CLAT 2026 Books: Booklist, Where to Find, Preparation Tips 

CLAT 2026 is scheduled to be held on December 7, 2025. CLAT will be conducted in offline mode (pen and paper) across multiple centres in India. Candidates will be given 2 hours (120 minutes) to attempt all the questions. The official schedule is announced by the Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) through its website, consortiumofnlus.ac.in. Candidates are advised to visit CLAT website regularly and check for any updates or changes in the exam schedule.

No, CLAT 2026 will not be held twice. The Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) holds the Common Law Admission Test annually for admission to undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) law programs across participating NLUs. CLAT 2026 exam is scheduled for December 7, 2025, and there will be no second session or re-exam in 2026. Candidates must complete their registration and preparation according to this single exam schedule.

CLAT 2026 is expected to be of moderate to tough difficulty, just like the previous exams. The questions won’t just test what the candidates remember, but how well they can understand, analyse, and apply information. English and current affairs are usually manageable, but legal reasoning and logical reasoning can be tricky because they require careful thinking. candidates are required to revise and practice regularly, read well, and appear for mock tests so that the exam feels a bit easier to handle on the actual day.

CLAT 2026 examination will be conducted by the Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs). This consortium has representatives from various national law universities. It is responsible for organising CLAT exam for admission to undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) law programs in its member universities, as well as in certain other participating private institutions.

No, there is no limit on the number of attempts for CLAT 2026 for the candidates. They are allowed to appear for the exam as long as they meet the eligibility criteria for the undergraduate (UG) or postgraduate (PG) programs. For undergraduate courses, candidates must have completed their 10+2 education or equivalent, and for postgraduate courses, they must hold a relevant law degree. Each attempt is considered independently, and the latest score is considered for admission purposes.

For CLAT 2026 preparation, it is important for the candidates to focus on subject-wise books that cover all sections properly. For Legal Reasoning, recommended books include Legal Awareness and Legal Reasoning by Pearson, Objective Legal Aptitude by R.S. Aggarwal, and Important Judgments That Transformed India by Alex Andrews George. For Logical Reasoning, useful books are Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal, Analytical Reasoning by M.K. Pandey, and A New Approach to Verbal and Analytical Reasoning by Arihant. For Quantitative Techniques, candidates can refer to Quantitative Aptitude by R.S. Aggarwal, Fast Track Objective Arithmetic by Arihant, and Data Interpretation by R.S. Aggarwal. For English, books like Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis, High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren & Martin, and General English by S.P. Bakshi are helpful. For General Knowledge and Current Affairs, sources such as Lucent’s General Knowledge, Manorama Yearbook, Competition Success Review, Pratiyogita Darpan, and newspapers like The Hindu or Times of India are helpful. Referring to these books, along with regular practice and mock tests, helps candidates cover all the important topics for CLAT 2026.

Yes, CLAT 2026 registration has started on August 1, 2025, on the official website of the Consortium of NLUs, consortiumofnlus.ac.in. The last date to fill out the application form is October 31, 2025. Candidates are advised to complete the registration process before the deadline, as late submissions will not be accepted. The application form includes steps such as registration, filling in personal details, uploading documents, and paying the application fee online.

Yes, the CLAT exam has a negative marking system. For every incorrect answer, 0.25 marks are deducted from the total score. Each correct answer carries 1 mark, while unanswered questions do not affect the score. This marking pattern is applicable to both CLAT UG and CLAT PG exams. Hence, it is better for the candidates to attempt only those questions they are confident about to avoid unnecessary loss of marks due to negative marking.

Candidates appearing in CLAT PG 2026 should focus on core law subjects like Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence, Contract, Criminal Law, and Administrative Law. Reading landmark judgments and recent legal developments is equally important. Standard reference books such as Singhal’s Handbooks, PSA Pillai for IPC, Avtar Singh for Contract, and PM Bakshi’s Constitution of India are useful. Practising CLAT previous year papers and mock tests also helps in understanding the type of legal comprehension passages asked in the exam.