The Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) officially released the provisional answer key and individual response sheets for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT 2026) today, December 9 , at 5 pm . This crucial announcement affects over 90,000 candidates who appeared for admission to undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) law programs. CLAT serves as the primary entrance examination for India’s premier National Law Universities and several other affiliated law colleges. All relevant documents are now accessible via the official CLAT website, consortiumofnlus.ac.in.
Objection Process Initiated
Candidates are now permitted to raise objections against any question or answer published in the provisional key. The window for submitting these challenges opens tomorrow, December 10 , and will remain active until December 12 , closing sharply at 5 pm . All objections must be submitted exclusively through the designated portal on the official website. The Consortium will review all submitted objections before publishing the final answer key.
A non-refundable fee of Rs 1,000 is required for each question a candidate chooses to challenge. This fee structure has previously drawn criticism from student bodies, who have submitted representations to the Consortium. As of this report, the Consortium has not issued any public clarification or revised its stance on the objection fee.
CLAT 2026 Exam Conducted Nationwide
The CLAT UG and PG entrance examinations were successfully conducted on December 7 . The examination was administered across an extensive network of 156 test centres . These centres were strategically located across 25 states , 93 cities , and various Union Territories throughout India, ensuring widespread access for all registered candidates.
Significant Increase in Participation
CLAT 2026 recorded a substantial rise in candidate registrations, underscoring a growing national interest in legal education. A total of 92,344 candidates registered for the examination. This figure represents a 17% increase in applications compared to the previous year’s data, encompassing both undergraduate and postgraduate law aspirants.
Attendance rates for the examination were notably high across both segments. For the UG exam, 96.83% of all registered candidates appeared for the test. The PG exam also demonstrated strong participation, with 92.45% of registered candidates attending. The Consortium officially stated that this increased participation highlights a growing aspiration among students to secure admission to India’s premier National Law Universities, institutions recognized for their high-quality legal education programs.
Candidate Registration Overview
| Category | Registered Candidates | Attendance Rate |
|---|---|---|
| CLAT UG 2026 | 75,009 | 96.83% |
| CLAT PG 2026 | 17,335 | 92.45% |
| Total Registered | 92,344 | |
| Overall Male-Female Ratio | Approximately 0.72:1 |
CLAT 2026 Marking Scheme Details
The examination papers for both the undergraduate and postgraduate programs comprised 120 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) . Each correctly answered question earned one mark . A system of negative marking was strictly applied, with 0.25 marks deducted for every incorrect response.
Access Official Information and Next Steps
Candidates must regularly visit the official CLAT website,consortiumofnlus.ac.in. This portal remains the sole source for official updates, access to the provisional answer key, individual response sheets, and the mechanism for submitting objections. Further announcements regarding the final answer key, results, and counselling schedules will also be published exclusively on this platform.