CLAT Exam Set for Major Overhaul: What Law Aspirants Need to Know
NLU expert panel suggests major CLAT reforms: fewer sections, no GK, subjective questions, and outsourced paper-setting minus NTA.
AC Team
If you're prepping for CLAT, here's some news that might make you sit up straight (finally, a good reason to look up from those mock tests). An expert committee formed by the Consortium of NLUs has suggested a complete rework of how CLAT tests future lawyers. And honestly, some of these changes feel long overdue.
The Problem With CLAT Today
Let's be real: CLAT has a reputation problem. The committee found that the exam often rewards students who memorise random facts rather than those who can think clearly and reason well. Sounds familiar, right?
The report points out that many GK questions test obscure trivia instead of understanding. As the committee put it, some questions simply restate information from the passage, rewarding attention rather than actual knowledge. In other words, you don't need to be smart. You just need to be a good copy-paste machine.
Comprehension passages haven't fared much better either. The panel found inconsistent tone, poor quality, and passages that don't suit reasoning-based questions at all.
Three Sections Instead of Five
Here's where things get interesting. The committee wants to scrap the current five-section format for CLAT UG (English, GK and Current Affairs, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Technique) and replace it with just three sections.
- Language and Comprehension: This combines English with reading skills, focusing on how well you understand and reason with text rather than fancy vocabulary.
- Logical Reasoning and Legal Aptitude: Legal and logical reasoning get merged into one section. Questions will stay strictly hypothetical, so no advantage for students who already know case laws by heart.
- Quantitative Techniques: This one stays as is. Maths anxiety, unfortunately, isn't going anywhere.
And yes, GK and Current Affairs are getting the boot entirely. No more memorising which committee decided what in 2019.
CLAT PG Gets a Fourth Section
For CLAT PG, the same three sections apply, plus a fourth one focused on legal knowledge. But here's the twist: this section will test your grasp of legal principles and doctrines, not your ability to recall judge names or case dates. Because apparently, knowing that Justice X said Y in 1998 doesn't make you a better lawyer.
Fewer Questions, Deeper Thinking
Right now, CLAT throws 120 MCQs at you in two hours. That's barely enough time to think, let alone reason. The committee suggests cutting this down to just 10-15 questions per section.
The idea is simple: test thoughtfulness, not speed. Because let's face it, being able to answer fast doesn't always mean you're answering well.
Subjective Questions Are Coming (Eventually)
For CLAT PG, the committee wants to introduce essay-style questions right away. Candidates would need to solve a legal problem, picking from three options.
For CLAT UG, though, this change will take a few more years. Why? Because NLUs currently don't have the infrastructure to evaluate thousands of essays fairly. Makes sense. Nobody wants their future decided by an overworked evaluator on their fifth cup of coffee.
To make grading manageable, the committee suggests a staggered process. Candidates get shortlisted based on MCQ scores first. Then, individual NLUs evaluate essays only from students who ranked that university as their top choice, moving down the preference list gradually.
Who Will Set the Papers Now?
Currently, NLUs take turns setting the CLAT paper. This rotational system, according to the committee, is exactly why quality has been so inconsistent. Some years the paper is decent. Other years, well, let's not go there.
The suggested fix? Outsource paper-setting to an external agency for now, while NLUs build internal expertise over time. The committee also wants an NLU examination board to review and vet papers before they go out.
One name got a clear no, though: the National Testing Agency. Given NTA's track record (five out of 14 exams facing major issues last year, according to a parliamentary committee), the panel wasn't exactly rushing to hand over the reins.
What Happens Next?
Here's the part that might disappoint eager reformers: none of these changes apply to CLAT 2027. The exam will happen on December 6 with the same old syllabus and pattern.
The report is currently open for public feedback. The Chief Justice of India's office will set up another committee to review these recommendations further. If things move forward, we might see actual changes by CLAT 2028.
So for now, keep grinding through those GK facts. But maybe, just maybe, future CLAT aspirants will get to skip memorising random obscure trivia and focus on what actually matters: thinking like a lawyer.
