It is undeniable that starting early is the best way to go about any entrance exam. For an exam like CLAT, one to two years are the adequate amount of time to prepare. You can make the most efficient use of this time by dividing the syllabus into two parts. While making the division, keep in mind that in the second year some might have their Boards as well to prepare for. Thus, in order to prevent overburden, keep a majority of the syllabus for the first year.
For instance, to ace the English section, you need a lot of practice in reading and building a strong vocabulary. You can cover English in the first year and also practice reading long passages. Legal principles and concepts can also be learned and understood in the first year so that you can further practice questions on them in the second year.
There is no need to focus on GK in the first year as only questions from the past one year are asked. However, reading newspapers would always be an added advantage. Your objective should be to work on your fundamentals in the first year and practice them in the second year.
After a rough timetable is made, one must be very thorough with the past year’s papers. Going through the past 10-year papers can give a fair idea of what kind of questions are asked in the exam. This way you would also learn about the topics that you can skip as they have never been asked in the exam. It is important to use your time judiciously so pay special focus to topics that have most frequently been asked. For example, legal principles on contracts, criminal conspiracy, vicarious liability, strict liability, or questions on percentages and ratio, and proportion are almost always present in the exam.
In order to facilitate your preparation journey and to make it easier, it is better to join coaching classes for CLAT preparation. This will streamline your preparation and will also provide you with study material and practice papers. Manu Law Classes offers a two-year preparation course that includes live classes, well-researched study material, mock tests, and mentorship from ex-NLU faculty and alumni. You can also refer to additional books for a better understanding of concepts, however, it is not recommended because the material provided by us is exhaustive in nature and deals with every minute topic that deals with the CLAT syllabus. Certainly, it is advisable to keep a check on the GK section, develop the habit of reading a good newspaper daily and also make notes.
Another important aspect of preparing for CLAT is mock tests. You must start giving mocks as early as possible to give you the feel of an actual exam. Keep a tab on your scores and make sure to gradually improve them. It is very crucial to analyze your mocks. Keep at least 3-4 hours for analyzing it. Read every question again and understand why you marked that specific answer. For questions that were solved incorrectly, revisit them and see where you went wrong, and redo them again.
By analyzing your mocks, you will get to know your weaknesses and strengths and you can work on them later.
Rest, you must stay confident and motivated at all times. For CLAT 2024, sufficient time is available and thus, a directed and sincere effort can bring laurels to you.
