For every ambitious student dreaming of studying law at one of India’s most prestigious institutions, AILET represents genuinely the single gateway into National Law University, Delhi. Unlike most other national law schools that accept CLAT scores, NLU Delhi runs its own dedicated entrance exam, making AILET the only path in — and that exclusivity is exactly what makes competition here genuinely intense despite limited seats. Whether you’re aiming for the five-year integrated BA LLB program straight after school, or pursuing an LLM or PhD to deepen your legal specialisation, understanding AILET’s distinctly different syllabus structure for each program is what separates candidates preparing with genuine focus from those studying generically and hoping it translates across all three exam formats.
Let’s break down everything you need to know.
AILET 2026: Quick Overview
| Particulars | Details |
| Conducting Body | National Law University, Delhi (NLU Delhi) |
| Full Exam Name | All India Law Entrance Test |
| Programs Covered | BA LLB (Hons.) — Undergraduate, LLM — Postgraduate, PhD |
| Exam Frequency | Once a year (typically held in December) |
| Exam Mode | Offline |
| BA LLB Questions | 150, worth 150 marks |
| BA LLB Duration | 2 hours (120 minutes) |
| LLM and PhD Questions | 100 each, worth 100 marks |
| LLM and PhD Duration | 2 hours (120 minutes) |
| Negative Marking | 0.25 marks deducted per wrong answer (all programs) |
| Number of Attempts | No limit, provided eligibility criteria are met |
| Official Website | nationallawuniversitydelhi.in |
Since BA LLB, LLM, and PhD each follow genuinely distinct syllabi despite sharing the same overall marking scheme, confirming which program you’re targeting is the very first step before you open any preparation material.
Understanding Why AILET Is Genuinely Different from CLAT
This distinction matters for anyone comparing law entrance exams. NLU Delhi, along with NLU Meghalaya, is the only national law university that doesn’t accept CLAT scores — meaning AILET is the sole entrance pathway specifically into NLU Delhi’s programs. While CLAT opens doors to 24 other NLUs, gaining admission to NLU Delhi requires clearing this dedicated test, which genuinely intensifies competition given the university’s reputation and the comparatively limited number of seats available.
BA LLB Exam Pattern: Marks, Duration, and Marking Scheme
The BA LLB entrance consists of 150 multiple-choice questions worth 150 marks, to be completed within 2 hours. Every correct answer earns 1 mark, while every incorrect answer results in a deduction of 0.25 marks, meaning four wrong answers effectively cancel out one correct answer’s worth of marks.
The exam is divided into three sections with the following weightage:
- English Language — 50 questions, 50 marks
- Current Affairs and General Knowledge — 30 questions, 30 marks
- Logical Reasoning — 70 questions, 70 marks
Given that Logical Reasoning alone accounts for roughly 47% of the total paper — the single highest weightage among all three sections — candidates need to treat this section as their genuine priority rather than distributing preparation time evenly across all three areas.
English Language Syllabus (BA LLB)
This section tests grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension skills, covering:
- Reading comprehension passages
- Vocabulary-based questions (synonyms, antonyms)
- Grammar and sentence correction
- Fill in the blanks
- Error spotting
Since strong reading comprehension genuinely underpins legal studies as a discipline, building consistent reading habits alongside grammar revision benefits both your AILET score and your eventual law school coursework.
Current Affairs and General Knowledge Syllabus (BA LLB)
This section tests broad awareness of ongoing developments, covering:
- National and international current affairs
- Static general knowledge
- Legal and constitutional developments in the news
Since this section rewards consistent daily updating rather than last-minute cramming, following current affairs sources regularly throughout your preparation period genuinely builds the depth this section demands.
Logical Reasoning Syllabus (BA LLB): Your Highest-Priority Section
Given its substantial 47% weightage, this section deserves your most focused, sustained preparation effort. Core topics include:
- Analytical reasoning and puzzles
- Syllogisms
- Logical deduction and inference
- Statement and argument-based questions
- Critical reasoning
While no prior knowledge of law, legal principles, or legal terminology is required for this exam, the Logical Reasoning section may genuinely incorporate legal concepts specifically to assess how well candidates can apply reasoning skills to legal-style scenarios. This means candidates benefit from practicing reasoning questions that involve legal or quasi-legal contexts, even without needing formal legal education beforehand.
LLM Exam Pattern: Marks, Duration, and Marking Scheme
The LLM entrance consists of 100 multiple-choice questions worth 100 marks, to be completed within 2 hours (120 minutes). The same marking scheme applies — 1 mark for every correct answer, with 0.25 marks deducted per wrong answer.
Unlike BA LLB, which tests general aptitude alongside reasoning and awareness, the LLM syllabus is built entirely around legal knowledge, covering different branches of law that candidates would have studied during their undergraduate legal education.
LLM Syllabus: Core Law Subjects
The LLM entrance tests candidates across multiple legal specialisations, with Jurisprudence and Criminal Law carrying the highest weightage among the various branches covered. Core areas typically include:
- Jurisprudence — theoretical foundations of legal systems, legal principles, and various schools of legal thought
- Criminal Law — substantive criminal law concepts and principles
- Constitutional Law — constitutional principles and their practical application
- Law of Torts — principles of liability, negligence, defamation, nuisance, and other tortious acts
- Contract Law — foundational contractual principles and their application
Since Jurisprudence and Criminal Law carry disproportionately higher weightage compared to other branches, candidates should allocate proportionally more revision time to these two subjects while still maintaining solid coverage across the remaining legal specialisations.
PhD Exam Pattern and Syllabus
The PhD entrance also consists of 100 multiple-choice questions, following a similar structure to the LLM exam in terms of marks and duration. The PhD syllabus is generally divided into two broad sections — one testing research methodology and academic writing concepts relevant to doctoral-level study, and the other testing substantive legal knowledge similar to what’s covered in the LLM syllabus.
Given the research-oriented nature of PhD admission, candidates should supplement their legal subject revision with genuine familiarity around research methods, academic referencing, and legal research approaches, since this component distinguishes PhD preparation from the LLM entrance test.
Tie-Breaking Rules Worth Knowing
For LLM candidates specifically, if two or more applicants achieve identical scores, NLU Delhi’s tie-breaking procedure first prefers the older candidate. If a tie still remains after this criterion, a random computerised draw determines the final ranking. Understanding this procedure, while not something you can prepare for academically, at least clarifies how close scoring outcomes get resolved.
Why Recent Court Judgments Deserve Attention Across All Programs
A genuinely useful piece of preparation advice that applies across BA LLB, LLM, and PhD candidates alike is staying updated with landmark court judgments and recent legal developments. Since AILET’s Current Affairs component and the legal reasoning embedded within Logical Reasoning both draw from real-world legal and judicial developments, following recent Supreme Court and High Court judgments — even at a summary level — genuinely helps candidates across all three exam formats connect their preparation to questions that test contemporary legal awareness.
Building an Effective Preparation Strategy
Given how differently BA LLB, LLM, and PhD syllabi are structured, your preparation approach needs to align precisely with your target program rather than following one generic “law entrance exam” study plan.
If you’re preparing for BA LLB, dedicate the largest share of your preparation time to Logical Reasoning, given its dominant 47% weightage, while maintaining steady daily practice in English comprehension and consistent current affairs reading. Solving previous year AILET papers specifically — rather than generic reasoning practice meant for other exams — helps you understand exactly how NLU Delhi frames its reasoning questions, including any legal-context scenarios embedded within them.
If you’re preparing for LLM, prioritise Jurisprudence and Criminal Law given their higher weightage, while ensuring comprehensive revision across Constitutional Law, Torts, and Contract Law as well, since a purely narrow focus on just the highest-weighted subjects risks leaving gaps in your overall legal knowledge base.
If you’re preparing for PhD, balance your legal subject revision with genuine preparation in research methodology concepts, since this component genuinely differentiates PhD-level expectations from the LLM entrance test.
FAQs
Q1. Since Logical Reasoning carries such high weightage in BA LLB, does that mean English and Current Affairs deserve minimal preparation time?
Not entirely — while Logical Reasoning’s 47% weightage genuinely deserves priority, English and Current Affairs together still account for over half the remaining marks, so maintaining consistent, steady preparation in both remains necessary even though your greater intensive focus should go toward Logical Reasoning.
Q2. Do I need prior legal knowledge to prepare for the BA LLB entrance exam?
No, the BA LLB exam doesn’t require prior knowledge of law, legal principles, or legal terminology, though the Logical Reasoning section may incorporate legal concepts specifically to test your reasoning ability within legal-style scenarios, so practicing reasoning questions with legal contexts genuinely helps even without formal legal background.
Q3. Since LLM tests different branches of law with Jurisprudence and Criminal Law carrying the highest weightage, should I skip other subjects like Contract Law or Torts entirely?
It’s not advisable to skip any branch entirely — while Jurisprudence and Criminal Law deserve proportionally more revision time given their higher weightage, questions from Constitutional Law, Torts, and Contract Law still appear meaningfully in the paper, so comprehensive coverage across all core legal subjects remains important for a strong overall score.
Q4. Is there a limit to how many times I can attempt AILET if I don’t clear it on my first try?
No, there’s no limit on the number of attempts for AILET, so candidates can appear for the exam as many times as they wish, as long as they continue to meet the eligibility criteria for their chosen program in each attempt cycle.