The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is a national-level entrance examination conducted every year in the month of December for admission into prestigious National Law Universities (NLUs). It assesses areas such as legal reasoning, logical thinking, reading comprehension, and general awareness. As the number of students appearing for this examination increases every year, it becomes essential for aspirants to understand how to prepare effectively and strengthen their chances of selection.
I, Snighdha Gupta, founder of Maansarovar Law Centre and an achiever with an All India Rank 23 in the SSC CGL examination, aim through this document to guide young aspirants on how they can begin their CLAT preparation journey in a structured and result-oriented manner.
Step 1: Understand the CLAT Exam Before You Start Your Preparation
The biggest mistake students make is starting preparation without knowing what exactly the exam wants from them.
Before starting any preparation, visit the official CLAT website and understand:
• Exam structure
• Total Number of questions asked
• Sections involved and how are they divided
• Marking scheme for the exam ( Negative Marking, if any)
You must know what you getting into before you start the journey. Otherwise, your preparation will lack direction, motivation and clarity.
Step 2: Go Through all the Previous Year Papers (Non-Negotiable)
Before assuming anything about the exam, read as many previous year CLAT papers and AILET papers as you can.
Do not rush to solve them immediately and do not target on marks at first instance. First, just observe, read the paper carefully, understand what exactly the exam wants you to do. Also, check the:
• Length of passages: is it uniform in every year exam.
• Type of questions: Passages are narrative, descriptive or a mixture of everything.
• Level of difficulty: How do you find the passage; easy, moderate or difficult.
• Nature of comprehension
• Number of Passages the paper contains.
This one step will give you a clear picture of the exam before you start your studies.
Step 3: Understand the Timeline of the exam and Plan your journey Accordingly
CLAT is conducted once a year, so your preparation must be according to the given timeline and a student should make their schedule accordingly.
Ask yourself these questions before you
• How many months of preparations do I have?
• Am I starting early or I am late for my preparation ?
Based on this, you can create a realistic road map, where you can divide the number of hours you want to allot to your preparation, the number of hours you want to give to coaching and the number of hours you want to give to other things like newspaper reading and mock solving.
Step 4: Read a Newspaper Daily — A must
CLAT is largely a reading-based exam. Newspaper reading is something you just cannot avoid. It has to be done on regular basis on similar timings if possible.
I strongly recommend start your journey with Indian Express, as it is easy to understand and has a good editorial section which will help you to enhance your reasoning and language.
How to read:
• Focus on editorials and important national and legal news: But do not make notes, as, in coaching you will get proper notes. Newspaper Reading is just to enhance your understanding on particular issues.
• Avoid reading everything blindly: News that is region specific, state specific and does not address anything important can be avoided.
What you must do:
• Maintain a vocabulary notebook
• Write down new words you encounter, even if you write five words daily. It is enough.
• Learn their meanings and usage
You may also note down important current affairs, but keep it brief.
Newspaper reading is useful only when done daily.
Step 5: Build a Daily Practice Habit
Consistency is what you need to clear CLAT exam.
Every day, you must:
• Solve comprehensions daily, make sure to solve at-least two comprehension.
• Practice one set of quantitative questions: on topics like profit and loss, percentage, average and Ratio and proportion.
Since CLAT is mostly passage-based, daily reading practice along with solving comprehension is essential.
Step 6: Understand What Subjects to Study (Subject-Wise Approach)
Legal Reasoning
Focus on these four basics of law:
• Criminal Law
• Contract Law
• Law of Torts
• Constitutional Law
Also, stay updated with current legal developments, it is the most important thing from which comprehensions in law are expected.
GK & Current Affairs
• Mostly current-based and static based on current affairs.
• Newspaper reading plays a major role
Logical Reasoning
Practice both:
• Logical reasoning: Critical thinking, passage based, inference based, assumptions based questions.
• Analytical reasoning: Puzzles, Blood Relations, Syllogisms and other important topics.
The pattern has been evolving, so ignoring any topic is not advised.
English
This will automatically improve through:
• Daily comprehension practice
• Vocabulary building through newspapers and different mocks and books.
Quantitative Techniques
Focus primarily on:
• Percentages
• Basic arithmetic
Do not overcomplicate this section. But ensure to practice this daily.
Step 7: Stay Consistent
CLAT preparation is not about how much you study, it is about how constant and regular you are with your studies.
It is about:
• Studying regularly
• Maintaining discipline through newspaper reading and mock solving
• Building a routine and incorporating everything that has been mentioned above.
Consistency will always beat intensity.
Step 8: The Role of Coaching
While self-study is possible, it often lacks proper guidance.
A good coaching institute can:
• Provide proper direction
• Save time by proving all the relevant material
• Help you in getting a Rank.
Coaching provides you smart work, which turns your hard work into selection.
Final Words
CLAT is not an exam that requires any extraordinary intelligence.
It requires:
• The right approach
• Consistent practice
• A disciplined method
If you begin correctly, half the battle is already won.
FAQ's
1. How many months are required to prepare for CLAT?
Ideally, 6–12 months of focused preparation is sufficient but every student needs to evaluate his or her individual needs.
2. Can I crack CLAT without coaching?
Yes, but it requires discipline and the consistency which can be done through proper guidance.
3. Is newspaper reading compulsory for CLAT?
Yes, it is very important and cannot be avoided.
4. What should I study first for CLAT?
Start by understanding the exam pattern and evaluate the previous year papers, then make your own roadmap.
5. How many hours should I study daily for CLAT?
Consistency and practice matter more than hours. 4–6 focused hours daily is sufficient, but skipping days and then trying to compensate by studying intensely for a few days is not an effective approach.