If you have searched "entrance exam for lawyer after 12th" and been handed a dozen exam names with no way to rank them, this guide is built to fix that. It explains what each law entrance exam is, who conducts it, which colleges it opens, the pattern and syllabus, the eligibility rules, the confirmed dates for the 2026-27 cycle, and a clear method for choosing the right exams for you.
One quick note on names. You will see the same test called many things online: a law entrance exam, an LLB entrance exam or LLB entrance test, a lawyer entrance exam, a law entrance examination, or simply law exams. Some students shorten it further to LLB exam, law test or entrance law exam. They all point to the same idea: the test that carries a 12th-pass student into a law degree.
The path in one line
Becoming a lawyer after 12th is a two-stage journey. First, you clear a law entrance exam and join a five-year integrated LLB course at a law college. Then, after you graduate, you clear the All India Bar Examination conducted by the Bar Council of India and enrol with a State Bar Council to receive your Certificate of Practice. Only after that can you appear in court as an advocate. The entrance exam is the gate to stage one, and getting that choice right is what the rest of this guide is about.
The three types of law entrance exams in India
It helps to see the field in tiers, sorted by who runs each exam and where a good score takes you. Almost every law entrance exam after 12th sits in one of three groups.
National-level exams
These are held across the country and carry weight nationwide. CLAT and AILET headline the group, and both feed the National Law Universities. The All India Bar Examination is national in reach too, though you sit it at the finish line to earn your licence to practise rather than to win a seat. LSAT India once belonged here as well, before it was withdrawn, as the section further down explains.
State and university-level exams
Individual states and universities run these for their own colleges. Maharashtra's MH CET Law and the various state LAWCETs sit here, and so do central universities such as Banaras Hindu University, Aligarh Muslim University and the University of Allahabad, which now fill their integrated-law seats mainly on CUET UG scores.
Institute-level exams
A few institutions hold a test purely for their own programmes. Jamia Millia Islamia conducts its own entrance for BA LLB, Delhi University runs its own law admission process, and the CUET UG law paper opens a wide spread of integrated-law seats at participating universities.
All law entrance exams after 12th at a glance
This table compares every live law entrance exam after 12th, plus the one that has been retired, so you can see the full field on one screen before reading the detail.
Exam | Conducted by | Gets you into | Pattern | Next exam |
CLAT National | Consortium of National Law Universities | 24 National Law Universities (NLU Delhi runs its own exam), about 4,000 UG seats, plus many private colleges | 120 MCQs, 120 marks, 2 hours, offline, plus 1 and minus 0.25 | 6 December 2026 |
AILET National | National Law University, Delhi | NLU Delhi only, about 110 BA LLB (Hons) seats for Indian nationals | 150 MCQs, 120 minutes, offline, plus 1 and minus 0.25 | 13 December 2026 |
SLAT Private | Symbiosis International (Deemed University) | Symbiosis Law Schools at Pune, Noida, Hyderabad and Nagpur | 60 questions, 60 minutes, computer-based, no negative marking, two sittings | Around December 2026 |
CUET UG (Law) National | National Testing Agency | Integrated law at central, state and private universities such as BHU, Allahabad and AMU (NLUs do not use CUET) | Computer-based, sections per university requirement | Around May 2027 |
MH CET Law (5-year) State | State CET Cell, Maharashtra | About 153 law colleges in Maharashtra, roughly 11,520 seats | 120 questions, 120 marks, 120 minutes, online, no negative marking | Around April to May 2027 |
State LAWCETs State | State authorities (AP, Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka and others) | State law colleges for domicile students, for example AP LAWCET, TS LAWCET, KLEE, KCET Law | Varies by state, mostly MCQ based | State schedules, mostly mid-2027 |
LSAT India Discontinued | Was run by LSAC through Pearson VUE | No longer held. LSAC retired it from the 2025 admission cycle | Not applicable | Not held |
Law entrance exams after 12th in India, 2026-27 cycle. Dates and figures verified September 2026 against official and exam-body sources.
The national exams: CLAT and AILET
CLAT (Common Law Admission Test)
CLAT is the exam most aspirants mean when they ask about the entrance exam for a lawyer after 12th. Conducted by the Consortium of National Law Universities, it is the single gateway to the five-year integrated programmes at the 24 National Law Universities that use it, with NLU Delhi the one exception. Around 4,000 undergraduate seats are on offer, and a large number of private law colleges also admit students on CLAT scores, which is why cracking this one test opens the widest door.
The scale shows how central it is. CLAT 2026, held in December 2025, drew 92,344 registrations and 88,657 candidates who actually appeared, the highest turnout in its history, according to the Consortium of National Law Universities. The next edition, CLAT 2027, will be held on 6 December 2026 in offline pen-and-paper mode, with the registration window running from 3 August to 31 October 2026 on the Consortium website.
The CLAT exam pattern is a 120-question, comprehension-based paper worth 120 marks, to be finished in two hours. Each correct answer earns one mark and each wrong answer loses 0.25 marks, with no penalty for a blank. Five sections make up the paper: English Language, Current Affairs including General Knowledge, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques. Every section is passage-based, so reading speed and comprehension matter more than memorised facts. The question count was cut from 150 to 120 in the CLAT 2024 cycle, and the Consortium has confirmed the same pattern for 2027.
Because CLAT scores are read across so many colleges, a strong result here can double as your application to several institutions at once. That makes it the natural anchor of any preparation plan, with the other exams arranged around it.
AILET (All India Law Entrance Test)
AILET is the second national exam, and it is exclusive. National Law University, Delhi runs its own test and does not accept CLAT, so AILET is the only way into NLU Delhi. That exclusivity, set against roughly 110 BA LLB (Hons) seats for Indian nationals, makes it one of the most competitive law entrance exams in the country, with the general category closing at very low ranks.
AILET 2027 will be held on 13 December 2026, a week after CLAT, in offline mode from 2 pm to 4 pm. The application window opened on 7 August 2026, with a last date of 10 November 2026 on the NLU Delhi portal. The paper carries 150 multiple-choice questions to be answered in 120 minutes, with the same plus one and minus 0.25 marking as CLAT. It has three sections rather than five: English Language with 50 questions, Current Affairs and General Knowledge with 30, and Logical Reasoning with 70. Because the syllabus overlaps heavily with CLAT, most serious aspirants prepare for both and sit them in the same December window.
The private and central-university routes
SLAT (Symbiosis Law Admission Test)
SLAT is conducted by Symbiosis International (Deemed University) for admission to its four Symbiosis Law Schools at Pune, Noida, Hyderabad and Nagpur. It is a computer-based test of 60 questions to be attempted in 60 minutes, with one mark per question and no negative marking. Candidates may sit it twice across two December sittings, and the better score is used, which takes some pressure off a single bad day. The sections are Logical Reasoning, Legal Reasoning, Analytical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension and General Knowledge, and a Personal Interaction round follows the written test. The earlier Writing Ability Test has been removed.
CUET UG for law
Since 2022 the Common University Entrance Test has become a genuine fourth option for 12th students. Run by the National Testing Agency, its undergraduate track feeds five-year integrated law programmes at a growing list of universities, including Banaras Hindu University, University of Allahabad and Aligarh Muslim University, along with more than a hundred central, state and private institutions. Two points to remember: the National Law Universities do not use CUET, and NTA runs no central counselling for law, so you apply to each university separately and meet its own cut-off.
LSAT India, and why it is gone
Many older "top law entrance exams" lists still feature LSAT India near the top, so it is worth stating plainly: LSAT India is no longer conducted. The Law School Admission Council, which ran it through Pearson VUE, announced in late 2024 that it was discontinuing the test from the 2025 admission cycle as a business decision, and no exam has been held since. Schools that once relied on it, such as Jindal Global Law School, have moved to other tests. If a guide is still telling you to register for LSAT India, that guide is out of date.
State-level law entrance exams
If you plan to study in your home state, a state law entrance exam is often the most practical and affordable route into a law college. The best known is MH CET Law for Maharashtra, conducted by the State CET Cell for admission to roughly 153 colleges and about 11,520 five-year LLB seats. Its 5-year paper has 120 questions worth 120 marks in 120 minutes, online, with no negative marking, offered in English and Marathi, and it covers legal aptitude and legal reasoning, general knowledge and current affairs, logical and analytical reasoning, English, and basic mathematics.
Other states run their own tests, including AP LAWCET and TS LAWCET in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, KLEE in Kerala, and KCET Law in Karnataka. Each admits mainly domicile candidates to state law colleges, and the fees and cut-offs are usually gentler than the national exams. Check the domicile and eligibility rules for your state before you plan around one, since these vary.
How to choose the right law entrance exam for you
With so many options, the sensible question is not which is the single best law entrance exam, but which set of exams matches your goals, your location and your budget. A simple way to decide is to work backwards from the colleges you actually want.
Aiming for the top national law schools? Prepare for CLAT as your anchor and add AILET for NLU Delhi. Their syllabi overlap, so one preparation covers both.
Drawn to a specific private university? Check the exam it accepts. Symbiosis needs SLAT, while many private and central universities read CUET UG scores.
Happy to study in your home state? A state exam such as MH CET Law or a LAWCET is the most cost-effective route to a good state law college.
Not sure yet? Sit two or three exams across the tiers. Because the aptitude tested is similar, extra exams cost you application fees and a few exam days, not months of separate study.
Five-year LLB versus three-year LLB
A common confusion is worth clearing up, because it changes which exam you take. The five-year integrated LLB is the route for a law exam after 12th; you enrol straight from Class 12 into a combined degree such as BA LLB or BBA LLB. The three-year LLB is a graduate route you take after finishing any bachelor's degree. Exams like CLAT, AILET, SLAT and MH CET Law all have a five-year track for 12th students, so make sure you apply to the five-year option and not the three-year one meant for graduates.
Eligibility: who can appear
The eligibility bar for law entrance exams after 12th is refreshingly simple and consistent across the major exams.
Qualification: You must have passed, or be appearing in, Class 12 or an equivalent examination from a recognised board. Students writing their board exams this year can apply and show proof of passing at admission.
Minimum marks: At least 45% in Class 12 for the General category, and 40% for SC and ST candidates, is the common threshold for CLAT, AILET and SLAT. Individual universities may set their own slightly different cut-offs.
Stream: There is no stream restriction. Science, commerce and arts students are all equally eligible, and you do not need to have studied law or any particular subject.
Age: There is no upper age limit for major exams like CLAT and AILET.
Exam pattern and syllabus: what these tests actually check
Whatever the exam name, the law entrance exam syllabus tests aptitude, not prior legal knowledge. Across CLAT, AILET, SLAT and MH CET Law you are assessed on a common family of skills, and no section assumes you have read any law before. What separates strong scorers is the speed and accuracy with which they read a passage and apply a rule to it. The five common areas are these.
English Language: comprehension of unseen passages, vocabulary and grammar.
Current Affairs and General Knowledge: national and international news, with a strong focus on legal updates from the past year.
Legal Reasoning: applying a rule given in the passage to a set of facts, rather than recalling law from memory.
Logical Reasoning: identifying arguments, assumptions and patterns, and judging what follows from them.
Quantitative Techniques: basic Class 10 level data interpretation and mathematics, drawn from short data passages.
How to prepare for a law entrance exam
Law entrance exam preparation rests on a few durable habits rather than tricks, and the same routine serves CLAT, AILET and most other exams because the skills overlap.
Read every day. Newspapers, editorials and long-form articles build the reading speed that passage-based papers reward. This single habit lifts English, legal reasoning and comprehension together.
Follow current affairs for a full year. The general knowledge sections lean heavily on the last twelve months of national and legal news, so start a simple monthly revision file early.
Learn legal reasoning as a method. You are given the rule inside the passage, so practise applying it cleanly to the facts instead of memorising statutes.
Take timed mock tests. Full-length mocks under exam conditions are the fastest way to fix time management and to find the section that costs you the most marks.
Respect the negative marking. In CLAT and AILET a careless wrong answer costs a quarter mark, so accuracy beats blind guessing.
On timing, twelve to fifteen months before the exam is a comfortable runway that lets you build reading stamina, cover the syllabus once, and then spend the last few months entirely on mock tests and revision. A shorter, tightly focused plan can still work if you are disciplined, but the reading habit is the one thing that cannot be rushed.
Upcoming law entrance exam dates for 2026-27
Here are the confirmed dates for the next cycle, useful when you build a preparation timetable.
CLAT 2027: exam on 6 December 2026, registration open from 3 August to 31 October 2026.
AILET 2027: exam on 13 December 2026, applications from 7 August to 10 November 2026.
SLAT: two sittings around December 2026.
MH CET Law (5-year) and state LAWCETs: mostly held around April to May 2027, on state schedules.
CUET UG for law: generally held in May, for admission the following academic year.
After the exam: admission and becoming an advocate
Clearing the entrance exam earns you a rank, and each exam then runs its own counselling or admission process to allot seats by rank and preference. Once you finish the five-year degree from a Bar Council of India approved institution, one step remains. You must clear the All India Bar Examination, an open-book test conducted by the Bar Council of India, and enrol with your State Bar Council to receive the Certificate of Practice. AIBE has no age limit and allows repeated attempts, and a recent Supreme Court direction lets final-semester students appear as well. Only after this can you practise as an advocate in Indian courts.
Frequently Asked Questions
For most students CLAT is the best first choice, since it opens 24 National Law Universities and is accepted by many private colleges as well. Add AILET for NLU Delhi, then pick one private or state exam such as SLAT, CUET or MH CET Law as a backup that matches your target colleges. There is no single best exam for everyone; the best law entrance exam is the one your preferred colleges actually use.