CLAT Preparation 2024: Prep Tips for CLAT Undergraduate and Postgraduate Courses

CLAT Preparation 2024: CLAT or Common Law Admission Test is a National Level examination conducted for applicants planning to pursue legal studies in India. The exam score is accepted by National Law Universities and over 50 private law colleges in the country. Students must attempt the exam if they wish to get admitted into one of these institutes for undergraduate or postgraduate admissions. 

As various applicants take the exam every year in the hope of getting admitted to the top NLUs, the test is highly competitive. Moreover, there are limited seats available, and only a few candidates get enrolled in their target schools based on the rank achieved in the CLAT exam. Hence, CLAT preparation plays a vital role as those who prepare in a  constructive manner will have better chances of getting the desired result.

The preparation should be aligned with the CLAT 2024 syllabus and exam pattern. Moreover, students should build a study plan that works best for them. In this article, students can read about CLAT prep tips for both UG and PG exams which have been recommended by experts and have proven to be helpful for previous test-takers. Continue reading to know the same. 

CLAT 2024 Preparation 

To start CLAT preparation in an organized manner, applicants must first grasp the CLAT exam pattern, syllabus, and other sub-topics. Since CLAT 2024 will take place on 3rd December 2023, students have enough time to plan and organize the CLAT preparation. It's time to analyze and extract strategies that would work best for each candidate. 

For the reference of students, below is the exam pattern for both UG and PG programs.

CLAT Preparation 2024: How to Prepare for CLAT UG

CLAT UG is given directly after the completion of grade 12th by applicants wishing to pursue law. Because it is an undergraduate program, no prior legal knowledge is required. Although, applicants must know basic legal concepts to be able to perform well in the exam. Apart from that, applicants must have a strong grasp of the additional subjects. There are a total of 5 subjects that applicants must prepare for, which are-

• Legal Reasoning
• Logical Reasoning
• English Language
• Quantitative Tools
• General Knowledge

CLAT UG Preparation Tips

Read on to know some prep tips that can help applicants lead a productive preparation that brings results-

• Start the preparation well in advance. CLAT 2024 is expected to be held in December 2023, and interested applicants who are planning to register for it should already be preparing for the exam. Ideally, one should spend at least a year preparing for the CLAT exam.
• Align the preparation with the provided exam pattern and syllabus for the exam. In order to avoid being unprepared for the exam on test day, applicants are advised to review the official brochure after it has been released to examine the topics and sub-topics that would be addressed in the exam. Additionally, students will do better on test day if they are familiar with the format and syllabus of the exam.
• Building a study plan and a study schedule is extremely important. The best study plan for each student must be developed. This schedule should specify how many hours each section would require daily and how much time would be allocated to each task. The key to achieving the desired exam result is maintaining consistency with the established study schedule. Students must place emphasis on their studies without distractions.
• Solve sample and practice papers consistently. Candidates will be able to fully comprehend the test format as a result. Since mock exams are exact replicas of the actual tests, they aid candidates in fully comprehending the examination. Additionally, with each sample paper, the students complete, their accuracy and speed will improve. 
• Study according to the subjects. Preparation would be different for each subject. For example, separate techniques would be used to prepare for the quantitative section whereas it would be different for the general knowledge section. 

Check the table below to know some  CLAT section-wise preparation tips.

CLAT Preparation 2024: How to Prepare for CLAT PG

CLAT PG is given after the completion of undergraduate law courses. It is a master-level course providing courses like LLM  hence knowledge of the law is needed to perform well in the examination. The paper will include questions from Family Law, Criminal Law, Public International Law, Labour, and Industrial Law Constitutional Law, and Company Law amongst various other sub-topics. Although the main theme will be Constitutional Law.

CLAT PG Preparation Tips

• Preparing for the examination well in advance can help maximize the result. Each individual taking a highly competitive exam has a different idea of when to begin preparing. It is advised to allow 4-6 months for preparations so that there is enough time to identify the strong and weak points. However, if preparation is done diligently for 2-3 months, candidates can earn a good rank- although they will need to be consistent with their preparation.
• Focus on Constitutional Law. Given that Constitutional Law holds the maximum weightage in the CLAT PG exam, each candidate should ensure that they are well-versed in the subject. Every test taker must ensure that a significant amount of time is spent reading Constitutional Law and important judgments being given by various courts in this domain.
• Develop test-giving skills and become familiar with the format of the exam. Don't spend more than one minute per answer on the objective section and keep monitoring yourself while administering practice exams to understand how much time is spent. One can divide the time between the objective and subjective parts according to preference. Also, solve mock papers for best results.
• Prepare a study schedule and a timetable according to one’s own strengths and weaknesses. Focusing on improving the weaker sections and making the strengths even stronger will help in getting the desired rank.
• Refresh knowledge of recent and significant constitutional and legislative provisions, especially those that may have been covered in recent rulings; it would also be beneficial to make sure students are aware of historical case law and amendments related to such provisions in order to have a more complete understanding 

CLAT Books and Study Material 2024

Choosing the right set of study materials and books while preparing for the examination is another crucial factor. If students lead their preparation without useful study resources, they may struggle to grasp the needed concepts. A good set of books include guides, tests, tips, previous year questions, and lessons. Moreover, students are advised to conduct their own research before purchasing CLAT books, as they should be bought keeping one's preparation level and strengths & weaknesses in mind.

Check: CLAT Books 2024