Before you plan your preparation, you need a clear picture of the paper you are preparing for. The CLAT UG paper has a simple structure, but the way it tests you — through reading — shapes everything about how you should study.
The paper in one paragraph
CLAT UG has 120 multiple-choice questions to be answered in two hours. Each correct answer earns one mark and each wrong answer costs 0.25 marks. Questions are grouped under passages across five sections: English Language, Current Affairs including General Knowledge, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Techniques.
Why reading speed matters most
With 120 questions in 120 minutes, you have about one minute per question — and that minute includes reading the passage. A strong reader who understands a passage on the first read has a large advantage over someone who knows more facts but reads slowly. This is why daily reading is the single most valuable habit for CLAT.
Thinking about negative marking
Because a wrong answer costs a quarter of a mark, four wrong guesses cancel one correct answer. That does not mean you should never guess. If you can eliminate two options confidently, an educated guess is usually worth taking. Blind guessing on questions you have not read is rarely worth it. Use our score calculator on the homepage to see how accuracy changes your final score.
A simple time plan
- Decide your section order before the exam, based on your mock tests.
- Set checkpoints, for example a target number of questions completed by the 40-minute and 80-minute marks.
- Keep the last ten minutes for marking answers carefully and revisiting flagged questions.
- Never get stuck. If a passage is not working after a fair attempt, move on and return later.
What to do next
Read the CLAT exam guide for section-by-section advice, then take a timed mock test to find your starting point.