CLAT Exam Pattern 2025: Syllabus, Subject Wise Weightage, Marking Scheme, Eligibility – Complete Details

It is said ‘Every battle is won or lost even before it is ever fought’…

And understanding the battlefield is one of the most important first steps if you want to conquer it. 

Keeping this in mind, dear aspirants, if you want to make your way to your dream NLU (National Law University) by scoring top ranks in the CLAT exam 2025, you must begin here by first understanding the basics of the CLAT exam pattern.

This article is going to tell you everything about the CLAT exam pattern. I will give you the answers to all your questions and doubts about the CLAT exam pattern. 

What is the CLAT exam syllabus?

Which subjects are included in the exam?

What is the exam marking scheme?

Is there any negative marking?

Are you eligible for the exam?

What is the maximum age limit for the exam?

How many marks do you need in your 12th standard to appear in the CLAT exam?

There has been any change as per the latest notification of the CLAT 2025 exam?

 And so on….

So basically, read through this article up until the end, and you will have complete clarity about the latest CLAT exam pattern and this will put you in a very good position to start your preparation right away. 

Let’s get started!

(it’s a 10 min read)

CLAT 2025 Exam: An Overview

The CLAT exam is amongst the most looked upon and competitive exams for law entrance in India. It is conducted every year in December by the Consortium of NLUs to take in students to the 24 National Law Universities in the country. 

The CLAT exam 2025 is scheduled to be conducted on 1st December 2024.

Visit the official website of the Consortium of NLUs here: 

https://consortiumofnlus.ac.in

You must be wondering that if the exam is to be conducted in December of ‘2024’, then why do we call it the CLAT exam ‘2025’?

The answer to this is that to reduce the burden on the CLAT aspirants who are also going to appear for the 12th board exams, the Consortium of NLUs conducts the exam 3 months ahead of the board exams which are conducted in March of the upcoming year (in the current case, March 2025). 

And since upon cracking the CLAT exam you will be taking admission in your NLU in the following year (after passing your 12th grade), the CLAT exam is named as per the year of your admission instead of the year it was conducted. 

We will now cover the important highlights of the CLAT exam pattern by breaking it into various subheads.

CLAT exam 2025 Syllabus

The CLAT exam syllabus is quite extensive, covering a wide range of topics to assess the candidate’s comprehension, analytical abilities, and general awareness. The entire syllabus consists of five subjects that are English Language, Current Affairs and General Knowledge, Logical Reasoning, Legal Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques. 

All of these subjects have their importance and weightage in the exam.

CLAT Exam Syllabus: Subject Wise Weightage

As per the number of questions asked, the subjects of Current Affairs and GK and Legal Reasoning contribute to about 50% of the entire paper. On these lines, Quantitative Techniques stands to be the smallest portion of the paper contributing around 10% of the total questions.

CLAT Exam Syllabus: Important Topics

Just to give you a better idea about the CLAT exam syllabus, let me take you a little deeper into the subjects of the exam as this will help us understand the most important topics of each subject. 

If we objectively analyze the CLAT exam pattern and previous years’ papers, there is a stark affinity towards some topics from each subject from which the majority of the questions have been asked over these years.

English Language: Most Important topics

  – Comprehension passages

  – Grammar and vocabulary

  – Sentence correction

  – Fill in the blanks

  – Synonyms and antonyms

Current Affairs including General Knowledge: Most Important topics

  – National and international current events

  – Significant historical events

  – General knowledge in science and technology

  – Important awards and honors

  – Major government policies and schemes

Legal Reasoning: Most Important topics

  – Principles of law

  – Legal terms and maxims

  – Application of legal principles to given facts

  – Analysis of legal scenarios

Logical Reasoning: Most Important topics

  – Logical sequences and patterns

  – Analogies and relationships

  – Critical reasoning

  – Syllogisms and logical deductions

Quantitative Techniques: Most Important topics

  – Basic arithmetic (percentages, ratios, averages)

  – Algebra (equations, inequalities)

  – Geometry and mensuration (shapes, areas, volumes)

  – Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables)

To know about the CLAT exam syllabus in detail, read more

CLAT Exam Eligibility Criteria

Many a time, candidates face confusion regarding their eligibility for the CLAT exam. Let’s see what are the CLAT exam eligibility criteria…

To appear for the CLAT UG 2025, candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria:

Educational Qualification:

Candidates must have completed their 10+2 or equivalent examination from a recognized board or institution.

What is worth noting here is that candidates appearing in the qualifying examination in March/April of the year of the CLAT exam are also eligible to apply, provided they submit proof of passing the examination at the time of admission.

Minimum Marks Required:

To the relief of the CLAT aspirants, your marks in your 12th board exams do not have any potential weightage in your CLAT rank or your chances of getting your dream NLU. 

The Consortium of NLUs only provides for a minimum percentage of criteria that must be fulfilled by the candidates to be eligible for the CLAT exam. 

 General/OBC/PWD/NRI/PIO/OCI Candidates: At least 45% marks in the 10+2 or equivalent examination.

  SC/ST Candidates: At least 40% marks in the 10+2 or equivalent examination.

Age Limit:

Another sigh of relief is that there is no upper age limit for appearing in the CLAT UG exam. Thus, a candidate of any age can take the exam. 

CLAT Exam Pattern

Now we have reached a point where we know about the CLAT exam syllabus, subject-wise weightage, important topics from each subject, and CLAT exam eligibility criteria.

We shall now evaluate at a glance the CLAT exam pattern for CLAT 2025. 

CLAT Exam Pattern: Key Features

The pattern of the CLAT exam has changed significantly over the recent years. 

This list of the various key features of the CLAT exam pattern will give you a 360-degree overview of the latest pattern of the exam.

Types of Questions Asked

Unlike the CLAT exam 3-4 years ago, when direct multiple choice questions were asked, the CLAT exam pattern has been changed to a passage-based exam in recent years. 

The subjects of English language, Current Affairs, Logical Reasoning, Legal Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques include passages of about 450-500 words. Each passage will be followed by a series of questions. Mostly about 4 to 5 questions are asked from each passage.

Total Number of Questions

The CLAT UG exam contains 120 multiple-choice questions that are based on relative passages of about 450-500 words.

Duration of the Exam

The duration of the CLAT exam is 2 hours (120 minutes)

CLAT Marking Scheme

To understand the CLAT exam pattern first understand that the CLAT exam follows a very simple marking scheme. And be mindful of the fact that it has negative markings as well.

Once we have understood the syllabus and the weightage of all the subjects in the CLAT Exam, let’s now understand the marking scheme of the exam.

The marking scheme for the CLAT UG 2025 exam is straightforward yet critical for strategic preparation.

The entire paper consists of 120 questions which make a total of 120 marks.

Thus, for every correct answer, you will get +1 mark, and for every wrong answer, a -0.25 mark will be deducted.

We can surely say that this negative marking makes accuracy crucial, as guessing can lead to a loss of marks. So yes, the CLAT Exam 2025 has negative marking making it a tougher examination as against exams like SLAT that do not have any negative marking.

Negative marking

There will be a negative marking of 0.25 marks for an incorrect answer. However, there is no negative marking for a question that is left unattempted.

There is also no sectional cutoff required for the CLAT exam. 

Total marks 

CLAT 2025 exam is conducted for 120 marks.

Exam difficulty level

The difficulty of the CLAT exam 2025 will be Class 12. Questions asked in Quantitative Techniques are of Class 10 difficulty level. For current affairs and legal reasoning, preparation of the basics is very important.

Skills to be evaluated

The CLAT UG question paper will test the comprehensive, analytical, and reasoning skills of candidates. So, reading practice and critical evaluation is very important for the CLAT exam.

Mode of Examination

The CLAT exam is conducted in an offline (Pen and Paper-based) mode. It is always advisable to choose an exam center that is close to your residence and has good transport connectivity.

CLAT Exam Pattern: Main Highlights

Let’s see the main features of the CLAT exam.

CLAT Exam Pattern: Frequently Asked Questions

Well, I hope that by now you have much clarity about the CLAT exam pattern, but let me address a few Frequently Asked Questions around this topic.

Conclusion

So….

Samajh aa gaya CLAT exam pattern?

I hope that the answer in your mind is a ‘Yes’!

Even if this ‘yes’ is accompanied by a little emotion of being overwhelmed…

IT’S OKAY!

Give yourself time and determination, and you got this!

There is no doubt that the CLAT exam is a critical gateway for aspiring law students like you who are aiming to secure admission to prestigious National Law Universities in India.