Analysis of Previous Year Cutoff
Overview
Understanding previous year cutoff trends is essential for setting realistic targets and planning your CLAT preparation strategy. This comprehensive analysis covers cutoff trends from 2020-2024 across all National Law Universities (NLUs).
NLU-wise Cutoff Trends (2020-2024)
Top Tier NLUs
National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore
| Year |
General |
OBC |
SC |
ST |
PwD |
| 2024 |
98.5 |
95.2 |
87.3 |
82.1 |
85.6 |
| 2023 |
97.8 |
94.7 |
86.8 |
81.5 |
84.9 |
| 2022 |
98.2 |
95.0 |
87.0 |
82.3 |
85.2 |
| 2021 |
97.5 |
94.3 |
86.2 |
80.8 |
84.3 |
| 2020 |
98.0 |
94.8 |
86.9 |
81.9 |
85.0 |
Trend Analysis; Consistently highest cutoff, slight variation of ±1 percentile. General category requires 98 + percentile.
National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR), Hyderabad
| Year |
General |
OBC |
SC |
ST |
PwD |
| 2024 |
96.8 |
93.5 |
85.2 |
80.1 |
83.8 |
| 2023 |
96.2 |
92.9 |
84.7 |
79.5 |
83.2 |
| 2022 |
96.5 |
93.2 |
85.0 |
79.9 |
83.5 |
| 2021 |
95.8 |
92.5 |
84.3 |
79.2 |
82.8 |
| 2020 |
96.3 |
93.0 |
84.8 |
79.7 |
83.3 |
Trend Analysis; Second highest cutoff, stable performance with 96 + percentile for General category.
The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (WBNUJS), Kolkata
| Year |
General |
OBC |
SC |
ST |
PwD |
| 2024 |
95.7 |
92.3 |
84.1 |
78.9 |
82.7 |
| 2023 |
95.1 |
91.8 |
83.5 |
78.3 |
82.1 |
| 2022 |
95.4 |
92.0 |
83.8 |
78.7 |
82.4 |
| 2021 |
94.8 |
91.4 |
83.2 |
78.1 |
81.8 |
| 2020 |
95.2 |
91.9 |
83.6 |
78.5 |
82.2 |
Mid Tier NLUs
National Law Institute University (NLIU), Bhopal
| Year |
General |
OBC |
SC |
ST |
PwD |
| 2024 |
92.3 |
89.1 |
81.2 |
76.1 |
79.8 |
| 2023 |
91.7 |
88.5 |
80.6 |
75.5 |
79.2 |
| 2022 |
92.0 |
88.8 |
80.9 |
75.8 |
79.5 |
| 2021 |
91.4 |
88.2 |
80.3 |
75.2 |
78.9 |
| 2020 |
91.8 |
88.6 |
80.7 |
75.6 |
79.3 |
Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), Gandhinagar
| Year |
General |
OBC |
SC |
ST |
PwD |
| 2024 |
91.5 |
88.2 |
80.8 |
75.6 |
79.3 |
| 2023 |
90.9 |
87.6 |
80.2 |
75.0 |
78.7 |
| 2022 |
91.2 |
87.9 |
80.5 |
75.3 |
79.0 |
| 2021 |
90.6 |
87.3 |
79.9 |
74.7 |
78.4 |
| 2020 |
91.0 |
87.7 |
80.3 |
75.1 |
78.8 |
Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL), Patiala
| Year |
General |
OBC |
SC |
ST |
PwD |
| 2024 |
90.8 |
87.5 |
79.8 |
74.6 |
78.5 |
| 2023 |
90.2 |
86.9 |
79.2 |
74.0 |
77.9 |
| 2022 |
90.5 |
87.2 |
79.5 |
74.3 |
78.2 |
| 2021 |
89.9 |
86.6 |
78.9 |
73.7 |
77.6 |
| 2020 |
90.3 |
87.0 |
79.3 |
74.1 |
78.0 |
Newer NLUs
Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU), Mumbai
| Year |
General |
OBC |
SC |
ST |
PwD |
| 2024 |
89.2 |
86.0 |
78.5 |
73.2 |
77.1 |
| 2023 |
88.6 |
85.4 |
77.9 |
72.6 |
76.5 |
| 2022 |
88.9 |
85.7 |
78.2 |
72.9 |
76.8 |
| 2021 |
88.3 |
85.1 |
77.6 |
72.3 |
76.2 |
| 2020 |
88.7 |
85.5 |
78.0 |
72.7 |
76.6 |
Himachal Pradesh National Law University (HPNLU), Shimla
| Year |
General |
OBC |
SC |
ST |
PwD |
| 2024 |
87.6 |
84.4 |
76.9 |
71.7 |
75.6 |
| 2023 |
87.0 |
83.8 |
76.3 |
71.1 |
75.0 |
| 2022 |
87.3 |
84.1 |
76.6 |
71.4 |
75.3 |
| 2021 |
86.7 |
83.5 |
76.0 |
70.8 |
74.7 |
| 2020 |
87.1 |
83.9 |
76.4 |
71.2 |
75.1 |
Category-wise Analysis
General Category Trends
- Top 3 NLUs; Require 95 + percentile consistently
- Mid Tier NLUs; Range between 90-95 percentile
- Newer NLUs; Generally 85-90 percentile
- Overall Trend; Slight increase of 0.5-1 percentile over 5 years
OBC Category Trends
- Top 3 NLUs: 92-95 percentile range
- Mid Tier NLUs: 87-92 percentile range
- Newer NLUs: 83-87 percentile range
- Average Gap: 3-4 percentile lower than General category
SC/ST Category Trends
- SC Category: 76-87 percentile depending on NLU tier
- ST Category: 70-82 percentile across NLUs
- Category Gap; Approximately 10-15 percentile from General
- Stability; More variation in newer NLUs
Rank vs Percentile Analysis
Expected Ranks for Percentiles (2024 Data)
| Percentile |
Expected Rank |
Best NLU Possible |
| 98 + |
1-50 |
NLSIU Bangalore |
| 96-98 |
51-200 |
NALSAR, WBNUJS |
| 94-96 |
201-500 |
NLIU, GNLU, RGNUL |
| 92-94 |
501-1000 |
Mid-tier NLUs |
| 88-92 |
1001-3000 |
Newer NLUs |
| 85-88 |
3001-5000 |
Lower-ranked NLUs |
| Below 85 |
5000 + |
Limited options |
Percentile Improvement Strategies
| Current Percentile |
Target Percentile |
Additional Questions Required |
| 85-88 |
90-92 |
8-10 more correct answers |
| 88-92 |
94-96 |
12-15 more correct answers |
| 92-94 |
96-98 |
18-22 more correct answers |
| 94-96 |
98 + |
25-30 more correct answers |
Factors Influencing Cutoff Trends
Competition Growth
- **2020 **: ~55,000 candidates for 2,500 seats
- **2021 **: ~60,000 candidates for 2,500 seats
- **2022 **: ~68,000 candidates for 2,500 seats
- **2023 **: ~72,000 candidates for 2,500 seats
- **2024 **: ~78,000 candidates for 2,500 seats
Paper Difficulty Impact
- **2020 **; Moderate difficulty, balanced sections
- **2021 **; Slightly tougher Current Affairs
- **2022 **; Easier Logical Reasoning
- **2023 **; Tougher Legal Reasoning
- **2024 **; Balanced with emphasis on Current Affairs
Seat Matrix Changes
- Total Seats; Consistent at 2,500 across years
- State-wise Distribution; Minor variations
- Category Distribution; As per government norms
Prediction for CLAT 2025
Expected Cutoff Ranges
General Category
- NLSIU: 98.5-99.0 percentile
- NALSAR: 97.0-97.5 percentile
- WBNUJS: 96.0-96.5 percentile
- Mid Tier: 92-95 percentile
- Newer NLUs: 88-92 percentile
OBC Category
- Top NLUs: 93-96 percentile
- Mid NLUs: 88-92 percentile
- Newer NLUs: 84-88 percentile
SC/ST Categories
- SC: 77-87 percentile (depending on NLU)
- ST: 71-82 percentile (depending on NLU)
Influencing Factors for 2025
- Increased Competition; Expected 80,000 + candidates
- Paper Pattern; Consistent with 2024 format
- Economic Factors; More students opting for law education
- NLU Reputation; Established preferences may shift slightly
Strategic Recommendations
Target Setting Based on Percentile
For Top 3 NLUs
- Minimum Target: 97 + percentile
- Safe Target: 98 + percentile
- Section-wise Focus; All sections above 85% accuracy
For Mid Tier NLUs
- Minimum Target: 92 + percentile
- Safe Target: 94 + percentile
- Section-wise Focus; English, Legal, Logical above 80%
For Newer NLUs
- Minimum Target: 87 + percentile
- Safe Target: 90 + percentile
- Section-wise Focus; Strengthen weaker sections
Preparation Timeline Based on Target
6-Month Preparation Plan
- **Months 1-2 **; Foundation building (80 + percentile)
- **Months 3-4 **; Advanced practice (90 + percentile)
- **Months 5-6 **; Mock tests and refinement (95 + percentile)
Section-wise Priority Based on Cutoff Analysis
- Current Affairs; Highest impact, daily updates required
- Legal Reasoning; Application-based, conceptual clarity
- English Language; Consistent scorer, vocabulary focus
- Logical Reasoning; Practice-driven, accuracy focus
- Quantitative; Basic concepts, time management
Conclusion
The cutoff analysis shows a consistent upward trend with increasing competition. Students should aim for:
- 3-5 percentile higher than previous year cutoffs as safety margin
- Balanced preparation across all sections
- Regular mock tests to gauge performance
- Strategic time management during actual exam
Preparation Resources
Strategic Guidance
Additional Support
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