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Understanding CLAT - New Pattern

CL Team August 12 2025
3 min read

Understanding CLAT’s New Pattern

Introduction

The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is the gateway to India’s premier National Law Universities (NLUs). Each year, the Consortium of NLUs tweaks the paper pattern to make it more skill-based and less about rote memorization. The latest pattern changes are designed to test not just knowledge, but also comprehension, reasoning, and decision-making under pressure.

If you’re preparing for CLAT, understanding these changes — and adapting your strategy — can be the difference between making the cut and missing it.

Overview of the New CLAT Pattern

1. Reduced Number of Questions

  • UG CLAT: Around 120 questions instead of 150 (total time: 2 hours).
  • Reason: More time per question to focus on comprehension-based solving.

2. Passage-Based Questions Across All Sections

  • Every section (English, Current Affairs, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques) uses short passages followed by MCQs.
  • This means speed reading and accurate comprehension are more important than pure memorization.

3. Weightage Shift

Approximate question distribution:

  • English Language – 22–26 Qs
  • Current Affairs (incl. GK) – 28–32 Qs
  • Legal Reasoning – 28–32 Qs
  • Logical Reasoning – 22–26 Qs
  • Quantitative Techniques – 10–14 Qs

4. Difficulty Balance

  • GK & Current Affairs remain knowledge-based but require understanding of context.
  • Legal Reasoning & Logical Reasoning have more complex, multi-layered arguments.

What This Means for Your Prep

Focus Areas

  • Reading Speed & Retention: You must read 12–15 passages in 2 hours and answer quickly.
  • Contextual Understanding: Not just “what” is said, but “how” and “why.”
  • Practice with New Pattern Mocks: Familiarity is crucial to reduce surprises.

Skills to Build

  1. Daily Reading Habit – Editorials, legal blogs, quality news portals.
  2. Timed Practice – Regular passage-solving under 8–10 minutes.
  3. Active Note-Making – For GK, make weekly current affairs digests.
  4. Inference & Application – Especially in Legal Reasoning, where the law is given and you apply it.

Quick Strategies by Section

English Language

  • Read diverse sources: opinion pieces, features, literature extracts.
  • Practice tone, inference, and main idea questions.

Current Affairs / GK

  • Focus on last 10–12 months’ news.
  • Prioritize quality over quantity — major national & international events, awards, legal developments.

Legal Reasoning

  • Learn to apply principles to new scenarios quickly.
  • Practice identifying relevant vs. irrelevant facts.

Logical Reasoning

  • Work on identifying argument structures.
  • Strengthen assumption, strengthening/weakening, and conclusion-based questions.

Quantitative Techniques

  • Revise basic arithmetic, percentages, ratios, averages.
  • Practice DI sets under time pressure.

Sample CLAT New-Pattern Mini Set

English Language (Excerpt + Q)

"The Supreme Court recently ruled that access to the internet is a fundamental right under Article 19 of the Constitution, as it is an essential medium for the exercise of freedom of speech and expression."

Q: Which of the following best describes the court’s reasoning? A) Internet access is a basic amenity. B) Internet is crucial for exercising certain fundamental rights. C) The internet is free for all citizens. D) Only educational institutions should ensure internet access.

Legal Reasoning (Excerpt + Q)

Principle: Any act causing harm to another without lawful justification amounts to a civil wrong. Facts: A throws water balloons at pedestrians during Holi. One person slips and fractures an arm. Q: Is A liable? A) Yes, because harm was caused without legal justification. B) No, because Holi celebrations are customary. C) Yes, but only if intent to harm is proven. D) No, because it was an accident.

GK / Current Affairs

Q: Which country recently hosted the G20 Summit?

Logical Reasoning (Excerpt + Q)

"Some argue that legal education should be more affordable to promote equal access to justice. Others believe that higher fees ensure better infrastructure and faculty." Q: The first argument is based on: A) Economic equality B) Quality control C) Legal precedent D) Political ideology

Quantitative Techniques

The average score of a group of 6 students is 72. If one new student joins, the group average becomes 74. Find the marks scored by the new student.

Final Thoughts

The new CLAT pattern rewards smart, skill-focused preparation. It’s no longer about mugging up laws or memorizing GK facts blindly — it’s about reading, understanding, and applying quickly.

At Career Launcher South Ex, we ensure every aspirant is trained on:

  • New pattern mocks
  • Speed reading workshops
  • Legal & logical reasoning drills
  • Current affairs capsules with context

Stay updated. Practice with purpose. Crack CLAT with confidence.