Many students confuse two different things. Preparing for CLAT is about study, mocks and strategy. Giving the CLAT exam is the process of applying, registering and actually appearing for it. Both matter, and a single mistake in the application form, a missed last date, or a wrong document can end your attempt before you ever reach the hall. This article covers the giving part in full. If you are looking for the study plan and section wise strategy instead, read our companion guide on how to clear the CLAT exam.
What giving the CLAT exam actually involves
The Common Law Admission Test is conducted once a year by the Consortium of National Law Universities for admission to the 24 participating NLUs and many other law schools that accept the score. Giving CLAT is not a single event. It is a sequence that runs across several months:
The Consortium releases the official notification and opens registration.
You create a login and fill the online application form.
You pay the fee and submit the form before the last date.
A correction window opens briefly for fixing errors.
The admit card is released a few weeks before the exam.
You appear for the offline paper at your chosen centre.
Miss any one of these and the rest do not matter. So treat the application process with the same seriousness as your studies. Below, each step is explained in the order you will actually meet it.
Who can give the CLAT exam
Before you apply, confirm that you are eligible to give CLAT. The rules are simple, and there are fewer barriers than most students expect.
Qualification for CLAT UG: You need to have passed or be appearing in Class 12 (or an equivalent exam). There is a minimum marks requirement, usually around 45 percent for the general category and a relaxation for reserved categories. Confirm the current percentage in the official notification.
Qualification for CLAT PG: You need an LLB degree or to be in your final year, again with a minimum marks threshold.
Age limit: There is no upper age limit to give CLAT. Students of any age who meet the qualification can apply.
How many attempts for CLAT: There is no restriction on the number of attempts. You may give CLAT as many times as you wish, as long as you still meet the eligibility.
If you want the full eligibility breakdown by category, keep an eye on our dedicated CLAT eligibility guide. For now, if you have cleared or are sitting for Class 12, you can almost certainly give CLAT UG.
CLAT UG versus CLAT PG: how giving each differs
Most aspirants give CLAT UG, the entrance for the five year integrated LLB taken right after Class 12. CLAT PG is the entrance for the LLM, taken after an LLB. The application process is the same for both. You use the same website, the same kind of form and the same payment flow. What changes is the educational details you enter, the eligibility you must meet and the paper you sit. When you register, you select whether you are applying for the UG or the PG programme, so decide this before you begin. A handful of candidates in their final year of LLB give CLAT PG while still completing the degree, which the form allows as long as you provide the required details. Everything else in this guide, from documents to admit card to exam day conduct, applies to both papers.
CLAT application timeline at a glance
Giving CLAT on time means tracking the calendar. The exact dates change every cycle, so always verify them on the official Consortium website, but the shape of the timeline stays the same year after year.
Stage | When it usually happens |
CLAT notification released | Around mid year, several months before the exam |
Registration and application form opens | Soon after the notification |
Application last date | A few weeks before the exam |
Correction window | A short period after the last date |
Admit card release | Roughly two to three weeks before the exam |
CLAT exam day | Usually in December, for admission the following year |
As a concrete example, CLAT 2027 is expected in December 2026, with the Consortium indicating early December. Dates like these shift, so never rely on a blog figure alone. Check the official notification and set your own reminders for the registration last date, because late forms are simply not accepted.
Where to find the official CLAT notification
Every cycle begins with the official CLAT notification, and this is the only source you should trust for dates, fees and eligibility. It is published on the Consortium of National Law Universities website, not on coaching blogs or news aggregators, which often repeat old figures. When the notification goes live, read it in full once, because it contains the exact application window, the fee for your category, the document specifications and the exam date. Bookmark the official site and check it weekly in the months before the expected notification, so you are among the first to apply rather than rushing near the deadline. Treat any date you see elsewhere, including in this guide, as a reminder to go and verify on the official notification.
Step 1: How to register for CLAT
Registration is where giving CLAT begins. It creates your account and your CLAT login, which you will use for everything that follows.
Go to the official Consortium of National Law Universities website at consortiumofnlus.ac.in.
Open the current CLAT link and click the New Registration tab.
Enter your name, a working mobile number and a valid email address, then set a password.
Verify your mobile number using the OTP sent to it.
Your account is created. Note down your login details carefully, because you will need them for the form, the correction window, the admit card and the result.
A few practical points. Use a mobile number and email that you will keep active until admissions finish, not a temporary one. Only one registration is needed. If you forget your password later, there is a recovery option on the login page that sends a reset link to your registered email or phone.
Step 2: Filling the CLAT application form
Once registered, you log in and fill the detailed CLAT application form. It is divided into clear sections, and you can save your progress as you go. Fill it carefully, because some choices cannot be changed after submission.
Personal information
Enter your name, date of birth, gender, category and parent details exactly as they appear on your official documents. Even a small spelling difference from your Class 10 certificate can cause problems later, so cross check every field.
Communication details
Fill in your permanent and correspondence addresses, email and phone number. This is where the Consortium and your allotted NLU will reach you, so keep it accurate.
Educational details
Enter your Class 10 and Class 12 details for CLAT UG, or your LLB details for CLAT PG. If you are still appearing for Class 12, you select the appropriate option and provide the details you have.
Test centre preferences
You choose your preferred exam cities, usually up to three, ranked in order of preference. CLAT is held in cities across India. Pick centres you can realistically reach on exam morning, and rank the most convenient one first. Allotment depends on availability, so a nearby second choice is better than a far first choice you cannot travel to.
Reservation and category details
If you are claiming reservation, you fill in the category and, where required, upload the supporting certificate. Domicile based reservation at some NLUs needs a domicile certificate, so prepare it in advance.
Step 3: Documents required for the CLAT form
Keep your documents ready before you start, scanned to the right size and format, so form filling does not stall. The typical requirements are:
Photograph: A recent passport style photo with a plain background, usually up to about 500 KB, in JPG or PNG.
Signature: A clear scan of your signature, usually up to about 100 KB, in JPG or PNG.
Category certificate: For SC, ST, OBC or similar, where you are claiming the benefit.
PwD certificate: For candidates applying under the persons with disability category.
BPL certificate: Where the below poverty line benefit is claimed.
Domicile certificate: As a PDF, usually up to about 1.5 MB, for domicile reservation at specific NLUs.
File size and format limits change between cycles, so read the instructions on the form itself and resize your files to match. A photo that is too large or in the wrong format is one of the most common reasons a form upload fails.
Step 4: CLAT application fees
The CLAT form fees are paid online only, and the payment is non refundable, so submit only when your details are final. Fees differ by category. The figures below reflect recent cycles and should be confirmed against the current notification:
Category | CLAT application fee (recent cycles) |
General, OBC, NRI and others | around Rs 4,000 |
SC, ST, BPL and PwD | around Rs 3,500 |
Payment is accepted through net banking, credit card and debit card. Keep a screenshot or receipt of the successful payment. Your form is not considered complete until the fee is paid, so a saved but unpaid form will not get you an admit card. Note also that the previous year question papers offered by the Consortium sometimes carry a separate optional charge, which is different from the application fee.
Step 5: Submit, then use the correction window
Review every field before you submit. Programme choice and reservation details usually cannot be changed after submission, so read the summary screen slowly.
After the last date, the Consortium normally opens a short correction window. You log in, choose the edit option, and fix permitted fields such as spellings or uploaded images. Not everything is editable, and the window is open only for a few days, so do not treat it as a second chance to redo the whole form. Use it only to correct genuine errors.
Before you hit submit, run through this quick checklist:
Your name, date of birth and category match your Class 10 and Class 12 certificates exactly.
Your photo and signature are uploaded, clear, and within the size and format limits.
Your educational details and marks are entered correctly.
Your test centre preferences are ranked in the order you actually want.
Any reservation certificate you are claiming is uploaded.
The application fee is paid and you have saved the payment confirmation.
Your registered mobile number and email are ones you will keep active.
If every line is ticked, submit with confidence. If anything is uncertain, fix it now rather than relying on the correction window, which may not cover that field.
Step 6: Download your CLAT admit card
The CLAT admit card is released on the candidate portal a few weeks before the exam, often around two to three weeks prior. To get it:
Log in to your account with your registered credentials.
Open the admit card section and download the PDF.
Check that your name, photo, category and exam centre are correct.
Take a clear printout and keep a soft copy on your phone as backup.
You cannot enter the exam hall without the admit card, so download it the day it releases rather than waiting until the last moment. If any detail on it looks wrong, contact the Consortium helpdesk immediately using the contact details on the official site.
CLAT exam day: timing and what to carry
This is the moment the whole process builds toward. Here is how exam day works when you give CLAT.
Exam timing: CLAT is a two hour paper, commonly held in an afternoon slot. Your admit card states the exact reporting time and gate closing time. Reach early, because late entry is not allowed.
Mode: CLAT is an offline, pen and paper exam. You mark your answers on an OMR style response sheet.
What to carry: Your printed admit card and a valid original photo ID. Carry only what the admit card permits. Electronic devices and study material are not allowed inside.
The paper: CLAT UG has 120 comprehension based questions across English, Current Affairs with General Knowledge, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Techniques. Each correct answer earns one mark, and 0.25 is deducted for each wrong answer, so guess with care.
Plan your travel the day before, keep your documents in one folder, and sleep properly the night before. The students who stumble on exam day are usually the ones who left the admit card printout or the ID to the last minute.
How CLAT exam centre allotment works
The three centre preferences you give in the form are requests, not guarantees. The Consortium allots a centre based on the preferences you ranked and the seats available in each city. Popular cities fill quickly, which is why ranking order matters and why an early application helps. Once allotted, the centre is printed on your admit card and cannot usually be changed, so choose cities you can reach comfortably on exam morning. If you live between two cities, pick the one with more reliable transport on a Sunday or a holiday, since CLAT often falls on a weekend. Students travelling from another town should book their stay the moment the admit card confirms the centre, because hotels near exam venues fill up fast during the CLAT season.
After you give CLAT: answer key, result and counselling
Giving the exam is not quite the end of the process, so it helps to know what follows. Within a few days of the exam, the Consortium usually releases a provisional answer key and invites objections for a short window, during which you can challenge an answer with supporting proof for a small fee. After objections are reviewed, the final answer key and the result are published on the same candidate portal you used to apply. Your result shows your marks, your All India Rank and your category rank. On the basis of this rank, you then take part in CLAT counselling, where you are offered seats at NLUs according to your rank and the preferences you fill. Counselling runs in rounds, with a fee at each stage to confirm or hold a seat. The key point for now is that the login you create at registration stays with you through the answer key, the result and counselling, so protect those credentials until your admission is complete.
Can you give CLAT online? Clearing the confusion
A common question is whether you can give CLAT online from home. The answer is no. Registration and the application form are online, but the exam itself is offline, taken in person at an allotted centre on paper. There is no work from home or remote CLAT.
What can be online is your preparation. If a classroom is not practical for you, our online CLAT coaching gives you the same mentoring, mocks and doubt support from home, so you walk into that offline centre fully ready.
Common mistakes while giving the CLAT exam
Over the years we have seen bright students trip on the process rather than the paper. Avoid these:
Waiting for the last date. Servers are slow and payments fail near the deadline. Apply early.
Mismatched details. Names, dates of birth and marks that do not match your certificates cause verification trouble later.
Wrong document sizes. A photo or signature in the wrong format or size that you did not fix before starting.
An unpaid form. Saving the form but not completing the fee payment, so it never counts as submitted.
Ignoring the correction window. Spotting an error and assuming it cannot be fixed, when the window was open all along.
Using a temporary email or phone. Losing access to the number or inbox that holds your login and admit card alerts.
Poor centre choice. Ranking a far city first and then struggling to reach it on exam morning.
Giving CLAT is step one, clearing it is step two
Knowing how to give the CLAT exam gets you into the hall. What you do with those two hours is decided long before, by how you prepared. The two tasks work together. Handle the application cleanly so there is no stress in the final weeks, and spend that calm energy on mocks and revision instead.
This is exactly where structured guidance helps. Our CLAT coaching in Delhi NCR supports students through both the process and the preparation, with classroom centres in Hauz Khas, GTB Nagar, Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram, plus full online CLAT coaching. If NLU Delhi is on your list, you can prepare for it alongside CLAT through our AILET coaching in Delhi NCR, also available online. And when it is time to practise, work through real previous year CLAT papers under exam conditions.
Planning to give CLAT this cycle? Talk to the CLAT Coaching Delhi team and we will help you with both the application and a study plan built around your target NLU.
Frequently Asked Questions
Register online at the Consortium of National Law Universities website, fill the CLAT application form with your personal, academic and test centre details, upload your photo and signature, pay the fee, download your admit card when released, and appear at your allotted centre for the two hour offline exam.