CLAT vs AILET 2027 — Which Exam Should You Target?

For a serious NLU aspirant preparing for the 2027 cycle, the right question is not “CLAT or AILET” — it is “how do I prepare optimally for both.” NLU Delhi accepts only AILET; the other 23+ NLUs accept CLAT. Registering for one exam shrinks your NLU universe; registering for both keeps every premium law school on the table. The real decision is how to weight your preparation effort across the two papers, not whether to attempt them.

This post lays out the differences in syllabus, pattern, difficulty, calendar, and outcomes between CLAT 2027 (Consortium of NLUs) and AILET 2027 (NLU Delhi), with sourcing from the Consortium of NLUs and National Law University Delhi.

The headline differences

Pattern, decoded section by section

English Language

CLAT uses 450–500 word passages followed by 4–6 inference questions per passage. Pure vocabulary or grammar standalone questions are rare. AILET mixes passage-based questions with standalone grammar, vocabulary, idioms, and sentence-correction items. AILET English rewards a wider passive vocabulary; CLAT English rewards close-reading discipline.

General Knowledge / Current Affairs

Both exams test dated current affairs from the previous 12 months. CLAT embeds GK inside short passages — you read a news excerpt and answer 3–4 connected questions. AILET tests GK as direct standalone questions with no passage support, and the static-GK proportion (history, geography, polity facts) is higher. Static GK prep matters substantially more for AILET than for CLAT.

Legal Reasoning

Both exams use the “rule provided in passage, apply to facts” architecture introduced after the 2020 pattern revision. CLAT’s Legal Reasoning passages are longer (250–400 words) and the rule statement is embedded inside narrative. AILET’s Legal Reasoning is slightly more compact, but the questions test sharper rule-application. A candidate strong in CLAT-style legal aptitude transfers ~80% of that skill to AILET.

Logical Reasoning

CLAT uses critical-reasoning passages (assumption, conclusion, strengthen, weaken). AILET includes both critical reasoning and a meaningful slice of analytical reasoning (syllogisms, blood relations, coding-decoding, seating arrangements). Candidates from a CAT/IPM background tend to find AILET LR closer to comfort zone.

Quantitative Techniques / Mathematics

CLAT: 13–17 questions, data-interpretation-heavy, Class 10 maths applied to tables and charts. AILET: similar scope but with a few more standalone numerical-aptitude questions. The conceptual overlap is large.

Difficulty — what the numbers say

Pure question count tells you AILET has 25% more items in the same two-hour window — 54 seconds per question vs. 60 seconds for CLAT. That extra speed pressure is the biggest single difficulty differential. A candidate who scores 95/120 on CLAT mocks will typically score 105–110/150 on equivalent AILET mocks once they adapt to the pacing — a slightly lower percentage.

The cut-offs reflect this. NLU Delhi’s General-category AILET cut-off has typically been in the 95–110/150 band (63–73%), while NLSIU Bangalore’s CLAT General cut-off has hovered around 95–105/120 (79–87%). Different scales, similar elite-tier difficulty.

Calendar — what your 2026 looks like with both exams

• July 2026: CLAT 2027 notification expected.
• 1 August 2026: CLAT 2027 registration opens (closes 31 October).
• Early August 2026: AILET 2027 notification expected (AILET 2026 was notified on 7 August 2025).
• August 2026 onwards: AILET 2027 application form expected to remain open until early November 2026 (AILET 2026 closed on 10 November 2025).
• November 2026 (third week): CLAT admit card.
• November 2026 (last week): AILET admit card.
• Sunday 6 December 2026: CLAT 2027.
• Sunday 13 December 2026 (tentative): AILET 2027.
• Late December 2026 / January 2027: Results and counselling rounds begin separately for each exam.

The one-week gap between CLAT and AILET is the most efficient prep arrangement possible. Your December 6 CLAT performance gives you actual exam-day data — pacing, question types, errors — that you carry into AILET on December 13. Candidates who underperform on CLAT often outperform their CLAT mocks on AILET because they have stress-tested their strategy once.

Which one should you weight more heavily during prep?

Three honest answer paths, depending on candidate type:

1. If your dream NLU is NLU Delhi specifically (which has a unique placement profile and Delhi-NCR location advantage), weight AILET to 60% of mock time from October 2026. Treat CLAT as the broad safety net.
2. If your dream is NLSIU, NALSAR, or NUJS, weight CLAT to 70% of mock time. AILET becomes the additional shot you take a week later.
3. If you have no strong NLU preference and just want the highest-quality law school you can crack, weight CLAT to 65–70%. CLAT opens 23+ doors; AILET opens 1. The expected value of marginal CLAT prep is higher.

What you should not do: drop AILET entirely. The marginal cost of attempting it (₹3,500 application fee + one extra Sunday) is trivial compared to the value of having NLU Delhi as a fallback if CLAT doesn’t go to plan.

Common myths to discard

• “AILET is for richer candidates because NLU Delhi is metro-based.” Both exams have category-based fee concessions and the seat reservation structure mirrors central government norms. NLU Delhi’s first-year fee is comparable to NLSIU’s.
• “If I prep for CLAT, AILET prep is automatic.” ~80% true, ~20% false. The 20% is exactly the analytical reasoning, static GK, and pace adjustments that decide marginal candidates’ admission. Allocate at least 6 weeks specifically to AILET in October–November 2026.
• “AILET cut-offs are lower so it’s easier.” Cut-offs are lower in absolute marks but the score is out of 150, not 120. Normalising for total marks, the percentage cut-offs are comparable.

Frequently asked questions

Can a CLAT 2026 / 2027 rank get me into NLU Delhi?

No. NLU Delhi exited the CLAT consortium in 2008 and has conducted AILET as its sole admission test ever since. The two exams are independent and produce independent merit lists.

How much extra prep time does AILET demand on top of CLAT?

For a candidate already preparing seriously for CLAT, expect to allocate an additional 60–80 hours specifically to AILET — primarily for analytical reasoning practice, static GK consolidation, and 8–10 AILET-specific full-length mocks across October and November 2026.

What is the AILET 2027 application fee?

The AILET 2026 application fee was ₹3,500 for General/OBC and ₹1,500 for SC/ST/PwD. Expect similar numbers for 2027.

Is the AILET counselling process easier than CLAT counselling?

It is shorter — typically four rounds with an optional spot round. Because there is only one NLU at the end of the process, there is no float-to-better-NLU logic. Either NLU Delhi has a seat for you in that round or it doesn’t.

If I crack both CLAT and AILET, how do I choose between NLU Delhi and NLSIU?

This is the best problem to have. Both are top-tier; the choice typically turns on location preference, faculty/centre interests, and placement trajectory. Speak to current students at both — not just rankings on the internet.

How to plan your 2027 dual-exam attempt

CLAT Gurukul’s CLAT 2027 prep roadmap gives the month-by-month skeleton — most of which transfers cleanly to AILET. For AILET-specific pacing drills and static-GK consolidation, see our complete NLU admission guide which catalogues every NLU’s seat matrix and fee structure. Aspirants can also track concept-level mastery on /my-progress/.

For one-on-one diagnostic calls on whether your current preparation is biased too heavily toward CLAT-style passages (and what to do about it), ring our counselling line at 7033005444 between 9 AM and 9 PM IST. The first call is free and runs ~20 minutes.