CLAT Exam 2027: Eligibility, Dates & Preparation

Published By

College Dakhla

Aug 08, 2026
CLAT Exam 2027: Eligibility, Dates & Preparation

The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is a national-level entrance examination for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate law programmes offered by participating National Law Universities in India.

CLAT 2027 will be conducted on December 6, 2026, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM in offline mode.The exam is used for admission to 5-year integrated undergraduate law programmes and one-year LLM programmes.

Candidates planning to appear for the exam should keep track of the schedule, eligibility requirements, application fee, exam pattern, and syllabus. The registration process began on August 3, 2026, and the last date to submit the application is October 31, 2026.

This guide covers the important details candidates need to know before applying and preparing for the exam.

CLAT 2027 Important Dates

Knowing the CLAT exam date 2027 and registration deadlines can help candidates plan their application and preparation properly.

Event	Date
Registration Start Date	August 3, 2026
Registration Last Date	October 31, 2026
Admit Card	Around 15 days before the exam
CLAT Exam Date 2027	December 6, 2026
Exam Timing	2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Result	Expected in December 2026
Counselling	After result declaration

The Consortium has officially announced December 6, 2026, as the examination date. The detailed dates for some post-exam activities may be announced separately.

Note: Although the examination is held in 2026, it is called CLAT 2027 because the scores are used for admissions to the 2027–28 academic session.

CLAT 2027 Registration

The registration process will be conducted online through the official Consortium of NLUs website. The application window opened on August 3, 2026, and candidates can submit their forms until October 31, 2026.

Steps to Register

Visit the official Consortium of NLUs website.
Create a new candidate account using your mobile number and email ID.
Verify your registration details.
Fill in personal and academic information.
Select your preferred examination centres.
Upload the required documents.
Pay the application fee online.
Review the application form carefully.
Submit the form and save the confirmation page.

Candidates should avoid waiting until the last date of registration to submit their applications, as technical or payment-related issues could cause unnecessary problems.

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates should check the eligibility requirements before submitting their application form.

CLAT UG Eligibility

Candidates must have passed Class 12 or an equivalent examination from a recognised board.
General, OBC, PwD, NRI and other specified categories generally require at least 45% marks.
Candidates belonging to SC/ST categories require at least 40% marks.
Students appearing for their Class 12 examination can also apply.
There is no upper age limit for CLAT UG.

Candidates appearing for their qualifying examination must provide proof of passing the examination at the time of admission.

Students completing Class 12 in Arts can also explore other courses after 12th Arts before choosing their career path.

Exam Pattern

The CLAT 2027 exam pattern will remain unchanged. The UG paper will contain 120 objective-type questions divided across five sections and will be conducted for two hours.

Section	Questions	Weightage
English Language	22–26	20%
Current Affairs & General Knowledge	28–32	25%
Legal Reasoning	28–32	25%
Logical Reasoning	22–26	20%
Quantitative Techniques	10–14	10%
Total	120	100%

Note: Candidates receive 1 mark for every correct answer, while 0.25 marks are deducted for every incorrect answer.

CLAT Syllabus 2027

The syllabus covers five major areas. The Consortium has confirmed that there will be no syllabus change for the examination.

Section	Major Areas
English Language	Reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, language skills
Current Affairs & GK	Current events, national and international affairs, static GK
Legal Reasoning	Legal principles, legal issues, constitutional and contemporary legal matters
Logical Reasoning	Arguments, relationships, assumptions, conclusions, critical reasoning
Quantitative Techniques	Basic mathematics, arithmetic, data interpretation, numerical problem-solving

Candidates should focus on reading comprehension, current affairs, reasoning practice, and basic mathematical concepts while preparing.

Documents Required for Registration

Candidates should keep these required documents ready before starting the application process.

Recent photograph
Signature
Class 10 certificate/mark sheet
Class 12 certificate or relevant academic details
Category certificate, if applicable
PwD certificate, if applicable
Valid identification details
Other documents specified in the official application instructions

The exact format and size requirements should be checked on the official application portal before uploading documents.

Preparation Tips

A focused preparation strategy can help candidates perform better. Since the examination tests comprehension, reasoning and current affairs students should focus on regular practice rather than relying only on memorisation.

Following are the tips:

Read newspapers regularly:
Follow national and international current affairs, legal developments, government policies, and important events.
Practise reading comprehension:
Read editorials, articles, and opinion pieces to improve speed and comprehension.
Strengthen legal reasoning:
Practise principle-based questions and learn to apply information given in passages.
Practice logical reasoning:
Focus on arguments, assumptions, conclusions, and analytical reasoning.
Revise basic mathematics:
Cover percentages, ratios, averages, profit and loss, and data interpretation.
Take mock tests:
Regular mocks help improve time management and identify weak areas.
Analyse mistakes:
Don't just check your score; understand why an answer was incorrect.
Revise consistently:
Maintain short notes for current affairs, important facts, and difficult concepts.

Application Fee

The application fee must be paid online while submitting the CLAT application form.

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

Note: The fee is non-refundable after successful payment.

How to Improve Your CLAT Score

Scoring well requires both accuracy and speed. Candidates should avoid attempting questions randomly because incorrect answers carry a 0.25-mark penalty.

A practical approach is to:

Start with sections you are most comfortable with.
Avoid spending too much time on one difficult question.
Use mock tests to develop a section-wise time strategy.
Keep track of accuracy along with attempts.
Revise current affairs regularly instead of studying everything at the last minute.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in the exam

Candidates should avoid these common mistakes while preparing for the examination:

Ignoring current affairs until the final month.
Focusing only on legal reasoning.
Not practising comprehension-based questions.
Taking too few mock tests.
Spending excessive time on difficult questions.
Not analysing mock-test mistakes.
Waiting until the registration deadline to submit the application.
Failing to check official updates from the Consortium.

Counselling and Seat Allotment

After the CLAT results are declared, eligible candidates can participate in the CLAT counselling process for admission to participating NLUs.

Seat allotment is based on factors such as CLAT rank, candidate preferences, category, seat availability, and the admission policies of individual NLUs.

The Consortium's recent counselling process has used options such as Freeze, Float and Exit, although candidates should follow the specific rules announced rather than relying on previous-year procedures.

CLAT Counselling Process

Result and rank list are released.
Eligible candidates receive counselling invitations.
Candidates register for counselling.
NLU preferences are considered for seat allotment.
Allotment lists are released.
Candidates choose the applicable option and complete fee formalities.
Candidates complete admission requirements at the allotted NLU.

Top National Law Universities Accepting CLAT Scores

CLAT scores are used for admission to participating National Law Universities. Some of the prominent NLUs include:

National Law University	Location
National Law School of India University (NLSIU)	Bengaluru
NALSAR University of Law	Hyderabad
National Law Institute University (NLIU)	Bhopal
The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (WBNUJS)	Kolkata
National Law University, Jodhpur	Jodhpur
Gujarat National Law University (GNLU)	Gandhinagar

Conclusion

CLAT 2027 is a key entrance exam for students seeking admission to undergraduate law programmes at participating National Law Universities. The CLAT exam date 2027 is December 6, 2026, so candidates should register on time and start preparing early.

Understanding the CLAT syllabus 2027, practising comprehension, staying updated with current affairs, and taking mock tests can improve performance. Candidates should also track the last date of registration, admit card, result, and counselling updates on the official Consortium website.

Frequently Asked Questions

CLAT seats vary by NLU, programme, category, and admission policy. Candidates should check the official information brochure for the final seat matrix.

No. CLAT is generally conducted once a year for admissions to the upcoming academic session.

There is no fixed rank for a score of 70 because the rank depends on the difficulty of the paper, candidates' overall performance, and the final merit list.

Both exams are competitive but test different skills. CLAT focuses mainly on comprehension, current affairs, legal reasoning, logical reasoning, and quantitative techniques, while NEET focuses on Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.