PU LLB 2026 Negative Marking — Attempt Strategy & Smart Guessing Rules
PU LLB has -0.25 negative marking. That single number changes how you should attempt the paper. Here is the maths, the section-wise risk profile, and the attempt strategy that gives Chandigarh's top-100 their edge.
The Negative Marking Maths
+1 for correct, -0.25 for wrong, 0 for unattempted. To break even on a random guess, you need to be right 1 in every 5 attempts (20%). With 4 options, blind guessing is exactly break-even. Eliminate even 1 option and the odds tilt in your favour — that's when you should guess.
Section-wise Attempt Strategy
- GK / Current Affairs — attempt only if you're 80%+ sure; skip the rest. GK guesses are the biggest score-killer.
- Legal Reasoning — attempt all; principle is given, elimination is reliable
- Mental Ability / Reasoning — attempt all; time is the constraint, not knowledge
- English / Comprehension — attempt all; almost zero penalty risk if you read carefully
The 'Eliminate-Then-Guess' Rule
Never blind-guess on a 4-option question. Spend 15 seconds to eliminate at least 1 option — your accuracy jumps from 25% to 33%, which is well above the break-even threshold. Eliminate 2 options and you're at 50% accuracy = a clear +0.375 expected value per attempt.
Ideal Attempt Counts (out of 100)
- Top-500 rank — 75–82 attempts with 70%+ accuracy
- Top-200 rank — 80–88 attempts with 75%+ accuracy
- Top-50 rank — 88–94 attempts with 80%+ accuracy
- AIR 1 territory — 95+ attempts with 85%+ accuracy
Practice the strategy in mocks
Track 'wrong attempts' separately from 'correct' in every mock — if your wrong count exceeds 15, your guessing is too aggressive. <a href="/jury-law-academy">Jury Law Academy</a> mock reports automatically flag this. See attempt data in our <a href="/pu-llb-mock-test">PU LLB mock test page</a>.
Talk to a mentor in Chandigarh
For personalised counselling on PU Law, CLAT, AILET and Judiciary preparation in Chandigarh, visit Jury Law Academy — Sector 34's top-ranked law coaching.
Frequently asked questions
- Yes — both have -0.25 per wrong answer with +1 for correct. The strategy difference comes from section weightages, not the penalty itself.
- Yes — for GK questions you have no idea about, blank is better than guessing. For legal reasoning and English, attempt almost everything.
- 97 attempts out of 100, with 87 correct = 84.75 final score. That's the upper-end of what's humanly possible in 90 minutes.