CLAT is India’s most significant law entrance exam. Law aspirants around the country spend months gearing up for this exam. Getting a good score in CLAT can help them land a coveted seat in one of the prestigious NLUs. But that brings us to our question.
What is a good score in CLAT 2025? How many marks do you need to score to get a seat in a top NLU? While the goal should be to score as high as possible, a deeper analysis of the trends in the past years can give you more clarity about your target score.
In this blog, we’ve compiled the marks you’ll need to get into the top NLUs and what is a good score in CLAT
A general idea about a good CLAT 2025 score
Considering the fluctuations in scores over the past few years, a common consensus says that anything above 100 is a great score and will guarantee a seat in all the top NLUs. However, this might only sometimes be true.
For instance, for CLAT 2024, the general male cutoff for NLSIU Bangalore was 103.5.
A score of 95+ can be considered reasonable for other top NLUs, such as NALSAR Hyderabad and WBNUJS Kolkata. In CLAT 2023, students with a score of 75+ could secure seats in one of the 22 NLUs.
What will a good attempt look like in CLAT 2025?
We’ve broken down the total score across sections to give you a fair idea of a good attempt. This number can vary depending on the difficulty level of the questions in the specific sections.
| SECTION | DIFFICULTY LEVEL | GOOD ATTEMPT |
| Current Affairs/GK | Moderate to Difficult | 20-22 |
| Critical Reasoning | Easy to Moderate | 25 |
| Legal Reasoning | Easy to Moderate | 35 |
| English Language | Moderate | 20-21 |
| Quantitative Techniques | Moderate | 7-8 |
CLAT 2025, Marks vs Rank, Previous Year Analysis
According to the trends, for CLAT 2025, candidates must score above 90 to get admission to top NLUs, scoring around 75%. A CLAT score of around 80-90 will be considered decent and can get admission in NLUs lower in rank.
The table below estimates CLAT cut-off marks for top NLUs and first-round counselling marks for the general category candidates.
| CLAT Marks vs Rank 2024 | Cut-off for General Category (Round 1) | ||
| College Name | CLAT Score | Opening Rank | Closing Rank |
| National Law School of India University, Bengaluru | 90+ | 1 | 97 |
| NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad | 90+ | 6 | 158 |
| The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata (BA LLB Hons.) | 90+ | 140 | 262 |
| NLU Jodhpur | 84+ | 170 | 341 |
| National Law Institute University, Bhopal (BA LLB) | 84+ | 311 | 404 |
| Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar | 84+ | 210 | 429 |
| MNLU Mumbai | 82+ | 99 | 547 |
| Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow | 75+ | 410 | 694 |
| HNLU Raipur | 75+ | 434 | 707 |
| National Law University, Odisha | 72+ | 591 | 10180 |
CLAT 2025, Marks vs Rank, Previous trends
The Consortium declares the merit list comprising the rank secured by the candidates. The percentage of students scoring more than 80 marks is very low. The highest mark obtained so far in the CLAT exam is 116.75 out of 150 in CLAT 2023.
The given table compares marks and ranks of CLAT 2022. Candidates can go through the table to understand the trends.
| CLAT Marks vs Rank 2022 | ||
| Score range | Rank range | Number of Candidates |
| 125-130 | 1 | 1 |
| 120-125 | 2-3 | 2 |
| 115-120 | 4-5 | 2 |
| 110-115 | 6 | 1 |
| 105-110 | 7-9 | 3 |
| 100-105 | 10-19 | 10 |
| 95-100 | 20-57 | 38 |
| 90-95 | 58-173 | 116 |
| 85-90 | 174-362 | 189 |
| 80-85 | 363-743 | 381 |
| 75-80 | 744-1411 | 668 |
| 70-75 | 1412-2318 | 907 |
| 65-70 | 2319-3572 | 1254 |
| 60-65 | 3573-5200 | 1628 |
| 55-60 | 5201-7284 | 2084 |
| 50-55 | 7285-9841 | 2557 |
| 45-50 | 9842-12994 | 3153 |
| 40-45 | 12995-16746 | 3752 |
| 35-40 | 16747-21135 | 4389 |
| 30-35 | 21136-26442 | 5307 |
| 25-30 | 26443-32188 | 5746 |
| 20-25 | 32189-38320 | 6132 |
| 15-20 | 38321-44066 | 5746 |
| 10-15 | 44067-48884 | 4818 |
| 5-10 | 48885-51683 | 2799 |
| 0-5 | 51684-52956 | 1273 |
| -0.25 to -5 | 52957-53208 | 252 |
| -5.32 to -9.5 | 53209-53226 | 18 |
Previous years’ CLAT cut-off marks vs rank
Now, let’s look at closing ranks and closing marks of general candidate students for some of the top NLUs. This table will help you determine your target score based on the college you wish to attend.
Before we get there, here are a few essential pointers to keep in mind:
- The number of seats in NLSIU Bangalore has increased from 120 to 180. This opens the opportunity to get into India’s best law college for more candidates.
- Most universities now offer domicile reservations. Utilising the domicile reservation will give you some leeway with the score. Even with a score that may not be on par with the general trend, domicile reservation can get you in.
- Last year, the previous general candidate for an NLU scored 74. With that score as the minimum benchmark, your goal should be to score 90+ for a shot at the top 5 NLUs.
| NLU | Closing Rank | Closing Marks | Total Seats | All India Seats |
| NLSIU Bangalore | 83 | 103.5 | 180 | 135 |
| NALSAR Hyderabad | 172 | 99 | 132 | 99 |
| WBNUJS Kolkata | 241 | 96.75 | 132 | 91 |
| NLU Jodhpur | 356 | 93.25 | 120 | 87 |
| GNLU Gandhinagar | 366 | 93 | 172 | 156 |
| NLIU Bhopal | 378 | 92.75 | 120 | 60 |
| MNLU Mumbai | 453 | 91.5 | 150 | 55 |
| RMLNLU Lucknow | 676 | 87.25 | 169 | 81 |
| HNLU Raipur | 765 | 86 | 170 | 85 |
| RGNLU Patiala | 1075 | 82.25 | 180 | 162 |
| NUALS Kochi | 1144 | 81.5 | 60 | 31 |
| NLU Cuttack | 1072 | 81.25 | 106 | 79 |
| CNLU Patna | 1312 | 79.75 | 138 | 54 |
| DSNLU Visakhapatnam | 1473 | 78.5 | 138 | 54 |
| MNLU Nagpur | 1448 | 78.5 | 120 | 46 |
| NUSRL Ranchi | 1507 | 78.25 | 120 | 60 |
| NLUJAA Guwahati | 1659 | 77 | 60 | 31 |
| TNNLS Tiruchirappali | 1834 | 75.75 | 114 | 57 |
| DNLU Jabalpur | 1949 | 74.75 | 120 | 48 |
A good CLAT score – some critical insights for the top 4 NLUs
NLSIU Bangalore
It is the highest-ranked and most famous law college in the country. This also makes it the hardest to get into. For general candidates, a good rule of thumb is to score a minimum of 100 even to be considered for admission. Those using the domicile reservation can aim for 96+.
NALSAR Hyderabad
It is as competitive as NLSIU, with general candidates requiring a 100 to have a decent chance. Telangana domicile students should aim for 90+.
WBNUJS Kolkata
WBNUJS is the most prestigious law school in the Eastern region of India. A good CLAT 2025 score for a general candidate would be 96+; for a domicile student, it’ll be 85+.
NLU Jodhpur
NLU Jodhpur is India’s fourth most popular NLU. A combination of legacy, reputation, and good placement records have pushed it into the conversation of best NLUs. Highly competitive to get into, general candidates require at least 93 to have a shot, while domicile candidates will require 85+.