Practicing with a CLAT sample paper is one of the smartest ways to get ready for the exam. The Consortium of NLUs releases official sample papers of CLAT every year to help aspirants understand the latest pattern, difficulty level, and type of questions.
Below, we’re sharing free PDFs of CLAT sample papers for 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, and 2020. You’ll find details like the number of papers released each year, key changes in the question format, and tips on how to use them effectively.
Upcoming CLAT Exams:
CLAT Sample Paper PDFs
Download free PDF of CLAT sample papers:
| Exam | No. of Sample Papers | PDF Link |
| CLAT 2026 | To be announced (expected 1–2) | Download All PDFs |
| CLAT 2025 | 2 | |
| CLAT 2024 | 4 | |
| CLAT 2023 | 3 | |
| CLAT 2020 | 3 |
What Are CLAT Sample Papers?
The CLAT sample paper is an official practice test released by the Consortium of NLUs before the actual CLAT exam. These papers follow the same question style as the real test, giving you a preview of what to expect on exam day.
Unlike previous year papers of CLAT, which are actual past exam questions, sample papers are model tests prepared for the upcoming exam.
CLAT Sample Paper 2026
The CLAT 2026 sample papers have not yet been released. Based on the Consortium’s usual schedule, they are expected to be available around mid-September 2025.
While you wait for them, you can:
Solve previous years’ sample question papers of CLAT to get a strong grip on the question style.
Additionally:
- Take full-length CLAT mock tests to build speed and accuracy.
- Revise key topics from the CLAT syllabus and focus on improving weak areas.
CLAT Sample Papers 2025
For CLAT 2025, the Consortium of NLUs released two official sample papers to help aspirants understand the new question distribution and difficulty level.
CLAT 2025 Sample Paper 1
- Total Passages: 11
- Total Questions: 20
- Focused more on comprehension-based problem-solving.
Analysis of CLAT 2025 Sample Paper-I
CLAT 2025 Sample Paper 2
- Total Passages: 5
- Total Questions: 30
- Slightly higher number of questions compared to Paper 1, requiring tighter time management.
Analysis of CLAT 2025 Sample Paper-2
CLAT Sample Papers 2024
The Consortium released four official sample papers for CLAT 2024, giving aspirants plenty of practice material before the main exam. These papers were designed strictly as per the revised CLAT Exam pattern, with passage-based questions spread across all five sections.
| CLAT 2024 Sample Paper-I | Download |
| CLAT 2024 Sample Paper-II | |
| CLAT 2024 Sample Paper-III | |
| CLAT 2024 Sample Paper-IV |
Key Highlights of CLAT Sample Paper 2024:
- Varied difficulty levels across the set, helping students prepare for both easier and trickier passages.
- A good mix of contemporary topics and conceptual reasoning.
- Balanced question distribution, allowing you to practice time allocation per section.
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CLAT Sample Papers 2023
For CLAT 2023, the Consortium released three official sample papers to guide aspirants in understanding the revised paper pattern. These were particularly useful because 2023 was among the first few years after the major format change in CLAT, making practice with updated material essential.
| CLAT 2023 Sample Paper-I | Download |
| CLAT 2023 Sample Paper-II | |
| CLAT 2023 Sample Paper-III |
Key Highlights:
- Total Papers: 3
- Sample question paper of CLAT followed the passage-based question format across all sections.
- Questions tested both reading comprehension and critical thinking skills.
- Balanced representation of law-related passages, current affairs, and logical puzzles.
CLAT Sample Papers 2020
CLAT 2020 marked a major shift in the exam pattern, introducing the now-familiar passage-based questions across all sections. To help aspirants adapt, the Consortium released three official sample papers before the exam.
| CLAT 2020 Sample Paper-I | Download |
| CLAT 2020 Sample Paper-II | |
| CLAT 2020 Sample Paper-III |
Key Highlights:
- Total Papers: 3
- Passages covered legal scenarios, current events, logical reasoning sets, and quantitative data interpretation.
- Designed to test comprehension, analytical thinking, and application of concepts rather than rote knowledge.
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How to Use Sample Paper of CLAT Exam Effectively?
1. Simulate Exam Conditions
When you solve a sample question paper of CLAT, treat it like the actual test. This not only helps you adapt to exam pressure but also improves focus and time management. The more realistic your practice sessions are, the more comfortable you’ll feel on the real exam day.
2. Attempt the Paper First, Check Answers Later
Resist the temptation to check answers midway. Finish the entire paper before looking at the solutions. By doing this, you get a true measure of your current performance level. Once you have your raw score, you can compare it with previous attempts to track progress.
This method ensures that when you review the CLAT sample paper with answers, you’re making meaningful improvements rather than interrupting your flow.
3. Analyse Your Mistakes in Detail
After checking your answers, spend more time analysing mistakes than solving the paper itself. Identify which section caused the most errors and why. Was it because you didn’t know the concept, you misread the passage, or you ran out of time?
Using a CLAT sample paper with answers for this analysis can highlight your weak areas and show you exactly where you need to focus.
4. Revise and Reattempt
Simply solving a sample paper of CLAT exam once is not enough. After identifying your weak points, go back to your notes, revise the concepts, and then attempt the same paper again after a few days.
You’ll notice improvements not just in accuracy but also in speed. This cycle of practice, analysis, and reattempt is key to steady progress.
5. Track Your Progress
Keep a record of your scores, time taken, and difficulty faced in each sample paper. This long-term tracking will help you see how your CLAT preparation is moving forward. Over time, you should see a rise in scores and a decrease in time taken.
Consistently reviewing your performance with CLAT sample papers with answers will give you the confidence that you are on the right track.
Follow this effective CLAT Preparation timetable 2026.
CLAT Sample Papers vs Previous Year Papers
| CLAT Sample Papers | CLAT Previous Year Papers | |
| Source | Consortium’s official practice sets for upcoming exam | Actual past exam papers |
| Purpose | Practice for latest pattern and question style | Understand historical trends and difficulty |
| Relevance | Highest for upcoming exam | Good for long-term benchmarking |
| Frequency of Release | 1–4 papers each year | 1 paper per year |
Where to Find More Practice?
CLAT Previous Year Papers
Once you’ve solved every sample paper of CLAT exam, start practicing with CLAT previous year papers. These papers allow you to experience the exact difficulty level and question style from actual past exams. They’re perfect for benchmarking your performance and spotting recurring question trends over the years.
To help you prepare effectively and be ready for the CLAT exam date 2026, we have shared the collection of CLAT previous year papers. These papers provide valuable insights into the exam format and types of questions asked, helping you refine your study strategy.
Checkout CLAT previous Year papers of 18 years.
CLAT Mock Test Series
A high-quality CLAT mock test series offers complete exam simulations, which is a step beyond individual sample papers. Regularly attempting mocks alongside CLAT sample papers with answers helps you master time management, build exam stamina, and develop effective answering strategies across all sections.
CLAT Preparation Books
For focused skill-building, use recommended CLAT preparation books. These books provide section-wise exercises for English, Current Affairs, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques. Combining them with your sample paper of CLAT exam practice ensures you’re strengthening concepts while improving test performance.
FAQs About CLAT Sample Paper
The official CLAT sample papers are released by the Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) on their website.
Yes, the Consortium releases each official sample paper of CLAT exam for free.
The number varies. For example, there were 2 for CLAT 2025, 4 for CLAT 2024, 3 for CLAT 2023, and 3 for CLAT 2020. CLAT 2026 sample papers are yet to be released.
The CLAT 2026 sample papers are expected to be released by the Consortium in mid-September 2025. Once available, students can download each CLAT sample paper with answers to start practising.
No. While sample papers are essential, they should be combined with mock tests, previous year papers, and targeted practice from CLAT preparation books for complete readiness.
Yes, they are designed to match the difficulty level and pattern of the real exam. In some cases, a sample paper of CLAT exam might even be slightly tougher to prepare students better.
Yes, you can print the official PDFs or get them in coaching mater
Important CLAT Questions for Practice: