Preparing for the CLAT exam while in Class 12 is quite common, but you can crack it if you apply right strategy. Read below to know some tips that will help you to do well in the exam.
If you are in Class 12, you must be thinking that what strategy you can apply to prepare for CLAT without compromising your board exam preparation. This concern is valid since both exams are often scheduled close to each other. While it might be confusing, when to start CLAT 2026 preparation? The best thing is that the CLAT Syllabus can be covered easily if you decide to.
Also Read: Idioms and Proverbs for CLAT 2026 With Meaning
You can easily cover the CLAT syllabus while preparing for the board exams, especially since sections like Quantitative Techniques. Read further to know how to prepare for CLAT Exam along with Class 12th board exams?
Also Read: How to prepare for CLAT in 6 months: Tips, Tricks & Study Plan for CLAT 2026
- Tips to prepare for CLAT in Class 12th
- CLAT 2026 - Section-wise questions and weightage
- Topic-wise tips to prepare for CLAT 2026 from Class 12
- How to prepare for CLAT 2026 with boards
Tips to prepare for CLAT in Class 12th
One of the most important part is to begin your CLAT preparation on time. Try and solve as many sample papers, mock tests and previous years' question papers as possible. If you start your preparation way before, you will be able to do all this. Begin your preparation with the CLAT important topics first. Once done, you can begin other topics. Some of the challenging part is to decide how much time should be dedicated to preparing for CLAT exam. For that, make sure you give 3 to 4 hours daily. You should also make a study plan so that you don't loose way during your journey.
Tips for Effective Study: Candidates can follow the following study plan to score well in CLAT Exam:
- Create a Study Plan
- Assess Your Progress
- Cover Important Topics First
- Seek Help If required
- Stay Consistent
The CLAT UG question paper will have questions from five sections:
- Current Affairs including GK
- English Language
- Legal Reasoning
- Logical Reasoning
- Quantitative Techniques
When preparing for these sections, remember the weightage carried by them.
Yes it is very much possible to clear the CLAT Exam in first go. You just need to be consistent and prepare well. Candidates must include attempting mock test and solving past years question paper in their study plan.
As per NIRF ranking 2025, NLSIU Bangalore emerged to be as the No. 1 ranked NLU colleges in India. Listed below are the other NLUs in India along with their top NLU in India rank wise 2025:
Top NLUs in India | NIRF 2023 | NIRF 2024 | NIRF 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 1 | |
2 | 2 | 2 | |
4 | 4 | 4 | |
7 | 8 | 5 | |
18 | 21 | 27 | |
24 | 22 | 30 | |
30 | 26 | 15 | |
28 | 27 | 35 |
Disclaimer: This information is sourced from official website of the ranking body listed and may vary.
CLAT 2026 - Section-wise questions and weightage
| Subject |
Number of questions |
|---|---|
| 28-32 |
|
| 35-39 |
|
| 35-39 |
|
| 28-32 |
|
| 13-17 |
Reference material or CLAT books - If you closely analyse the CLAT exam pattern and syllabus released by the consortium for the CLAT exam, you will note that not all sections are equal. Also, each section in the question paper is designed to test a different skill set. So, to succeed, you need to follow the best CLAT reference material that is out there.
Here are some of the features of good reference material or best books for CLAT
- Error-free - If a book is filled with errors, stay away from it. Rather than help you in your effort to crack CLAT, it will only sabotage your plans. So, ensure that the books are clean, well-written, and contain few to no errors. If you can’t do it yourself, take help from a senior.
- Well-known published - Good books are typically published by reputable publishers.
- Contain examples, illustrations, charts, etc - These items make learning fun, easy, and engaging. Also, it helps to memorize important points.
- Comes with question sets - These problem banks can be found at the end of each chapter or at the end of the book. Problem sets can help edify what you have learned, develop problem-solving skills, and understand how different concepts interact.
Topic-wise tips to prepare for CLAT 2026 from Class 12
The CLAT test is designed to test the comprehension and reasoning abilities of the candidate. Also, typically, no prior knowledge is needed to solve the CLAT question paper, apart from maybe the Current Affairs section.
- English Language - The section will contain 45–word passages and test your comprehension and language skills.
- Current Affairs including GK -Will assess your awareness of current affairs and GK. You will given passages and for that you don't need any prior knowledge of legal subjects. To prepare for this section, make sure you rea newspaper and opinion pieces daily.
- Quantitative Techniques - This section will test your ability to derive, infer, and manipulate numerical information. The level of questions asked in the 10th standard.
- Legal Reasoning -Questions will be passage-base,d and you are required to identify and infer rules and principles, and use these rules and principles to solve problems.
- Logical Reasoning - This section will test skills like the ability to recognize an argument, its premise, conclusions, etc. This section can only be mastered through practice, as simple rote learning won’t work
While it is bit challenging as its syllabus is not defined. Candidates can expect question on CLAT Current Affairs from anywhere. But if you do prepare well your chances to score high in this section also increases. The best way to prepare is to read the newspaper on a daily basis. Rest is to read GK books.
To prepare for this section which cover 10 percent marks of the total CLAT paper it is important to have a right approach. Candidates must note that you can score really well if you study the Class 19 level mathematics properly. Be regular and plan strategically rather than trying to learn advance maths,
Explore colleges based on CLAT
How to prepare for CLAT 2026 with boards
One of the biggest challenge is to prepare for board exams and CLAT too. Some of the tips that can help you to prepare well:
- Make a separate study plan for boards and CLAT exam
- Utilise summer and winter vacations
- Focus on important and more weightage topics first
- Solve sample papers
- Attempt Mock tests
Read More:

She has over 10 years of experience in the education and publishing sectors. She specialises in exam coverage and content creation. At Shiksha, she writes, analyses, and presents information for students preparing f
Read Full BioNews & Updates
Explore Other Exams
5 May '26 | AILET Fourth Provisional Merit... |
4 Feb '26 | AILET Third Provisional Merit ... |
8 Jun '25 | LSAT India 2025 May Session Re... |
May '25 | LSAT India 2025 May Exam |
Feb '26 | ULSAT 2026 Admit Card |
20 Jan '26 | ULSAT 2026 Applications (3-yea... |
Apr '26 | RULET 2026 Application Process |
May '26 | RULET 2026 Correction Window |
8 Jan '26 - 28 Feb '26 | MH CET Law 2026 Application (f... |
9 Jan '26 - 15 Mar '26 | MH CET Law 2026 Application (f... |
Jul '23 | LFAT 2023 Declaration of Resul... |
1 Jun '23 - 7 Jun '23 | LFAT 2023 Reserved Exam Dates |
Feb '26 | ACLAT Exam 2026 |
1 Oct '25 | ACLAT 2025 Application |
29 Jan '26 - 9 Apr '26 | PU UGLAW 2026 Online Registrat... |
Apr '26 | PU UGLAW 2026 last date of fee... |
Student Forum
Answered Yesterday
To prepare for CLAT Exam you need right books and good study plan. You must solve past-year question papers and mock tests.
N
Contributor-Level 8
Answered Yesterday
Some of the important topics of CLAT Legal Reasoning include
- Legal Maxims
- Important Supreme Court Judgments
- Legal GK
- Indian Constitution
- Important Acts and Amendments of the Legislature
- Current Affairs
M
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 2 days ago
Yes, you can join many law colleges without CLAT by applying through private universities, which often take students based on merit or interviews. You can also go for state-level law exams like MH CET Law, TS LAWCET, and others, or appear for university-specific entrance tests. In many places, direc
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
CLAT is a national-level law exam held for admission into 24+ National Law Universities (NLUs). It mainly tests you through passage-based and analytical questions, which take more time to solve and need deeper focus. On the other hand, MH CET Law is a state-level exam for Maharashtra law colleges, k
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
Yes, you can apply for the MH CET Law exam even if you don't have a CLAT score. MH CET Law is its own state-level test for getting admission into law colleges in Maharashtra for both 3-year and 5-year LLB courses. It doesn't depend on CLAT at all. You just need to pass 10+2 with 45% marks, and for S
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
To get good marks in CLAT 2027, focus on reading comprehension, daily current affairs, and consistent mock test practice. The exam consists of 120 questions, making speed and accuracy crucial. Prioritize Legal and Logical Reasoning, and use daily newspaper reading to boost your score in all sections
Answered 4 days ago
For the CLAT 2027 Quantitative Techniques section, the most important topics focus on 10th-standard data interpretation, requiring analysis of graphs and caselets based on percentages, ratios, averages, and profit & loss. Candidates should master arithmetic, including time-speed-distance, mixtures,
A
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 4 days ago
The CLAT Exam will have questions from
- English Language
- Current Affairs & General Knowledge
- Legal Reasoning
- Logical Reasoning
- Quantitative Techniques
P
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 4 days ago
Many students feel the AILET exam is bit tougher than CLAT because it has fewer seats and high competition. The AILET syllabus focus more on reasoning and legal aptitude. Both tests need good preparation, but AILET 2026 usually has higher cutoff for AILET colleges under NLU Delhi.
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
The CLAT syllabus is considered challenging due to its comprehensive, passage-based nature. Candidates will have to solve the questions within two hour time limit for 120 questions. The syllabus is tough and exam is difficult to crack.
B
Contributor-Level 8
Though CLAT Preparation takes months of practice, it is still not impossible. You can prepare for the CLAT Exam in one week with a correct and dedicated focus. But you should have at least some understanding of concepts to clear the exam.