CLAT vs PU Law vs AILET vs SLAT — Which Law Entrance Should You Actually Target?
Four different exams, four different application windows, and most families only find out the real differences after wasting a month on the wrong prep. Here's the honest side-by-side.
✅ Quick Answer
Most serious aspirants don't choose just one. CLAT (26 NLUs, 6 Dec 2026) is the widest net. AILET (13 Dec 2026) is a single, high-competition bet on NLU Delhi. SLAT (tentative Dec 2026, two attempts, no negative marking) is a low-risk addition to the same prep. PU CET Law (tentative Mar–May 2027) is a genuine first choice — not a fallback — for anyone based in or open to Chandigarh/Punjab, since its merit formula rewards Class 12 marks too, not just the entrance score. The syllabus overlap across all four is large enough that one structured preparation plan realistically covers them together.
The Decision Matrix
Numbers below are the verified 2027-cycle facts this academy actually teaches from — not estimates. Where an official notification hasn't been released yet, that's stated plainly rather than guessed at.
| Factor | CLAT 2027 | AILET 2027 | SLAT 2027 | PU CET Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conducted by | Consortium of NLUs | NLU Delhi | Symbiosis Law School | Panjab University |
| Colleges / Campuses | 26 NLUs + affiliated institutes | NLU Delhi (UG + PG) | SLS Pune, Noida, Hyderabad, Nagpur | UILS Chandigarh, PURC Ludhiana, PUSSGRC Hoshiarpur |
| Exam Date | 6 December 2026 | 13 December 2026 | December 2026 (tentative — 2 tests, best of the two) | ~March–May 2027 (official notification pending) |
| Pattern | 120 MCQs, 120 marks, 2 hours, passage-based | 150 questions, 120 minutes | 60 questions, 60 minutes, 5 sections × 12 Qs | 100 questions, 90 minutes |
| Negative Marking | −0.25 per wrong answer | Yes (confirm exact deduction in the current notification) | None | −0.25 per wrong answer |
| Key Sections | English, Current Affairs/GK, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, Quant | English, GK, Legal Aptitude, Reasoning (no Quant) | Logical Reasoning, Legal Reasoning, Analytical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, GK | Legal Aptitude, General Awareness, English, Logical Reasoning (approx. split) |
| Merit Basis | Entrance score only | Entrance score only | Entrance score only (best of 2 attempts) | 50% entrance + 50% Class 12 marks |
| Eligibility (headline) | Class 12 pass/appearing — check official notification for exact %/age criteria | Class 12 pass/appearing — check official notification for exact %/age criteria | Min. 45% in Class 12 (40% SC/ST) | Class 12 pass/appearing |
Which One Actually Fits You?
🏆 Want the widest shot at an NLU?
CLAT. 26 NLUs and thousands of seats between them means your rank has somewhere to land even if NLSIU/NALSAR are out of reach. It's the default first choice for most serious aspirants for exactly this reason.
🎯 Specifically want NLU Delhi?
AILET. Only one college, so it's a concentrated bet — worth sitting alongside CLAT prep (the overlap is real), not instead of it, unless NLU Delhi is genuinely your only target.
📍 Based in or open to Punjab/Chandigarh?
PU CET Law. UILS Chandigarh is a strong, affordable government law school five minutes from where we teach, and the merit formula means your Class 12 performance genuinely helps — not just your test-day form.
🛑 Want a low-risk addition to your prep?
SLAT. No negative marking, two attempts with the better one counting, and enough syllabus overlap with the others that it costs little extra effort once you're already preparing for CLAT/AILET/PU.
Learn More About Each Exam
Preparing for More Than One? So Are Most of Our Students.
One structured batch, one set of mocks, exam-specific practice layered in closer to each date. Talk to us about which combination makes sense for you.