Knowing the exam pattern for any exam is very important. It provides insight into the actual exam and its structure. Similarly, the CLAT exam pattern is significant to the CLAT 2023 aspirants. The candidates can go through the CLAT 2023 official notification to know the CLAT exam pattern well. The Consortium released the CLAT 2023 official notification in August 2023.
Important details about the CLAT exam pattern
According to the CLAT 2023 official notification, the latest CLAT exam pattern is:
| Important Details | CLAT 2023 UG | CLAT 2023 PG |
| Maximum Marks | 150 | 120 |
| Mode of Examination | Pen and Paper Mode | Pen and Paper Mode |
| Exam Duration | 2 hours (120 minutes) | 2 hours (120 minutes) |
| Question types | MCQ Type | MCQ Type |
| Total Questions | 150 Questions | 120 Questions |
| Marking scheme | 1 mark awarded for every correct responses,
Deduction of 0.25 for every incorrect response. |
1 mark awarded for every correct responses,
Deduction of 0.25 for every incorrect response. |
| No. of Sections | 5 Sections
|
2 Sections
|
CLAT Exam Pattern: Questions
The CLAT UG and CLAT PG exams follow a unique question structure. Each item of the CLAT exam includes a passage followed by a set of questions. The candidates are expected to comprehend the given ideas, thoughts, opinions, arguments, facts and other information in the passage. The candidates must further use their understanding to answer the questions following the passage. Therefore, the candidates not only have to work on the areas/skills that a section aims to assess but also must make efforts to refine their reading and comprehension abilities. The passages in each section follow a word limit. The word limit is as follows:
| S. No. | Sections | Word Limit of the passages |
| 1. | English Language | 450 words |
| 2. | Legal Reasoning | 450 words |
| 3. | Logical Reasoning | 300 words |
| 4. | Current Affairs | 450 words |
| 5. | Quantitative Technique | No prescribed word limit |
Like the varied word limit, the difficulty level of the passage included in each section also differs.
| S. No. | Subject | Difficulty Level |
| 1. | English Language | 12th |
| 2. | Current Affairs including General Knowledge | 12th |
| 3. | Legal Reasoning | 12th |
| 4. | Logical Reasoning | 12th |
| 5. | Quantitative Technique | 10th |
CLAT Exam Pattern: Areas of Assessment (Section Wise)
Each section of CLAT assesses a different set of abilities of the candidates. The consortium pointed out these areas/skills to be evaluated clearly in the CLAT 2023 official notification. Knowing the focus of the assessment will help the candidate prepare better for the CLAT 2023 exam.
| S.No. | CLAT Sections | Focus of Assessment |
|
|
English Language | Read and comprehend the main point discussed in the passage, as well as any arguments and viewpoints discussed or set out in the passage.
Draw inferences and conclusions based on the passage. Summarise the passage. Compare and contrast the different arguments or viewpoints set out in the passage and Understand the meaning of various words and phrases used in the passage. |
|
|
Current Affairs (including current affairs) | Contemporary events of significance from India and the world
Arts and Culture International affairs and Historical events of continuing significance. |
|
|
Legal Reasoning | Identify and infer the rules and principles laid out in the passage;
Apply rules and principles to similar and varied scenarios; and To infer the impact of alteration in rules or principles on different scenarios. |
|
|
Logical Reasoning | Understanding the argument, its premises and conclusions.
Read and identify the arguments set out in the passages. Critically analyse patterns of reasoning and assess how conclusions may depend on particular premises or evidence. Infer what follows from the passage and apply these inferences to new situations. Draw relationships and analogies, identify contradictions and equivalence and assess the effectiveness of arguments. |
|
|
Quantitative Techniques | Deriving, inference and manipulation of numerical information given in the paragraphs or the form of other representations; and
Application of different 10th standard mathematical operations like ratios and proportions, basic algebra, mensuration and statistical estimation. |
CLAT Exam Pattern: Section wise Questions and Weightage in Percentage.
The section-wise marks and question distribution help you understand the weightage each section holds in the CLAT exam. Knowing the distribution can help the candidates maximise their CLAT score. The following table includes the section-wise question distribution and marks weightage of the CLAT 2023 exam.
| S.No. | Subjects | Questions
(approx.) |
CLAT total marks | Weightage |
| 1 | English including Comprehension | 28-32 | 28-32 | 20% |
| 2 | General Knowledge and Current Affairs | 35-39 | 32-35 | 25% |
| 3 | Legal Reasoning | 35-39 | 35-39 | 25% |
| 4 | Logical Reasoning | 28-32 | 28-32 | 20% |
| 5 | Quantitative Techniques | 13-17 | 13-17 | 10% |
| TOTAL | 150 | 150 | 100% |
Keep these essential details about the CLAT exam pattern 2023 in mind while preparing for CLAT 2023.
