1. Syllabus Overview

The official syllabus (for UG) divides the exam into five main sections:

• English Language

• Current Affairs, including General Knowledge (GK)

• Legal Reasoning

• Logical Reasoning

• Quantitative Techniques

In terms of weightage:

• Current Affairs & Legal Reasoning each carry about 25 % of the paper.

• English and Logical Reasoning about 20 % each.

• Quantitative Techniques around 10 %.

Why this matters: Knowing this breakdown lets you allocate your study time realistically — heavier sections deserve more preparation, but even the 10% Quant section cannot be ignored because mistakes there still cost you.

2. Section-Wise Detailed Breakdown & Guidance

Here’s how to approach each section in detail — what topics are included, what skills are tested, typical pitfalls, and how you should prepare.

A. English Language

What’s included:

• Reading comprehension passages (~450 words) drawn from significant fiction/non-fiction or journalistic sources.

• Questions on inference, summarising, comparing arguments/viewpoints, vocabulary in context (meanings of words/phrases).

• Possibly grammar/usage items (depending on source) though the emphasis is on comprehension and reasoning.

What skills are tested:

• Ability to quickly read and understand a somewhat complex passage.

• Drawing inferences (i.e., reading between the lines).

• Comparing viewpoints and understanding author’s tone.

• Vocabulary and meaning in context.

• Clear and precise language comprehension — essential since the other sections are passage-based.

Key topics to master:

• Regular reading of editorials, essays, non-fiction to build speed and comprehension.

• Practice vocab: synonyms/antonyms, idioms, phrasal verbs, one-word substitutions.

• Work on grammar fundamentals (e.g., tenses, parts of speech, subject-verb agreement) though not as heavy as for traditional grammar exams. (See topics listed under English in some breakdowns)

• Practice summarising passages and identifying main ideas, arguments, conclusion patterns.

Typical mistakes & how to avoid them:

• Reading too slowly → you’ll run out of time. Solution: timed reading practice.

• Focusing only on vocabulary and neglecting comprehension. The exam emphasises comprehension more.

• Skipping unfamiliar words instead of attempting to infer meaning from context. Use context clues.

• Not practising inference/analysis questions (what is implied vs what is stated).

Preparation strategy:

• Daily reading habit: 1 non-fiction editorial (about 600-800 words).

• Weekly full passage practice: 3-4 passages, timed (5-7 minutes each).

• Vocab flashcards + weekly revision.

• Grammar drills (30 mins twice a week).

• Regular mock tests: track time per passage, error analysis.

B. Current Affairs & General Knowledge (GK)

What’s included:

• Passages (up to ~450 words) derived from news/journalistic sources; questions may revolve around them.

• Static GK topics: India’s polity, economy, geography, history, art & culture.

• Dynamic/current events: international affairs, legal/policy developments, major global events.

What skills are tested:

• Reading passages and then applying awareness of current/ static topics — you don’t always need deep factual knowledge, often you’ll interpret from the passage plus your awareness.

• Connecting events to context, recognising importance, inferring consequences.

• Speed and updated knowledge; many questions revolve around recent developments.

Key topics to master:

• India’s Constitution and polity (structure of government, amendments)

• Indian economy key concepts, major schemes, global economic interactions

• International organisations, treaties, global events, recent legal developments

• History (major events that still have relevance), arts & culture – for example, awards, festival news

• Science & environment (especially news items like climate change, biodiversity)

• Make a habit of noting down “what happened → why it matters” for each big current event.

Typical mistakes & how to avoid them:

• Trying to memorise everything (which is impossible) → leads to stress. Instead: build a strong pathway of reading + summarising.

• Neglecting static GK because “current affairs” seems more interesting — but static topics give easy marks if properly covered.

• Not maintaining notes. Revising current affairs only once is wasteful; you must revisit.

• Ignoring legal-policy news (which often comes in this section) — for law-aspirants this is a strength, use it.

Preparation strategy:

• Daily: scan 1 newspaper editorial + 1 policy/legal news

• Weekly: summarise 5–6 major events in your own words and note “why it matters”.

• Monthly: prepare a ‘current affairs capsule’ for the month: national/international events, awards, major treaties, important govt schemes.

• Maintain static GK notebook: polity, economy, geography, history – revise weekly.

• Mock-practice: treat GK like the other sections — timed reading of passage + answering questions.

C. Legal Reasoning

What’s included:

• Passages (~450 words) involving legal matters, public policy issues, philosophical/ethical enquiries.

• Questions which ask: identify the rule/principle set out, apply it to a given fact scenario, figure out how a change in rule affects application.

• Note: deep prior knowledge of law is not required. The emphasis is on reasoning, not memorising law textbooks.

What skills are tested:

• Ability to read a legal scenario and extract the underlying principle.

• Applying that principle to new facts.

• Recognising how changes in facts or rules alter the outcome.

• Understanding legal language and implications, even if you don’t know the statute by chapter-and-verse.

Key topics to master:

• Basic understanding of major areas like contract law, torts, criminal law, constitutional law, family law, property law — enough to recognise issues.

• Legal terminology and maxims (even though they won’t ask you to list them, they’ll use them).

• Practice applying rules to fact scenarios – e.g., “If A does X, is B liable?” type questions.

• Read landmark judgments in simplified form (so you are comfortable with reasoning, not necessarily details).

• Public policy and moral-ethical questions: debates around rights, regulation, public interest.

Typical mistakes & how to avoid them:

• Trying to memorise statutes instead of focusing on reasoning. The exam doesn’t reward rote statute memorisation.

• Treating this section like GK (i.e., scanning news only) – you need to train for reasoning, not just knowledge.

• Ignoring practice of fact-based questions. Without practice you’ll misread the principle or misapply it.

• Poor reading speed — since the passages are long (450 words) and reasoning questions take time.

Preparation strategy:

• Read simplified case-summaries (e.g., “Landmark judgments in 10 minutes”) and note the principle and facts.

• Weekly: take 2–3 legal reasoning passages, practice timed. Focus on rule extraction + application.

• Form a practice set of “if rule changed how would outcome change?” type questions.

• Use logic/flow diagrams: “Rule → Fact scenario → Outcome”.

• After mock tests, analyse mistakes carefully: did I misinterpret the rule? Did I misread the fact? Did I miss the change clause in question?

D. Logical Reasoning

What’s included:

• Passages (~450 words) with logical argumentation, or sets of short facts followed by questions.

• Topics: analogies, syllogisms, assumptions & conclusions, cause & effect, statements & inferences, relationships/patterns, maybe simple puzzle-logic.

What skills are tested:

• Analytical thinking: ability to swiftly identify premises, conclusions, and logical structure.

• Critical reasoning: distinguishing strong vs weak arguments, spotting fallacies.

• Pattern recognition, relationship mapping (e.g., in syllogisms, direction sense).

• Time-management and accuracy (since many candidates lose time here).

Key topics to master:

• Syllogisms: All/Some/None statements, drawing inferences.

• Statement & Assumption, Statement & Conclusion.

• Cause & Effect, Courses of Action.

• Analogies and equivalence relations.

• Basic puzzles/shapes of reasoning: e.g., “If A is taller than B and B is taller than C, then…”

• Practice timed reasoning sets (from previous years or mocks).

Typical mistakes & how to avoid them:

• Overthinking simple logic questions → time wasted. Keep calm and follow first principles.

• Not marking what type of question it is; if you can’t recognise quickly, skip & come back.

• Missing key words (“only if”, “unless”, “not”) which alter logical meaning.

• Ignoring practice of puzzles – they may appear less often but if they do and you’re unprepared, you lose easy marks.

Preparation strategy:

• Daily mini-practice (15-30 mins) of logic puzzles or reasoning questions.

• Weekly full practice set (~20 questions) timed (20 minutes) to build speed.

• Maintain error log: what kind of logic question I keep missing? Is it syllogism? Is it cause-effect?

• Use diagrams/charts where possible (e.g., Venn diagrams for syllogisms) to visualise.

• Mock test wise: treat this as speed + accuracy section.

E. Quantitative Techniques

What’s included:

• Elementary mathematics (roughly Class 10 level or below) — ratios, proportions, percentages, averages, profit & loss, time & work, basic algebra, number system.

• Data interpretation: charts, tables, graphs, caselets of numbers.

What skills are tested:

• Quick, accurate calculations under time pressure.

• Ability to interpret numerical data and apply it.

• Basic problem-solving rather than heavy math proofs.

Key topics to master:

• Ratio & proportion, percentages, averages, simple algebra.

• Time, speed & distance, time & work (if included).

• Data interpretation: reading bar charts, line graphs, pie‐charts; making inferences.

• Basic mensuration/geometry – wherever appears.

• Practise shortcut methods, mental arithmetic, approximation skills.

Typical mistakes & how to avoid them:

• Trying to solve problems like full “Class 12 math” – usually unnecessary and time-consuming.

• Spending too long on a single tricky DI set → better to skip and return later.

• Neglecting this section because it’s only ~10 % – but those 10% can make a difference in rank.

• Not practising enough under timed conditions — you’ll feel slow in exam.

Preparation strategy:

• Revise NCERT Class 9–10 mathematics basics (especially arithmetic, algebra).

• Practice 30-40 data interpretation questions weekly.

• Use short-cuts and work on calculation speed (e.g., multiplication tricks, estimation).

• In full-length mocks, treat these questions as “time-savers” — aim to solve easier ones first, return to harder ones if time permits.

3. How to Prioritise & Build a Study Plan

Given the weightage and topic-demands, here’s how you can structure your time:

1. Initial assessment: Identify your strong and weak sections. For example: If you are strong in English and GK but weak in Quant/Logical, allocate more time to logical and quant at the beginning.

2. Balanced weekly plan:

   • English & Current Affairs: 3–4 days each week.

   • Legal Reasoning: at least 2 days a week (since it has high weight).

   • Logical Reasoning & Quant: alternate days (e.g., Mon/Thu for Logical, Tue/Fri for Quant).

   • Reserve Sunday for full-length mock or sectional test + revision of the week.

3. Revision strategy:

   • Daily: 20–30 minutes revising notes (vocab, GK, legal terms).

   • Weekly: Take one full section test (~30–40 questions in one subject).

   • Monthly: Full mock test (120 questions in 120 minutes) for exam simulation.

4. Error/analysis log: Maintain a notebook/spreadsheet of mistakes. For each error record: section, type of question, what went wrong, strategy to fix it. This helps avoid repeating mistakes.

5. Time management in mocks: Since you get 120 questions in 120 minutes (≈1 minute per question) and negative marking (-0.25 for wrong).

   • Don’t spend >2 minutes on a tough question early. Mark and move on; return if time remains.

   • Always attempt easier questions first to build momentum and score.

6. Subject-specific focus timelines (example for last 3 months):

   • Months 3-2 ahead of exam: Strengthen fundamentals for all sections; emphasise weaker ones.

   • Month 1 ahead: Heavy mock tests + timed practice; focus on speed + accuracy + section strategy.

   • Last 2 weeks: Revision of notes, weak topics, formulae, vocab; avoid heavy new learning; take 2–3 full mock tests under real exam conditions.

4. Frequently Asked Questions & Clarifications

• Is the syllabus for UG and PG the same? No — for PG (LL.M) the focus shifts to core law subjects (constitutional law, jurisprudence, administrative law, etc.) rather than Quant/Maths.

• Does the syllabus change every year? The broad structure remains stable, but minor updates (e.g., type of passages, emphasis) may occur. According to sources, the CLAT syllabus for 2026 remains unchanged in structure.

• Which section is hardest? It depends on the candidate’s strengths. Many feel Legal Reasoning and Quantitative Techniques can be challenging. But remember: with practice, each section becomes manageable.

• Can I score high by neglecting Quant? No — even though Quant is ~10%, leaving that section blank wastes potential marks. If you master basics, you can secure safe marks here.

• How many questions per section? Approximate distribution for UG: English 22-26, Current Affairs 28-32, Legal Reasoning 28-32, Logical Reasoning 22-26, Quantitative Techniques 10-14.

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