CLAT has five sections, all comprehension-based: English Language, Current Affairs including General Knowledge, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Techniques. There is no prescribed content syllabus — every question hangs off a passage. Legal Reasoning requires no prior law knowledge, and Quantitative Techniques is Class 10 maths applied to data in a passage. That comprehension format is the single most important thing to understand about CLAT.
Candidates who study CLAT as a content syllabus lose. The exam tests reading under time pressure across five subject skins.
The five sections #
| Section | Weight | What it actually tests |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | ~20% | Comprehension, inference, tone, vocabulary in context |
| Current Affairs + GK | ~25% | Passage-based questions on recent events; static GK is minor |
| Legal Reasoning | ~25% | Applying a rule stated in the passage; no prior law needed |
| Logical Reasoning | ~20% | Arguments, assumptions, conclusions, analogies |
| Quantitative Techniques | ~10% | Class 10 maths on data in a passage |
Section by section #
English Language — four to five passages of roughly 450 words each, drawn from journalism and non-fiction. Questions ask for the main idea, the author's tone, an inference, or the meaning of a word in context.
Current Affairs and GK — passages from the last 6 to 12 months of news, with questions inside and around the passage. Static GK exists but is small. Polity, economy, international relations, awards, sport and landmark judgments dominate.
Legal Reasoning — a passage states a legal principle or describes a scenario, and you apply it. This is the section candidates fear needlessly: no prior legal knowledge is required or rewarded. What is rewarded is reading the rule exactly as written and not importing common sense.
Logical Reasoning — short passages with questions on the argument's structure: what follows, what is assumed, what would weaken it. Closely related to English comprehension.
Quantitative Techniques — sets built on a passage or a table. Percentages, ratios, averages, profit and loss, basic mensuration. Class 10 level, applied.
- Reading speed is the whole exam. Around two hours for roughly 120 comprehension-based questions means the constraint is how fast you read with retention, not what you know.
- Legal Reasoning: answer from the passage only. Every year candidates lose marks importing what they think the law should be.
- Current Affairs: one newspaper daily plus a monthly compilation beats a thick GK book.
- Quant is only about a tenth of the paper. Do not let it consume a third of your preparation.
CLAT syllabus — frequently asked questions
What is the CLAT syllabus?
Is legal knowledge required for CLAT Legal Reasoning?
What is the CLAT Quantitative Techniques syllabus?
What is the CLAT GK syllabus?
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Disclaimer: Pattern and question counts follow the latest Consortium of NLUs notification and have changed in recent cycles. Verify before relying on figures.
