The CLAT PG 2021 question paper is available below with the answer resources already provided on this page. The exam was held on 23 July 2021 from 2 pm to 4 pm. It was an offline paper with 120 multiple-choice questions based on 20 legal passages.
One answer changed after objections were reviewed. In the official final notification, the answer to question 116 changed from C to B. No CLAT PG question was withdrawn, so the final maximum remained 120 marks.
CLAT PG 2021 highlights
120 MCQs, 120 marks and 120 minutes
20 passages with six questions after each passage
One mark for a correct answer and a 0.25-mark deduction for a wrong answer
Final-key change: question 116 moved from C to B
CLAT PG 2021 Paper Overview
The Consortium of National Law Universities conducted CLAT PG 2021 as a pen-and-paper test for LL.M. admission. Its 14 June 2021 notification confirmed 120 MCQs in 120 minutes and removed the descriptive section for that year.
Paper detail
CLAT PG 2021
Exam date and time
23 July 2021, 2 pm to 4 pm
Mode
Offline, pen and paper
Questions and marks
120 MCQs for 120 marks
Duration
120 minutes
Marking
+1 for a correct answer, −0.25 for a wrong answer and 0 for an unanswered question
Paper structure
20 legal passages, each followed by six questions
The questions covered judgments, statutes and legal principles studied in the LL.B. course. Many could be answered only by combining the passage with prior legal knowledge. The paper asked for case names, Article numbers, statutory provisions and the effect of court decisions.
CLAT PG 2021 Answer-Key Timeline
The Consortium released the master paper and provisional answers on the exam day, accepted objections for one day and issued the final correction four days later.
23 July 2021Exam held. The master paper and provisional answers were released at 9 pm.
24 July 2021The objection window closed at 9 pm.
27 July 2021The final notification changed question 116 from C to B.
The official objection notice also said that four booklet series were used. Students had to match a question from their own booklet to the master question number before raising an objection. For the analysis below, every range refers to the master question paper.
CLAT PG 2021 Passage-Wise Topics
The paper did not print separate subject sections. The table follows the master paper from question 1 to 120 and names the main issue in each passage.
Master questions
Main passage topic
1–6
Theoretical and practical approaches to jurisprudence
7–12
Human liberty, fair investigation and Articles 14 and 21
13–18
Permanent commission for women officers and gender equality
19–24
Right to property, eminent domain and constitutional protection
25–30
Bail under Section 439 of the CrPC and the limit on a mini-trial
31–36
Daughters as coparceners under the Hindu Succession Act
37–42
Offer, acceptance and counter-proposals in contract law
43–48
Passive euthanasia and advance medical directives
49–54
Open courts, public access and in-camera proceedings
55–60
Gender stereotypes and improper bail conditions
61–66
Recalling and examining witnesses under Section 311 of the CrPC
67–72
Torture, Article 21 and the UN Convention Against Torture
73–78
Extradition, deportation and exclusion
79–84
Child custody, parental rights and the welfare of the child
85–90
SFIO investigations and time limits under the Companies Act
91–96
Public interest litigation and its misuse for private disputes
97–102
Rights of persons with disabilities
103–108
Suspension of sentence and bail after conviction
109–114
Instant communication, counter-offers and contract formation
115–120
Environmental duties, pollution rules and producer responsibility
The spread was wider than a simple constitutional-law and criminal-law split. It included jurisprudence, family law, contracts, company law, disability rights, international law and environmental law. Several passages also connected two areas of law, so exact subject percentages would depend on how each passage is classified.
Important Questions in the CLAT PG 2021 Paper
Permanent commission and gender equality
Questions 13–18 used the Supreme Court's reasoning on permanent commission for women officers. The group began by asking students to identify Ministry of Defence v. Babita Puniya. It then moved to the Court's directions, Article 14 and the use of gender stereotypes. This passage required knowledge of both the judgment and the equality rule behind it.
Bail is not a mini-trial
Questions 25–30 dealt with Section 439 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The passage said that a court deciding bail may look for a basic case against the accused, but should not closely test all the evidence or order scientific tests. Question 28 asked for this exact difference. Other questions checked which courts have special bail powers and the conditions they may impose.
Daughters' coparcenary rights
Questions 31–36 followed the law explained in Vineeta Sharma v. Rakesh Sharma. The passage focused on the amended Section 6 of the Hindu Succession Act, genuine partitions and the rule that a daughter's coparcenary right does not depend on whether her father was alive on the date of the 2005 amendment.
Bail conditions and judicial gender stereotypes
Questions 55–60 examined two linked problems: bail conditions with no connection to the case and stereotypes about women in judicial orders. Question 57 asked which conditions a court cannot impose. Question 59 asked students to identify the statement that was not a gender stereotype. The group tested how equality and personal liberty apply to everyday court orders.
What the paper testedThe passages supplied the legal setting, but many answers were not copied directly from the text. Students also needed to recognise cases, provisions and legal terms connected with the issue.
CLAT PG 2021 Final Answer Key and Question 116
Question 116 asked which law was used to make the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules. The provisional key showed option C, which said both the Air Act and the Environment Protection Act. The official final notification changed the answer to option B, the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
Answer-key stage
Question 116
Meaning
Provisional key
C
Both laws
Final key
B
Environment Protection Act, 1986
If a downloaded copy shows C beside question 116, the final score must be checked with B. Compared with the provisional calculation, this adds 1.25 marks for a B response and removes 1.25 marks for a C response; other answers and a blank response are unaffected.
How to Calculate the CLAT PG 2021 Score
Add one mark for each correct answer and subtract 0.25 for each wrong answer. An unanswered question gets zero. Since no PG question was withdrawn, all 120 questions remained in the final evaluation.
Score formulaCorrect answers − (wrong answers × 0.25). For example, 80 correct, 25 wrong and 15 unanswered questions give 73.75 marks.
Things to Remember About the CLAT PG 2021 Paper
Use the final answer B for master question 116.
The question numbers in another booklet series may not match the master paper order.
The paper uses the IPC, CrPC and Indian Evidence Act names that applied in 2021. Keep those names while reading this historical paper.
Original practice: three questions on a fictional university rule.
Choose your answers, then submit the set.
Read the passage
A fictional university rule requires written reasons before a research grant is withdrawn. In an urgent safety case, payment may be suspended immediately, but written reasons must be sent within 8 days. An appeal may be filed within ten days after those reasons are received. The appeal body may examine whether the rule was followed; it cannot replace the grant policy with a policy it prefers.
Topics You Can Practise
−
Area
Question focus
Environmental Law
Noise pollution, hazardous waste and producer responsibility
Constitutional Law
Environmental duties and constitutional amendment
Before Scoring Your Attempt
−
Check
Use
Year
Keep historical paper rules with the paper
Booklet
Match the code and question text, not just the number
Key
Use the final applicable revision, not an earlier appended table
Short-set maximum
Include every question in the set, including unanswered questions
Example: 18 correct and six wrong in a thirty-question set = 16.5/30 under +1/-0.25 marking.
CLAT PG Question Paper FAQs
Downloads and Format
Are Sets A, B, C and D four different mock tests? +
They are booklet versions of the same examination. Questions can appear at different numbers, so use the matching set when checking answers. A second set may repeat questions you have already attempted.
How should I review a correct answer that I guessed? +
Keep the mark, but check the sentence or legal principle supporting the answer. If you were choosing between two options, identify the word or exception that rules out the other one.
Should I change an old question to match a newer law? +
Keep the original wording and legal context when solving a previous-year question. Changing the statute or facts can change the answer. Revise later legal developments separately for the upcoming exam.
Practice and Scoring
Are the practice questions taken from CLAT PG 2021? +
No. They are original questions based on a fictional university rule. The passage supplies the rule, exception, appeal deadline and limits on the reviewing body.
Can the practice result predict my CLAT PG rank? +
No. It shows your accuracy on three questions. Rank depends on performance in the full examination and other candidates' scores.
What happens when I retry mistakes? +
Retry mistakes includes only incorrect and unanswered questions. Restart set brings back all three. Changing an answer clears the previous result.
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.
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