The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is a prestigious national-level entrance examination for candidates seeking admission to seven National Law Universities (NLUs) in India for their undergraduate and postgraduate law programs. Due to the number of candidates appearing for this exam and the amount of competition, knowing the CLAT marking scheme is important for intending aspirants who want to optimize their scores.
For aspirants, one of the most important questions to answer is if CLAT has negative marking and how it affects their overall scores. The answer to that is yes! CLAT employs a marking scheme whereby marks are earned for correct answers and lost for wrong ones. Thus, they require the same level of accuracy as speed. The marking scheme for the UG-CLAT is one mark for every correct answer and a penalty of .25 marks for each wrong answer which in turn creates a risk-reward scenario.
The marking scheme applies to the PG-CLAT as well thus meaning that careless guessing or simply guessing could harm your overall score. The level of detail available about the marking scheme allows candidates to devise strategies that balance risk and reward that allow attempts for other questions, while increasing candidates chances of obtaining a high rank.
Does CLAT Have Negative Marking | Exam Pattern
The following table contains complete CLAT 2026 examination pattern. Students can analyze the same to mold their preparation strategy accordingly.
Category | Details |
Time duration | 2 hours |
Mode | Offline mode (pen and paper-based mode) |
Conducting Body | Consortium of National Law Universities (CNLU) |
Type of questions | Objective-type questions |
Number of questions | CLAT UG – 120 questionsCLAT PG – 120 questions |
Total marks in CLAT | 120 marks (Both CLAT UG and CLAT PG) |
CLAT UG marking scheme | Correct answer – 1 markIncorrect answer – 0.25 marks deductionUnattempted questions – No negative marking |
Language | English |
CLAT 2026 Section Wise Weightage
Students can check out the CLAT sectional weightage below.
Section Approx. | Questions | Weightage (%) |
Legal Reasoning | 28 to 32 | 25% |
Current Affairs / GK | 28 to 32 | 25% |
Logical Reasoning | 22 to 26 | 20% |
English Language | 22 to 26 | 20% |
Quantitative Techniques | 10 to 12 | 10% |
CLAT Negative Marking Explained
The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is implemented with a negative marking scheme to encourage applicants to correctly answer the question rather than randomly guessing. This policy resulted in CLAT employing this marking scheme for both the UG-CLAT and PG-CLAT exams.
- Marks for Correct Answer: 1 mark for each correct answer.
- Penalty for Incorrect Answer: 0.25 marks deducted for each incorrect answer.
- Marks for Blank Questions: Blank questions are scored without penalty.
→ This means if it takes you four incorrect answers to lose one mark from your total. Therefore, while attempting the paper, answer only the question you are reasonably confident of. Guessing with no directional logic can decrease your score greatly.
The negative marking scheme makes accuracy just as important as speed. Thus maintaining a careful balance of answering enough questions and not making unnecessary mistakes is paramount to obtaining a good CLAT rank.
CLAT Syllabus 2026
Section | Key Topics |
Legal Reasoning | Legal principles, contracts, criminal law basics, constitutional law, torts, case analysis |
Current Affairs / GK | National & international events, important dates, government schemes, awards, sports, science & technology |
Logical Reasoning | Critical reasoning, arguments, conclusions, cause & effect, syllogisms, puzzles |
English Language | Reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, sentence correction, idioms & phrases |
Quantitative Techniques | Basic arithmetic, ratios, percentages, averages, profit & loss, time & work, data interpretation |
Smart CLAT Attempt Strategies to Minimize Negative Marking
1.Primary Focus on Accuracy:
Answer as many questions as you feel confident about, not every question you can.
2. Use Process of Elimination:
If you can eliminate the obviously wrong options, your chances of getting the right answer should improve.
3. Avoid Blind Guessing:
Only attempt a question when you have a reasonable basis for your selection.
4. Manage your Time:
Allocate time carefully so you have some time to review your answers if you want.
5. Start with the easier questions:
Get marks quickly, do less time consuming and less intimidating questions first.
6. Come back to the hard questions:
Flag the hard questions, complete the paper, and then come back to answer the questions.
7. Read carefully:
Read each word carefully in the question and the choices. If you miss something or misinterpret something you will not answer correctly.
8. Keep track of Negative Marking Consequences:
Remember multiple tries wrong can significantly diminish your total score.
→ Also Check: How to Prepare for CLAT Exam 2026 From Scratch? Best Books & Daily Routine
