CLAT Preparation Tips 2024: Study Material, Books, Section-wise Weekly & Monthly Study Plan

A basic preparation plan for CLAT 2024 should look like as under: 

While the CLAT exam pattern was overhauled in 2020, the difficulty level of the paper has increased. Therefore, it is important to have a proper CLAT preparation plan in mind before starting with the study. The preparation plan for CLAT 2024 should be as under:  

• Know CLAT syllabus and understand the exam pattern and marking scheme well
• Gather best books for CLAT preparation along with other study material such as sample/previous year question papers
• Analyse your strong and weak subjects from the syllabus
• Make a well-thought CLAT study plan and adhere to it
• Practice CLAT previous year question papers
• Revise, revise and revise

Also Read: 

Download and Practice CLAT question papers from the table below:

Also Read:

CLAT 2021 question paper (free PDF available) 

Before talking about the exam preparation, it is important to be well-versed with the syllabus and pattern of CLAT 2024. Check important highlights for CLAT 2024 exam pattern and syllabus below:

CLAT Exam Pattern 2024

With no change in the exam pattern announced yet, the CLAT 2024 question paper will contain total 150 objective-type questions of 150 marks. The questions in the exam will be preceded by reading comprehension passages. You will have to read the passages and then answer the subsequent questions. The exam will be conducted in offline mode as a pen-and-paper test. Total duration to complete the CLAT exam will be two hours. Check important CLAT exam pattern highlights below:

Also Read: Tips to prepare for new exam pattern of CLAT 2024 by Harsh Gagrani

CLAT Syllabus 2024

Check section-wise highlights for CLAT syllabus below:

Also Read: Important topics to study from CLAT 2024 syllabus

You should ideally spend sufficient time on the preparation of each CLAT section. However, it should depend on your strengths and weaknesses for a particular subject that how much effort you want to put in its preparation. But, all the sections should be prepared irrespective of the fact. Below are the tips to prepare for each section of the CLAT exam: 

CLAT Preparation for English Section

The aim of this section is to test the comprehension, analytical, grammar and vocabulary skills of candidates. You will be required to correct the incorrect grammatical sentences, fill in the blanks with appropriate words, etc. The difficulty level of the questions will be of Class 12. Some of the important topics that you should prepare for English section of the CLAT exam include Grammar, Vocabulary, Antonyms/Synonyms, Word Meanings and Idioms and Phrases. 

This section of the CLAT question paper cannot be attempted by cramming up the syllabus, it needs to be prepared consistently. You can prepare for the section by following the tips given below:

• Read newspapers: Read some good newspapers and magazines daily. While reading, do not forget to go through the editorial section of the paper. It is the most important part of a newspaper as it helps develop opinions about a topic, which will further help you understand the arguments and statements laid out in the passage.    
• Have discussions: Engage in regular discussions with your peers or study group. You can discuss a particular passage from the CLAT English section and try to figure out the main theme, arguments and conclusions set out in the passage together. 
• Practice grammar: To improve your English grammar, it is must that you practice, practice and practice. You do not need to pick up any fancy book but can just start from any good Class 10 grammar book. 
• Improve vocabulary: Improving English vocabulary needs consistent effort and practice. You can improve it by finding and memorising the meaning of any new word that you come across while reading a book or newspaper.

How to Attempt Questions?

• Usually a passage will have one point followed by arguments and statements. Try to identify the main point being made in the passage.
• Once done, try to extract information related to Who, What, Why, When and Where from the passage
• Pay close attention vocabulary questions. They will be of two types - one, asking the simple meaning of a word/phrase and two, asking the meaning of a word/phrase in the context of the passage.
• Pay attention to the wordings used in the questions. Sometimes, the language can be twisted to judge your reading comprehension skills

Also Read: CLAT 2023 preparation strategy & tips to attempt questions in English Language Section

CLAT Preparation for Current Affairs including GK Section

The section can be prepared easily if you regularly keep a track of all news and events around the world and of national importance. You should follow all the controversial stories and legal judgements regarding current events. Apart from this, you should increase your awareness about general knowledge related to personalities & events, awards & recognitions, History and Art & Culture. 

Listed below are some newspapers, magazines and apps that you can refer to keep your GK and Current Affairs up to date: 

• Newspapers - The Hindu, GK Today, The Telegraph, Economic Times
• Magazines - The Chronicles, Outlook India, India Today
• Apps - Twitter, Inshorts, Business Insider

How to Attempt Questions?

• Make sure of reading the entire passage before attempting the questions. While doing so, try to pick clues about the answers to the questions
• Try to find out the main theme of the passage
• Make sure of reading all the four given options before answering a particular question 

Also Read: CLAT Preparation 2024: How to attempt questions in Current Affairs & GK section?

CLAT Preparation for Legal Reasoning Section

CLAT Legal Reasoning is one of the highest weightage sections of the exam and thus should not be taken lightly. The section will include reading passages of about 450 words on legal matters, public policy questions and moral philosophical enquiries. The best way to master this section is by improving your reading and analytical skills. For the same, you can follow the preparation strategy mentioned below:

• Spend about two to three hours everyday in reading good newspapers, magazines and blogs related to static and current legal issues
• Go through all the important cases decided in last one year, all the new amendments and enactments done in the parliament and all other contemporary issues

How to Attempt Questions?

• Read the passage and identify the principles and facts set out in it
• Break down the principle into smaller parts to gain better understanding of the passage
• Pay close attention to the small tweaks in the facts that can have a big impact on the outcome of a question
• Avoid applying any pre-existing knowledge of laws as it can lead to errors

Also Read: CLAT Preparation 2024: How to attempt questions in Legal Reasoning section?

CLAT Preparation for Logical Reasoning Section

This section of the CLAT exam is closely related to English Language and Legal Reasoning sections. Therefore, you can adopt a similar preparation strategy as for English and Legal Reasoning. Some of the important topics to prepare for CLAT Logical Reasoning section include Logic Games, Syllogisms, Relationships and Analogies. 

How to Attempt Questions?

• Carefully identify the premises and conclusions in the passage
• Thereafter, identify the overall theme or the main point being made in the passage
• Identify the set of arguments made in the passage
• Read each question carefully before attempting it

Also Read: CLAT Preparation 2024: How to attempt questions in Logical Reasoning section?

CLAT Preparation for Mathematics Section 

You need to recollect basic fundamentals of the Class 10 Mathematics syllabus if you have not studied the subject in Class 11 and 12. You will have to cover the CLAT Mathematics syllabus by understanding one concept per day and practising mock papers alongside. The section will carry 13-17 questions only but there is negative marking too for wrong attempts. Therefore, you should be careful and practice well for the section by clearing difficult concepts, understanding formulae and using mock papers. Candidates need to spend at least three months to develop speed and accuracy in this section. Important topics to prepare for this section include Basic Algebra, Ratios and Proportions, Mensuration and Statistics.

How to Attempt Questions?

• Analyse the graphical information carefully before attempting a question; remember the questions in the section will be more logic-based rather than formulae-based
• Keep your rough notes neet and handy so that you can refer them quickly if needed

Also Read: CLAT Preparation 2024: How to attempt questions in Quantitative Techniques section?

Check out some important section-wise CLAT books for preparation:

CLAT Books for English Section

• Objective General English by SP Bakshi
• The Pearson Guide to the CLAT
• Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
• CLAT Guide by Tata McGraw-Hill

CLAT Books for Current Affairs including GK Section

• Manorama Year Book
• General Knowledge 2023, 2022 by Arihant Publications
• Lucent’s General Knowledge

CLAT Books for Legal Reasoning Section

• Universal’s Guide to CLAT LLB Entrance Examination
• Pearson's Legal Awareness and Legal Reasoning 
• Pearson’s Guide to the CLAT

CLAT Books for Logical Reasoning Section

• A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning by RS Aggarwal
• Arihant’s A New Approach to Verbal and Analytical Reasoning
• Analytical Reasoning (English) by MK Pandey

CLAT Books for Quantitative Techniques Section

• 30 days wonder for Maths by S Chand
• Pearson's Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations
• Quantitative Aptitude by RS Aggarwal

The preparation for CLAT exam is incomplete without practicing CLAT previous year question papers, sample papers and mock tests. It is important to solve CLAT question papers due to the following reasons:

• Provides exam-like atmosphere
• Helps know the difficulty level of the paper
• Helps analyse the strong and weak areas for the exam
• Improves time management skills
• Boosts confidence

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In the current COVID times, it is difficult to step out of the house to join a coaching institute. However, the question, "How to prepare for CLAT 2024?" keeps hovering the minds of a lot of candidates. Therefore let us check out some essential tips to prepare for CLAT 2024 without coaching:

• Study plan: Having a monthly and weekly study plan in place is extremely important to ensure consisent studies. However, the CLAT study plan should be such that it should have complete details on the subjects and topics to be studied every day. Along with that, the study plan should also include frequent breaks to ensure that you have some relaxing time.
• CLAT question papers: Regular practice is the key to success for CLAT 2024 exam. Therefore, do not shy away from practicing as many CLAT question papers and sample papers as you can. However, remember that after attempting a paper it is also must to analyse it well so that you can work on your weaker areas.
• Revision: While preparing for a national-level entrance exam like CLAT, it is not only important to study but also retain what you study for a longer duration of time. And for that, regular revision is the key.

Also Read: CLAT Preparation Strategy 2024 amid COVID

Every year, after the law entrance exam is conducted, Shiksha reach out to experts and students to know the difficulty level and paper pattern of CLAT exam. To know the difficulty level of CLAT exam conducted in previous years, click on the links below:

• CLAT 2021 Exam Analysis 
• CLAT 2021 Student Reaction and Analysis
• CLAT 2020 Student Reactions
• CLAT Exam Analysis 2019 by Expert
• CLAT 2019 paper analysis by students
• CLAT 2018 Exam Analysis
• CLAT 2017 Exam Analysis 

Check complete details about CLAT exam analysis.

One of the best ways to prepare for CLAT is also by knowing how previous years' topper prepared for the law entrance exam. Click on the links below to check some CLAT topper tips and know how they prepared for the exam:

Check out some quick tips to prepare for CLAT in one month:

• Take a fresh look at CLAT 2024 syllabus and pattern to check you did not miss any important topic
• Prepare a proper study plan to revise all the topics you have studied so far
• Practice as many CLAT sample papers, question papers and mock tests as pssible. Once attempted, also analyse the paper to know your weak and strong areas for the exam.
• Stay away from studying completely new topics
• Be determined to achieve your set goal 
• Take care of your mental and physical health. Eat and sleep well and keep your mind calm.

Check the CLAT 2024 Last week preparation tips below:

• Do not pick new topics: Picking new topics for study in the last week is a bad idea as it can lead to confusion between different concepts, thereby leading to poor performance in exam
• Revise: Revise, revise and revise as that is the best you can do to ensure you score maximum marks in topics you are confident in
• Practice: Practice is the key to success in CLAT 2024 exam. Therefore, solve as many CLAT previous year question papers and sample papers as possible 

Check out some essential CLAT exam day preparation tips:

• Do not try to study any new topics on the day of the exam
• Reach the allotted CLAT exam centre at least one hour before the exam 
• Read the instructions given on the CLAT question paper 2024 carefully before starting with the exam
• Check if the number of pages and questions are in sync with the instruction provided in the question paper
• Read the passages, questions and all the answer options carefully before attempting the questions
• Do not spend too much on a single question if you do not know the answer; move to the next question

Read More: 

• CLAT colleges 2023
• Colleges accepting CLAT scores for admission
• List of NLUs in India
• How to prepare for CLAT 2023 in three months?
• 2 months preparation strategy & tips for CLAT 2023

Candidates can check the FAQs on preparation for CLAT 2024 below: