As we all know, the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is one of the highly competitive law exams conducted by the Consortium of National Law Universities. Every year, more than 80,000 aspirants compete in the entrance exam to secure admission to 24 National Law Universities nationwide.

The pressure to prepare for such a competitive entrance exam is quite overwhelming. But remember, you cannot determine what the ultimate result of the exam is going to be just by worrying about it.

Instead, it would be best to try to work out what is in your control and let all other things fall in place as they are supposed to.

Being a sought-after national-level competitive exam, one wonders what is an appropriate amount of time to devote to its preparation to have greater chances at securing admission to the targeted NLUs. The post will surely help you to come to a conclusion. 

You can follow all the tips below and plan your preparation accordingly for better results.

CLAT 2025: How to Crack CLAT Exam? - Complete Preparation Strategy!

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When to Start the CLAT Preparation 2024?

Many of you might be appearing for the CLAT 2024 exam but don't know when is the right time to start your preparation.

Remember, each one's grasping power and understanding capacity may vary. Therefore, starting your CLAT preparation at least 6 months to one year before the exam is advised.

• Ample Time for Syllabus Completion: Starting early allows you to have sufficient time to cover the entire CLAT syllabus and ensure a thorough understanding of the topics.
• Identification and Overcoming Mistakes: Early preparation helps identify your weaknesses and mistakes, giving you ample time to work on them and develop strategies to overcome them effectively.
• Skill Development: With sufficient time, you can focus on developing the core skills required to excel in the CLAT exam, such as critical thinking, logical reasoning, and analytical abilities.
• Success in Both CLAT and Board Exams: Effective time management skills cultivated through early preparation can benefit you in CLAT and your board exams, helping you achieve better overall scores.
• Consistency and Score Improvement: Starting early enables you to maintain consistent study habits and practice regularly, leading to steady progress and improvement in your performance.
• Practical Study Routine: By starting early, you can create a practical study routine that doesn't overwhelm you with excessive study hours, ensuring a balanced approach to your CLAT preparation.

How to Start CLAT 2024 Preparation?

Most of you are not fortunate to know about your goals while in school, while a few plan it early! If you have set your goal to get admission to one of the top NLUs like NLSIU, Bangalore, you must start early and smartly!

The inability and difficulty in dividing your time between CLAT preparation and school studies can sometimes cause you to lose confidence affecting your overall performance.

So, if you decide to prepare for the Common Law Admission Test from class 12, creating a proper study plan that helps manage board exams and CLAT preparation together is essential.

It is perfectly possible to juggle CLAT preparation and board preparation as boards will take place almost two months after CLAT, during which you can prepare with full attention.

A common question running through all your minds is how and when to start CLAT 2024 preparation. To smooth out your preparation, we have curated the best tips to help you prepare well for the upcoming law entrance exam.

Know the CLAT Pattern and Syllabus 2024

Before starting your preparation, you must go through the detailed pattern and syllabus of the Common Law Admission Test.

Knowing the detailed paper pattern will let you understand the exam structure, mode of exam, and type of questions, whereas the CLAT Syllabus will help you understand the important topics from the exam point of view.

Do go through the past papers so you can figure out the pattern and understand how to attempt it, and get a better understanding of the skills you should have to have a better chance at clearing the exam.

Also, it will help you manage your time and get an idea of the approximate time needed for cracking the CLAT.

Prepare a Study Routine

Once you know the pattern and syllabus, the next step is creating a study plan. A good preparation strategy will help you deal with more complicated topics effortlessly. 

• CLAT preparation requires a consistent approach, which can only be maintained by following a study routine.
• Divide the topics from most important to least important as per the weightage of each subject.
• You must give equal importance to all the subjects in your CLAT study plan.
• If you are already well versed in any topic, give yourself less time. Instead, allot more time for the topic you are weak in.
• Devote some time to reviewing old mocks and learning from errors you made.
• Ensure you have time allocated for reading and GK.

Be Focused

• Most of you may plan your preparation early but don't focus more on the plan.
• Remember, staying focused on your goal throughout the preparation is essential.
• Do not allow distractions to affect your studies. Also, you must make sure to limit your social activities.

Get Expert Guidance

If you find it difficult to prepare any subject or topic on your own, you can always join the best online coaching for CLAT.

This way, you will be trained by expert faculty who shall explain concepts in-depth and help you reach your goal. Another advantage is you can access free mock tests, topic-wise tests, and full-length tests.

By attempting these tests, you can analyze your performance levels and focus on improving weaker sections.

Practice Question Papers

The phrase "practice markets man perfect" can correlate with CLAT exam question papers.

If you solve previous year's CLAT question papers with full dedication, the results can prove a great source of motivation for you. But, if you lack in attempting them with full concentration, they can make you demotivated.

Hence, it is essential to take attempt question papers seriously as they act as swords with two edges. 

Read News Paper Regularly

Make a habit of reading the newspaper for CLAT for at least 45 minutes a day, as it will help improve your vocabulary and general knowledge.

Even preparing for board exams, don't ignore reading the newspaper.

Focus on Time Management

Many of you may perform well in sectional tests, but you cannot reach the expectation when attempting a complete paper.

This is due to consuming more time for any section, and you have no time for other sections. Therefore, you should work on improving your time management skills for CLAT.

Allotting time for each section is the first step toward optimizing your time in the Common Law Admission Test.

Attempt Mock Tests

Taking mock tests is one of the best methods to test your preparation levels and analyze your performance levels in the upcoming exam.

• With the help of CLAT Mock Tests, you can improve your speed and accuracy.
• You can know in which area you are weak and put in extra effort to overcome it.
• Also, it will help build your confidence levels and score good marks.