CLAT 2027: complete guide to dates, registration, results

CLAT 2027 is the Consortium of NLUs admission test, held offline on Sunday 6 December 2026; the application portal opens 1 July 2026 and closes 31 October 2026; results drop mid-December and NLU counselling runs January to June 2027. Both UG (120 Qs across 5 sections) and PG (120 Qs across 12 law subjects) papers run on the same day in separate sessions, with +1 / -0.25 marking.

Key dates at a glance

Ready to test where you stand? Take a free CLAT mock and see your indicative NLU rank in 2 hours.

What does the CLAT 2027 paper cover?

CLAT is the centralised entrance test for admission to the 5-year integrated LLB (UG) and LLM (PG) programmes at 22 participating National Law Universities. The paper is conducted offline (pen-and-paper) at NLU-designated test centres across India.

• UG-CLAT 2027: 120 comprehension-based MCQs across 5 sections - English Language, Current Affairs incl. GK, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Techniques. 2 hours.
• PG-CLAT 2027:120 comprehension-based MCQs across 12 law subjects - Constitutional, Jurisprudence, Administrative, Contract, Torts, Family, Criminal, Property, Company, Public International, Environmental, Tax, Labour & Industrial, IPR. 2 hours.
• Scoring: +1 per correct, −0.25 per wrong (25% negative). Unattempted questions score zero.

How do you apply for CLAT 2027?

Apply online at the Consortium of NLUs portal at consortiumofnlus.ac.in. The 4-step flow:

• Register: Email, mobile (OTP), choose UG or PG. Both can be attempted by paying separate fees.
• Fill the form: Class 10 / 12 marks (for UG) or LLB marks (for PG), category, choose preferred test centres (in order of preference, up to 3).
• Upload documents: Recent photo (JPG, 100-200 KB), signature, Class 10 certificate or equivalent.
• Pay fees: ₹4,000 General / ₹3,500 SC/ST/BPL/OBC reserved. Past papers cost extra (~₹500). UPI / card / netbanking.

When do admit cards release and how do exam centres work?

The admit card releases on the Consortium portal ~10 days before the exam. Carry a printout plus a valid photo ID (Aadhaar / PAN / Passport / Driving License). CLAT is conducted at ~150+ test cities; you cannot change the allotted city after the admit card is issued.

Walking into the OMR hall cold is not the play. Take a free CLAT mock a few times before December and the section-switching becomes muscle memory.

Result & counselling

The provisional answer key drops within ~48 hours of the exam. Candidates can raise objections (with a ₹500 per question fee, refunded if accepted). The Consortium releases the final answer key + result a few days later, followed by NLU-wise counselling rounds. Counselling runs January through June 2027 - there are typically 5+ rounds with seat shuffling between NLUs at each round.

The gap between a top-100 NLSIU-eligible rank and a top-1,500 NLU rank is usually built in the last ten weeks of timed practice. Take a free CLAT mock in Exam-like mode and you will know which section is pulling the average down.

Full CLAT 2027 cycle calendar with milestones

The Consortium runs the cycle on a stable rhythm year after year. Indicative milestones for the 2027 admission cycle, with planning notes on each:

What are the CLAT 2027 exam-day rules?

The Consortium publishes the precise exam-day rules in the candidate information bulletin, but the broad framework has been stable for several cycles. Plan around these:

• What to carry: Printed admit card, one original photo ID (Aadhaar / PAN / Passport / Driving License), two passport photographs identical to the one on the form, a transparent water bottle, and at least two blue / black ballpoint pens. The Consortium specifies ballpoint, not gel or fountain ink, for OMR marking.
• What is banned inside the hall: Mobile phones, smart watches, fitness bands, calculators, scientific instruments, study notes, printed materials, electronic devices of any kind, metal items (including big jewellery), and bags above a small pouch. Most centres provide a cloakroom but capacity is limited.
• Reporting and entry: Reporting starts 90 minutes before the session. Entry is closed 15 - 30 minutes before the paper begins; late candidates are not admitted. Arrive an hour early and plan for security frisking, biometric capture and seat allotment within the hall.
• Inside the hall: Question booklet handed out 10 - 15 minutes before the paper begins; do not open until instructed. The OMR sheet is handed separately. Verify the booklet code printed on the booklet matches the code on the OMR sheet - any mismatch is a procedural error you must flag immediately to the invigilator.
• During the paper: No washroom breaks for the first hour or the last 30 minutes (varies by centre). No leaving the hall before the official end time. Rough work is on the booklet only; rough sheets are not provided.
• After the paper: Both the booklet and the OMR are collected before you leave. If a candidate copy of the response sheet is issued (this varies by year), keep it safe - it is the only way to re-check your answers against the final answer key later.

How does the post-exam answer key and result flow work?

The post-exam window is short and noisy. Knowing exactly what is happening at each step prevents you from spending energy on rumours and helps you raise the right objections at the right time.

• Provisional answer key (~48 hours after exam): Consortium uploads booklet-code-wise answer keys to the portal. Cross-check against your candidate response sheet (if issued) or your booklet markings recorded post-exam.
• Objection window (48 hours): Each disputed question costs Rs 500 to challenge. The fee is refunded if the objection is accepted. Stick to questions where you have a clear authoritative source backing your answer - speculative objections waste both the fee and the time.
• Subject expert review: The Consortium routes objections to subject experts. Disputed questions are either retained, the marking key is changed, or the question is dropped entirely (all candidates get +1 for a dropped question).
• Revised final answer key + result: Published together, typically within 3 - 5 days of the objection window closing. The result carries your raw score, normalised score (if any), All-India Rank and category-wise rank.
• Scorecard download: A PDF scorecard with score, percentile and rank is downloadable from your portal login. Save multiple copies; it is the document used at NLU counselling and at every later verification.
• Merit list and admission list: The Consortium publishes the merit list ahead of the counselling round 1 allotment. The merit list is informational; the actual seat is allotted only when you accept at the counselling round.