In this article, Diksha Chaturvedi discusses How to prepare for Clat 2018.

Common Law Admission Test (commonly called as CLAT) is an all India examination for undergraduate and postgraduate courses conducted by the 17 NLU on a rotational basis. How to prepare for CLAT is a common question which pop-ups in every candidate’s mind. To make it easier for you, here is a detailed strategy mentioned below which will surely help you in cracking CLAT 2018. But let us first know about the qualification it requires to apply for CLAT and the syllabus which it covers.

Education Qualification

For LLB
A candidate should have cleared his 10+2 or obtained an equivalent certificate from a recognized board. One should have scored a minimum of 45 percent marks as aggregate. Candidates who have appeared for 10+2 exam can also apply subject to conditions.

For LLM
For LLM, a candidate should have LL. B/B. L. Degree or an equivalent degree from a recognized University with not less than 55% marks in aggregate.

Exam pattern

FOR LLB:
Total marks: 200
Total number of questions: 200
Duration of the exam: 2 hours

FOR LLM:
Total Marks: 150
Duration: 2 hours

* There is a negative marking of 0.25 marks for each wrong answer in both the exams.

How to prepare for Clat

Preparation for Undergraduate entrance test

• English

To study English for CLAT you can divide the course in three parts. Such as:

Vocabulary

• You should be familiar with the words and their meaning along with their usage.
  

• Make a habit to learn new words. Note down all the new words and search their meanings.
• Whenever you come across a new word it is always good to take a look at the spelling of the words.
• Revisiting the words you have learned will help you in remembering them till the exam.
• Check for all the possible meanings of a single word. Very often the first meaning provides an incomplete picture so it is suggested to look upon all the possible meanings.
• There are questions related to synonyms and antonyms. When you search for a synonym or an antonym of a particular word you learn 2-3 new words at the same time.
• Take up vocabulary quizzes.

Grammar

• Bring out your old grammar book and start reading up from chapter 1. Study about the technicalities connected to various topics. Start brushing up on your basic concepts.
  

• Many of us go with the trick of ‘what sounds right’ to crack grammar questions. But it is technically wrong. Every time what sounds right is not actually the right answer. So it is better to not go with the ‘intuition’.
  

• Best ways to identify problem areas in grammar is to attempt error correction questions. This will help you to find grammatical flaws in the sentence.
  

• Look publications within your preferred genre which carry well edited articles. Websites of The Hindu, Huffington Post India, Washington Post and The New York Times for instance, carry articles of a diverse range of topics. Make it a habit to read through articles in such publications. 
  

• For an easy and better learning it is advisable to download grammar apps in your phones.
  

• Practicing will help you to excel in this area. So take up as many questions, quizzes, you can to improve your grammar.
  

Reading comprehension

• CLAT is an exam which has time limitation. RC questions take more time than any other question in this section. It is advisable to divide your time wisely and increase the reading speed. For this you can take a passage and set a timer of 5 minutes. After 5 minutes check how many words you have covered and accordingly keep practicing.

• Always note important points in the passage rather than copying everything that is said in the passage.
  

• General Knowledge

• Newspaper:
  One must be in a habit to read a newspaper daily ( preferably ‘The Hindu’). You cannot afford to miss reading a newspaper a single day. It must be in your daily routine to at least spend 2 hours on a paper, make notes out of it which will help you in the revision for CLAT.
  

• Monthly Magazine:
  Pratiyogita Darpan can be very useful if you pay attention to it on a weekly basis. Read at least one weekly magazine.
  

• Annual Magazine:
  Either Manorama or Panorama, will do. Try getting hold of ‘The Hindu- Diary of Events’ which is a neat round-up of all that has happened in the preceding year.
  

• Static G.K:
  A basic knowledge of History, Geography and Sciences will suffice. I’d suggest you to try to flip through the pages of Pearson’s book on General Knowledge to stay ahead in the race. I reiterate, does not just mug up. If you do so, nothing will register in your head. Take interest. To generate interest, have frequent discussions with fellow CLAT aspirants. 
  

• Mathematics

  The level of math tested in CLAT is elementary 10th  grade Math. More importantly, it comprises of 10% of the CLAT exam. Now, why is bunking Math prep not a good idea? Firstly, it comprises of 20 marks, 20 easy-to-score marks. Math section is the most scoring section for you as it does not require as much number of hours as the rest. Best way to get through this section is to practice from ‘Quantitative Aptitude- R.S Sharma’. Try not to leave a single question from this book.

• Logical Reasoning:

  Logical Reasoning comprises of:

• Syllogisms
• Assumptions/Conclusions/Arguments/Actions
• Logical sequences
• Blood Relations
  
• Number test
• Directions
  
• Coding-Decoding
• Ranking
  
• Verbal Reasoning
• Arrangements
  
• Calendar
  
• To know about the exam pattern, refer to last question papers.
• Refer to logical reasoning books and solve as many problems as possible
• Take all the online tests available.
• Learn easy and adaptable tricks and shortcuts to solve the problems easily.
• Have a time-management strategy in place so that you are able to attempt each question and not leave out any.
  

Legal Aptitude

• This section typically comes from 4 major topics:
  Law of Contract             
  Law of Torts
  Criminal Law
  Indian Constitution

• Refer to past question papers and solve as many problems as possible
• Understand the question thoroughly and come to a logical conclusion
• Try to time yourself when you are attempting this section so that you know exactly how much time is to be spent on each question.

Few other Tips & Strategies

Latest Syllabus and Pattern of CLAT

• Candidates must be well aware with the latest syllabus and exam pattern of CLAT. For that they can refer to previous year question papers, sample papers or current years sample papers. 

Online Mock tests:

• There are various online mock tests available which would help the candidates to be well aware of the exam pattern and would help them in practicing for the paper. This will help you to understand the level of difficulty in paper.
  

Clear your Doubts

• Clearing all your doubts is very essential for you to score good marks. For that you can consult your faculty members or search online results for the same.

Proper Utilization of time:

• First of all, you need to prepare a timetable under the guidance of your faculty and have to make a habit to study according to it. Everyday you must devote your time to each subject. Do not leave a single subject in a day. Spend at least 2 hours on each subject along with reading a newspaper on a daily basis.

Prepare Notes:

Preparing notes for current G.K or for any other lengthy topic will help you in saving your time. Moreover it is easy to study from your own notes rather than from books. These notes will immensely help you in the last 30 days of CLAT.

Strong Vocabulary.

• Vocabulary will help you in English and Legal aptitude. Try to grasp as much new words as you can. Start with learning 10 new words daily and use them in your daily life.

• PRACTICE!! PRACTICE!! PRACTICE!!Solve as many mock tests as you can.It will improve your overall performance. Time management is all you need to do to solve 200 questions in 2 hours.

Important Books

• Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis

• English is Easy by Chetananand Singh

• Butterworths Lexis Nexis

• Analytical Reasoning by M. K.Pandey

• Verbal Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal

• Objective Arithmetic by R.S. Aggarwal

• Analytical and Logical Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal

• GK Today

• Manorama Year Book

• India Year Book

• Universal’s LLB Entrance Guide

References

• https://www.gktoday.in/

• http://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs

• http://www.lawentrance.com/clattestseries/

• https://www.vocabulary.com/lists/52473