What’s CLAT Full Form? Check Eligibility, Syllabus, NLUs
The CLAT full form is “Common Law Admission Test.” It’s a national-level law entrance exam to get admission into the 5-year LLB and LLM programs of participating NLUs. There are 24 national law universities (NLUs) participating in CLAT 2026. As a national-level law entrance exam, over 60 law schools in the country accept the scores of CLAT.
Latest Update: The CLAT 2026 application process has started on 1st August, 2025. The portal for applying for the CLAT 2026 will become functional from the 1st of August 2025 and will remain so until 31st October 2025, the last date of application for CLAT 2026.
CLAT Exam Date 2026: The CLAT Exam 2026 is held on Sunday, December 7th 2025, from 2 PM-4 PM. Over 60,000 candidates are expected to take the CLAT exam, which will be held in over 140 exam centers across the country.
CLAT Full Form – Highlights
| Particulars | Details |
| CLAT full form | Common Law Admission Test |
| Mode of exam | Offline mode |
| Medium of exam | English |
| Participating NLUs | 24 NLUs |
| Level of exam | National level |
| Frequency of conduct | Once every year |
| Courses offered | 5-year LLB and 1-year LLM |
| CLAT 2026 Exam Date | Sunday, 7th Dec. 2025 |
What is the CLAT Exam?
CLAT is a national-level law entrance exam in India. It’s for those students who want to study law at National Law Universities (NLUs) and top law colleges in India. There are 26 NLUs in India that accept CLAT scores for their admissions.
To understand more about CLAT’s meaning and purpose, let’s look at a brief history of law exams. India is the only country with universities solely focused on providing legal education. The National Law Universities (NLUs) were created on the lines of IITs and IIMs to redefine the legal education system in the country. The National Law School of India University, Bangalore, set up in 1987, was the first NLU in the country. Today, there are 26 such National Law Universities.
How a Single Law Entrance Exam Was Introduced: Earlier, each university conducted its entrance test. One parent challenged this practice in court through a PIL. The PIL sought to introduce a single entrance exam for admission into various national law universities.
Subsequently, 7 NLUs joined hands and conducted the first-ever Common Law Admission Test (the full form of CLAT) in 2008. Subsequently, the number of universities participating in the CLAT has risen to 24. Other universities, such as the National Law University, Delhi, still conduct their entrance exams.
CLAT Exam is Conducted at Two Levels:
1. CLAT UG
It’s for school students who want to study law from NLUs and CLAT-affiliated universities after their class 12th. The CLAT UG exam evaluates the skills in subjects like English, General Knowledge (GK) & Current Affairs, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques.
Once you clear the CLAT, you can apply to various law colleges.
2. CLAT PG
It is for those who have already completed their undergraduate studies and want to do masters in law (LLM) from a top law college. CLAT PG test is more advanced with deeper concepts and understanding. It’s for those who want to become experts in specific areas of law.
What is the CLAT Syllabus?
Let’s explore the undergraduate and postgraduate CLAT exam syllabus one by one.
CLAT UG Exam Syllabus
The CLAT UG exam syllabus covers five sections: English Language, Current Affairs, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques. The paper contains 120 questions, each worth one mark. 0.25 marks will be deducted from the final score for each incorrect response. The exam lasts two hours.
CLAT UG Syllabus 2025
| Subject Area | Number of Questions (New Pattern) |
| English Language | 22-26 questions |
| Current Affairs with General Knowledge | 28-32 questions |
| Legal Reasoning | 28-32 questions |
| Logical Reasoning | 22-26 questions |
| Quantitative Techniques | 10-14 questions |
PG – CLAT Exam Syllabus
The postgraduate course syllabus focuses on the aspiring candidates’ subject expertise. The CLAT LLM Exam syllabus will test the candidate’s proficiency in different laws specified in the table below.
| CLAT PG Syllabus 2025 | |
| Criminal law | Constitutional law |
| Jurisprudence | Property law |
| Constitutional law | Public international law |
| Administrative law | Tax law |
| Family law | Labour and International Law |
| Law of contract | Environmental law |
| Company law | Torts |
The PG-CLAT exam pattern consists of 120 questions, and the candidate has 120 minutes to attempt them. Each question carries one mark, with a negative marking of 0.25 for every incorrect response.
Read More: CLAT 2026 Syllabus
What’s the Purpose of CLAT Exam?
The purpose is to provide a standard admission process for the undergraduate and postgraduate law programs in India. CLAT exam ensures that admissions to law colleges are merit-based.
Law Colleges Admissions
Students can take admissions to their dream law college or national law universities after clearing the CLAT exam. It’s a national level exam to standardize the admission process to the law programs in colleges.
Standard Evaluation of Aptitude
The CLAT exam tests the aptitude levels of candidates through questions on logical reasoning, legal reasoning, English, general knowledge, and quantitative techniques. A single and standard process of evaluation more effectively identifies the talented individuals on a merit basis irrespective of their socio-economic background.
CLAT Exam Details – Participating Universities
Below are the participating universities in CLAT 2026. Last year, RPNLU Prayagraj also started accepting admissions into the BA LLB programme based on CLAT scores.
| Participating NLUs | |||
| 1 | NLSIU Bengaluru | 13 | NUALS Kochi |
| 2 | NALSAR Hyderabad | 14 | NLUO, Odisha, Cuttack |
| 3 | NLIU Bhopal | 15 | NUSRL Ranchi |
| 4 | WBNUJS Kolkata | 16 | NLUJA Assam, Guwahati |
| 5 | NLU Jodhpur | 17 | DSNLU Visakhapatnam |
| 6 | HNLU Raipur | 18 | TNNLU Tiruchirapalli |
| 7 | GNLU Gandhinagar | 19 | MNLU Mumbai |
| 8 | GNLU Silvassa Campus | 20 | MNLU Aurangabad |
| 9 | RMLNLU Lucknow | 21 | HPNLU Shimla |
| 10 | RGNUL Patiala | 22 | DNLU Jabalpur |
| 11. | CNLU Patna | 23 | DBRANLU, Sonipat, Haryana |
| 12 | NLUT Agartala | 24 | MNLU Nagpur |
| 25 | RPNLU Prayagraj | ||
Read More: All National Law Universities in India
What is the Consortium of National Law Universities?
The Consortium of National Law Universities was founded on August 19, 2017. Its purpose is to raise the legal education standard in India and improve the justice system by providing quality legal education and producing capable future lawyers and judges. The consortium is a legal entity registered under the Karnataka Co-operative Societies Act at Bengaluru.
The group seeks to promote better coordination between the national law schools to deliver the country’s highest-quality legal education.
What is the CLAT Exam Eligibility Criteria?
The Consortium of NLUs has detailed the CLAT eligibility criteria for various UG and PG programmes on its official website. Any candidate desirous of taking the Common Law Admission Test should thoroughly go through the same. Further, candidates must also go through the individual websites of the colleges they wish to apply to to check their eligibility. The eligibility criteria include details about age and minimum qualification, among other things.
CLAT UG Eligibility Criteria
| Particulars | Details |
| Educational qualification | 10+2 or equivalent. Candidates appearing in their qualifying exams are also eligible to apply. |
| Minimum passing marks | 45% for General / OBC / PWD / NRI / PIO / OCI categories
40% for SC/ST categories |
| Age limit | No age limit |
CLAT PG Eligibility Criteria
| Particulars | Details |
| Educational Qualification | 3-year LLB or 5-year LLB. Candidates appearing in their qualifying exams are also eligible to apply. |
| Minimum passing marks | 50% for General/OBC/PWD/NRI/PIO/OCI categories
45% for SC/ST categories |
| Age Limit | No age limit |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the full form of CLAT?
The complete form of CLAT is the Common Law Admission Test. It’s a law entrance exam and the Consortium of National Law Universities conducts it every year for admission to the UG and PG programs in participating universities.
For what courses can one gain admission through the CLAT exam?
Students can take admission to the 5-year BA LLB program and the 1-year LLM program after clearing the CLAT exam.
Do all NLUs admit students through CLAT?
Some NLUs, such as the National Law University, Delhi, conduct their entrance exam.
When is the next CLAT exam 2026?
As per the notification of the Consortium of NLU, the upcoming CLAT 2026 is on Sunday, 7th December 2025.
What is the eligibility for the CLAT exam?
To be eligible for CLAT UG, candidates must have cleared or appeared for the 12th grade exam, while CLAT PG is open to LLB graduates.
