Decision-Making Reasoning Questions for CLAT: Criteria Method

📑 On this page

⚡ The short answer

Decision-making questions ask you to pick the best person, option or role description against criteria. First list what the role must have, from the passage or the job itself. Knock out anyone with a dealbreaker, then rank the rest; CLAT often wants the least bad, not the perfect. The trap: the impressive option that fails one must-have.

🎬 The 30-second story

Who runs the sponsorship desk?

“Pick me and Rohan. We're the most popular people on campus.”

🎪

Aarav

The fest committee needs two people to handle ₹4 lakh of sponsor money.

“Popular isn't the job. Handling money and contracts is. What does that need?”

📋

Zoya

Zoya writes the criteria before the names.

“Honest and discreet with money. Meets deadlines. Can pitch sponsors, if possible.”

✅

Meher

Two must-haves, one nice-to-have.

“Wait, posting the budget sheet in the class group counts against me?”

💬

Rohan

It does.

Tara's verdict: Decide on the role's must-haves, not on popularity. One dealbreaker knocks out even a star. Then pick the best of those left, flaws and all.

What do decision-making questions in CLAT look like?

Type	What you do	Where
Profile selection: choose from candidates	Criteria from the role, knock out dealbreakers	2018 Q115
Role caselet: what does the consultant do?	Match options to what the passage says the role does	2025 Q91–96
Problem caselet: what's the best fix?	Find the root cause, choose the step that fixes it	2024 Q101
Eligibility rules: admit, reject or refer	Apply each condition and exception mechanically	CLAT-style

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All four reward the same discipline: criteria before candidates. Look at the names first and you'll choose who you like, then invent reasons.

How do you build a criteria table?

⚔️ Side by side

Must-have vs nice-to-have

🚫Must-have

fail it and you're out

•Comes from the core of the role
•A judge: independence, patience

➕Nice-to-have

breaks ties

•Helps, but the job survives without it
•A judge: published articles, punctuality

Test	Must-have	Nice-to-have
One failure means	Rejection	A lower rank

🧩 Logic grid

The sponsorship desk, clue by clue

	Must-haves		Nice-to-have
	Discreet with money	Meets deadlines	Pitches sponsors
Aarav	✓	✗	✓
Rohan	✗		✓
Meher	✓	✓	✗
Zoya	✓	✓	✓

all 5 clues applied

1. Rohan posted the draft budget in the class group chat.
2. Aarav missed both sponsor-deck deadlines last year.
3. Meher ran last year's accounts to the rupee, always early.
4. Zoya has no money complaints and filed every report on time.
5. Who can pitch? Zoya negotiates hard; Meher freezes on calls.

Solved: Meher and Zoya: the only two with both must-haves. Zoya's temper and Meher's shyness are minuses, not dealbreakers. Aarav pitches brilliantly and is still out.

✓ = confirmed, ✗ = ruled out. Step through the clues to watch the grid fill.

📌 Where criteria come from

If the passage lists criteria, use only those. If it doesn't, take them from the core of the role: what would make this person fail at this job? A judge who is politically active fails; a judge who is punctual is merely better.

What is the method for decision-making questions?

1
Read the role
What is the decision for? A district judge, a treasurer, a consultant. One line.
2
Split the criteria
Must-haves vs nice-to-haves, from the passage or the role's core, never your taste.
3
Knock out dealbreakers
Anyone, or any option, failing a must-have goes. Check which answer choices survive: that is often faster.
4
Rank the survivors
Use nice-to-haves to break ties. Accept the least bad; nobody in the list is perfect.

Which traps hide in decision-making caselets?

⚠️ The star with a dealbreaker

CLAT gives one candidate the best academics or the most charm, plus one fatal flaw. Brilliant but politically active is no judge. A dealbreaker outranks any number of plus points.

Role caselets are different: no candidates, just a passage describing a job, and options listing things someone might do. The trap options are sensible activities that belong to someone else, or kind ones the passage never mentions.

🧭 Decision flow

Is this option part of the role?

❓ Does the passage say the role does this, in these or near words?

Yes →

Part of the role: likely answer

No ↓

❓ Is it another person's job: running daily operations, hiring, maintenance?

Yes →

Wrong person's job

A consultant advises; managers run the company.

No ↓

❓ Is it a caring or sensible add-on the passage never names?

Yes →

Out of scope

Counselling and retreats in 2025 Q96.

No →

Off-topic: reject

What about eligibility-rule questions?

Admission, scholarship and recruitment sets give fixed conditions plus an exception ("refer to the Dean"). Apply every rule mechanically. If a fact the rules need is missing, the answer is data inadequate; don't assume it.

Worked examples: decision-making, step by step

✍️ Worked example Warm-up ⏱ 25 sec

The mess contract

A hostel must award its mess contract to the cheapest bidder holding a valid food-safety licence. Bids: X ₹90 a day, licensed; Y ₹75, no licence; Z ₹85, licensed; W ₹80, licence expired last month.

1
Must-have: a valid licence. Y and W are out, however cheap.
2
Survivors: X ₹90, Z ₹85. Cheapest wins.

Answer: Z

⚡ The exam-hall shortcut

Filter on the must-have first, then sort. Y is bait.

✍️ Worked example CLAT level ⏱ 45 sec

Meher's scholarship

Rules: (i) at least 85% in Class 12; (ii) family income below ₹8 lakh; (iii) no other scholarship. If (i) alone fails but the student scored 80–85% and studied at a rural school, refer to the Dean.
Meher: 83%, rural school, income ₹6 lakh, no other scholarship.

1
(i) fails: 83% is below 85%.
2
(ii) and (iii) pass.
3
Exception: only (i) fails, she is in the 80–85% band, rural school. Every condition met.

Answer: Refer to the Dean

⚡ The exam-hall shortcut

When a rule fails, check the exception before rejecting.

✍️ Worked example Tricky ⏱ 60 sec

Kabir hires a consultant

Kabir runs three cafés. Delivery orders are late, but almost all late orders come from the Sector 9 branch. He hires a consultant whose brief is to study the business, find inefficiencies and recommend changes the staff can adopt.

What should the consultant do first?
(A) Dismiss the Sector 9 manager
(B) Study Sector 9's order and dispatch data, and talk to its staff
(C) Redesign the café logo
(D) Copy the rival café's menu

1
Role: study, find inefficiencies, recommend. Diagnosis comes before any decision.
2
A acts before diagnosing, and firing is a manager's call. C and D target nothing in the facts.
3
B studies exactly where the problem shows up.

Answer: (B) Study Sector 9's data first

⚡ The exam-hall shortcut

In a role caselet, the right option sounds like the brief. Here: study.

How has CLAT asked decision-making questions?

📝 Asked in CLAT 2018 · Q115 Profile selection

In an interview for selection of two District Judges, four candidates, P, Q, R and S were shortlisted. All of them had 10 years standing as Lawyers. I. P – Very academic not much interested in litigation practice, very honest and impatient. II. Q – A patient listener, average in academics, thorough with Laws and sharp. III. R – Jovial, Patient, good academic records and actively involved in politics. IV. S – Shrewd, Quick tempered, punctual and Published several Legal articles

Who among them are most suitable?

AP and Q

BQ and S

CR and S

DP and S

Reveal answer + reasoning

Answer: B

Role: a district judge hears litigation all day and must be impartial. Must-haves: independence and patience in hearing cases. R is active in politics: a dealbreaker for independence. P is impatient and uninterested in litigation, the very work of a trial judge. Q is the clear pick. S is quick-tempered, a minus, but shrewd, punctual and a legal scholar, with no dealbreaker. Only B avoids both P and R. Answer B.

Why the others fail

A — Includes P, impatient and uninterested in the litigation a district judge handles.
C — Includes R; active politics conflicts with judicial independence.
D — Includes P again and leaves out Q, the strongest candidate.

Candidate	Dealbreaker?	Plus points	Verdict
P	Impatient; not into litigation	Honest, academic	Out
Q	None	Patient listener, knows the law	In
R	Active in politics	Patient, good record	Out
S	None (temper is a minus)	Shrewd, punctual, published	In, least bad

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📝 Asked in CLAT 2025 · Q91 Role caselet

Being a consultant, your work consists of a deep examination of the company's environment and its internal system to notice inefficiencies and potential improvements. The interaction with the company's management and different sections to decipher their objectives, opportunities, and processes. This means that, through the use of data analysis, industry best practices, and the formulation of creative ways of solving all problems, to come up with unique solutions to all problems to increase efficiency and productivity… This might entail operations such as logistics redesign, business process reengineering, adopting new applications, systems, or even community relation programs. People management is a critical component of change management, to make sure that all the relevant parties interpret the potential alterations positively. Also, to offer orientation and create resources to explain the changes to the group and make it comfortable with the shift…

What is the primary responsibility of you being a company's efficient consultant?

AAnalyzing the organization's structure, processes, and market position

BManaging daily operations

CHiring new employees

DConducting maintenance

Reveal answer + reasoning

Answer: A

The first sentence is the brief: a "deep examination of the company's environment and its internal system". A restates it. Answer A.

Why the others fail

B — Running the company is management's job; the consultant examines and advises.
C — Hiring appears nowhere in the role.
D — Maintenance is an operations task, not a consultant's.

📝 Asked in CLAT 2025 · Q95 Role caselet: communication

Same passage: people management is a critical component of change management, "to make sure that all the relevant parties interpret the potential alterations positively", and "to offer orientation and create resources to explain the changes to the group".

Why is communication the most relevant thing for a consultant?

ATo ensure all stakeholders understand the proposed changes

BTo organize consumer meets

CTo update the company website

DTo manage the human resources

Reveal answer + reasoning

Answer: A

The passage ties communication to one purpose: making every relevant party understand and accept the changes. A says exactly that. Answer A.

Why the others fail

B — Consumers are never mentioned as an audience.
C — Nothing about websites.
D — Half-right: 'people management' appears, but as explaining change, not running HR.

📝 Asked in CLAT 2025 · Q96 Role caselet: support

Same passage: the consultant is "to offer orientation and create resources to explain the changes to the group and make it comfortable with the shift".

What additional support might a consultant provide to help the team adapt to new processes?

APlanning a retreat for the team members

BTraining and support

CPersonal counselling

DMental Health programs

Reveal answer + reasoning

Answer: B

Orientation and resources to explain the change are, in plain words, training and support. Answer B. The other three are kind, and none is in the brief.

🔬 Option autopsy

Autopsy: 2025 Q96

What support helps the team adapt to new processes?

A Planning a retreat for the team members Tag it

🛸 Out of scope

A treat, not help with the new processes. Never mentioned.

B Training and support Tag it

✅ Correct

Orientation plus resources explaining the change.

C Personal counselling Tag it

❓ Not supported by the text

Sounds caring, but the passage talks about the change, not personal problems.

D Mental Health programs Tag it

🙈 True but irrelevant

Worthy in general, not what adapting to a process needs here.

🛸 Out of scope✅ Correct❓ Not supported by the text🙈 True but irrelevant

Guess the trap behind each option, then tap to check. Wrong options fail in a handful of predictable ways.

Also asked: the same passage's Q92 ("higher management and various departments"), Q93 ("data analysis, industry best practices, and innovative strategies") and Q94 ("supply chain management", from "logistics redesign") all reward matching the brief's own words.

Which decision-making myths cost marks?

💥 Myth vs fact

Traps students fall for

🙅 Myth

Pick the most impressive candidate.

Tap to bust it →

✅ Fact

Must-haves first. A star with one dealbreaker is out.

🙅 Myth

The right pick has no flaws.

Tap to bust it →

✅ Fact

CLAT often wants the least bad. 2018's S was quick-tempered and still chosen.

🙅 Myth

Role caselets test business knowledge.

Tap to bust it →

✅ Fact

They test whether you read what the passage says the role does.

🙅 Myth

Kind, caring options are safe.

Tap to bust it →

✅ Fact

Counselling and retreats were the traps in 2025 Q96.

Can you make the call? Quick quiz

🎯 Quick quiz

Five decisions

0 / 5

Kabir needs a night-shift cashier who is honest with cash and free every night. P: friendly, great latte art, once dismissed over cash shortages. Q: accurate, honest references, free only on weekends. R: honest, accurate billing, free every night, a bit shy. S: free every night, fast, often loses track of change.

Q1. Who is most suitable?

Fest volunteer-pass rules: (i) attend both training sessions; (ii) at least 75% class attendance; (iii) not on the disciplinary list. If only (i) fails, but the student attended one session and sits on the organising committee, refer to the faculty adviser. Aarav attended one session, has 82% attendance, is not on the list and sits on the committee.

Q2. What should be done?

A school circular says the counsellor meets students who seek help, spots early signs of stress, guides parents on supporting their children, and refers serious cases to a psychiatrist. Teachers stay responsible for grading and class discipline.

Q3. Which is NOT the counsellor's responsibility?

A bakery chain's deliveries are late in only one of its five cities. The owner asks a consultant what to do first.

Q4. Best first step?

Same volunteer-pass rules. Rohan attended both sessions and is not on the disciplinary list. His attendance record has not been submitted.

Q5. What should be done?

🎯 Decision-making in a nutshell

Criteria before candidates: read the role first.
Split must-haves from nice-to-haves; one failed must-have means out.
Eliminate answer choices that contain a knocked-out name.
Accept the least bad; nobody is perfect.
Role caselets: match options to the brief's own words.

📎 Cheat sheet

"Who is most suitable?" → profile selection → must-haves first, knock out dealbreakers.
"Primary responsibility / works closely with" → role caselet → find the brief's sentence.
"Possible solution to the decline" → problem caselet → root cause, then the step that fixes it.
"Admit / reject / refer" → eligibility rules → every condition, then the exception.
A needed fact is missing → data inadequate.

Practise the criteria habit

Timed caselets and selection sets with every option explained.

Practise decision-making drills

Frequently asked questions

What are decision-making questions in CLAT?

They ask you to choose the best person, option or description of a role against criteria. CLAT 2018 asked which two of four lawyers should become district judges; CLAT 2025 gave a consultant caselet and asked what the role involves. Both reward listing the role's requirements before judging the options.

How do I choose between candidates who all have flaws?

Separate dealbreakers from minuses. A dealbreaker defeats the core of the role, such as political activity for a judge. A minus, like a quick temper, only lowers a rank. Remove anyone with a dealbreaker, then pick the best of those left.

How should I answer consultant caselets?

Treat them as reading questions. Find the sentence that describes what the consultant does, and pick the option that restates it. Reject tasks that belong to managers or other staff, and caring add-ons the passage never mentions.

When is 'data inadequate' the right answer?

In rule-based selection, when a condition cannot be checked because the facts don't give it. If a rule needs 75% attendance and the record is missing, you cannot accept or reject. Never fill the gap with an assumption.