CLAT 2024 Question Paper

CLAT 2024 paper: pattern and analysis

The CLAT 2024 question paper carried 120 questions to be solved in 120 minutes, fully passage-based across all five sections, with marking of +1 for a correct answer, −0.25 for a wrong one and 0 for an unattempted one, set by the Consortium of NLUs. What makes 2024 special is that it was the first paper in the current 120-question pattern — CLAT was trimmed from 150 to 120 questions that year while the duration stayed at the full two hours. The practical effect is gentle but real: with fewer questions in the same time, you got more time per question than candidates sitting the 2020–2023 papers, easing the pace pressure a little. To see how those 120 questions map onto topics, read the CLAT syllabus alongside this paper.

What changed in 2024

The headline change in 2024 was a leaner paper. The total dropped from 150 questions to 120, while the clock stayed at the same 120 minutes — so the per-question pace eased slightly compared with the 2020–2023 papers, giving you a little more breathing room on each passage. What did not change is the shape of the exam. It stayed fully comprehension-based, and the balance of marks still tilts firmly towards the two heaviest sections.

• ✓Fewer questions, same clock — 120 questions in 120 minutes, down from 150, so the pace pressure relaxed a touch.
• ✓The format held — every section remained passage-based; you read a passage and answer questions hanging off it.
• ✓The heavy hitters still dominate — Legal Reasoning (32) and Current Affairs & GK (28) together make up half the paper, so they carry the most weight.

How to use the CLAT 2024 paper

1. 1
   Attempt it timed, as a full mock

   Sit all 120 questions in one 120-minute block, with no breaks and no peeking at answers. Take it on the real exam-screen interface as a timed mock so the navigation, flagging and scrolling feel familiar on exam day. This first attempt is the only honest reading you'll get of your real speed and accuracy on the current pattern.
2. 2
   Review against the official answer key

   Once you've scored it, go through every wrong answer with the official Consortium answer key. For each mistake, return to the passage and find the exact line that forces the correct option and the line that should have warned you off yours. Name the cause — misread the passage, fell for a tempting option, missed a 'not/except' stem, or ran out of time — and log it.
3. 3
   Drill your weakest section

   Your section-wise scores will point to one or two soft spots. Take them straight to focused practice — for example Legal Reasoning or Quantitative Techniques — and drill until the same passage type stops beating you twice.