AILET 2026 vs CLAT 2026: Exam Pattern, Difficulty and Which Score Gets NLU Delhi Admission

Only your AILET 2026 score secures a seat at NLU Delhi — National Law University Delhi does not accept CLAT scores and is the only National Law University outside the CLAT Consortium.

AILET 2026 and CLAT 2026 are both national-level law entrance tests but they serve very different admission pools. CLAT 2026 unlocks 25 National Law Universities across India; AILET 2026 gives access to NLU Delhi alone. If NLU Delhi is your goal, appearing in AILET is non-negotiable. If you want the widest possible NLU coverage, CLAT is the critical exam.

• AILET 2026 has 150 questions in 120 minutes (offline, OMR sheet); CLAT 2026 has 120 questions in 120 minutes (online, computer-based).
• Both carry 0.25 marks deducted per wrong answer.
• AILET 2026 has 3 sections; CLAT 2026 has 5 sections including a dedicated Legal Reasoning section that AILET does not have.
• NLU Delhi accepts only AILET; all 25 NLUs in the CLAT Consortium use CLAT scores.
• CLAT uses a passage-based comprehension format; AILET uses direct MCQs with no reading passages.

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AILET 2026 vs CLAT 2026: Key Differences

The table below captures the most important differences between AILET 2026 and CLAT 2026 at a glance.

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AILET 2026 Exam Pattern

AILET 2026 is a 150-mark offline test conducted by NLU Delhi for BA LLB and LLM admissions, with three sections and a duration of 120 minutes. The 2026 pattern has English Language, Current Affairs and General Knowledge, and a very heavy Logical Reasoning section that alone accounts for 47% of the paper.

• The exam is conducted offline on an OMR sheet — you mark answers on a printed sheet using a pen.
• Questions are direct standalone MCQs — there are no reading passages to work through before answering.
• Logical Reasoning is the heaviest section at 70 questions, nearly half the entire paper.
• With 150 questions in 120 minutes, you have approximately 48 seconds per question on average.
• There is no separate Legal Reasoning or Mathematics section in the AILET 2026 pattern.

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CLAT 2026 Exam Pattern

CLAT 2026 is a 120-mark online test for admission to 25 National Law Universities and has five passage-based sections including a dedicated Legal Reasoning section. All questions in CLAT are drawn from reading passages of 450-550 words.

• Every question in CLAT is tied to a reading passage of 450-550 words — you must read and comprehend the text before attempting answers.
• Legal Reasoning tests your ability to apply principles stated in the passage itself — no prior knowledge of law is required.
• With 120 questions in 120 minutes, you nominally get 60 seconds per question, but passage-reading time reduces this in practice.
• Quantitative Techniques covers Class 10-level arithmetic and basic data interpretation and is the lightest section at 10-14 questions.

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Difficulty Level: AILET 2026 vs CLAT 2026

AILET is generally considered the harder exam because it packs more questions into the same duration, requires direct recall without passage support, and competes for a far smaller seat pool at a single institution.

The section structure difference is a key strategic consideration. CLAT has a dedicated Legal Reasoning section worth up to 32 marks — law aspirants who have specifically practised legal aptitude gain a clear advantage there. AILET folds all analytical thinking into one broad Logical Reasoning section, making speed and accuracy across 70 questions the dominant success factor.

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Which Score Gets NLU Delhi Admission?

Only your AILET 2026 All India Rank determines admission to National Law University Delhi — CLAT scores are not accepted by NLU Delhi under any circumstance.

NLU Delhi’s official FAQ states explicitly: "Any candidate who wishes to secure admission at NLU Delhi will have to appear in AILET." NLU Delhi is the only National Law University not part of the CLAT Consortium and runs its own fully independent admission process through AILET for both the five-year BA LLB programme and the LLM programme.

• For NLU Delhi (BA LLB or LLM): Appear for AILET 2026. Your AILET All India Rank determines your place on the NLU Delhi merit list.
• For all other NLUs (NLSIU Bengaluru, NALSAR Hyderabad, NUJS Kolkata, NLU Jodhpur, etc.): Appear for CLAT 2026. Your CLAT AIR governs your position in the joint Consortium merit list.
• Many law aspirants appear in both AILET and CLAT in the same admission cycle — the syllabus overlap is substantial and preparing for one largely prepares you for the other.

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AILET 2025 Closing Rank at NLU Delhi: Previous Year Data

NLU Delhi publishes All India Ranks on its merit list, not marks-based cutoffs. Based on the 2025 provisional merit list, the approximate closing AIRs by category for NLU Delhi BA LLB are as follows.

These closing ranks are drawn from the 2025 provisional merit list published by NLU Delhi. NLU Delhi does not publish mark-based cutoffs for AILET. Actual AILET 2026 closing ranks will be announced by NLU Delhi after the result is declared and are subject to exam difficulty, number of applicants, and any seat matrix changes.

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AILET vs CLAT 2026: Which Should You Appear For?

Most serious law aspirants should appear in both AILET and CLAT — the preparation overlaps significantly and both exams fall in the same cycle. Here is a practical framework to guide your priority.

AILET and CLAT preparation is largely interchangeable. Both test English, current affairs and reasoning skills. The critical difference is format: AILET demands speed and direct recall across 150 questions while CLAT demands analytical comprehension from dense passages across 120 questions. Targeted mock tests for each format are the key differentiator in preparation strategy.

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