CLAT PG · Consortium of National Law Universities
CLAT PG is a comprehension test — passages from judgments and statutes, not section recall.
One 120-question paper in two hours decides your LL.M. seat across the NLUs. We break down the official pattern, the comprehension format, the full subject list, and where Constitutional Law and Jurisprudence quietly carry the paper.
- Conducting bodyConsortium of National Law Universities
- For admission toLL.M. at ~22 NLUs (~850–900 seats)
- EligibilityLL.B./equivalent · 50% (45% SC/ST/PwD)
- Age limitNo upper age limit
- Pattern120 MCQs · 2 hours · −0.25 negative
- Question styleComprehension — passages from judgments & statutes
One test, an all-India rank, then centralised counselling.
Unlike state judiciary exams there is no prelims/mains split — a single objective paper produces the rank that the NLUs use for admission.
Step 1 · The test
PG-CLAT Exam
Objective · 120 MCQs · 120 minutes
A single offline (pen-paper) test of 120 comprehension-based MCQs. Each question carries 1 mark; 0.25 is deducted for a wrong answer.
- Questions / marks
- 120 / 120
- Duration
- 2 hours
- Negative marking
- −0.25 per wrong
- Mode
- Offline (OMR)
Step 2 · Merit
Result & Merit List
All-India rank
Scores produce an all-India merit rank used by the participating NLUs for centralised counselling.
- Score basis
- Single test
- Output
- All-India rank
- Used for
- NLU counselling
Step 3 · Admission
Counselling & Seats
Centralised allocation
Seats across the participating NLUs are allotted through the Consortium’s centralised counselling on the basis of rank, preference and category.
- NLUs
- ~22
- LL.M. seats
- ~850–900
- Allotment
- Rank + preference
Can you apply? Check this first.
Qualification
An LL.B. / five-year integrated law degree (or equivalent) from a recognised university.
Minimum marks
50% in the qualifying degree (45% for SC/ST and Persons with Disability).
Age
There is no upper age limit for CLAT PG.
Final-year
Candidates appearing in the final year/semester of the qualifying exam may apply.
Nationality
Indian nationals; NRI / OCI / PIO as per the participating NLUs’ norms.
Cut-off / merit
Admission is purely on the all-India rank — no separate qualifying percentage in the test.
One objective paper, built around passages.
The paper emphasises comprehension over recall — every question sits under an extract from a judgment, statute or regulation.
The paper
120 multiple-choice questions to be answered in 120 minutes. The paper emphasises comprehension: you are given extracts from primary legal materials — important court decisions, statutes or regulations — followed by a series of questions.
Reading comprehension and issue identification from the passage; understanding of the related legal issues and the factual context; ability to summarise the passage; and application of your substantive knowledge of the underlying area of law.
Areas of law drawn upon
- Constitutional Law★ core
- Jurisprudence★ core
- Administrative Law–
- Contract, Torts, Criminal, Property, Family–
- Company, Public International, Tax, Environmental, Labour–
The mandatory LL.B. subjects PG-CLAT draws from.
The Consortium does not publish per-subject weightage — but Constitutional Law and Jurisprudence consistently anchor the paper.
The single most central area — FRs, federalism, judicial review, landmark Constitution-Bench rulings.
Schools of law, rights & duties, sources, legal theory — heavily passage-tested.
Natural justice, judicial review, delegated legislation, droit administratif.
Formation, consideration, free consent, breach & remedies.
Negligence, strict & absolute liability, vicarious liability, defamation.
IPC/BNS principles — mens rea, offences, general exceptions.
Transfer of Property — doctrines, mortgages, leases.
Marriage, succession, maintenance — Hindu & Muslim law.
Incorporation, lifting the veil, directors, oppression & mismanagement.
Sources, treaties, state responsibility, human rights, dispute settlement.
Core direct & indirect tax concepts.
Constitutional basis, key statutes, polluter-pays & precautionary principles.
Industrial relations, social security, the new labour codes.
What to prioritise, in order.
- Do first Constitutional Law & Jurisprudence
The backbone of PG-CLAT — the deepest, most frequently set passages come from here. Master doctrines and landmark cases.
- Build comprehension Read primary material
The paper is passage-based: practise reading SC judgments, statutes and regulations and extracting the issue, ratio and application under time pressure.
- High return Contract · Torts · Criminal · Administrative
The bulk of the remaining passages. Strong fundamentals + case law convert directly into marks.
- Cover broadly Property · Family · Company · Public International · Environmental · Labour · Tax
Tested in rotation. Coverage of core provisions and leading cases beats over-specialisation.
Two things most candidates underestimate.
It’s a comprehension test, not a recall test
Since the format change, PG-CLAT no longer rewards rote section-numbers. Every question hangs off a passage — usually an extract from a judgment, statute or regulation. You must read fast, spot the legal issue, and apply doctrine to a new fact-pattern. Train on primary material, not just summaries.
Constitutional Law & Jurisprudence carry the paper
Across years these two areas supply the most passages and the hardest questions. A deep, doctrine-level command of fundamental rights, judicial review, and legal theory is the single best use of your preparation time.
Everything to prepare CLAT PG — free.
Chapter-wise notes on Constitution, Contract, Torts, Criminal, Property and more — the PG-CLAT subject base.
Open Judgments Landmark judgment digestCase briefs (facts, issues, held, ratio) for the landmark judgments PG-CLAT passages are built on.
Open Practice Subject-wise testsTimed MCQ sets on Constitution, Contract, Evidence and more to sharpen application speed.
OpenCLAT PG — quick answers.
Who conducts CLAT PG?
The Consortium of National Law Universities conducts CLAT PG for admission to LL.M. programmes across the participating National Law Universities (~22 NLUs, ~850–900 seats).
What is the CLAT PG exam pattern?
One objective paper of 120 multiple-choice questions to be answered in 120 minutes. Each question carries 1 mark and 0.25 marks are deducted for every wrong answer.
Is CLAT PG comprehension-based?
Yes. The paper provides extracts from primary legal materials — important court decisions, statutes or regulations — and the questions test comprehension, issue identification and the application of substantive law.
What subjects does CLAT PG cover?
The mandatory subjects of the LL.B. programme: Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence, Administrative Law, Law of Contract, Torts, Family Law, Criminal Law, Property Law, Company Law, Public International Law, Tax Law, Environmental Law, and Labour & Industrial Law.
Is there negative marking in CLAT PG?
Yes — 0.25 marks are deducted for each incorrect answer.
What is the eligibility for CLAT PG?
An LL.B. or equivalent law degree with at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD). There is no upper age limit, and final-year candidates may apply.
Is there an essay/subjective paper in CLAT PG?
No. The current PG-CLAT is a single 120-question objective paper; the earlier subjective/essay component has been discontinued.
Practise on the subjects PG-CLAT is built from.
Free notes, a landmark-judgment digest, and timed subject tests on Constitution, Contract, Evidence and more — to build the comprehension speed the paper rewards.
