CLAT - Collegedunia

Content Writer | Journalism Graduate | Updated on - Mar 26, 2026

The NLUs released the CLAT 2026 Second Merit List on 22nd January 2026. If you are in the second list, you can pay the confirmation fee for “Freeze” and “Float” till 29th January 2026.

The third merit list will be released by 5th February, whereas the 4th and 5th allotment lists are expected on 2 May and 15 May 2026, respectively.

Direct link to check CLAT 2026 Second Provisional Allotment List

The admissions in CLAT 2026 are conducted for 25 participating NLUs, which offer 3,000 to 3,200 UG seats in total.
In Round 1, around 100% of the available seats are open for allotment, whereas others will involve seat upgrades, withdrawals, and distribution of vacant seats.

The AIR 1 to 100 candidates secured seats in the 1st Round. AIR under 500 got in Tier 1 NLUs, whereas AIR 500 to 1500 are expected to get seats in Round 2 to 3.

By CLAT 2026, around 3,500+ seats will be offered in 24 participating NLUs, in which the top 5 will close the rank between the top 200 and 500, as per the previous year's trends.

Check:

In this Article, we have discussed CLAT 2026, including Paper Analysis along with the answer key, cutoff, & Participating Insitutes.

Table of Contents

CLAT Counselling Schedule (Out)
CLAT 2026 Question Paper with Answer Key and Solution PDF
What is the CLAT Exam 2026?
CLAT 2026 Provisional Answer Key
CLAT 2026: Initial Paper Analysis
CLAT 2026 Marks vs Rank
CLAT 2026 Score Calculation Process
CLAT Previous Year Question Paper
CLAT 2026 Cut-Off
CLAT 2026 Result & Counselling
CLAT College Predictor 2026
FAQs for CLAT 2026

CLAT Counselling Schedule (Out)

CLAT Counselling Process will begin today at 6 P.M. The authorities have released instructions on CLAT counselling which can be checked here.

Check: CLAT Instructions for Admission Counselling Process

Schedule	Particulars
06 pm, December 17, 2025 to 10 pm, December 27, 2025	Registration for admissions counselling (including payment of counselling registration fee)
January 7, 2026, at 10 am	Publication of the first allotment list (first round begins)
January 7, 2026 (10 am) to January 15, 2026 (1 pm)	Payment of the confirmation fee and admission by NLUs for the first allotment list
January 22, 2026, at 10 am	Publication of the second allotment list (second round begins)
January 22, 2026 (10 am) to January 29, 2026 (1 pm)	Payment of the confirmation fee and admission by NLUs for the second allotment list
February 5, 2026, at 10 am	Publication of the third allotment list (third round begins)
February 5, 2026 (10 am) to February 12, 2026 (1 pm)	Payment of the confirmation fee and admission by NLUs for the third allotment list
April 24, 2026, by 5 pm	Payment of university fees by candidates who chose the Freeze option in the first three rounds
May 2, 2026, at 10 am	Publication of the fourth allotment list (fourth round begins)
May 2, 2026 (10 am) to May 8, 2026 (1 pm)	Payment of the confirmation fee and admission by NLUs for the fourth allotment list
May 15, 2026, at 10 am	Publication of the fifth and final allotment list (fifth round begins)
May 15, 2026 (10 am) to May 20, 2026 (1 pm)	Payment of the confirmation fee and admission by NLUs for the fifth allotment list
As notified by the respective NLUs	Payment of university fees by candidates who chose the Freeze option in the fourth and fifth rounds

CLAT 2026 Question Paper with Answer Key and Solution PDF

CLAT Paper	Download PDF	Detailed Solution
CLAT 2026 Question Paper with Answer Key Set A	Download	Check Solution
CLAT 2026 Question Paper with Answer Key Set B	Download	Check Solution
CLAT 2026 Question Paper with Answer Key Set C	Download	Check Solution
CLAT 2026 Question Paper with Answer Key Set D	Download	Check Solution

What is the CLAT Exam 2026?

The CLAT 2026 is a national-level entrance examination, which is conducted every year for admission into UG (5-Year LLB) and PG (LLM) programs, which are offered by 24 NLUs in India.

Around 1 lakh candidates appear every year for 3,000 to 3,500 NLU Seats.
By CLAT, your career door will be opened for corporate law, litigation, judiciary, civil services, legal policy and global law firms.
A Single Counselling will be followed for seat allotment as per AIR and category reservation.

If you have appeared for CLAT 2026, check this video by @LegalEdgeCLATCoachingby Toprankers, for complete paper analysis and expected cutoff.

Check: How many candidates appear for CLAT?

Ques. Can I join LLB without CLAT?

Ans. Some states and private law entrance exams allow admission into 5-Year Law programs.

Alternative Exams are:

AILET (NLU Delhi)
SLAT (Symbiosis)
LSAT—India (Private Universities)
MHCET Law (Maharashtra Gov Colleges)

Ques. When can candidates expect the provisional and final answer key?

Ans. The CLAT Provisional Answer key is generally released 2-3 days after the exam, and the final answer key will be released after objections.

Stage	Expected Timeline
Provisional Answer Key	Within 72 hours post-exam
Final Answer Key	After the review of objections
Score Basis	Final key only

Ques. What is the expected date for the CLAT 2026 result announcement?

Ans. The CLAT Results are usually released after 7-10 days of exams and will be released online.

It will be downloaded online from the official website.
Includes AIR+Scorecard.
It is mandatory for participation in counselling.
No separate category-wise scorecard is required.

CLAT 2026 Provisional Answer Key

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The Release of the CLAT Provisional Answer Key is the first step after the CLAT Exam. The CLAT Answer Key includes the correct response for all the questions, which will help the candidates with cross-checking their attempts.

You can have an estimation of your score and have an expected ranking before the official results.

CLAT 2026 Answer Key: Release Timeline & Process

Event	Expected / Tentative Date
Provisional Answer Key Release	10-Dec-2025 at 5 PM
Objection Window Opens	5:00 PM on 10th December 2025
Last Date to Raise Objections	Usually 1–2 days after provisional key release — e.g. till 12-Dec-2025 (5 PM) as per recent announcements.
Final Answer Key Release	5:00 PM on 12th December 2025.
Result Declaration	Shortly after the final answer key — expected by mid-December 2025

How to Access & Challenge CLAT 2026 Answer Key?

After the release of CLAT Provisional Answer key, you can download the PDF from the official website, and compare your responses, if there are any discrepancies, and can raise the objections online.

By using the proper use of answer key, the candidates can estimate their score before the release of the CLAT Result.

CLAT 2026: Answer Key Download & Objection Process

Action	Details
Where to download	Official website Consortium of National Law Universities (consortiumofnlus.ac.in), under “CLAT 2026 → Answer Key / Question Paper” section
Format	PDF — set-wise (Set A / B / C / D) with question paper and correct answers
Compare & Calculate Score	Use official marking scheme: +1 for correct, 0.25 for wrong, 0 for unanswered
Objection Method	Via online portal — login, select “Submit Objection,” choose question number/booklet set, provide reason & supporting doc (if any)
Objection Fee	₹ 1,000 per question challenged (refundable if objection is upheld)
Final Answer Key	Released after consideration of objections; final evaluation & result is based on it

Check:

CLAT 2026: Initial Paper Analysis

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The CLAT 2026 Exam has been successfully conducted now, and as per the candidate’s the exam was moderate to difficult, with a major focus on comprehension and real-world reasoning questions.

CLAT 2026 Difficulty Review: Section-Wise

Section	No. of Qs	Reported Difficulty	Key Highlights	Good Attempts
English Language	22–26	Moderate	Long passages; vocabulary in context is manageable	17–20
Current Affairs & GK	28–32	Moderate to Tough	Heavily analytical current affairs; limited static	18–22
Legal Reasoning	28–32	Moderate	Principle-based scenario questions; required precision	20–24
Logical Reasoning	22–26	Easy to Moderate	Shorter arguments; direct reasoning	18–21
Quantitative Techniques	10–14	Moderate to Tough	Data-based questions; time-consuming	6–9

According to a lot of candidates, the CLAT Exam 2026 was slightly different from the previous year's exam. Check this video by @12MinutestoCLAT to know what exactly was different in CLAT 2026.

Check: CLAT Expected Paper Analysis

Ques. How many questions should be attempted accurately for a 95+ score?

Ans. You should aim for around 92 to 105 attempts with high precision to reach the top percentile rank.

Percentile Target	Attempts	Accuracy
99+	100–105	90%+
95–98	92–98	85–90%

Ques. What was the difficulty trend in the last 3 years of CLAT?

Ans. With CLAT Previous Year Difficulty trends, you can know about what will be level of difficulty this year.

Year	Difficulty Level	Challenging Section
2024	Moderate	LR passages
2023	Mod–Hard	GK & Current Affairs
2022	Moderate	Quantual MCQs

CLAT 2026 Marks vs Rank: What Your Score Could Mean

Since the CLAT 2026 is over, the major question for the candidate is “What rank will I get with my score?”, as the NLU Admissions are majorly based on ranks, with every few marks, your position in the merit list can change.

As per the difficulty level of CLAT 2026, and previous year analysis, the expected marks vs rank for CLAT 2026 is:

The Top NLUs demand very high scores; with a score of 98+, you can get a rank among the top 200, and this can increase your chances in top NLUs.
With a difference of 90 to 95 and 95-100 marks, your rank can have a change of hundreds, which makes accuracy and time management important.
A Score range of 80 to 90 remains competitive for mid-level NLUs or programmes having more seats.

Score Range (out of 120)	Estimated All-India Rank Range	Admission Chances / Tier of NLUs
98 – 120	Top 1–200	Very strong — likely top NLUs (e.g. NLSIU Bengaluru / NALSAR Hyderabad / WBNUJS Kolkata)
92 – 97	200–500	Competitive — good shot at top 5–6 NLUs or high-demand programmes
85 – 91	500–2,500	Good — solid chances at mid-to-high NLUs or good branches in top NLUs
80 – 84	2,500–4,500	Decent — may get into mid-tier or lower-tier NLUs, depending on seat availability & category
70 – 79	4,500–9,500+	Marginal — likely lower-tier NLUs or state universities; top NLUs unlikely for the General category
60 – 69	10,000–20,000+	Limited — admission to non-NLU law colleges or the least preferred NLUs, especially for reserved categories
Below 60	20,000+	Unlikely to secure a seat in major NLUs; options limited to local/state colleges or private universities

CLAT 2026 Score Calculation Process: How Your Marks Are Calculated

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The CLAT Exam will follow a negative marking system, with each correct answer being 1 mark and -0.25 marks for every incorrect answer.

As in CLAT, only a single raw scoring model is used; the final answer key can be directly determined using AIR Rank without a normalisation process.

In the CLAT Exam, your accuracy will matter more than the attempts; if you guess too many, your score can be reduced because of negative marking.
There is no partial marking, with all questions being single-choice objective questions.

CLAT 2026 Score Calculation: Marking Scheme

Particulars	Details	Impact on Score
Total Questions	120 (MCQs)	Determines max raw score
Marks for Each Correct Answer	+1	Increases overall score
Penalty for Each Wrong Answer	–0.25	Negative impact: reduces marks
Marks for Unanswered Questions	0	No change in total score
Score Range	0 to 120 (raw marks)	Used directly for the AIR ranking
Normalization	Not Applicable	Raw marks = Final marks
Tie-Breaking Parameters	Legal Reasoning score → Older age → Computerised lottery	Used when the marks are the same

CLAT Score Calculation Formula

Check: CLAT Seat Allotment

CLAT Previous Year Question Paper

If you are appearing in CLAT 2026, you should solve and look through the CLAT Previous Year Question Paper.

The Previous year's Question Paper for CLAT is attached below. You can get familiar with different types of questions that can be asked.

Year	Slot	Paper
2025	A	Click Here
	B	Click Here
	C	Click Here
	D	Click Here
2024	A	Check Here
	B	Check Here
	C	Check Here
	D	Check Here
2023	Check Here
2022	Check Here

Check: CLAT Previous-Year Question Paper

CLAT 2026 Cut-Off: What Rank Gets You Which NLU?

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Understanding the CLAT cut-off is very important. You can now check the College Predictor to check colleges for admission.

This tool allows you to see which college you currently qualify for based on your CLAT cut-off score and helps you identify where you aspire to go.

The expected CLAT cutoff 2026 is 90+ with a CLAT closing rank of 97 for NLU Bengaluru.
For NALSAR Hyderabad, the expected cutoff is 90+ (158 rank), and for West Bengal NLU, the expected CLAT cutoff is 90+ (262 rank).
For NLU Jodhpur and NLU Bhopal, the expected CLAT cutoff 2026 is 84+.

College Name	CLAT Score	Opening Rank	Closing Rank
NLU, Bengaluru	90+	1	97
NALSAR, Hyderabad	90+	6	158
The West Bengal NLU, Kolkata	90+	140	262
NLU Jodhpur	84+	170	341
NLU, Bhopal	84+	311	404
Gujarat NLU, Gandhinagar	84+	210	429
MNLU Mumbai	82+	99	547
DDrRam Manohar Lohiya NLU, Lucknow	75+	410	694
HNLU Raipur	75+	434	707
NLU, Odisha	72+	591	10180

Check:

CLAT 2026 Result & Counselling: What Happens Now?

The CLAT 2026 Result can be released anytime in the last week of December 2025. You should follow a proper process for the result download.

The merit list will be published, and centralised counselling for proper seat allotment.

Stage	What Happens	What You Need To Do
Result Declaration	Scorecard released with AIR & category rank	Download scorecard & analyse rank vs expected NLU
Registration for Counselling	Consortium opens counselling portal	Pay the counselling fee & register
Choice Filling & Locking	Select and arrange NLUs in preference order	Carefully prioritise colleges based on cutoff trends
Seat Allotment Rounds (Round 1/2/3 etc.)	Seats allotted as per rank, category & preference	Accept seat / apply for upgrade/exit option
Document Upload & Verification	Verification done online by the allotted NLU	Upload the required docs within the deadline
Fee Payment	Final seat confirmation	Pay the admission fee to the allotted NLU
Upgradation Window	Option to upgrade to a better preference (if seats are available)	Continue in the system if interested

CLAT College Predictor 2026

The CLAT College predictor uses the seat intake information along with expected competition, which will help you get an estimation of NLU, and you can aim according to your rank/score.

CLAT College Predictor by Collegedunia

You can check the CLAT college predictor by Collegedunia, where you have to enter your rank, reservation category and state to check the college you can get after the CLAT Result is Out.

Check:

CLAT 2026: List of Participating Institutes

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The CLAT 2026 Exam is open for admission into integrated UG and PG Law courses across top law schools in India. This includes 24 NLUs, with each offering seats based on CLAT Rank, along with other institutes accepting CLAT Scores.

Key NLUs Participating in CLAT 2026 (UG Seat Intake)

NLU / University	Approx. UG Seats (5-Year Law via CLAT)
NLSIU Bengaluru	310
NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad	132
WBNUJS Kolkata	132
NLU Jodhpur	164
GNLU Gandhinagar	172
NLIU Bhopal	202 (BA-LLB + BSc-LLB)
HNLU Raipur	170
RMLNLU Lucknow	169
RGNUL Patiala	180
NUALS Kochi	60
DSNLU Visakhapatnam	120
MNLU Mumbai	100

FAQs for CLAT 2026

Ques. Which law programs and top NLUs accept CLAT scores?

Ans. The CLAT Scores are used for 5-Year Integrated LLB and LLM Admissions in NLUs and top Law institutes.

It is accepted by all 25+ members of NLUs, use the CLAT Score for their undergraduate admissions.
For CLAT PG Admissions (LLM), it also follows the same kind of pattern and will be accepted by all participating NLUs.

Ques. What is the exam pattern and marking scheme for CLAT 2026?

Ans. The CLAT Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme is the same as the previous year, with 120 questions, making a total of 120 marks, with research-based passages, five sections, and negative marking

Response Type	Marks
Correct Answer	+1
Incorrect Answer	-0.25
Not Attempted	0
Total Marks	120

Ques. When will CLAT 2026 counselling start after the results

Ans. The CLAT Counselling starts immediately after the results are declared and will follow a structured seat allotment process.

Stage	Timeline
Registration & Fee Payment	Same week as the result
Preference Locking	After registration
Rounds	3–4 allotment rounds
Documentation	Mandatory for confirmation

Ques. What are the rules on rough sheets, pens & stationery?

Ans. The Centre will give all the writing material; personal stationery will not be allowed.

Item	Provided by Centre
Black Pen	Yes
Rough Sheets	Yes (must return)
Geometry Box/Calculator	No

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College.

CLAT 2026 : 6 Answered Questions

Ques. Why is NLU Delhi not a part of CLAT?

There are 27 NLUs in India at present. Some of the top NLUs are- National Law University Delhi (NLU Delhi), NLSIU Bangalore, NALSAR Hyderabad and GNLU Gandhinagar. NLU Delhi does not consider CLAT results for admissions. It conducts its own All India Law Entrance Test (AILET). 25 NLUs offer admissions based on CLAT results. NLU Meghalaya also does not conduct its admissions based on CLAT. Furthermore, NLU Delhi is not a part of the Consortium of NLUs. Dr. Ranbir Singh, the founder of NLU Delhi, gave out a reason in 2012, stating that one of the reasons was that NLU Delhi would be CLAT's 13th Law School. Consequently, it would be the 13th pick when students filled out their choices. There are some financial and administrative concerns as well that have kept NLU Delhi from accepting CLAT results for admissions. ...Read More

Answer By Divya Raturi 13 Aug 24

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