CLAT logical reasoning syllabus
Logical Reasoning in CLAT is critical reasoning rather than puzzle solving. There are no seating arrangements, no syllogism grids and no coding questions. The section gives you an argument and asks whether it holds.
It is also the one section where the Consortium says each passage is followed by one or more questions, rather than the series of questions it specifies elsewhere, so single question passages are expected here. The CLAT UG syllabus hub page covers the other four sections.
Pattern
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Questions in this section | 22 to 26 |
| Share of the paper | Roughly 20 per cent |
| Marks per question | 1 |
| Deducted for a wrong answer | 0.25 |
| Passage length | Short passages of about 450 words each, followed by one or more questions |
| Sectional timing | None. Two hours cover the whole paper |
The Consortium publishes these counts as approximate ranges rather than fixed numbers, so the figure moves between cycles while the paper total holds at 120.
| Section | Questions | Share of the paper |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | 22 to 26 | Roughly 20% |
| Current Affairs, including General Knowledge | 28 to 32 | Roughly 25% |
| Legal Reasoning | 28 to 32 | Roughly 25% |
| Logical Reasoning | 22 to 26 | Roughly 20% |
| Quantitative Techniques | 10 to 14 | Roughly 10% |
| Total | 120 | 100% |
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What the section tests
- Recognising an argument, its premises and its conclusions
- Reading and identifying the arguments set out in the passage
- Critically analysing patterns of reasoning
- Assessing how conclusions may depend on particular premises or evidence
- Assessing how conclusions may be strengthened or weakened by an alteration in premises or supporting facts
- Inferring what follows from the passage and applying those inferences to new situations
- Drawing relationships and analogies
- Identifying contradictions and equivalence
- Assessing the effectiveness of arguments
Strengthen and weaken questions are named explicitly, and they are the format that separates candidates in this section. A weakening option attacks the link between premise and conclusion rather than disputing a stated fact.
What is not in this section
- No seating arrangement or puzzle sets
- No syllogism in the formal grid format
- No coding and decoding
- No blood relations or direction sense
- No number series or alphanumeric series
- No non-verbal or figure based reasoning
How to spend the time
Separate the conclusion from the premises before reading the options. Almost every question type in the list depends on knowing which sentence is the conclusion, and the options are written to catch candidates who picked the wrong one.
For strengthen and weaken questions, test each option against the link between the premise and the conclusion rather than against the facts. An option can be true and still do nothing to the argument.
Inference questions ask what must follow, not what probably follows. Options that are plausible but not entailed are the standard trap.
Because passages here may carry only one question, the cost of reading a hard passage is higher than in English or Legal Reasoning. Judge quickly and move on. Browse the available CLAT UG practice papers.
Common mistakes
- Preparing bank exam style reasoning, with puzzles, syllogism grids and coding, none of which appears
- Identifying the wrong sentence as the conclusion
- Choosing a weakening option that disputes a fact rather than the reasoning
- Treating an inference question as asking what is likely rather than what must follow
- Spending as long on a one question passage as on a six question one
- Guessing blind at 0.25 a wrong answer
CLAT Logical Reasoning against bank exam reasoning
| Feature | CLAT Logical Reasoning | Typical bank exam reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Passage based critical reasoning | Standalone puzzle sets |
| Puzzles and seating arrangement | Not asked | Roughly half the section |
| Coding and decoding | Not asked | Regularly asked |
| Syllogism | Not asked in grid format | Regularly asked |
| Strengthen and weaken | Named in the syllabus | Rare |
| Reading load | About 450 words per passage | Minimal |
Frequently asked questions
How many Logical Reasoning questions are in CLAT?
22 to 26, roughly 20 per cent of the paper.
Are there puzzles or seating arrangements?
No. CLAT Logical Reasoning is passage based critical reasoning, not puzzle solving.
Is syllogism asked?
Not in the formal grid format used by bank exams. The section works through arguments in passages.
How long are the passages?
Short passages of about 450 words each.
How many questions follow each passage?
One or more. This is the only section where the Consortium uses that wording rather than a series of questions.
What is a weakening question?
One that asks which option damages the argument. The answer attacks the link between the premises and the conclusion rather than disputing a stated fact.
Is coding and decoding in the syllabus?
No.
Is non-verbal reasoning asked?
No. There are no figure based questions.
Does this section need prior knowledge?
No. Everything needed is in the passage.
Is there negative marking?
Yes, 0.25 for a wrong answer.