Do you have the gift of gab? Are you an excellent communicator? Do you want to be a Lawyer? Are you planning to appear in the most challenging competitive exam i.e., CLAT exam? Or have you already started preparing for it? Or yet to figure out how to begin with the preparation?
Anyhoo… this post shall take you through the many depths that you usually have to visit while figuring out everything about the exam.
Before moving further, let’s first understand what is CLAT exam and full form of the exam?
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CLAT exam full form
The full form of CLAT exam is Common-Law Admission Test which is a National Level exam.
What is CLAT exam?
CLAT exam is a test to enter the national level of admission to 21 reputable national law colleges in India and other private universities. If you pass CLAT, you can apply for admission to the combined LLB and LLM programs for 3/5 years.
It is conducted once a year by the National Law University (NLU) among the 21 members of the CLAT Committee. Some private law firms across the country, as well as the Public Sector Agreements, use CLAT results to gain acceptance and recruitment.
Highlights of CLAT entrance exam
Particulars | Highlights |
Name of the Exam | Common-Law Admission Test |
Conducting By | The Consortium of National Law Universities |
Accepting Colleges | 22 NLUs 61 Private Affiliated Colleges |
Duration of Exam | 2 hours |
Examination Frequency | Once a Year |
Examination Mode | Offline |
Programs Offered | 5-year integrated LLB programs, one-year LLM program |
Top Participating NLUs | Top Participating NLU as per NIRF 2021 Ranking are: Rank 1- NLSIU Bangalore Rank 3- NALSAR, Hyderabad Rank 4- WBNUJS Kolkata |

CLAT exam syllabus
The CLAT syllabus covers a variety of subject areas to assess your proficiency in English, general awareness, basic arithmetic, critical thinking ability and legal competency. Most of the categories are well known to most of you without except the legal competency. Because legal competency section tests your ability of legal research, research validity and problem-solving ability.
For detailed exam syllabus refer to the official website.
CLAT exam pattern
CLAT exam is conducted offline. It is an objective-paper format and the total time is two hours. Each correct answer will be awarded one mark and 0.25 marks deducted for incorrect answer. The test will be done in English only.
CLAT exam – UG Pattern
Subjects | MCQs per section | No. of Marks |
English Language | 28-32 | 28-32 |
Current Affairs including General Knowledge | 35-39 | 35-39 |
Logical Reasoning | 28-32 | 28-32 |
Legal Reasoning | 35-39 | 35-39 |
Quantitative Techniques | 13-17 | 13-17 |
Total | 150 | 150 |
CLAT exam – PG Pattern
Subjects | No. of MCQs | No. of Marks |
Constitutional Law | 60 | 60 |
Other Law | 60 | 60 |
Total | 120a | 120 |
CLAT exam eligibility
In this section we have collated the info on exam eligibility for UG & PG course.
CLAT exam UG eligibility
- The candidate must have completed his or her class 12th from a recognized board or university.
- The applicant must have obtained at least 45% marks in class 12th in order to appear in the exam.
- However, candidates for SC & ST category a 5%-mark rebate is allowed, which means they only need 40% marks in their class 12th.
CLAT exam PG eligibility
- The candidate must have a LLB degree from a recognized University to be eligible to apply for the exam.
- Those who are General / PWD / NRI / OBC / OCI / POI must obtain at least a 55% mark or equivalent to qualify for examination. A 5%-mark rebate is granted to those who belong to SC & ST category.
- Candidates who are in their final year in May 2022 may apply for this examination.

CLAT exam fees
Following is the detail of CLAT exam fees:
- Application Fees can only be paid online.
- Application Fee for General / OBC / PWD / NRI / PIO / OCI Category Candidates: Rs. 4,000 / -.
- Application Fee for SC / ST / BPL Category Candidates: Rs. 3,500 / -.
- Application Fees are non-refundable.
- Also note that the above fees are exclusive of bank transaction charges.
CLAT 2022 exam date
A candidate should keep track of all the exam-related dates. Missing any important date might lead to missing important deadlines such as the last date to apply, examination date, date of result, etc. Hence, a candidate should keep on visiting the official website to know about important dates or any date-related changes.
In Conclusion
So, here you have the tricky essentials of CLAT exam including syllabus, exam pattern, eligibility, etc. We hope you have some clarity about the matter now.
Although if you need guidance and want to take expert opinion before you go on to follow this career path, then consult a career counselor and make an informed career choice. We at iDreamCareer always believe in helping young minds discover their true mettle. We try to help young confused minds from 9th class, 10th class, class 11, class 12 with an aim to select their most-suited career choices.
Also read
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- Best Law Colleges in India
- Career in Cyber Law
- LLB in India
- NALSAR University of Law
- CLAT 2022 Admission
- Faculty of Law, Delhi University
- Career in Corporate Law
- Career in Law
- Career in Civil Law
FAQs
CLAT exam is a test to enter the national level of admission to 21 reputable national law colleges in India and other private universities. If you pass CLAT, you can apply for admission to the combined LLB and LLM programs for 3/5 years.
The candidate must have completed his or her class 12th from a recognized board or university to apply for a UG program. However, for a PG program, you must have a LLB degree from a recognized University to be eligible to apply for CLAT exam.
The subjects for UG CLAT exam are – English Language, Current Affairs including General Knowledge, Logical Reasoning, Legal Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques.
On the other hand, the subjects for PG CLAT exam is Constitutional Law and Other Law related topics.

Anushree has 5+ years of experience and currently she is associated with idreamcareer.com as a Content Writer. She has also worked as a Social Media Marketing Expert for a startup and Content Quality Analyst for Publishing and E-learning Industry. She has done her Masters in Commerce and PGDM in Finance & Trade and Marketing & HR, but she is currently following her passion towards writing.