CLAT Preparation

CLAT Full Form: What Does CLAT Stand For?

The full form of CLAT is Common Law Admission Test. According to Law Prep Tutorial Delhi, it is a national level entrance exam conducted once a year by the Consortium of NLUs for admission to 5 year integrated LLB and LLM programmes at India's National Law Universities and 60 plus colleges

By Anand Sharma4 min readUpdated 25 Aug 2026

Direct answer

The CLAT full form is Common Law Admission Test (Hindi: कॉमन लॉ एडमिशन टेस्ट). It is a national level exam conducted by the Consortium of NLUs for admission to 5 year integrated LLB and LLM at NLUs and 60 plus colleges. It was introduced in 2008 as a single common test. CALT is a misspelling.

Key takeaways

  • • The CLAT full form is Common Law Admission Test.
  • • In Hindi it is कॉमन लॉ एडमिशन टेस्ट (सामान्य विधि प्रवेश परीक्षा).
  • • CLAT is conducted once a year by the Consortium of National Law Universities.
  • • It is used for admission to 5 year integrated LLB and LLM at NLUs and 60 plus law colleges.
  • • People often misspell CLAT as CALT, but the correct term is Common Law Admission Test.
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What is the full form of CLAT?

The full form of CLAT is Common Law Admission Test. It is a national level entrance exam that students take to get admission into law programmes at India's National Law Universities and many other law colleges. Knowing the full form matters because you will see the words Common Law Admission Test on official notifications, application forms and merit lists from the Consortium of NLUs.

CLAT full form breakdown: what each word means

The name explains exactly what the exam does. Each word carries meaning, which is why Law Prep Tutorial Delhi teaches students to read the full form rather than just the abbreviation.

Word

What it means

Common

One shared test used by many National Law Universities together

Law

Admission is into law programmes, the LLB and the LLM

Admission

It is an entrance test for admission, not a degree or a licence

Test

A single objective exam that decides your rank

CLAT full form in Hindi

The CLAT full form in Hindi is written as कॉमन लॉ एडमिशन टेस्ट, and its sense in Hindi is सामान्य विधि प्रवेश परीक्षा, meaning a shared law entrance exam. If you prefer a full Hindi explanation of what CLAT is and why it is held, read our detailed guide on CLAT kis liye hota hai

What is CLAT and what is it used for?

CLAT is the single entrance exam for admission to 5 year integrated LLB programmes after Class 12 and to LLM programmes after graduation. Scores are used by the participating National Law Universities and by 60 plus private and self financed law colleges. In addition, several public sector undertakings such as Coal India, ONGC and BHEL use CLAT PG scores to recruit for legal roles, which is why the exam matters beyond college admission alone.

Why is it called a common test? The 2008 origin

CLAT was introduced in 2008 to solve a real problem. Before CLAT, each National Law University conducted its own separate entrance exam, so students had to prepare for and travel to many different tests. The word common in Common Law Admission Test refers to this single shared test that replaced all those separate exams, which is the whole reason the name begins with common. Today the exam is run by the Consortium of National Law Universities a body registered in Bengaluru.

CLAT UG and CLAT PG full form

CLAT has two levels, and the full form is the same for both, only the course changes. CLAT UG is the Common Law Admission Test for undergraduate 5 year integrated LLB admission, and CLAT PG is the Common Law Admission Test for LLM admission.

Point

CLAT UG

CLAT PG

Full form

Common Law Admission Test

Common Law Admission Test

For

5 year integrated LLB after Class 12

LLM after an LLB degree

Who applies

Class 12 students

Law graduates

Also used by

NLUs and 60 plus colleges

NLUs and some PSUs for legal jobs

Is CLAT the same as CALT? Common misspellings

No, CALT is simply a common misspelling of CLAT. The correct abbreviation is CLAT and the correct full form is Common Law Admission Test. People also type it with spaces as c l a t full form, but there is only one exam and one full form. There is no separate exam called CALT.

Quick facts about the CLAT full form

Detail

Value

Full form

Common Law Admission Test

Full form in Hindi

कॉमन लॉ एडमिशन टेस्ट

Conducting body

Consortium of National Law Universities

Introduced

2008

Used for

5 year integrated LLB and LLM admission

Accepted by

Participating NLUs and 60 plus law colleges

To turn this understanding into a real rank, explore Law Prep Tutorial Delhi's CLAT coaching programs the CLAT study plan and the NLU profiles that CLAT scores unlock. Since AILET is a separate exam, our AILET exam guide explains the difference.

Book a free counselling call at lawpreptutorialdelhi.com/contact or message us on WhatsApp Call +91 8750581505 or follow the admission process

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The full form of CLAT is Common Law Admission Test. It is a national level law entrance exam in India for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate law programmes at National Law Universities and many other colleges.