CLAT Preparation Tips: Check Section-Wise Preparation Tips

Updated On - December 17th, 2019

Urvashi Singhal

Exams Prep Master

To be able to clear CLAT, a lot depends on your preparation strategies. It is not an easy nut to crack and requires a rigorous amount of effort. The right balance between your work and play will help you fetch better marks. Here we recommend you to devote this crucial time to practise as many CLAT Practice papers as possible so that you prepare a better strategy. 

CLAT 2020 (Common Law Admission Test) is conducted on National Level for providing admission to the Top Law Colleges in India. CLAT 2020 will be conducted on May 10, 2020. Before starting the preparation, candidates are advised to go through the exam pattern and syllabus of the exam. Read MoreCLAT Exam Pattern

This article will aid all the CLAT aspirants in the preparations. Read on to know the best preparation startegy.

CLAT Preparation Tips

Focusing on the topics and preparing well keeping the CLAT syllabus as the base would help the candidate save time as well as has his/her attention on the important topics. Here are few basic CLAT exam preparation tips which may be helpful for candidate appearing for CLAT exam:-

• Speed and Accuracy: The essential factor which will definitely help you make it to the merit list is maintaining speed and accuracy in the exam. Since the exam is of 2 hours in which 150 questions need to be solved, the candidate should try to solve the questions within a minute.
• Time management: This is the most imperative parameter to clear the exam. Manage your time carefully, select the questions you solve first, keeping in mind your stronger areas of study.
• Practice: Always try to solve the questions which are less time consuming. Practice as much as you can, it is one of the most important parameter. Try to solve as many MCQ questions as possible to get a hold of the pattern. Keep practicing questions till the last day. This will improve your performance and will help you tremendously with time management.
• Avoid last minute preparation: Read and revise all the topics thoroughly. Do not start preparing and reading new topics in last few days of the exam. Just revise the ones you have already prepared.
• Make use of memory aids: Make use of short-term techniques to revise the syllabus like Flashcards. This technique will help in reducing your time of going through entire syllabus.
• Revision of previous year question paper: Solving previous year question paper can be beneficial at the time of CLAT preparation. Keep revising in addition to studying new topics.
• Set a goal: Categorization and division of topics as per the assigned time help in achieve your set target.
• Be confident: All the appearing candidates should remain calm and confident. To avoid last minute hassle, the candidate should keep their admit card and stationary at one place. Candidate should avoid unnecessary tension and exam fear.

Section Wise Preparation Tips

Given 5 sections in the exam, the candidate needs to survive through them. Candidate can check given below CLAT Exam section wise preparation tips:

English

• This section will test candidates’ proficiency in grammar and comprehension.
• Candidate should get into the habit of regular reading of a newspaper and any magazine which covers the contemporary events well. This will help in building a good vocabulary and also help with the General Knowledge section.
• Brush up the basics of grammar to tackle the error detection questions and sentence correction.
• Identify the words you are not familiar with and try to understand their meaning and usage.
• Listen to speeches or watch movies and/or documentaries with subtitles. This increases knowledge of spoken English and comes in handy while attempting questions on sentence completion.
• Candidates should talk to people in English. They may feel sluggish and shy at first and will make lots of mistakes but soon they will discover that with more talking, their confidence, as well as their accuracy, is increasing.

Know more on English Preparation Tips

General Knowledge and Current Affairs

• The General knowledge section in CLAT contains 50 questions. This section is the scoring subject in CLAT to the candidate who has interest to stays aware about the latest happenings and events.
• Read Newspaper daily and watch the news for at least 30 mins to have the best idea of what is happening around in order to get through General Knowledge.
• Lucent’s General Knowledge book is sufficient for candidates to prepare well for this section

Know more on General Knowledge Preparation Tips

Legal Aptitude

• Do not assume anything on your own and apply the facts.
• Strict application of the principle i.e. think logically and avoid thinking emotionally.
• Choose the option which comes closest to the given legal principle and elimination method can be used. 
• Do not choose an option based on moral considerations
• Read a newspaper daily and try to learn new topics/ facts from it. 
• Solve as many sample papers/mock tests/ previous year question papers.
• One can answer Legal facts section very easily with the proper knowledge of Fundamental right, Amendment, Judgement and Recommendations & Chairpersons of law commissions
• Focus more on Legal GK section and reading the newspaper/ watching news channels is the best source. Also, it will not only help answering Legal Aptitude GK questions but also will aid in CLAT GK section. 

Know more onLegal Aptitude Preparation Tips

Logical Reasoning

• This section test candidate ability to identify patterns, understanding of logical links.
• Spend some seconds over a question and study each question carefully. A brief explanation of why each choice is correct or incorrect should go into your mind.
• Never assume or use any information that the question fails to give you. Consider ONLY the information given in each reading passage when choosing among the alternative responses.
• Read both the factual passage and the sentence completion instruction carefully. Both must be considered in making your choice.
• Be sure to read all the response choices carefully before eliminating or choosing one of them.
• Candidate can solve most of these questions by following certain tricks and shortcut methods. Therefore, a practice of previous year papers and chapter wise questions is important.
• Candidate should solve questions regularly to get a good grip of it as ample practice should be there.
• Candidate can also prepare for this section is by regularly solving crossword puzzles, Sudoku, riddles, etc.

Know more on Logical Reasoning Preparation Tips

Mathematics

• This section carries only 20 marks out of 200 and the questions asked are of elementary mathematics. This is easy 20 marks if a candidate prepares well.
• Candidate should brush up the basics to get a grip on the fundamental topics.
• Practice is the key to Mathematics, so candidates must practice as many mock tests as possible.

Know more on Mathematics Preparation Tips

Last minute Tips for CLAT Exam

• Stick to topics you’ve prepared and revise.
• Set a Time Period and Revise more important things, like mathematics, legal aptitude, logical reasoning and may be if time left then some general knowledge and English.
• Go through formulas and make sure to go through all the important short-tricks and techniques learnt for solving mathematics questions.
• Go through the Reasoning questions of all the past years’ papers for Legal Aptitude.
• General knowledge, English and logical reasoning is not something you’d be able to prepare or start afresh at this moment. 
• Negative marking is there so don’t rush in and attempt questions you are not sure of.

CLAT Syllabus

Candidates appearing for the exam have to be aware of the complete CLAT syllabus that will be included in the CLAT so as to prepare well and get higher rankings. CLAT syllabus 2020 will come from these five subjects which are given below:

• English and Comprehension: - English Vocabulary, English Proficiency, English Usage Errors
• General Knowledge and Current Affairs: - Events of National and International importance covering current as well as historical events in area of Economics, Science, Technology, Sports, Persons and Places, Books and Authors
• Mathematics: - Arithmetic (Number Theory), Commercial Maths, and Mensuration:
• Legal Aptitude: - International Law, Criminal Law, Indian Constitution, Legal Terms, Legal Maxims, Family Law, Contracts and Torts
• Logical Reasoning: - Reasoning Tests and Logic Tests

CLAT Preparation Books 

To prepare for an exam, books are the best source as they enhance knowledge and provide insights about a topic but, a candidate often faces plenty of problems to choose the right book. To lighten candidates’ burden, all the books mentioned below are chosen after careful research. These books are the best for section wise as well as overall CLAT Preparation. Given below is the section wise CLAT Preparation books :

CLAT Previous Year Solved and Sample Papers:-

Study Package for CLAT & LLB Entrance Examinations (English) 3rd Edition Author: A. P. Bhardwaj (ISBN-10: 9351340341)

The Pearson Guide to the CLAT (ISBN-10: 8131796396)

English Books for CLAT:-

Word Power Made Easy New Revised & Expanded Edition By NORMAN LEWIS (ISBN-10: 0143424688)

OBJECTIVE GENERAL ENGLISH 01 Edition By R. S. Aggarwal (ISBN-10: 8121915317)

General Knowledge Books for CLAT:-

Manorama Yearbook 2020 (English) 50th Edition (ASIN: B00O1N77HG)

Lucent’s General Knowledge(ISBN-10: 8192933563)

CLAT Preparation Books for Mathematics:-

Quantitative Aptitude For Competitive Examinations by R. S. Aggarwal (ISBN-10: 8121924987)

Magical Book On Quicker Maths by Tyra (ISBN-10: 8190458922)

Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by Abhijit Guha (ISBN-10: 9351343553)

Logical Reasoning Books for CLAT:-

A Modern Approach To Logical Reasoning by R. S. Aggarwal (ISBN-10: 8121919053)

Analytical Reasoning by M. K. Pandey (ISBN-10: 8190458914)

CLAT Preparation Book for Legal Aptitude : Legal Awareness and Legal Reasoning : For the CLAT and LL.B. Entrance Examinations by A. P. Bhardwaj(ISBN-10: 933252646X)

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College