CLAT vs. SLAT 2025: Key Differences, Accepting Colleges, and Comparative Difficulty Levels
Students who desire to get admission to various law colleges across the country can appear in various Law entrance exams conducted by various governing bodies, as there are many entrance exams, students often face the dilemma of which exam is suitable for them. In this article, we focus on key differences between the CLAT exam and the SLAT exam, and which one is a better choice. Let us also take a brief look into a few more Law entrance examinations and colleges that accept CLAT and SLAT ranks.
CLAT vs SLAT 2025
The Consortium of National Law Universities conducts a national-level entrance exam Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) for admissions to undergraduate (UG) and Postgraduate (PG) law programs. The programs are offered by 24 National Law Universities in India. The CLAT exam is used for admission and recruitment purposes by several affiliate universities and organizations across the country. The CLAT exam is conducted in offline mode once every year in December.
Symbiosis International University, a deemed university, conducts an online entrance exam, the Symbiosis Law Admission Test (SLAT), for admission to UG programs in Symbiosis Law Schools in Pune, Noida, and Hyderabad. The SLAT exam is conducted in online mode twice every year in May. The SLAT exam is considered to be easier compared to the CLAT due to its liberal exam pattern and no negative marking scheme.
CLAT Exam 2025
Some of the details of the CLAT exam that the student has to know are:
| Particulars |
Details |
| Exam Name |
Common Law Admission Test |
| Exam conducting body |
Consortium of National Law Universities |
| Course for Admission |
UG & PG |
| Exam Duration |
120 minutes (2 Hours) |
| Total marks |
120 marks |
| Question Type |
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) |
| Marking Scheme |
+1 mark for every correct answer |
| Negative Mark |
Yes, -0.25 marks for every wrong answer |
SLAT 2025 Overview
The SLAT exam is an entrance exam for the admission of students into various law programs in the Symbiosis International Law School. Some of the basic details students have to know are:
| Particulars |
Details |
| Name of the Exam |
Symbiosis Law Admission Test (SLAT) |
| Conducting Body |
Symbiosis International (Deemed University) |
| Mode of examination |
Online |
| Difficulty level |
Moderately Difficult |
| Exam Duration |
1 hour |
| Total number of Questions |
60 |
| Total Marks |
60 |
| Negative Marks |
No negative marks |
| Seats Available (approx) |
1080 |
| Frequency of examination |
Twice a year |
| Selection Process |
Three Stage:
SLAT Exam
Written Aptitude Test (WAT)
Personal Interview (PI)
|
Law Entrance Exam Comparison
There are several law entrance exams that students can take so he/she can get admission to various law colleges. Some of the National-level Law entrance exams which students can consider apart from CLAT and SLAT are:
AIBE 19:
The Bar Council of India (BCI) conducts a National-level Law exam, the All India Bar Examination (AIBE) every year to test the ability to practice law in India. Law graduates with 3-year or 5-year courses can appear in the AIBE exam and secure a Certificate of Practice from their respective State Bar Council in which they are enrolled. The exam is conducted in 40 cities across the country, in 11 different languages.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Candidates have to be law graduates with either a 3-year law program or a 5-year law program.
- The candidate appearing for the final year law graduation exam with no backlogs can also appear for the AIBE exam.
- The BCI has not mentioned any aggregate marks, so any law graduate can apply.
EXAM Mode: offline
Exam Duration: 3.5 hours
Type of questions: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Total Number of Questions: 100
Total Marks: 100
Marking Scheme: +1 mark for each correct answer
No negative marking
CUET LAW:
The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts a national-level Law entrance exam CUET for admission in 5-year LL.B and 3-year LL.B and LL.M programs. The exam is conducted online separately for the three programs once a year in various test centers. The eligible students have to make sure to keep track of the official website for notification on CUET UG and CUET PG exams.
Eligibility Criteria:
CUET UG:
- Candidates must have passed 10+2 years of education in any discipline from a recognized university.
CUET PG:
- Candidates must have completed their Law Graduation (LL.B) from a recognized university.
Exam Mode: Online:
Type Of Question: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Total Number of Questions: 5-year LL.B- 130
3-year LL.B- 75
LLM- 75
Total Marks: 5-year LL.B- 800
3-year LL.B- 300
LLM- 300
Exam Duration: 5-year LL.B- 2 hours
3-year LL.B- 1 hour 45 minutes
LLM- 1 hour 45 minutes
Marking Scheme: 5-year LL.B- 5 marks per correct answer
3-year LL.B- 4 marks per correct answer
LLM- 4 marks per correct answer
Negative Marking: A -1 mark is deduced for every wrong answer
NMIMS Law Aptitude Test:
The Narsee Morarjee Institute of Management Studies conducts an entrance exam for law NMIMS Law Aptitude Test (NMIMS LAT) for the admission of students into 5-year law programs. The exam is conducted online in multiple slots once a year. The students get admission to seven NMIMS campuses after clearing this exam.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Candidates must have passed the 12th class with a minimum of 50% aggregate in any discipline from a recognized university.
Exam Mode: Online
Total number of Questions: 150
Total Marks: 150
Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Exam Duration: 2 hours
Marking Scheme: +1 mark for every correct answer
No negative marking
CLAT vs SLAT Difficulty
The CLAT exam is conducted for 2 hours and the SLAT exam for 1 hour, and the number of questions asked in SLAT is considerably less compared to the CLAT paper. The students find the SLAT exam pattern is simple compared to that of CLAT where the students have to decode the Passage given in the CLAT exam and then answer the question. In SLAT, the questions asked are straightforward, and the students do not need to worry about losing marks due to negative markings. The SLAT marking scheme has no negative marking for an incorrect answer, whereas the CLAT marking scheme consists of a -0.25 deduction over an incorrect answer.
Top Colleges Accepting CLAT
The Consortium of National Law Universities conducts the CLAT exam, hence 24 NLUs are participating Universities CLAT for more details, visit planedu.in. Most law colleges, apart from NLUs across India, also accept CLAT scores for admission to various law programs. Some of the colleges that accept CLAT ranks are:
- IIM Rohtak
- Asian Law College, Noida
- Presidency University, Bangalore
- Renaissance Law College, Indore
- SRM University, Delhi
SLAT Colleges 2025
Law aspirants can appear in the SLAT examination to secure admission in various law programs on campuses of Symbiosis International (Deemed) University. Some of the colleges accepting SLAT ranks for admission are:
- Symbiosis Law School, Pune
- Symbiosis Law School, Noida
- Symbiosis Law School, Nagpur
- Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad
SLAT or CLAT: Which is Better?
CLAT and SLAT cover the same syllabus for the exam where the students have to focus on law-related topics, legal reasoning, Current affairs, legal maxims, the English language, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques. So the choice of which exam to choose is totally up to the student based on factors like the difficulty level of the exam, preference of the campus, and so on.
If the student is interested in pursuing a law course in any NLU or NLU-affiliated university, it is better to choose CLAT. If the student is looking forward to admission to any Symbiosis Law School campus, SLAT is the one. If the Student accepts the challenge and wants to try a difficult law entrance then CLAT is perfect, whereas if the candidate is looking for a straightforward and no negative marking paper, SLAT is a good choice. Candidates can also opt to appear for both exams.
Also Read : CLAT 2025 vs. Other Law Entrance Exams: Which is Better?
Top Law Colleges Accepting CLAT Scores in 2025
SLAT 2025 WAT and PI Preparation: Tips, Strategies & Best Practice
SLAT 2025 Preparation Tips: One-month Preparation Strategy & Subjects Wise Best Books
CLAT vs SLAT Preparation
The entrance exam such as CLAT and SLAT has similar topics which are based on the English language, Current affairs, legal reasoning, logical reasoning, etc. so it is very essential that the student has to know certain things before the exam.
- Understand the Syllabus and exam pattern of both exams well.
- Learn more case studies on the recent legal events that occurred in depth while preparing for the CLAT exam.
- Basic information and legal actions about any legal activities or current events are enough while preparing for SLAT.
- Time management skills have to be practiced while preparing for the CLAT as the aspirant has to understand the passages in detail and then time-consuming answers.
Law School Admissions, 2025
The Students looking for admission to various law schools have to prepare for various law entrance exams such as CLAT, AILET, AIBE 19, LSAT, SLAT, etc. The admissions of the eligible candidates are based on the rank obtained by the student in any one of these entrance exams. The student can choose which exam to appear for as there are many entrance exams National-level exams, State-level exams, and University-level exams based on their preferences. The students will get admission to their preferred college as per their ranking in the law entrance exams.
