The CLAT 2026 examination is set to take place on 7th December 2025. The exam is one of the most competitive and difficult exams taken in India. The examination helps students get admission into some of the best law schools in the country. It is highly important for students to be well-prepared when studying for the exam. This article highlights some key tips and strategies that students can follow for each section of the CLAT exam. Following these tips can help students develop better and more effective study-habits when preparing for a competitive law exam such as the CLAT examination.
CLAT Exam Pattern
Provided below is an overview of the CLAT exam pattern for students’ reference. Knowing the exam pattern for the CLAT examination can help students in their preparation process as well as help them know what to expect when preparing for the exam.
The CLAT 2026 exam pattern is as follows:
Exam Mode | Offline (Pen and Paper) |
Exam Duration | 2 Hours, 120 Minutes |
Total Marks | 120 Marks |
Total Questions | 120 Questions |
Question Types | Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) with Passages |
Sections | 5 Sections:
|
Negative Marking | Yes |
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CLAT Section-Wise Preparation
Provided below is a section-wise overview of various tips that students can use for each part of the CLAT examination. Following these tips can help vastly improve a student’s performance on the CLAT examination. Students should aiming to clear the exam should try to balance their preparation across all 5 of the subjects
The section-wise preparation tips for CLAT are as follows:
English
Here are some tips students can use for the English section of the CLAT exam:
- Time Management:This section can be very time consuming with the amount of reading, especially with comprehensions. Students should aim to practice as many questions as they can. They should ensure that they do not spend more than 3 to 4 minutes per comprehension on this section.
- Improve Vocabulary and Grammar: Using popular English grammar books such as Wren and Martin is highly recommended for students to be thorough with this section. Students should aim to be highly thorough with their vocabulary to not get stuck on any words that are provided in the exam. Improving English is also highly important to ensure students are able to answer all grammar-related questions with ease and do not make any careless mistakes.
Legal Reasoning
Here are some tips for students to prepare the Legal Reasoning section on the CLAT exam:
- Learn Basic Legal Terms:Having an understanding of the basics of legal terminology can help in students’ performances on the CLAT examination significantly. Students who have a basic understanding of beginner-level terms will be able to comprehend and answer the legal passages of the section a lot quicker. This in turn, can be really helpful for students preparing for the examination.
- Reading:Similar to the English section, reading is key for developing a good ability on this section of the CLAT exam. Practicing reading through legal journals or articles can not only help students be familiar with common terms, but also improve a student’s reading speed. This is crucial for students to be able to cover more ground of the CLAT exam without struggling. This section aims to test a student’s skill more than their understanding of law basics.
Logical Reasoning
Provided below are some tips for the Logical Reasoning section of the CLAT exam:
- Pattern Recognition:This is a skill that is crucial to develop for this section of the CLAT exam. Being able to identify patterns or mistakes in them is highly useful and efficient when answering questions for the Logical Reasoning section of CLAT. It is recommended for students to practice questions or puzzles to be able to develop strong pattern recognition skills for CLAT.
- Identify Argument Structure: Another key tip is for students to be able to identify the type of argument being raised in the question. Doing so can help students make their arguments and conclusions for a question more cohesive. The more a student practices mock tests, the easier it will be to identify and point out the different types of argument structures on the CLAT examination.
General Knowledge
Here are some tips for students to prepare the General Knowledge section on the CLAT exam:
- Focus on the Important Topics:The CLAT GK section mainly focuses on current happenings in the Indian spheres of law, public policy, international affairs and big historical events with regards to sports, art or technology. It is crucial students divert their focus to these topics when preparing instead of mugging up all key events that happen.
- Do Not Focus on Outdated Events: Anything major ‘current affairs’ that are outdated and more importantly, not relevant to the current state of affairs in the world should not be looked into as it can be a waste of time and energy. Generally, students focus on anything more than a year old if it is not relevant. It is more advisable for students to focus on the current happenings of the world instead
- Use Reliable Sources: Students should ensure they use trusted and well-reputable sources for their GK study for the CLAT examination. Students can even use monthly-issues specifically aimed at CLAT preparation for the General Knowledge section.
Quantitative Techniques
Finally, here are some tips for students to prepare the Quantitative section on the CLAT exam:
- Be Thorough With Formulas:A majority of the questions of this section are at a class 10th Mathematics level. It is very important that students be thorough with all formulas of this section. Knowing the formulas for this section can make answering the questions asked significantly easier. It can also contribute to students being able to build strong foundations as well.
- Practice: Like all other sections of the CLAT exam, this section also requires thorough practice. Students can use textbooks, reference books, previous question papers or mock tests as practice. Thorough practice on this section ensures students are able to efficiently build speed as well as precision when solving these questions on the CLAT examination.
CLAT 2026 Important Dates
Provided below is an overview of the important dates for the CLAT 2026 examination. Keeping these dates in mind is very important for students as being updated with these key dates ensure students are in the loop on all key events and deadlines about the CLAT UG 2026 examination.
The important dates for the CLAT exam are as follows:
Event | Date |
CLAT 2026 Registration Opening | 1st August 2025 |
Last Date of Submission for CLAT 2026 Form | 31st October 2025 |
CLAT 2026 Admit Card Release Date | November 2025 |
CLAT 2026 Examination Date | 7th December 2025 |
CLAT 2026 Result Declaration | 13th December 2025 (tentative) |
Students Can Also Read: CLAT Preparation Guide: Legal Reasoning