper age limit for CLAT 2027 UG or PG.

What are the minimum marks required in Class 12 for CLAT 2027?

You need 45% in Class 12 (40% for SC, ST and PwD candidates). Students appearing for Class 12 in 2027 can also apply.

Has the CLAT 2027 syllabus or pattern changed?

No. The Consortium confirmed that the CLAT 2027 syllabus and pattern are the same as CLAT 2026: 120 questions, five sections, 2 hours and 0.25 negative marking.

How many questions are there in CLAT 2027?

Both the UG and PG papers have 120 multiple-choice questions carrying 1 mark each.

Is there negative marking in CLAT 2027?

Yes. Each wrong answer deducts 0.25 marks. Unanswered questions carry no penalty.

What is a good score in CLAT 2027?

Based on the CLAT 2026 cycle, a score of 90+ out of 120 is usually needed for the top three NLUs, and 80–85 for many tier-2 NLUs in the General category.