close

CLAT 2026 Paper Analysis: First Impressions, Difficulty Level, Good Attempts & Expected Cutoff

By I Dec 06, 2025

The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2026 has concluded, and aspirants across the country are buzzing with reactions. To help students, parents, and teachers understand the exam better, we have compiled a detailed CLAT 2026 paper analysis, including first impressions, section-wise difficulty, key takeaways, surprises, good attempts, and expected cutoff trends.

CLAT 2026: First Impressions

Based on feedback from students and experts, CLAT 2026 was:
  • Paper was lengthy. Attempt could have been 110+ for good score and overall 104+
  • Overall paper was easy to moderate.
  • Tricky questions that were there in spurts in different sections will decide ranks
  • Cut off is expected to be in and around or even more than last year.
  • Good general awareness was key
  • CR did the missing act!! So much for a reading based paper!!
Students found the paper doable but lengthy, making time management the biggest challenge.

🔹 Overall Difficulty Level (Section-wise)

Section Difficulty Key Highlights English Easy Central Idea based Questions,Meaning in Contex,2 figure of speech, very few inference and Rc based Question Current Affairs & GK Easy to Moderate US Policies, H1B, MAGA, Tariffs,⁠⁠Chess, Grandmaster, Chess Champion First, AI, WC, ⁠⁠Pahalgam, Indus, SAARC, ⁠⁠SCO, Tianjin, Chabahar, ⁠⁠Air India Crash Quantitative Techniques Easy to Moderate 2 set, 6 Questions each, All Passage based, no visual data,One Set Super easy and one Set Calculations Heavy Logical Reasoning Moderate Complete Surprise was that 18 Questions came from AR and only 7 Questions came from Critical Reasoning.Critical Reasoning 28% (7 Questions),Analytical Reasoning 72% (18 Questions),1 Question Incorrect in Blood Relations / Symbols Legal Reasoning Moderate to Difficult Lengthy passages, high reading load  

🔹 Section-Wise CLAT 2026 Analysis

1. English Language

Total Questions: 24 Good Score: 21.5 Overall – 18+

2. Current Affairs & General Knowledge

Total Questions: 28 Good Score: 23 Cut-Off Score: 18 4 out of 5 Easy and Direct Passages 1-2 Questions from Passage

3. Quantitative Techniques

Total Questions: 12 Good Score: 8 Cut-Off Score: 5 2 sets – 6 Questions each All Passage Based; No Visual Data (Graphs/Charts): Just Like Last Year: Very Doable One Set - Super Easy and One Set – Calculation Heavy Based on Ratios and Percentage Based

4. Logical Reasoning

  Total Questions: 25 Good Score: 18   Cut-Off Score: 14 Patience was the key. Complete Surprise was that 18 Questions came from AR and only 7 Questions came from Critical Reasoning. Critical Reasoning 28% (7 Questions) Analytical Reasoning 72% (18 Questions) 1 Question Incorrect in Blood Relations / Symbols  

5. Legal Reasoning

Total Questions: 30 Good Score: 25 Cut-Off Score: 20 Passage 1: One Nation Policy; One Nation, One Election Passage 2: Constitution; Preamble Passage 3: Constitution; Good Governance; Manoj Narula v. UoI Passage 4: Governor’s Assent to Bills (TN Case) Passage 5: Same Sex Marriage; Legal Status

🔹 Expected CLAT 2026 Cutoff (Predicted)

Section No. of Questions Cut off Score (top 3) Level of Difficulty
English  24 21 Easy
Current Affairs 28 23 Easy to Moderate
Data Interpretation 12 8 Easy - Moderate
Logical Reasoning 24  18 Easy - Moderate
Legal Reasoning 31 25 Easy – Moderate
Total 120 95 - 100
(For General Category)
CATEGORY TOP 3 OVERALL (ANY NLU)
GENERAL 95-100 77-82
  This may vary based on final answer key and difficulty normalization.

🔹 Key Takeaways from CLAT 2026

Balanced paper with moderate difficulty Heavy reliance on comprehension & reasoning Few surprises but no drastic pattern shift Time management determined final accuracy Cutoffs expected to be slightly higher than last year

🔹 Student Reactions: What Aspirants Said

Many found Legal and Quant the most time-consuming GK was a relief—straightforward and current affairs heavy Majority rated paper as moderate but lengthy Most candidates attempted 105–118 questions

🔹 What Next? Post-CLAT Strategy

Students should now: Calculate expected scores using answer keys Explore NLU counselling prep Keep an eye on CLAT Consortium notifications Start preparing for backup exams (AILET, SLAT, MHCET Law, etc.)

📌 About Clat Possible

Clat Possible is India’s leading law entrance preparation institute, known for delivering top ranks, expert faculty, structured courses, and high-quality analysis. We guide thousands of aspirants every year towards their dream NLUs with expert mentorship and personalized learning. counselling spot This expert review will help you assess your performance and estimate your chances of securing a top NLU.