CLAT vs AILET: what differs, and which to prioritise

CLAT 2027 is the Consortium of NLUs admission test for 22 NLUs - 120 questions in 2 hours, +1 / -0.25, held first Sunday of December 2026. AILET 2027 is NLU Delhi's own admission test - 100 questions in 1 hour 30 minutes, same +1 / -0.25, held late November 2026. Most serious aspirants sit both: AILET acts as a live dress rehearsal for CLAT two weeks later.

How do CLAT and AILET compare side by side?

Ready to test where you stand on the CLAT format? Take a free CLAT mock and see your indicative NLU rank in 2 hours - and AILET prep is a shorter version of the same paper.

How do the sections and syllabus differ?

The two papers share the same 5 broad areas, but AILET puts more weight on Legal Reasoning + Current Affairs and less on Quantitative Techniques.

The two papers share the comprehension spine - which means a single mock library trains for both. Take a free CLAT mock and the AILET difficulty becomes a known quantity.

Should you attempt both CLAT and AILET?

Yes - most serious aspirants take both. The exams are ~2 weeks apart, and AILET essentially serves as your dress rehearsal for CLAT. Even if you don't plan to attend NLUD, sitting AILET helps you find weaknesses to fix before CLAT.

• Attempt both if:NLUD is on your list (it's ranked between NLSIU and NALSAR), OR you want a live test-day rehearsal before CLAT.
• Skip AILET if:You're only targeting NLUs in the South (NLSIU, NALSAR), AILET fees are a stretch, or you don't want the extra exam-day stress in November.

Other law entrances to know

• LSAT-India: Conducted by LSAC Global. Accepted by Jindal Global Law School, Symbiosis, and a few other private law colleges. Different paper style - no negative marking.
• SLAT: Symbiosis Law Admission Test. Only for Symbiosis Law Schools (Pune, Noida, Hyderabad, Nagpur). 150 questions in 60 minutes - much faster pace.
• CUET-UG (Legal Studies): If your target is law at a central university (DU LLB after 10+2 is rare, but CUET-PG opens LLM at JMI / BHU / AMU).

The cheapest way to decide which exams to sit is to take a full-length CLAT mock and read the analysis. Take a free CLAT mock and the AILET / LSAT-India / SLAT decision becomes a calibration choice rather than a guess.

What does the AILET 2027 paper look like in detail?

The AILET pattern has shifted across cycles - NLU Delhi reformatted the paper in 2022 to a 150-question version, then trimmed it back to 100 questions in 2023 and has kept the 100-question structure since. For the 2027 cycle the expected structure:

AILET deliberately runs at higher per-question pace than CLAT (~54 seconds per question versus ~60 seconds), which makes timing the trickiest part. A candidate who is comfortable on CLAT often finds AILET harder on the clock even when the underlying questions are individually shorter. Legal Reasoning on AILET is sometimes folded into the broader Logical Reasoning bucket - the question types are similar to CLAT but the principle paragraphs are shorter.

How does AILET application work vs CLAT?

The two application processes are fully separate. Key differences:

• Portal: AILET applications go through nationallawuniversitydelhi.in, not the Consortium portal. You cannot use your CLAT login for AILET.
• Window: AILET typically opens in August and closes in early November - a tighter window than CLAT. The admit card releases in mid-November for an exam in the last week of November.
• Fees: Rs 3,500 for General / OBC / EWS and Rs 1,500 for SC / ST / PwD. NLU Delhi has historically kept the reserved-category fee lower than the Consortium does.
• Documents: Same set as CLAT (photo, signature, ID proof, category certificate if applicable). Class 10 / 12 marks. The portal is slightly less polished than the Consortium portal but does the job.
• Result and counselling: AILET result is announced in early December, before CLAT day. Counselling for NLU Delhi runs independently of the Consortium - you can hold an AILET allotment and a CLAT counselling allotment simultaneously, then choose at the time of fee payment.

How should a CLAT 2027 aspirant slot AILET into the calendar?

Most serious CLAT 2027 candidates sit both papers. A clean calendar:

How do you decide which seat to take when both come through?

The dilemma is real: a candidate who clears both AILET (NLU Delhi seat in hand) and CLAT (NLSIU or NALSAR seat after counselling) has to choose. The decision usually breaks on three dimensions:

• Ranking and brand: NLSIU Bangalore has been the top-ranked law school in India since the 1990s. NALSAR Hyderabad and NLU Delhi are typically grouped together at rank 2 / 3, with most years putting NLU Delhi just below NALSAR but ahead of NUJS. If the CLAT rank gets you into NLSIU, the NLU-D decision is straightforward.
• City, network, career intent: NLU Delhi has the strongest litigation pipeline (proximity to Supreme Court and Delhi High Court) and a strong corporate placement record. NLSIU and NALSAR have stronger international academic and policy placement networks. The choice often follows the candidate's post-law-school career intent.
• Fees and scholarships: Headline tuition at NLU Delhi, NLSIU and NALSAR sits in a similar band (Rs 2.8 - 3.5 lakh / year). The institute-level scholarship coverage is what differentiates them and depends on individual circumstances.

Other law entrances worth knowing in detail

Beyond CLAT and AILET, two other law entrances are widely accepted at top private law schools. They serve as backup options for candidates whose CLAT rank does not reach a target NLU.

• LSAT-India: Run by LSAC Global (the same body that conducts the LSAT in the United States). Accepted by Jindal Global Law School (Sonipat), UPES Dehradun, Bennett University and a few others. 90 minutes, 92 questions across analytical reasoning, logical reasoning and reading comprehension. No negative marking. Held multiple times a year (January, May and June windows in recent cycles).
• SLAT: Symbiosis Law Admission Test. Admission to Symbiosis Law School at Pune, Noida, Hyderabad and Nagpur. 60 questions in 60 minutes, plus a separate SET (Symbiosis Entrance Test) component depending on the campus. No negative marking; the pace is brutal.
• CUET-UG (Legal Studies): For candidates targeting Aligarh Muslim University (LLB), Banaras Hindu University, and a few central universities running 5-year integrated law programmes. The legal studies domain test runs alongside the general CUET-UG schedule in May.
• MH-CET Law: For Maharashtra-domicile candidates targeting GLC Mumbai and government law colleges in Maharashtra. Conducted by the Maharashtra State CET Cell.

Recommended exam stack for CLAT 2027 aspirants

A practical stack for a serious CLAT 2027 candidate, ordered by attempt priority:

• Tier 1 (must attempt): CLAT (22 NLUs), AILET (NLU Delhi). Together these cover all 23 NLUs.
• Tier 2 (attempt as backup): LSAT-India if Jindal / Bennett is acceptable to you. SLAT if you have a Symbiosis preference.
• Tier 3 (state-specific): MH-CET Law for Maharashtra candidates, AP / Telangana state law CET for candidates targeting state law colleges.

The good news is that CLAT prep covers 80 - 90% of the AILET, LSAT-India and SLAT skill sets. The marginal additional work for the secondary entrances is roughly 2 - 3 days of pattern familiarisation and a handful of timed mocks.