CLAT 2024 Preparation Tips – Know how to prepare for CLAT Exam

For those who wish to pursue a career in law, CLAT is one of the top law entrance exams in India. The CLAT exam is a gateway for admission to the BA LLB (Hons) and LLM Programme in the participating national law universities (NLUs) of India.

Before appearing in the CLAT entrance exam, it is important for the candidates to know how to prepare for CLAT 2024. Here in this article, we will give you a step-by-step guide on CLAT 2024 preparation tips & tricks.

CLAT 2024 – Overview

CLAT is an acronym for Common Law Admission Test (CLAT). It is a national level entrance exam for admission to undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) law programmes offered by the 22 national law universities across the country. 

The CLAT exam is conducted every year by the consortium of National Law Universities in the month of December. Every year lakhs of students apply for the exam from across the country to get admission into the participating NLU’s. 

CLAT 2024 Preparation Tips

Candidates preparing for CLAT exam must focus on each section and practice mock papers as much as possible. It is important for the candidates to know about the CLAT exam pattern and syllabus and then accordingly prepare a study plan and timetable for the examination.

Here in this article, we are covering CLAT 2024 preparation tips & tricks with recommended books and study material.

How to prepare for CLAT – Tips & Tricks

• Know Syllabus and Exam Pattern
• Prepare a Timetable
• Study from Best Books
• Make Notes
• Revise and Practice
• Solve Mock Test & Previous Year Question Paper

Know CLAT Syllabus

Candidates must first understand the CLAT exam syllabus. CLAT exam syllabus can be obtained from the “consortium of NLU’s” official website. Candidates can check and download the syllabus and prepare accordingly.

CLAT UG Syllabus comprises topics from subjects such as general knowledge, English, mathematics, legal aptitude, and reasoning. Candidates seeking admission to the UG program can go through the syllabus given below:

Quantitative Techniques: In this section, topics will be covered from Basic Algebra, Menstruation, Statistical Estimation, Graphs, Numerical Information, Ratio, Proportion, etc.

English Language: Passages, Reading, Comprehension, Inference, Conclusion, Summary, Vocabulary, etc.

General Knowledge & Current Affairs: Contemporary events of National and International Significance, Arts and Culture, International Affairs, Historical Events of significance.

Legal Reasoning: Rules and passages of law, application of the rules and passages, etc.

Logical Reasoning: Argument- Premise and Conclusion, Inference, Relationships and Analogies, Contradictions and Equivalence, etc.

CLAT Preparation – Exam Pattern

• CLAT UG exam will be pen-paper based comprising 150 multiple choice questions carrying 1 marks each.
• The total time duration to complete the exam is 2 hours.
• 1 mark will be awarded for the correct answer and 0.25 marks will be deducted for the wrong answer.

The table below mentions the CLAT UG paper pattern and no. of questions from each subject.

CLAT PG Exam Pattern

• The CLAT exam paper for PG courses carries 120 MCQs of 1 mark each.
• The total time duration to complete the exam is 2 hours.
• The questions in the CLAT PG exam will comprise subjects of constitutional law and other areas of law such as jurisprudence, administrative law, law of contract, torts, etc.

Prepare a Time Table

• Timetable plays an important role in preparing a study plan. Make a timetable which includes all the subjects. Always study days-wise and also allot time for revision and mock tests.

• Timetable is a great way of planning & organizing your day-to-day tasks. It saves your time, avoids procrastination, and gives you mental satisfaction.

• Set weekly & monthly goals and practice as much as you can.

CLAT Books & Study Material

Below we have recommended some of the best CLAT books & study materials:

• Self Study Guide CLAT 2024 by Arihant
• Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
• Legal Awareness and Legal Reasoning by AP Bhardwaj
• Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations by RS Aggarwal

CLAT Preparation – Subject wise

Check below subject-wise CLAT preparation tips:

English Language Preparation Tips

• CLAT question paper will contain 28-32 questions from the English section. In this section, candidates will be provided passages of about 450 words each. 
• In this section candidates’ comprehension and language skills will be checked.
• Candidates can prepare this section by reading passages and drawing conclusions based on the passages.
• Understanding the meaning of the words and phrases used in the passage.
• Candidates can read their class 12th English language & literature books to prepare for this section.

Current Affairs & General Knowledge Preparation Tips

• This section will contain passages derived from news, and non-fiction sources. Candidates will have to answer questions related to legal knowledge (specific to the passage). 
• The questions asked in this section Arts and Culture, International affairs demonstrate your awareness of various aspects of current affairs and general knowledge.
• Candidates can read newspapers and current affairs magazines to prepare for this section.

Logical Reasoning  Preparation Tips

• The logical reasoning section includes a passage of about 300 words, candidates are required to answer questions that will require them to:
• Recognize an argument, its premises, and conclusions;
• Read and identify the arguments set out in the passage;
• For this section, candidates need to prepare from the logical reasoning-based books. Try to practice as much as you can, and solve similar type of questions that was asked in the previous year.

Quantitative Techniques

• This section will include short sets of facts or propositions, graphs, or other textual, pictorial, or diagrammatic representations of numerical information, followed by a series of questions.
• For this section candidates will required to apply 8th, 9th, and 10th class basic mathematical operations to solve the problem.

Revision & Practice

• Make a daily habit of revision. Candidates should revise the topics studied earlier, before starting a new topic.
• Timely revision of studied topics helps to reduce anxiety and stress levels among candidates.
• Solve mock tests and previous year’s Papers
• Solving mock tests is the best way to prepare for the exam, It helps in managing your time and you will also be able to track your progress for the exam.
• Try to solve as many mock tests as possible. This will help you gain the speed and accuracy needed to crack the exam.
• Previous year exam papers are also a great way to identify the type of questions asked in the exams. Try to solve and practice the previous year’s papers on each subject and analyze the paper pattern. 

Frequently asked questions (FAQ’s)