Last updated: 18 October 2026
Short answer: CLAT 2027, which also decides admission to the one year LL.M. at the participating National Law Universities, will be held on Sunday, 6 December 2026, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm (2:00 pm to 4:40 pm for PwD candidates). The PG paper has 120 objective questions in a single section, carries 1 mark per question with a deduction of 0.25 for each wrong answer, and is built on passages taken from judgments, statutes and regulations. Applications close on 31 October 2026 at 11:59 pm. You need an LL.B. with 50 per cent marks (45 per cent for SC, ST and PwD candidates), and final year students taking their exams in 2027 can apply. There is no upper age limit.
This guide is built from the Consortium of National Law Universities’ own press release, PG eligibility, PG syllabus and PG instructions pages for CLAT 2027, the 2027 to 28 information brochures of individual NLUs, and the published recruitment advertisements of public sector undertakings. Where the official pages are silent, we say so rather than guess.
CLAT PG 2027 at a glance
| Item | Official position for CLAT 2027 |
|---|---|
| Conducting body | Consortium of National Law Universities (26 member NLUs participate) |
| Exam date and time | Sunday, 6 December 2026, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm; PwD candidates 2:00 pm to 4:40 pm (subject to revision) |
| Mode | Offline, at notified test centres |
| Application window | 3 August 2026 to 31 October 2026 (final submission by 11:59 pm) |
| Application fee | Rs 4,000 for General, OBC and NRI candidates; Rs 3,500 for SC, ST, BPL and PwD candidates; online payment only, non refundable |
| Previous years’ papers | Optional, Rs 500 extra |
| Admit card | Release date to be announced on the Consortium website |
| Questions and duration | 120 objective questions, 120 minutes, one section |
| Marking | +1 for a correct answer, minus 0.25 for a wrong answer |
| Tie breaker | Higher age first, then a computerised draw of lots |
The Consortium fixed the date and the application window at meetings of its Executive Committee and Governing Body on 18 July 2026, and announced them in a press release dated 22 July 2026. Some coaching websites carried a date of 7 December for a while; the official press release and the PG instructions page both say 6 December 2026.
Eligibility for the LL.M. through CLAT 2027
- Qualifying degree: an LL.B. degree or an equivalent examination.
- Minimum marks: 50 per cent or an equivalent grade; 45 per cent or an equivalent grade for SC, ST and PwD candidates.
- Final year students: candidates appearing in the qualifying examination in 2027 may apply, but must produce proof of passing at the time of admission, failing which they lose the right to be considered.
- Age: no upper age limit for the PG programme.
- Foreign nationals: not eligible to take CLAT. Foreign national seats are filled by each NLU directly, as described in its brochure. NRI and NRI sponsored seats are also not allotted by the Consortium.
Exam pattern and how the questions are framed
The PG paper is a single objective section of 120 questions to be answered in 120 minutes, which gives you one minute per question including reading time. According to the Consortium’s syllabus page, the questions are set on extracts from primary legal sources, such as a court decision, a statute or a regulation, with a set of questions following each extract. The questions test whether you can:
- identify the issues, arguments and viewpoints discussed in the passage;
- recognise related legal issues and facts, including those connected with the judgment or statute from which the extract is taken;
- summarise the passage; and
- apply your knowledge of the area of law that the passage deals with.
In practice this means two skills are being tested at once: fast, accurate reading of judicial language, and a working knowledge of the leading cases and provisions in each subject, because many questions ask about a related case or provision that is not in the passage at all.
What negative marking means for you
With minus 0.25 per wrong answer, a blind guess among four options has an expected value of zero. If you can eliminate even one option with confidence, guessing between the remaining three has a small positive expected value. A sensible rule is to answer when you can rule out at least one option and to skip pure guesses, especially in the last ten minutes.
Official syllabus: subjects covered
The Consortium describes the PG paper as drawing on the mandatory subjects taught at the undergraduate level. The CLAT 2027 PG syllabus page lists these thirteen subjects:
| Subject | Typical passage source |
|---|---|
| Constitutional Law | Supreme Court judgments on fundamental rights, federalism, elections |
| Jurisprudence | Theories of law, rights and duties, precedent, judicial reasoning |
| Administrative Law | Natural justice, delegated legislation, judicial review of action |
| Law of Contract | Indian Contract Act, 1872, Specific Relief Act, arbitration clauses |
| Torts | Negligence, strict and absolute liability, consumer cases |
| Family Law | Hindu and Muslim personal law, maintenance, succession |
| Criminal Law | BNS, BNSS and BSA, plus older IPC and CrPC judgments |
| Property Law | Transfer of Property Act, 1882, easements, land laws |
| Company Law | Companies Act, 2013, insolvency, securities regulation |
| Public International Law | Treaties, State responsibility, law of the sea, human rights |
| Tax Law | Income tax, GST, tax treaties |
| Environmental Law | Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, clearances, the NGT |
| Labour and Industrial Law | Labour codes, industrial disputes, service jurisprudence |
The right hand column is our own guide to where passages usually come from, not part of the official syllabus. Note that some unofficial lists online add Intellectual Property Rights and leave out Labour and Industrial Law. The official CLAT 2027 list does the opposite, so give labour law proper time.
Preparing on a tight timeline? The Lexfolio exam packs bring together subject notes mapped to the official CLAT PG syllabus, passage based practice sets and full length mocks in the 120 question format.
How to apply before 31 October 2026
- Register on the CLAT 2027 page of consortiumofnlus.ac.in with your own mobile number and e-mail address. An OTP sent to the mobile number validates the registration.
- Log in with the mobile number and password, choose the PG programme and fill in your details, test centre preferences and NLU preferences.
- Upload the required documents. If you claim a reservation, keep the certificate ready: originals have to be produced at the allotted university at admission.
- Pay the fee online. Bank transaction charges shown on the payment gateway are borne by the candidate.
- Submit before 11:59 pm on 31 October 2026 and save the confirmation. Do not leave payment for the last evening, when portals tend to slow down.
The Consortium has said that seat allotment and admission offers are provisional and do not by themselves create a right to admission, and that it may cancel a test city or centre and shift candidates to another.
LL.M. seats at NLUs: sample intake for 2027 to 28
The Consortium does not publish a single all India seat figure on its PG pages. Intake, reservation and specialisations are set out in each NLU’s information brochure, and NLUs may change seat numbers and their break up. The table below gives the LL.M. intake stated in four brochures published for CLAT 2027.
| NLU | LL.M. intake stated in the CLAT 2027 brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NLSIU Bengaluru | 120 seats for 2027 to 28 | Includes horizontal reservation of 30 seats for Karnataka students, 36 for women and 6 for PwD candidates |
| GNLU Gandhinagar | 68 seats | Across corporate, constitutional, criminal and IP specialisations; GNLU Silvassa lists a further 33 seats allotted through CLAT |
| NALSAR Hyderabad | 66 seats | 50 All India and 16 for Telangana residents |
| RMLNLU Lucknow | 48 seats plus 7 supernumerary | Reserved seats are for Uttar Pradesh domiciled SC, ST, OBC and EWS candidates |
Read the brochure of every NLU you list as a preference. Domicile reservation, specialisation wise allocation and fees differ widely. NLSIU’s brochure, for example, states a total LL.M. fee of Rs 5,99,000 for the General category, subject to approval by its governing bodies.
PSUs that recruit through CLAT PG scores
Several central public sector undertakings shortlist law officers on the basis of CLAT PG marks, followed by a group discussion or interview. There is no fixed official list: each PSU decides every year and issues its own advertisement, usually around the CLAT application window, asking for the CLAT roll number. The table shows the recruitments we could confirm for the last cycle (CLAT 2026).
| PSU and post | Key terms in the CLAT 2026 cycle |
|---|---|
| POWERGRID: Officer Trainee (Law), Advt. CC/06/2025 dated 23 October 2025 | 7 posts; full time LL.B. with 60 per cent (45 per cent for SC, ST and PwBD); upper age 28 as on 5 December 2025; weightage of CLAT 2026 PG marks 85 per cent, group discussion 3 per cent, interview 12 per cent; earlier CLAT results not valid |
| NTPC: Assistant Law Officer, advertised January 2026 | 6 posts; full time LL.B. with 60 per cent (55 per cent for SC and PwBD); upper age 30; only CLAT 2026 PG scores accepted; last date 16 January 2026 |
Other PSUs have used CLAT PG scores in earlier years, but past use does not guarantee a vacancy this year. Track the careers pages of the major Maharatna and Navratna companies from November onwards, and note the age and LL.B. percentage conditions, which are often stricter than CLAT’s own eligibility. POWERGRID’s advertisement, for instance, required a minimum CLAT score of 40 per cent for unreserved and 30 per cent for reserved vacancies where CLAT itself sets none.
One caution: in September 2025 a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court set aside a National Highways Authority of India notification that made CLAT PG scores the basis for recruiting lawyers, calling the criterion arbitrary. PSU recruitment through CLAT therefore remains open to legal challenge where the score bears no clear link to the job.
What to do with the weeks left
- Finish the application first. Everything else waits until the form is submitted and the fee is paid.
- Build a list of 50 to 60 leading judgments across the thirteen subjects and read the key paragraphs, not headnotes. Our list of important Supreme Court judgments for CLAT PG 2027 is a starting point for 2026.
- Take at least eight timed mocks before the exam and review every wrong answer. Our last 50 days strategy sets out a week by week plan.
- Keep up with legal news, since recent judgments often appear as passages. See our monthly legal current affairs for October 2026.
One place for the whole syllabus. Browse the Lexfolio exam packs for CLAT PG 2027: subject wise notes, judgment passages with questions, and timed mocks with explained answers, in printable PDF.
Frequently asked questions
When is CLAT PG 2027?
On Sunday, 6 December 2026, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. PwD candidates get time until 4:40 pm. The Consortium has said the timing is subject to revision, so check the website before the exam.
What is the last date to apply for CLAT 2027?
31 October 2026, with final submission allowed until 11:59 pm.
How many questions are there in CLAT PG and is there negative marking?
There are 120 objective questions in one section, to be answered in 120 minutes. Each correct answer earns 1 mark and each wrong answer costs 0.25 marks.
Can final year LL.B. students take CLAT PG 2027?
Yes. Candidates appearing in the qualifying examination in 2027 may apply, but they must show proof of passing with the required percentage at the time of admission.
Is CLAT PG 2027 computer based?
No. The Consortium’s PG instructions state that the examination will be held in offline mode at notified test centres.
Which PSUs will recruit through CLAT PG 2027?
That will be known only when each PSU issues its advertisement. In the CLAT 2026 cycle, POWERGRID and NTPC advertised law officer posts based on CLAT 2026 PG scores. Check the careers pages of PSUs regularly from November.
*This article is general information, not legal advice.*
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