This page lists CLAT previous year question papers for 7 years, 2020 to 2026, with 13 official PDFs (question papers and answer keys). CLAT (Common Law Admission Test) is conducted by the Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) and covers English, Current Affairs/GK, Legal, Logical and Quantitative. Pick a year below for the paper, answer key and a timed practice plan; confirm dates and pattern on consortiumofnlus.ac.in.
Explore: Question papers by year · Syllabus & pattern · FAQ
Year-wise question papers
CLAT 2026
The newest paper: 120 questions, evaluated out of 119 after review.
CLAT 2025
Four sets and a key modified on court orders; 117 effective marks.
CLAT 2024
First 120-question paper; four sets, evaluated out of 118.
CLAT 2023
Last 150-question paper; one QT question withdrawn.
CLAT 2022
Offline paper with a stand-alone question booklet and final key.
CLAT 2021
Master booklet and key, with the 27 July 2021 modification notice.
CLAT 2020
Combined question paper and answer keys in one file.
About CLAT UG
CLAT UG is the national entrance test for the five-year integrated LLB programmes of the National Law Universities and many other law schools that accept its score. It is run by the Consortium of NLUs, with a different member NLU taking organising responsibility each year. Candidates normally need a Class 12 pass with 45% marks (40% for SC and ST), and there is no upper age limit.
The paper is entirely passage-based. Each passage runs to roughly 450 words and is followed by a set of questions, so the first skill CLAT tests is reading under time pressure. That makes old papers more valuable than in most exams: every CLAT paper gives you fresh passages.
How the paper changed
| Years | Questions | Time | Section ranges (English / Current Affairs / Legal / Logical / QT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 to 2023 | 150 | 2 hours | 28-32 / 35-39 / 35-39 / 28-32 / 13-17 |
| 2024 onward | 120 | 2 hours | 22-26 / 28-32 / 28-32 / 22-26 / 10-14 |
Marking stays at +1 and minus 0.25. From CLAT 2024 the Consortium issues four sets of the same paper.
What is official, and what to check
The Consortium does not keep a public archive page. Question booklets are published inside the objections notification and the final answer key comes as a separate notification. Every year the final key differs from the provisional one, so score against the final notification: CLAT 2021 and 2023 lost one question each, CLAT 2024 two, CLAT 2025 three after court orders, and CLAT 2026 was evaluated out of 119.
Notes on recent years
CLAT 2025 stands out because the final key was reopened in May 2025 after orders of the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court. If you used the December 2024 key to estimate your score, redo it with the 17 May 2025 notification.
CLAT 2026 (7 December 2025) kept the 120-question format and ended with 119 evaluated marks. These three most recent papers are the right ones for timed mocks.
How to use old papers
Do one section-wise pass first, with no time limit on Legal Reasoning, so you learn how principle-fact questions work. Then solve full papers in 2 hours starting with the section you are quickest at. After every paper, list passages where you lost more than 4 minutes.
Mistakes to avoid: scoring against the provisional key only, skipping the final-key notification, solving all four sets of the same year, and ignoring current affairs, which need a rolling 12-month revision rather than past papers.
FAQ
Does the Consortium of NLUs publish CLAT question papers?
Yes. After each CLAT it publishes the question booklets and the provisional answer key with an objections notification, then a final answer key notification. This site hosts those files for 2020 to 2026.
What is the current CLAT UG pattern?
120 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours: English Language 22 to 26, Current Affairs including General Knowledge 28 to 32, Legal Reasoning 28 to 32, Logical Reasoning 22 to 26 and Quantitative Techniques 10 to 14. One mark for a correct answer, minus 0.25 for a wrong one. Check the current notification before you apply.
Why do some years say evaluated out of 117 or 119 marks?
The Consortium withdraws questions found to be faulty after objections. CLAT 2021 and 2023 were out of 149, CLAT 2024 out of 118, CLAT 2025 out of 117 and CLAT 2026 out of 119.
How many CLAT papers should I solve?
Solve the three 120-question papers (2024, 2025, 2026) as timed full tests, then use 2020 to 2023 for extra reading and legal-reasoning passages.
Do the four sets (A to D) differ?
From 2024 the Consortium used four sets with the same questions in different orders. You need to solve only one set.
Is CLAT PG covered?
The Consortium files include the PG booklets too, but these pages focus on the UG paper for the 5-year LLB programmes.
Where to get the official papers
The Consortium of NLUs publishes CLAT notifications, question booklets and answer keys on consortiumofnlus.ac.in. The site only shows the current year, so the files here were taken from copies the Internet Archive saved of the Consortium’s own PDFs; each file links to its source.