CLAT exam 2026 is now complete, with the result and final answer key both released. The Consortium of National Law Universities conducted the exam on December 7, 2025. It then published the final answer key and declared the result in mid-December 2025. Moreover, the admission counselling process has progressed through multiple rounds.
If you are tracking the CLAT exam 2026, this guide covers every stage clearly.
CLAT is India's main national entrance test for admission to law programmes. It opens the door to undergraduate and postgraduate courses at the National Law Universities.
The Consortium of NLUs conducts it once a year, usually in December. A strong score also counts for admission at several private law colleges. So the exam carries real weight for anyone aiming at a legal career. This year, around 88,000 candidates appeared for it across the country.
The full cycle ran from registration in mid-2025 to results in December.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration start | August 1, 2025 |
| Exam date | December 7, 2025 |
| Provisional answer key | December 10, 2025 |
| Final answer key | December 16, 2025 |
| Result declared | December 16, 2025 |
| Counselling registration | From December 2025 |
The standard exam duration was two hours, with additional time provided to eligible PwD candidates as specified by the Consortium.
You must meet a few clear conditions to sit for the exam.
Candidates appearing for their 12th Class exams may also apply here. So you can register while still awaiting your final board results.
Registration for the exam opened on August 1, 2025, through the official portal. Candidates filled the CLAT 2026 application form online at consortiumofnlus.ac.in with their details.
The form required personal information, academic records, and NLU preferences. Applicants also paid the fee online and uploaded the documents the form asked for.
The exam tests comprehension and reasoning far more than rote memory. The CLAT syllabus covers five sections that measure aptitude for legal study.
Each section draws on passages rather than isolated facts. So strong reading speed and comprehension give you a genuine advantage throughout.
The pattern rewards accuracy, since wrong answers carry a penalty.
| Component | Detail |
|---|---|
| Mode | Offline, pen and paper |
| Duration | 2 hours |
| Total questions | 120 (UG) |
| Question type | Multiple choice, passage-based |
| Marking | +1 correct, −0.25 wrong |
| Total marks | 120 |
Note that one question was withdrawn this year, so scoring was out of 119. So careful, selective attempting matters as much as knowledge here.
The Consortium released the admit card online ahead of the exam date. Candidates downloaded it from consortiumofnlus.ac.in using their login credentials. The admit card carried the exam centre, timing, and reporting details. You had to carry a printed copy and a valid photo ID to the centre.
The exam ran across a wide network of centres nationwide. The Consortium conducted CLAT 2026 at 156 test centres across 25 states & 4 Union Territories in India.
Counselling is where your rank turns into an actual seat, so it matters most now.
You must pay the counselling fee and lock your choices within each round's window. So track the official portal closely, since missing a round can cost you a seat.
The Consortium of NLUs conducted CLAT 2026 on December 7, 2025, in offline mode. The exam ran from 2 PM to 4 PM across the country.
Yes. The result was declared on December 16, 2025, at consortiumofnlus.ac.in. You can download your scorecard using your registered login details.
The undergraduate paper had 120 passage-based multiple-choice questions over two hours. Marking was +1 for correct and −0.25 for wrong answers.
You need a 10+2 qualification with 45% marks, or 40% for SC, ST and PwD candidates. There is no upper age limit.
It covers English, Current Affairs and GK, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques. Each section is largely passage-based.
Call
