How to Prepare for CLAT along with Class 12 Board?
Common Law Admission Test 2025 ( CLAT )
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Preparing for the CLAT exam while in Class 12 is quite common, but your success depends on employing the right strategies. Here are some CLAT 2026 preparation tips specifically for Class 12 students to help them succeed in the exam.
How to Prepare for CLAT in Class 12- If you are in Class 12, you might be wondering how to effectively prepare for CLAT without compromising your board exam preparation. This concern is valid since both exams are often scheduled close to each other. Students frequently question when to start their CLAT 2026 preparation.
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Q: What is a good rank for CLAT?
Students who wish to be admitted to this university should strive for a score of roughly 70% (80-84 marks) or above under the revised pattern. Because the CLAT cut-off marks are lower for reserved categories, a rank of about 4000 would be suitable for admission. According to CLAT 2024 analysis, candidates from the general category should aim for a score of 90 or more in order to be admitted to one of the top three NLUs. In CLAT 2024, 60–70 points are considered a decent score for SC/ST categories. The Consortium of NLUs will release the closing rank of candidates for each round at the time of CLAT counselling.
Q: What is a good CLAT score?
Aspirants who appeared for the CLAT 2025 Exam should have a clear idea about a good CLAT score. CLAT is a very competitive exam and candidates need to score high to clear the cutoff. All those candidates who appeared for the CLAT 2025 are advised to check out the previous year's CLAT cutoff scores and get a fair idea of the trends that are being followed by the NLUs in the country. A score above 100 is definitely considered as a good score for CLAT 2025. Candidates must note that the expected CLAT cutoff score for NLUSIU Bangalore is 100 plus, whereas, for NLU Kolkata, NLU Jodhpur and NLU Bhopal, the expected score is between 94 to 98. Candidates who wish to take admission into NALSAR Hyderabad they need to score between 98 to 100.
However, the good news is that the CLAT syllabus is quite manageable. Many aspects of the syllabus can be easily prepared alongside your board exams, especially since sections like Quantitative Techniques are only of Class 10 level. In this article, we will guide you on how to prepare for the CLAT 2026 exam while you are in Class 12.
Also Read: How to prepare for CLAT in 6 months: Tips, Tricks & Study Plan for CLAT 2025
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Now, let us go back to our primary discussion, which is how to prepare for the CLAT 2026 exam when you are in Class 12.
Tips to prepare for CLAT in Class 12th
Candidates can check out tips and tricks to prepare for CLAT 2025 along with board exams here. Ideally, candidates should start their CLAT preparations as early as possible. This gives them ample time to cover the entire syllabus, solve sample papers and previous years' question papers, and take mock tests. Starting early allows the candidate to adjust their strategy as needed without feeling rushed.
Q: Which is the No. 1 university in CLAT?
Since 2018, the National Law School of India University in Bengaluru has maintained its position as the top-ranked law college in India according to the NIRF rankings.
Q: When should I start preparing for CLAT 2026?
The ideal time to start preparing for the CLAT exam varies from person to person and depends on several factors such as your familiarity with the subject, the level of understanding of the topics covered in the syllabus, and the amount of time and effort you can devote to the preparation. However, as a general guideline, it is recommended that you start preparing for the exam at least 6-8 months before the exam date. This will give you sufficient time to cover the entire syllabus, revise the important topics, solve mock tests and previous year papers, and identify your strengths and weaknesses. If you are already familiar with the subject and have a good understanding of the topics covered in the syllabus, you can start preparing for the exam 3-4 months before the exam date. However, if you are new to the subject or need to improve your understanding of the topics, you may need to start preparing earlier. It is important to note that the CLAT exam is a highly competitive exam, and the level of competition is increasing every year. Therefore, it is important to start preparing early and stay consistent with your preparation. With a focused approach and consistent effort, you can increase your chances of qualifying for the CLAT exam.
Q: Is CLAT LLM exam tough or easy?
CLAT is one of the highly competitive law exam and is considered to be one of the toughest exams to clear. However, aspirants should not worry, as with the right preparation and attitude you can definitely ace in the CLAT exam. The toppers of CLAT have suggested that aspirants should trust BA LLB books and a habit to read newspaper daily to crack the CLAT PG exam. The difficulty level of CLAT paper is usually moderate. For complete insights on CLAT paper difficulty level, check analysis for current and previous years above.
Q: How do I start preparing for CLAT 2026?
To start preparing for CLAT 2026 there is no right time. However, as per experts, one should have began their CLAT preparation at least five or six months before the exam. If they began CLAT preparation early, then they will have sufficient bandwidth to complete the CLAT syllabus and also to attempt the previous year’s CLAT Question Paper. This will help them to know their strengths and weaknesses and also where they are committing the mistakes. Given below are some steps to help you start your preparation:
- Make a monthly and weekly timetable
- Keep your syllabus handy
- Ensure you cover all topics and concepts
- Revise it at regular intervals
- Attempt mock tests and previous years’ sample papers frequently
- Follow the proper marking scheme as there are negative marks for each incorrect answer in the actual CLAT 2025 Exam. This practice will help you to know your actual score and your weak points
Q: Can a person clear CLAT without coaching?
Joining a coaching institute for CLAT has become a trend. Apparently, coaching institutes are good at selling the idea that coaching is necessary to crack law entrance exams. However, that is far from the truth. Candidates without any professional coaching can also crack the CLAT exam with flying colours. However, for the same, it is important for candidates to adopt a well-planned and well-thought-out CLAT preparation strategy . Apart from this, it is also extremely important for candidates to be completely dedicated and consistent with their CLAT preparation.
If candidates are unable to begin in Class 10, they don't need to worry. They can still succeed with a bit of extra effort and smart planning. Prioritise the important CLAT topics first, and once you are comfortable with those, move on to the other topics. If you encounter difficulties with a particular problem, don't spend too much time on it. Seek help or move on to other, more manageable topics.
How and How Much to Study: Balancing CLAT preparation with your board exams can be challenging, but it is manageable with proper planning. Make sure you give 3-4 hours a day to CLAT preparation.
Tips for Effective Study: Candidates can follow the following study plan to score well in CLAT Exam:
- Create a Study Plan: Develop a weekly and monthly study plan. This helps you stay organized and focused, ensuring you have a clear goal in mind.
- Assess Your Progress: Regularly evaluate your progress to see what is working and what needs adjustment. This keeps you grounded and on track.
- Focus on Important Topics: Start with the most important CLAT topics. Once you are confident in these areas, move on to other subjects.
- Seek Help When Needed: If you find a topic challenging, don't hesitate to ask for help. This can save your lot of time and prevent frustration in later stage
- Stay Consistent: Consistency is key. Make sure to study regularly and avoid long breaks that can disrupt your momentum. By starting early and maintaining a disciplined approach, you can effectively prepare for CLAT while also managing your board exams.
The CLAT UG question paper will have questions from five sections:
- Current Affairs including GK
- English Language
- Legal Reasoning
- Logical Reasoning
- Quantitative Techniques
When preparing for these sections, remember the weightage carried by them.
CLAT 2025 - Section-wise questions and weightage
| Subject |
Number of questions |
|---|---|
| 28-32 |
|
| 35-39 |
|
| 35-39 |
|
| 28-32 |
|
| 13-17 |
Reference material or CLAT books - If you closely analyse the CLAT exam pattern and syllabus released by the consortium for CLAT exam, you will note that not all sections are equal. Also, each section in the question paper is designed to test a different skill set. So to succeed you need to follow the best CLAT reference material that is out there.
Here are some of the features of good reference material or best books for CLAT
- Error-free - If a book is filled with errors, stay away from it. Because rather than help you in your effort to crack CLAT, it will only sabotage your plans. So, ensure that the books are clean, well written, and contain few to no errors. If you can’t do it yourself, take help from a senior.
- Well-known published - Good books are typically published by reputed publishers.
- Contain examples, illustrations, charts, etc - These items make learning fun, easy, and engaging. Also, it helps to memorize important points.
- Comes with question sets - These problem banks can be found at the end of each chapter or at the end of the book. Problem sets can help edify what you have learned, develop problem-solving skills, and understand how different concepts interact.
Topic-wise tips to prepare for CLAT 2026 from Class 12
The CLAT test is designed to test the comprehension and reasoning abilities of the candidate. Also, typically no prior knowledge is needed to solve the CLAT question paper, apart from maybe the Current Affairs section.
- English Language - The section will contain 45–word passages and test your comprehension and language skills.
- Current Affairs including GK - Will assess your awareness of current affairs and GK. Questions are asked from given passages and can be answered without any prior knowledge of legal subjects. To prepare for the section, make it a habit to read leading dailies, especially opinion pieces and editorials. Also, instead of memorizing things, try to develop comprehension, analytical, and reading abilities.
- Quantitative Techniques - This section will test your ability to derive, infer and manipulate numerical information. The level of questions asked in the 10th standard.
- Legal Reasoning - Questions will be passage-based and you are required to identify, and infer rules and principles, and use these rules and principles to solve problems.
- Logical Reasoning - This section will test skills like the ability to recognize an argument, its premise, conclusions, etc. This section can only be mastered through practice, as simple rote learning won’t work.
How to prepare for CLAT 2026 with boards
One of the greatest challenges is to balance the preparation for CLAT with that of preparation for board exams. Here are a few tips to strike the right balance:
- Make a separate study plan for boards and CLAT exam - If you mix the two, it will be all messy and you will have a hard time figuring out which goes where or where you left off. Make weekly and monthly, and follow it up.
- Summer and winter vacations are ripe for exam preparation - As most of the classes are held offline, candidates can Add to that summer and winter vacations, and you get some free time to really dive into board and CLAT preparations.
- Some topics in CLAT carry more weightage; make sure that you pay special attention to these topics.
- For CLAT, make it a point to solve sample papers and previous years’ question papers. Closer to the exam, you will also have to take mock tests.
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