CLAT PG Exam Pattern 2027: 120 Questions, 120 Marks, Marking Scheme and Question Paper Pattern

CLAT PG 2027 is a 120-minute offline, pen-and-paper test conducted by the Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) for admission to LLM programmes at top NLUs across India. The exam carries 120 marks across 120 passage-based MCQs drawn from core law subjects — there are no separate sections. The official website for registration and updates is consortiumofnlus.ac.in.

• CLAT PG 2027 is a 120-minute offline OMR test with 120 questions for 120 marks.
• The paper has no separate sections — all questions come from law subjects in one unified paper.
• Correct answer earns +1 mark; wrong answer deducts 0.25 marks; unattempted questions carry no penalty.
• Every question is passage-based — passages are drawn from primary legal texts, court judgements, and statutes.
• PWD students get an additional 40 minutes, making their total duration 160 minutes.
• The exam is held in English only — no regional language option is available for the PG paper.
• CLAT PG 2027 is scheduled for December 6, 2026 — registration closes on October 31, 2026.

CLAT PG Exam Pattern 2027: Overview

CLAT PG 2027 is a single unified law paper with 120 passage-based MCQs for 120 marks. The Consortium of NLUs conducts the exam offline in OMR format — there are no sectional divisions, no computer-based interface, and no virtual tools. All questions test legal comprehension through passages drawn from primary legal texts.

CLAT PG 2027 is a 120-minute offline OMR test with 120 questions for 120 marks.

CLAT PG Exam Pattern 2027: Important Dates

The CLAT PG 2027 notification was released on July 22, 2026. Registration is currently open and closes on October 31, 2026 — only a few days remain to apply. The exam is scheduled for December 6, 2026 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Admit card and result dates will be announced on the Consortium’s official website.

Source: Consortium of NLUs Official Website

CLAT PG 2027: Detailed Exam Pattern

CLAT PG 2027 is a single-paper exam with 120 passage-based MCQs and no official sectional divisions. The Consortium does not prescribe a fixed question count per subject. Every question is framed around a passage from a primary legal source — court judgements, statutory provisions, or legal scholarship. You must answer the entire paper within 120 minutes with no section-wise time cap.

There are no separate sections in CLAT PG 2027 — the entire paper is one unified law examination.

Note: PWD (Persons with Disabilities) students are allotted 160 minutes — an additional 40 minutes — to complete the same 120-question paper.

You must mark answers on the OMR sheet using only a black or blue ballpoint pen. Overwriting, use of correction fluid, or stray marks can invalidate your answer. Fill each bubble firmly and completely within the marked circle.

CLAT PG Marking Scheme 2027

The marking scheme for CLAT PG 2027 is uniform across all 120 questions: every correct answer earns +1 mark and every wrong answer results in a deduction of 0.25 marks. Skipping a question carries no penalty. The maximum achievable score is 120 marks.

Negative marking of 0.25 marks applies to all MCQs in CLAT PG 2027 — avoid random guessing on legal passage questions.

Note: All 120 questions follow the same marking scheme. There is no differential marking, bonus-mark policy, or section-specific penalty variation in CLAT PG 2027.

CLAT PG Subject-Wise Exam Pattern 2027

The Consortium of NLUs does not publish a fixed question count per subject for CLAT PG. The figures below are approximate ranges based on previous year paper analysis — actual distribution varies year to year. You should prepare all subjects thoroughly and not rely on fixed-weightage expectations.

Constitutional Law

Constitutional Law consistently carries the highest share of questions in CLAT PG. Questions test fundamental rights, directive principles, constitutional amendments, and landmark Supreme Court judgements. Passages come directly from constitutional provisions and judicial opinions.

Jurisprudence

Jurisprudence tests your understanding of legal theory — natural law, positivism, realism, and the philosophy of rights. Passages often come from legal philosophy scholars and landmark jurisprudential writings by Hart, Dworkin, Austin, and Kelsen.

Law of Contract and Specific Relief

Contract law questions draw from the Indian Contract Act, 1872, and the Specific Relief Act. Passages typically present contractual disputes or statutory provisions requiring interpretation and application of contract law principles.

Law of Torts

Torts questions focus on civil liability — negligence, strict liability, nuisance, and defamation. Passages often come from landmark judicial decisions that shaped tort law in India and England.

Criminal Law

Criminal law passages draw from the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) — the new codes that replaced the IPC, CrPC, and Evidence Act in 2023. You must apply criminal law principles to factual scenarios in the passage.

International Law

International law questions test treaty interpretation, state responsibility, and human rights frameworks. Passages may come from international conventions, UN resolutions, or ICJ decisions — analytical reading of unfamiliar instruments is the key skill to develop.

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)

IPR questions cover copyright, trademarks, patents, and trade secrets. Passages often come from IP statutes or landmark IP court decisions in India and internationally.

Administrative Law

Administrative law questions test principles of natural justice, rule of law, and judicial review. You must interpret passages from administrative law texts and court judgements on public authority action and delegated legislation.

Note: The subject-wise distribution is approximate and based on previous year paper analysis. The Consortium of NLUs does not publish a fixed section-wise break-up for CLAT PG — actual question distribution may vary each year.

CLAT PG Question Types 2027

CLAT PG 2027 uses a single question type: passage-based Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) with one correct answer from four options. Unlike the UG paper, there are no comprehension passages on English or General Knowledge — every passage in the PG paper is a primary legal source.

Every question in CLAT PG 2027 is passage-based — no direct knowledge recall questions appear in the paper.

Passages in CLAT PG are typically drawn from the following primary legal sources:

• Supreme Court and High Court judgements — recent and landmark decisions on constitutional, civil, and criminal law
• Statutory provisions — excerpts from Acts and Codes with interpretive and application questions
• Legal scholarship — academic writing on jurisprudence, constitutional theory, and law and policy
• International legal instruments — treaty provisions, UN documents, and ICJ advisory opinions

You are not expected to have seen or memorised these passages in advance. You must apply your legal knowledge and reasoning to the text provided in the exam. This format rewards analytical reading and legal reasoning over rote learning of definitions.

CLAT PG Exam Pattern: Changes in 2027 vs Previous Year

The Consortium of NLUs has not announced any changes to the CLAT PG pattern for 2027. The exam format, duration, total marks, and marking scheme remain identical to CLAT PG 2026. The pattern has been stable since 2024, when the total question count was standardised at 120.

CLAT PG 2027 carries the same stable pattern as 2026 — no structural changes have been announced by the Consortium of NLUs.

How to Prepare Based on CLAT PG Exam Pattern

The CLAT PG 2027 pattern gives specific signals about preparation strategy. The passage-based MCQ format, single-paper structure, and absence of sectional time limits all call for a focused, analytical approach.

1. Master the passage-reading approach, not memorisation. Since every question is passage-based, build the skill of reading dense legal language quickly and accurately. Practice with primary texts — judgements, Acts, and legal scholarship — rather than coaching summaries alone.
2. Cover all law subjects with the highest focus on Constitutional Law. Constitutional Law historically accounts for the largest share of questions. Study fundamental rights, constitutional amendments, and landmark Supreme Court decisions in depth. Devote proportionately less — but not zero — time to IPR, International Law, and Administrative Law.
3. Practice with full 120-question, 120-minute timed mocks. The single-block format gives you exactly one minute per question on average. Regular full-length mocks build the pacing and stamina needed to stay sharp through all 120 questions.
4. Calculate your negative-marking risk on each question. With −0.25 per wrong answer, eliminate at least two wrong options before attempting. If you cannot confidently eliminate any option, skipping is the mathematically safer choice.
5. Read primary sources directly. Passages in CLAT PG come from statutes, treaty texts, and judicial opinions. Reading them directly trains you to handle unfamiliar passage language — the real test of CLAT PG readiness.
6. Update your criminal law preparation to the new codes. The 2023 reforms replaced the IPC with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the CrPC with the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). CLAT PG 2027 questions on criminal law may draw from these new codes — revise both the old and new frameworks.
7. Build OMR accuracy under timed conditions. CLAT PG uses an OMR answer sheet. Incorrect bubbling, stray marks, or rushing the last few answers can invalidate correct choices. Practice filling OMR sheets in every full-length mock.