CLAT Preparation Strategy: Free Mocks & Materials, Important Topics, and more…

The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) exam, conducted by the Consortium of NLUs, is divided into 5 sections that test your different skill sets like Language, Reasoning, General & Legal Knowledge, and Quantitative Ability. Most of the questions are asked in passage form making it really important to have good reading skills similarly while preparing for CLAT there are a few pointers that you need to focus on to score good marks in the CLAT exam. In this article, we will discuss the CLAT Preparation Strategy for each section of the CLAT exam.

CLAT Eligibility Criteria

Before Giving the exam it is really important for aspiring candidates to know the eligibility criteria of the CLAT exam. The following criteria should be met by the students:-

Minimum Age Limit: Candidates who are going to appear for Class 12th exams are eligible to take the CLAT exam.

Maximum Age Limit: There is no upper age limit for candidates appearing for the UG Programme through the CLAT exam.

Minimum Percentage: Candidates must secure the following minimum percentage of marks in their qualifying examination (i.e., 10+2 or an equivalent examination):

1. 45% Marks or its equivalent grade in case of candidates belonging to General / OBC / PWD / NRI / PIO / OCI categories
2. 40% Marks or equivalent in the case of candidates belonging to SC/ST categories.

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CLAT Exam Pattern

Before we discuss the CLAT Preparation Strategy, let’s discuss the exam pattern of the CLAT exam like No. of Questions, the Marking Scheme, and the Total Time:-

Note–

• The marking scheme of the paper is +1 for every Correct and -.25 for every Incorrect answer
• The question type is Multiple Choice Questions.
• The mode of the exam is Offline.
• The exam is conducted in the month of December.

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Let’s discuss the CLAT Preparation Strategy and the Syllabus in detail:-

CLAT Section-Wise Syllabus

The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) exam is divided into 5 sections which test your different skill sets like Language, Reasoning, General & Legal Knowledge, and Quantitative Ability. Most of the questions are asked in passage form making it really important to have good reading skills similarly while preparing for CLAT there are a few key points that you need to focus on to fetch a good score in the CLAT exam. In this article, we will discuss the CLAT Preparation Strategy for each section of the CLAT exam.

CLAT Preparation Strategy and Tips

The CLAT exam has undergone a huge change in recent years. Now most of the questions will be asked in the passage form (long paragraphs), also the General Knowledge and Current Affairs section will be asked in the passage form. Since the pattern has changed, the CLAT Preparation Strategy also has to be changed or rather it should be upgraded. You should go through the CLAT 2023 exam paper to get a comprehensive understanding of the paper pattern. Following old materials is not advisable. Here, We will be providing you with a comprehensive CLAT Preparation Strategy based on the New CLAT exam pattern:-

• Self Study or Coaching: The most common question that comes to mind of the students are how to prepare for the CLAT exam, and whether to take a coaching or not. The best decision would be a combination of both. Now, the CLAT Syllabus is not something that you have previously covered in your school curriculums. Hence, coaching would give you direction in your preparation by providing you with relevant study material and tests. You can then solve assignments and practice material for self-study.

• Study Material: Choosing a relevant study material that follows the exact exam pattern is highly recommended for an efficient CLAT Preparation Strategy. Books are not frequently updated, so relying on them entirely is not recommended. Use a combination of online resources and books that take care of both your basic concepts and practice to cover your preparation.

• Previous Year Papers: Previous year question papers are the best resource to understand the type and variety of questions asked in the CLAT exam. Solving PYQs will help you get accustomed to the actual CLAT exam and make you familiar with high-weightage and important topics. You can also take previous years’ papers in the form of tests on our website.

• Prepare a Timetable: There is no one timetable that can fit into everyone’s schedule. Everyone has different priorities and preferences for study time. Hence, prepare your own timetable and stick to it. This will inculcate discipline in your CLAT Preparation strategy.

• Work on Fundamentals: Building basic concepts should be the first priority before jumping on to the CLAT exam-level questions. There is enough time if you’re starting now. So focus on studying the fundamental concepts and practice easier questions at first. Then, gradually move on to the higher-level questions.

• Practice Multiple Questions: After completing a topic, practice as many questions as you can from that particular topic. Go from lower to higher difficulty level questions. Only revising the concepts multiple times through practice can get you prepared for the CLAT exam. For the same reason, we provide topic-wise practice assignments for all the topics that are covered in class. These will be available on your student dashboard and will be unlocked after completion of each respective topic.

• Mocks and Analysis: A mock test is a simulation of the actual exam. So as the exam nears, taking mocks regularly should be a part of your CLAT Preparation strategy. Additionally, analyzing the mocks you take and figuring out your weaker areas is equally important. Taking mocks will give you an idea of where you stand with your preparation for the CLAT exam. Analysing them will give you an idea of your strengths and weaknesses which in turn will help you give a final touch to your CLAT preparation.

Expert Tip for CLAT Exam :

1. Inculcate a Reading Habit: The changed CLAT exam pattern only consists of long paragraph-based questions. So include a reading habit in your CLAT Preparation strategy which will surely help you in the CLAT exam. Practice reading through articles and newspapers daily.
2. Practice Calculation: Practice basic calculations. CLAT has 120 questions that need to be solved within 120 minutes. So, you cannot waste your precious time in calculations. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, squares, cubes, and their roots must be learned.
3. Reading Newspaper: Apart from improving the language, reading newspapers also helps you to improve your General Knowledge and Current Affairs part which is a very important part of the CLAT exam.

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CLAT Section-Wise Preparation and Exam Strategy

Now that you know the overall exam strategy, let’s discuss the preparation strategy for each section of the CLAT Exam:-

CLAT English Language Preparation Strategy

The English section of the CLAT exam mostly comprises passages. This section will check how well you can comprehend the passages and what you make out of them. The nature of passages could be descriptive, narrative, historical, philosophical, etc. The questions mostly revolve around inferences with a few vocabulary-based questions. The length of passages varies between 300-400 words.
Tip: If you do not know the exact meaning of a word, the sentences if carefully read can give you a clue as to what the word might mean.

How To Approach a Passage?

There are multiple ways to approach a passage. One might go through the entire passage and then attempt the question, read the questions first and then start reading the passage; or simultaneously answer the question while reading the passage. While either of the first two options is a good approach, the third option might cause some chaos when it comes to analyzing the passage. It’s totally up to you to decide which strategy to include or abide by for your CLAT Preparation, as every student has their own preferences. The tone and gist of the passage can only be analyzed once it is thoroughly read. Note down the important key pointers in the passage separately so that you do not have to skim the passage again and again in case you forget something. This can prove to be a major time saver for you.

How To Approach the Questions?

Some of the questions might be very direct. For others that are not, the options might be very confusing and related. Sometimes you might feel that there could be more than one right answer. So instead of finding the right answer, start eliminating the wrong options. The rule of elimination works when it comes to RCs. Include this approach in your CLAT preparation strategy for the English Language.

Take the author’s words as they are. Even if you know what the author is saying might not be universally true, you’ll have to assume the author’s statements as the truth and answer accordingly.

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CLAT Legal Reasoning Strategy

The Legal reasoning section assesses a candidate’s ability to reason legally and consider the evidence from the standpoint of several modern moral theories. The Legal Reasoning section is considered to be the lengthiest and the most time-consuming section out of all five sections of the CLAT exam. Hence, preparing for this section is also an important part of the CLAT Preparation, as you may have never come across such topics in school.

You have to be aware of the significant cases from the past year, landmark decisions, and both static and contemporary legal challenges. It helps a great deal in comprehending the questions more quickly. Learn about the latest topics as well as all the new enactments and changes made throughout the parliament sessions. In situations where you do not have sufficient time to fully understand the question, having read things beforehand can prove to be beneficial in the CLAT exam.

CLAT Logical Reasoning Preparation Strategy

The logical reasoning section might be one of the most unpredictable sections in the CLAT exam and a very integral part of the CLAT Preparation. Here, theoretical learning is not of much use, and application-based learning, solving as many question sets as possible would be the best strategy. Start your preparation by first of all going through the previous years’ papers and analyzing what type of questions are asked.

Candidates must learn to be able to read between the lines to derive the insight to solve the logic questions. So, develop attentive reading and pay small attention to details. Before you start answering a question, take your time and thoroughly read it.

NEVER make assumptions or make use of any details that the question does not provide. When selecting from the available options, take into account only the details provided in the passages. At times there may not be a specific answer to the question, instead, there may be cases so before deciding on or ruling out a response, be sure to carefully read each option.

CLAT Quantitative Techniques Preparation Strategy

The Quantitative Techniques section is one of the highest-scoring sections in the CLAT exam. The questions generally range from easy to moderate levels. The first step towards clearing this section would be to work on the fundamental concepts. Topics such as averages, percentages, quick calculations, squares, and cubes should be included in your CLAT Preparation Strategy.

Practice is necessary for Quant problems rather than just studying theoretically. Practice strengthens the topics learned and increases accuracy and speed. Learn some helpful shortcuts and tricks for handling quantitative issues. These shortcuts frequently produce the right response quickly. Learn these shortcuts to strengthen your CLAT Preparation.

Pro tip: Keep the rough sheet handy for any calculations you make throughout the exam. Given that the questions are comprehension-based, you might need to use the prior solution to respond to the one that follows.

Top 10 Colleges through CLAT

The following are the Top 10 Law Colleges that accept the CLAT exam:-