AILET exam marks total 150 for the BA LLB paper, which has 150 multiple-choice questions to be answered in 120 minutes, with 1 mark for every correct answer and 0.25 deducted for every wrong one. The All India Law Entrance Test is conducted by National Law University Delhi for admission to its own law programmes, and understanding how its marks work is the first step in scoring well. This guide breaks down the complete AILET marks distribution, the marking scheme, negative marking, score calculation, and the marks you realistically need for NLU Delhi. It is prepared by the mentoring team behind our AILET coaching in Delhi NCR, and if you are choosing between exams, our CLAT versus AILET guide is a useful companion read.
Because AILET opens a limited number of seats at a single, highly regarded university, every mark counts. Negative marking makes accuracy as important as attempts, so knowing exactly how the marks are structured lets you build a smart, low-risk scoring strategy rather than guessing your way through the paper.
AILET Exam Marks at a Glance
When aspirants search for AILET exam marks, they usually want the total marks, the marks per question, and the negative marking in one clear place. Here are the essentials of the AILET BA LLB paper at a glance.
Total marks: 150 for the BA LLB paper.
Total questions: 150 multiple-choice questions.
Marks per question: 1 mark for each correct answer.
Negative marking: 0.25 deducted for each wrong answer, with no penalty for unattempted questions.
Duration: 120 minutes, in offline pen-and-paper mode.
Sections: three, namely English Language, Logical Reasoning, and Current Affairs with General Knowledge.
These figures reflect the revised AILET pattern used in recent cycles. Since National Law University Delhi confirms the exact structure with each notification, always cross-check the current numbers on our AILET 2027 notification guide before your exam.
AILET Exam Pattern and Total Marks Explained
The AILET exam pattern sets the frame for how marks are earned. The BA LLB paper is entirely objective, with no descriptive questions, and every question carries equal weight. The overview below captures the full AILET exam pattern and total marks for the undergraduate paper.
Aspect | Detail for AILET BA LLB |
Exam mode | Offline, pen and paper |
Total questions | 150 multiple-choice questions |
Total marks | 150 |
Duration | 120 minutes |
Marks per correct answer | Plus 1 |
Negative marking | Minus 0.25 per wrong answer |
Number of sections | Three |
Medium | English |
One important update: the current AILET pattern for BA LLB does not include Mathematics or a separate Legal Reasoning section, and the exam duration was extended to 120 minutes in the recent revision. Many older articles still show the outdated structure, so rely on the current pattern and confirm details through the official notification and our AILET syllabus guide.
AILET Section-Wise Marks Distribution
The AILET section-wise marks show where the paper places its weight, and that should shape where you spend your preparation hours. Logical Reasoning carries the largest share, which is why AILET is often called a reasoning-heavy exam. The AILET marks distribution for the BA LLB paper is set out below.
Section | Questions | Marks | Share of paper |
Logical Reasoning | 70 | 70 | About 47 percent |
English Language | 50 | 50 | About 33 percent |
Current Affairs and General Knowledge | 30 | 30 | About 20 percent |
Total | 150 | 150 | 100 percent |
Because Logical Reasoning alone accounts for nearly half the AILET exam marks, it is the single most important section to master, followed by English. The exact per-section counts can be confirmed each year in the official notification, and you can build all three sections systematically through our AILET coaching programme.
AILET Marking Scheme and Negative Marking
The AILET marking scheme is simple to state but powerful in effect, because the negative marking changes how you should attempt the paper. Understanding it well is often worth several marks on exam day.
How marks are awarded and deducted
Every correct answer adds 1 mark to your score.
Every wrong answer deducts 0.25 of a mark, so four wrong answers cancel one correct answer.
Unattempted questions carry no penalty at all.
The same 1 and minus 0.25 scheme applies across all three sections.
The practical lesson is that blind guessing is dangerous. If you can eliminate two of the four options, a considered attempt is usually worth the small risk, but a pure guess across many questions will quietly erode your AILET exam marks. Accuracy, not sheer volume of attempts, is what protects your score.
AILET Score Calculation With a Worked Example
Calculating your AILET score is straightforward once you know the marking scheme. The steps below show exactly how your raw attempts translate into final AILET exam marks.
How to calculate your AILET score
Count your correct answers and award 1 mark for each.
Count your wrong answers and deduct 0.25 for each.
Leave unattempted questions out, as they carry no penalty.
Subtract the total deduction from your total correct marks to get your score.
Consider a simple worked example. Suppose you attempt 120 of the 150 questions, getting 95 correct and 25 wrong. Your correct answers earn 95 marks, and your 25 wrong answers cost 25 multiplied by 0.25, which is 6.25 marks. Your final AILET score is 95 minus 6.25, giving 88.75 out of 150. Notice how just 25 wrong answers pulled your score down by more than six marks, which is exactly why smart attempt strategy matters so much on this paper.
AILET Cut Off Marks and a Good Score for NLU Delhi
The most common follow-up question is how many marks you actually need. Because National Law University Delhi offers only a limited number of BA LLB seats, in the region of around 120, and thousands of aspirants compete for them, AILET is one of the most competitive law entrances in the country. The AILET cut off marks are therefore high, and they shift every year with the difficulty of the paper and the number of applicants.
As a broad, indicative guide, a good AILET score for the general category usually falls in the region of 90 marks or above out of 150, with the strongest ranks scoring higher still, while cut-offs for reserved categories are lower. These are not fixed numbers, so treat them as a target range rather than a guarantee. For the exact category-wise qualifying marks each year, always refer to the official NLU Delhi result, and use our NLU list and cut-offs page to see how scores translate into ranks and seats. If you are still deciding whether the effort is worth it, our take on whether law is a good career in India puts the competition in perspective.
AILET Marks Compared With CLAT Marks
Many aspirants prepare for both AILET and CLAT, so it helps to see how their marks compare. Both use the same negative marking, but they differ in total marks, question count and structure. The comparison below sets out the key differences.
Basis | AILET (NLU Delhi) | CLAT (Consortium) |
Total marks | 150 | 120 |
Total questions | 150 | 120 |
Duration | 120 minutes | 120 minutes |
Number of sections | Three | Five |
Marks per correct answer | Plus 1 | Plus 1 |
Negative marking | Minus 0.25 | Minus 0.25 |
The headline difference is that AILET packs more questions into the same two hours and leans heavily on reasoning, while CLAT spreads its 120 marks across five sections. Because the syllabuses overlap a great deal, most Delhi NCR aspirants prepare for both together. You can see how the CLAT side works in our CLAT exam pattern guide, and compare full programmes through our CLAT coaching in Delhi NCR and CLAT versus AILET resources.
How to Maximise Your AILET Exam Marks
Once you understand how the marks work, a clear scoring strategy follows. The step-by-step plan below is built around the AILET marking scheme and section weightage.
A step-by-step scoring strategy
Prioritise Logical Reasoning, since it carries nearly half the AILET exam marks.
Build strong reading speed for English, the second-largest section.
Keep a daily current-affairs habit so the General Knowledge marks come easily.
Attempt only where you can reason or eliminate, to avoid negative marking.
Practise full-length timed mocks to balance speed with accuracy.
The final habit is the most important, because AILET rewards calm, accurate attempts under time pressure. Regular rank-graded mocks reveal whether your strategy is actually converting into marks, and where it is leaking. You can train this loop through classroom or online AILET coaching, and work through timed practice with real previous year papers.
How Structured Coaching Helps You Score Higher in AILET
Knowing the AILET marks is one thing; being trained to maximise them is another. At Law Prep Tutorial Delhi NCR, the Delhi arm behind clatcoachingdelhi.com, AILET preparation is built around the reasoning-heavy structure of the paper, with the academic framework led by Anand Sharma, Director and Academic Mentor and a B.A. LL.B. graduate of National Law Institute University, Bhopal. Because the CLAT and AILET syllabuses overlap so much, most students prepare for both on a single integrated track.
Around that teaching sits a full ecosystem of graded practice, previous papers, and more than a hundred rank-graded mocks with section-wise analysis, so you always know where your marks are strong and where they leak. This is how a marking scheme becomes a scoring strategy and a strategy becomes a rank, reflected in 1310+ NLU selections across four Delhi NCR centres since 2009. You can review transparent coaching fees in Delhi, see the outcomes on our results and toppers page, or walk into our Hauz Khas centre for a free counselling session.
Key Takeaways and Quick Revision
If you remember only a handful of points about AILET exam marks, make it these.
Key points at a glance
The AILET BA LLB paper carries 150 marks for 150 questions in 120 minutes.
Each correct answer earns 1 mark and each wrong answer loses 0.25.
Logical Reasoning has the highest weightage at 70 marks, then English at 50 and GK at 30.
There is no Mathematics and no separate Legal Reasoning section in the current pattern.
A good general-category score is broadly around 90 marks or more, though cut-offs vary yearly.
Quick action plan
Focus your preparation on Logical Reasoning and English first.
Attempt questions accurately and avoid blind guessing.
Keep a daily current-affairs habit for the GK marks.
Take regular timed mocks and confirm figures against the official notification.
Conclusion and Next Steps
In summary, AILET exam marks total 150 for the BA LLB paper, with 150 questions in 120 minutes, 1 mark for each correct answer, and 0.25 deducted for each wrong one. Logical Reasoning carries the most weight, followed by English and then Current Affairs with General Knowledge, and there is no Mathematics or separate Legal Reasoning section in the current pattern. Because negative marking rewards accuracy and NLU Delhi offers so few seats, a smart, low-risk attempt strategy is what turns knowledge of the marking scheme into a competitive score.
The best next step is to train for those marks under expert guidance. Explore our AILET coaching in Delhi NCR, confirm the latest structure through the AILET 2027 notification, and book a free counselling session to build a section-wise scoring plan. Call the team on +91 8750581505 to begin your AILET preparation today.
Frequently Asked Questions
The AILET BA LLB paper carries a total of 150 marks for 150 multiple-choice questions, to be answered in 120 minutes. Each question is worth 1 mark, and the AILET LLM paper carries 100 marks for 100 questions. Always confirm the current figures against the official NLU Delhi notification.