CLAT 2018 Question Paper
200 questions · standalone MCQs (pre-2020 pattern) · official answer key included.
Source: Consortium of NLUs official CLAT 2018 paper + provisional answer key. Used for educational practice.
CLAT 2018 paper: pattern and analysis
The CLAT 2018 paper carried 200 questions to be answered in 120 minutes, and every question was a standalone MCQ — a self-contained question you answered on its own, not a passage with a cluster of questions hanging off it. Marking was +1 for a correct answer, −0.25 for a wrong one and 0 for an unattempted one, and the exam was conducted by the Consortium of NLUs. This is the old pre-2020 pattern, and 2018 is the oldest paper on the site. Do bear in mind that this format does not match today's exam: from 2020 CLAT became fully comprehension-based and the question count was cut to 150, then to 120 from 2024. To see how each section is defined now, read it alongside the CLAT syllabus.
| Section | Questions | Approx weight |
|---|---|---|
| Legal Aptitude | 50 | ~25% |
| General Knowledge & Current Affairs | 50 | ~25% |
| English including Comprehension | 40 | ~20% |
| Logical Reasoning | 40 | ~20% |
| Elementary Mathematics | 20 | ~10% |
How 2018 differs from today's CLAT
- ✓Standalone questions, not passages — in 2018 each MCQ stood on its own, so you answered straight from what you knew. Today every section is built around a passage you must read and reason through, which is a very different skill.
- ✓200 questions versus 120 today — the 2018 paper was far longer, packing 200 standalone MCQs into the same 120 minutes. The current paper carries only 120 questions, so the rhythm of the exam has changed completely.
- ✓Knowledge-recall was heavier — with a 50-question General Knowledge & Current Affairs section and a 50-question Legal Aptitude section, 2018 rewarded direct recall of legal GK and static GK far more than the reading-led paper of today.
- ✓The two big sections together were half the paper — Legal Aptitude and General Knowledge made up 100 of the 200 questions, so depth in those two areas decided most scores.
⚠️ Use it for knowledge, not format
The 2018 format is outdated — standalone MCQs in a 200-question paper bear little resemblance to today's 120-question, fully comprehension-based exam. Don't use it to judge your exam-day pace or to rehearse the reading skills the current paper tests. Instead, mine it for content: the legal-knowledge and static-GK questions are still worth working through. For the real exam feel, always practise current-pattern papers from 2020 onward.
How to use the CLAT 2018 paper
- 1
Mine it for legal knowledge and static GKWork through the Legal Aptitude and General Knowledge questions as a knowledge bank, not a timed test. Note every legal principle, landmark case and static-GK fact you didn't know, and add them to your revision notes — this is where 2018's real value lies.
- 2
Don't trust it for timing or formatBecause it is a 200-question standalone paper, it won't tell you anything reliable about your speed or reading stamina on the current exam. Treat it as study material, and skip the parts of the format that no longer appear so you're not rehearsing the wrong habits.
- 3
Then sit a current-pattern paper for the real feelOnce you've mined 2018 for knowledge, attempt a comprehension-based paper from 2020 onward as a timed mock. That's where you rehearse today's exact question count, passage-led reasoning and pacing — the things 2018 simply cannot teach you.
🗓️
CLAT 2019 Paper
The next paper in the old pre-2020 era — another standalone-MCQ set to mine for knowledge.
200 Q · old pattern
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All question papers
Every CLAT paper, free to download or attempt online as a timed mock.
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Legal Reasoning
Build the legal-knowledge depth that the 2018 paper is best for, topic by topic.
Section hub
🎯 CLAT 2018 in a nutshell
- 200 standalone MCQs in 120 minutes, conducted by the Consortium of NLUs.
- Marking is +1 for a correct answer, −0.25 for a wrong one and 0 for an unattempted one.
- Section split: Legal Aptitude 50, General Knowledge & Current Affairs 50, English 40, Logical Reasoning 40, Elementary Mathematics 20.
- This is the old pre-2020 pattern — the oldest paper on the site, and not the format you will face today.
- Use it to build legal-knowledge and static-GK depth, but practise 2020-onward papers for the real exam feel.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions were in CLAT 2018?
The CLAT 2018 paper had 200 questions, to be answered in 120 minutes. Every question was a standalone MCQ, not a passage-based set. They were split across five sections: Legal Aptitude (50), General Knowledge and Current Affairs (50), English including Comprehension (40), Logical Reasoning (40) and Elementary Mathematics (20).
What was the CLAT 2018 exam pattern?
CLAT 2018 followed the old pre-2020 pattern: 200 standalone multiple-choice questions in 120 minutes, conducted by the Consortium of NLUs. Marking was +1 for a correct answer, −0.25 for a wrong one and 0 for an unattempted one. Each question stood on its own rather than hanging off a reading passage.
Is the CLAT 2018 pattern still relevant?
Not for format. From 2020 CLAT became fully comprehension-based and shrank to 150, then 120 questions, so the 2018 standalone-MCQ structure no longer matches the exam. It remains useful for building legal-knowledge and static-GK depth, but rehearse pace and reading skills on current-pattern papers from 2020 onward.
What sections were in CLAT 2018?
CLAT 2018 had five sections: Legal Aptitude (50 questions), General Knowledge and Current Affairs (50), English including Comprehension (40), Logical Reasoning (40) and Elementary Mathematics or Numerical Ability (20). Legal Aptitude and General Knowledge were the two largest, together making up 100 of the 200 questions — half the paper.
How is CLAT 2018 different from today's paper?
CLAT 2018 had 200 standalone MCQs that tested direct recall, while today's paper has 120 fully passage-based questions that test reading and reasoning. The older paper leaned far more on legal GK and static GK. Both run for 120 minutes, but the question count, style and skills demanded are quite different.
Should I attempt the CLAT 2018 paper as a mock?
Treat it as a knowledge bank rather than a timed mock. Because it is a 200-question standalone paper, it won't reflect your speed or reading stamina on the current exam. Mine its Legal Aptitude and General Knowledge questions for facts and principles, then sit a 2020-onward paper for an honest read of your exam-day pace.