CLAT Preparation Strategy 2020

The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2020 will be conducted on May 10 for candidates seeking admission to the law degree programmes offered at the National Law Universities (NLUs). The exam will be conducted by the Consortium of NLUs. 

Last year, more than 50,000 candidates appeared for the exam. Test takers got two hours to attempt 200 questions distributed across five sections -- English including Comprehension, General Knowledge and Current Affairs, Elementary Mathematics (Numerical Ability), Legal Aptitude and Logical Reasoning.

Preparing for CLAT isn’t easy because the CLAT syllabus is not as structured as the rest of the entrance tests. Therefore, we are providing a list of some books that candidates can consider for the preparation of CLAT entrance exam.

Apart from going through the list of CLAT books, aspirants should take CLAT mock tests regularly and go through CLAT previous years’ question papers to understand the paper pattern of CLAT.

CLAT 2020 Legal Aptitude Preparation Strategy

• CLAT 2020 Legal Aptitude section is the most important section. The total number of questions in the Legal Aptitude section of CLAT 2020 will be 50 and each question will carry 1 mark.

• CLAT 2020 Legal Aptitude section will be divided into two sections-Legal Knowledge and Legal Reasoning.

• The candidates must first understand the meaning of the questions asked before attempting them.

• To ace the Legal Knowledge section, the candidates must master the common Legal Terminologies.

• The candidates must have a fair idea regarding the recent happenings in the Legal world.

CLAT 2020 General Knowledge and Current Affairs Preparation Strategy

• CLAT 2020 General Awareness section comprises of 50 questions of 1 mark each.

• The questions will be asked from Current Affairs and Static General Knowledge like History, Geography and Sciences.

• Preparing properly for CLAT 2020 General Awareness section will enhance the candidate's knowledge on Legal General Knowledge as well.

• This is a time-saving section and the candidates can exploit it by using the extra time to attempt questions from other significant sections of CLAT 2020 exam.

CLAT 2020 Elementary Mathematics and Numerical Ability Preparation Strategy

• This section will consist of 20 questions based on the syllabus of Class X Mathematics.

• The key to prepare for this section is the constant practice of the basic mathematical concepts.

• The candidate will be provided around 10-15 minutes to attempt and complete the section.

• The candidates must practice quantitative aptitude questions related to topics like Percentages, Number Systems, Time and Work, Time Speed and Distance, Co-ordinate Geometry, Mensuration, Trigonometry and Probability.

CLAT 2020 Logical Reasoning Preparation Strategy

• CLAT 2020 Logical Reasoning section is considered to be the most uncertain section.

• This section will contain a total number of 40 questions carrying 1 mark each.

• The questions will be asked from a wide range of topics like Family Tree, Syllogisms, Coding-Decoding, Arrangements and Critical Reasoning.

• To score well in this section, the candidates must prepare well for Critical Reasoning.

• The candidates must aim to attempt a minimum of 35 questions in this section.

• Candidates with a clear conceptual understanding will successfully ace the CLAT 2020 Logical Reasoning section.

CLAT 2020 Verbal Ability Preparation Strategy

• The CLAT 2020 Verbal Ability section tests the reading skills of the candidates.

• This section is time-consuming with a low accuracy level.

• This section will test the Vocabulary and Grammer skills of the candidates.

• The candidates must look for ways to enhance their reading speed which will come handy in the comprehension passage section.

• The candidates must possess sound knowledge regarding the basic rules of Grammer.

• Reading newspapers on a daily basis will improve the vocabulary and word base of the candidates.

• The CLAT 2020 Verbal Ability section will have 40 questions for 1 mark each and the candidates must aim to attempt at least 30 questions in 25 minutes.

To maximize their chances of scoring well in the CLAT 2020 examination, the candidates must have a fair idea regarding the CLAT 2020 exam pattern and various other things like CLAT previous year cutoff trends, CLAT 2020 exam marking scheme etc. which will help the candidates to strengthen the fundamental and basic concepts. Here are some tried and tested methods which will help the candidates to ease past a tough entrance exam like CLAT 2020:

Time Management

While preparing for CLAT 2020, it is highly recommended to the aspirants to device an effective time-management strategy which will help them to attempt all the questions within the provided time. If the candidates aim to answer all the questions, they must have an effective time-management strategy to do so otherwise it will hamper their accuracy level.

Practice Is The Success Mantra

Candidates who aim to score excellent marks in CLAT 2020 should target attempting more than 160 questions. Candidates with an accuracy level of over 90% in CLAT 2020 exam will have a better chance of pursuing their dream course from their desired college. There is no better way of achieving accuracy than practice. With practice, the candidates will be able to identify those sections in which they are good at and can utilize their time in strengthening their weak sections.

Study Material

Referring to the right kind of study materials is an important part while preparing for CLAT 2020. Those books and study materials which provides relevant information in easy language must be used for reference. The candidates must abstain themselves from experimenting with new books before the exam as it will lead to confusion.

Regular Mock Tests

Candidates must solve CLAT 2020 mock test papers on a regular basis to secure good marks in the CLAT 2020 examination. Mock test paper is an effective method to know more about the CLAT 2020 exam pattern and type of questions to be expected by the candidates. Those candidates solving mock test papers will also have a fair bit of knowledge about how to attempt questions from various sections.

• Reach the examination centre at least 30 minutes prior to the commencement of the exam.

• Do not forget to carry important document such as CLAT 2020 admit card, identity proof which must be produced at the CLAT 2020 exam centres on the exam date.

• Do not try cramming up new topics on the day of examination.

• Check the CLAT admit card or hall ticket for the reporting time so that you and plan when to start from your home accordingly.

• Check the seating arrangements if not mentioned in the hall ticket or admit card.

• Read the CLAT question paper instructions carefully before you start attempting them.

• Check if the number of questions and pages are in sync with the instructions provided on the CLAT 2020 question papers.

• If the current question seems difficult, it is recommended that you must move to the following questions. Later on, you can turn your focus on the unattempted questions.

CLAT is considered to be the most popular entrance examination for law aspirants. The level of difficulty in the entrance is pretty high, experts advise that with a proper preparation plan and ample amount of time candidates will be able to encounter any sort of difficulties. CollegeDekho has provided the aspirants who want to ace the entrance with 1 year of preparation strategy for CLAT in the section below. It is advisable for the candidates to incorporate the tips given below in their preparation strategy for effective result. 

• Knowing about the entrance - The primary step is to know about the entrance examination. This includes knowledge about the exam pattern and marking scheme in detail. Incorporating this step in the preparation strategy will help the candidates to get an idea about the structure of the examination. Only then can they prepare an effective strategy for CLAT. 

• Realising the amount of time left - Nextly, the candidates are required to realise the amount of time left for preparation. It is advisable for the aspirants to prepare a time table for CLAT 2020. One year is considered to be an ample amount of time for preparation. 

• Deciding the approach - Candidates are advised to decide the approach they want to adapt. This is considered to be a very important element. It is to be noted that candidates will have to figure out how much effort has to be put in by them in each subjects to do well in the examination.

• Section-wise Analysis - Candidates who want to ace the CLAT 2020 entrance should do a section-wise analysis before they start preparing for the entrance examination. This means the topics present in the various sections of the syllabus.

• Set Short-time Goals - Candidates wanting to prepare for CLAT 2020 entrance in a year are required to set short time goals. It is very important for the candidates to achieve short goals and focus on the next. In this manner they will be able to complete the syllabus of the CLAT on time. 

• Joining Coaching Institutes - Candidates are also advised to join coaching centres if they are to do well in the entrance examination. The institutes also provide candidates with an opportunity  to appear in several mock tests. It will help the candidates to grow self confidence and identify the areas where they lack behind.

• Revising in Regular Intervals - Many a time candidates lose grip on the syllabus which they have already studies. In order to avoid such circumstances candidates are required to invest their time in regular intervals.

• Going through the Previous Years Question Papers - This can be considered to be one of the last steps of the preparation procedure. Once the candidates are done with covering all the topics in the syllabus of CLAT 2020, they should go through the previous years question papers of the entrance. This will help them to understand the types of questions asked in the exam. It is also considered to be one of the most effective ways of revising the pre learnt topics.

The question booklet that will be provided to candidates in the examination hall will have 2 blank pages at the end. The candidates can use these two blank pages for rough work. No extra sheet is provided for rough work. The candidates need to make sure that he/ she must make wise use of rough worksheet. It is advisable to do the rough work with a pencil so that you can use the sheet multiple times. 

The candidates can visit the CLAT Answer Key section here and can download the CLAT question paper and the answer key for the same. The CLAT answer key for LL.B and LL.M programmes are given in the respective section and the candidates can download the question paper and try to answer the questions. After attempting the question paper, download the answer key and compare the answers attempted by you and answers in the answer key.