A good attempt in ILICAT 2026 means attempting 93–111 out of 140 objective questions with 75–80% accuracy, targeting a total score of 120–130 out of 200 marks for a secure rank in ILI law admission.

The Indian Law Institute Common Admission Test (ILICAT) 2026 is the gateway to the LL.M and other law programs at the Indian Law Institute (ILI), New Delhi. The exam carries negative marking of 0.25 marks per wrong MCQ, which means blindly attempting all questions can hurt your score. Knowing the right number of good attempts — especially in the reasoning-heavy Legal Aptitude section — is essential for clearing the cutoff.

  • Total marks: 200 (140 MCQ + 40 subjective + 20 viva-voce)
  • Objective questions: 140 — Part 1 English & GK (40) and Part 2 Legal Aptitude (100)
  • Negative marking: –0.25 per wrong MCQ; no negative marking in the subjective section
  • ILICAT 2025 General category cutoff stood at 111.25 marks; target 120–130 marks for a comfortable margin in 2026
  • Reasoning-based questions form a significant share of Part 2 Legal Aptitude — your high-accuracy zone
Direct Link to ILICAT 2026 Official Website — Indian Law Institute (Official)
https://ili.ac.in/

ILICAT 2026 Exam Pattern at a Glance

ILICAT 2026 is a pen-and-paper test of 2 hours 30 minutes with objective MCQs, a subjective Legal Writing component, and a viva-voce round. Understanding the structure is the first step toward your good-attempt strategy.

Component Section Questions / Marks Negative Marking
Objective Part 1 – English Language & General Knowledge 40 questions (40 marks) –0.25 per wrong answer
Objective Part 2 – Legal Aptitude (includes reasoning) 100 questions (100 marks) –0.25 per wrong answer
Subjective Part 3 – Legal Writing 4 questions (40 marks) None
Viva-Voce Oral Interview 20 marks
Total 200 marks

The objective section carries 140 marks and is the primary determinant of your written test score. Part 3 Legal Writing carries no negative marking, so you should attempt all four questions regardless of confidence level.


Section-wise Good Attempts in ILICAT 2026

Good attempts depend on the difficulty level of each section and the cost of negative marking. The table below gives expected good attempt ranges for ILICAT 2026 based on previous year trends.

Section Total Questions Good Attempts (Expected) Target Accuracy Expected Net Score
Part 1 – English & GK 40 28–33 80–85% 22–28
Part 2 – Legal Aptitude (incl. Reasoning) 100 65–78 75–80% 50–63
Total Objective 140 93–111 77–80% 72–91
Part 3 – Legal Writing 4 (subjective) All 4 28–35

Expected figures based on ILICAT 2025 and prior year trends. Actual difficulty in 2026 may vary.

Combine a strong objective score of 72–91 marks with 28–35 marks in Legal Writing and 14–18 marks in viva-voce to reach the 114–144 range — comfortably above the General category cutoff.


Logical Reasoning in ILICAT: What to Expect

ILICAT does not have a standalone Logical Reasoning section. However, reasoning-based questions are embedded in Part 2 – Legal Aptitude, which has 100 MCQs. These questions test how you apply legal principles to factual scenarios — a skill that combines analytical reasoning with substantive law knowledge.

Common reasoning question types you will encounter in ILICAT Legal Aptitude include:

  • Legal Principle + Fact Application: a principle is stated; you apply it to a hypothetical fact situation
  • Legal Syllogisms: determine what conclusion follows from two or more legal propositions
  • Cause-and-Effect Reasoning: identify the legal consequence of a chain of events
  • Analytical Reasoning Sets: grouping or ranking problems set in a legal context
Reasoning Type Expected Questions Difficulty Good Attempts
Legal Principle Application 30–35 Moderate 22–27
Legal Syllogisms / Deduction 8–12 Easy to Moderate 7–10
Analytical Reasoning Sets 10–15 Moderate to Hard 7–11
Conceptual Legal Knowledge 40–50 Moderate 28–38

Question-type distribution is an estimate based on available ILICAT trends; the actual 2026 pattern may differ.

In the reasoning segment, prioritise Legal Principle Application questions — they have a predictable structure and reward careful reading over rote knowledge. Skip multi-step analytical sets if you are short on time; they carry similar marks to single-question items but demand far more time per question.


Target Score for ILI Admission 2026

The ILICAT 2025 General category cutoff was approximately 111.25 marks out of 200. Based on this, the expected ILICAT 2026 cutoffs are slightly higher due to increased competition. Your safety target should be 120–130 marks for General category.

Category ILICAT 2025 Cutoff (Approx.) Expected ILICAT 2026 Cutoff Recommended Target Score
General 111.25 112–118 120–130
OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) 95–100 95–102 105–115
SC 98–105 98–106 108–116

Expected cutoffs based on ILICAT 2025 data. Official ILICAT 2026 cutoffs will be published by Indian Law Institute at ili.ac.in after results are declared.

A target of 120–130 marks can be reached with: 80–92 marks in MCQs (objective score after negative marking) + 30–34 marks in Legal Writing + 16–18 marks in viva-voce. This means you need 93–110 good attempts in MCQs with roughly 80% accuracy.


Tips to Maximise Good Attempts in ILICAT 2026

Improving your good-attempt count is about disciplined selection, not sheer volume. These strategies will help you optimise your performance in ILICAT 2026.

  • Start with English & GK (Part 1): These questions are generally quicker. Aim to finish Part 1 in 25–30 minutes, banking time for the longer Legal Aptitude section.
  • Accuracy over speed in Legal Aptitude: Attempting 65–78 questions at 80% accuracy yields more marks than rushing through 100 questions at 55% accuracy when negative marking is in play.
  • Skip and return: Mark multi-step reasoning sets and return to them after completing straightforward principle-application questions.
  • Never guess randomly: With –0.25 negative marking, five random guesses can cost you more than one correct answer is worth in net terms.
  • Attempt all four Legal Writing questions: There is no negative marking here. Even a partially reasoned answer earns partial marks.
  • Practise timed mocks: Complete 140 MCQs in 90 minutes during mock tests, reserving 60 minutes for Legal Writing — this mirrors real exam time pressure.
  • Read legal principles carefully: In principle-application MCQs, the answer almost always follows directly from the stated principle — do not import outside legal knowledge.

ILICAT 2026 Good Attempts FAQs

Ques. What is a good number of attempts in ILICAT 2026?

Ans. Attempting 93–111 out of 140 MCQs with 75–80% accuracy is considered a good attempt in ILICAT 2026, based on previous year exam trends.

Ques. Does ILICAT have a separate Logical Reasoning section?

Ans. No, ILICAT does not have a standalone Logical Reasoning section. Reasoning-based questions are embedded within Part 2 – Legal Aptitude, which has 100 MCQs covering jurisprudence, constitutional law, IPC, and reasoning applied to legal contexts.

Ques. What is the expected ILICAT 2026 cutoff for General category?

Ans. Based on the ILICAT 2025 General category cutoff of approximately 111.25 marks, the expected ILICAT 2026 cutoff is 112–118 out of 200. Targeting 120–130 marks gives you a comfortable safety margin.

Ques. Is there negative marking in ILICAT 2026?

Ans. Yes. ILICAT 2026 carries a negative marking of 0.25 marks for each incorrect MCQ response. The subjective Legal Writing section (Part 3) has no negative marking.

Ques. How many questions should I attempt in Legal Aptitude to score well?

Ans. Attempting 65–78 questions in Legal Aptitude with 75–80% accuracy is expected to yield a strong section score. Avoid blind guessing, as the negative marking can quickly erode your net score.

Ques. What is the total marks for ILICAT 2026?

Ans. ILICAT 2026 carries a total of 200 marks: 140 marks for objective MCQs (Part 1 + Part 2), 40 marks for the subjective Legal Writing section (Part 3), and 20 marks for the viva-voce interview.