Keep both CLAT and AILET options open to maximize your chances.
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It can be difficult to balance the demanding CLAT preparation and the strain of the Class 12 board exams. However, you can succeed at both simultaneously if you have the proper plan, are well-organised, and manage your time well. This guide will help you figure out the best way to achieve both goals without burning out, whether your goal is to get top grades on your boards or to enter the prestigious field of law. Prepare to reach your full potential and use this important academic stage as a springboard for achievement!
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This article will help the students preparing for the CLAT exam along with the 12th Boards. The tips and tricks given in this article will guide you to simultaneously prepare for the 12th Boards and the extensive CLAT syllabus.
Below are some of the tips on how to prepare for CLAT and 12th Boards together.
Split up your day or week: Set aside specific time windows for CLAT Preparation with the board Exam. For instance:
Board subject morning sessions (fresh and concentrated time)
CLAT topics (logical reasoning, legal aptitude, etc.) are covered in evening courses.
Boards: Compile each subject's official curriculum. Pay attention to the unit weights and set priorities appropriately.
CLAT: Get acquainted with the most recent CLAT 2026 Exam Pattern and
CLAT 2026 syllabus. Pay extra attention to subjects that are often examined, such as current events and legal reasoning.
English Language: CLAT and English boards benefit from improved vocabulary skills for CLAT, grammar, and understanding.
Reading Practice: Reading newspapers, magazines, and editorials regularly improves reading speed and awareness of current events.
Board topics like mathematics can assist in honing analytical skills, but logical reasoning is specific to CLAT, so give it more practice time.
Keep abreast of significant national and international events as well as daily news.
Make use of mobile apps or current affairs compilations tailored to CLAT.
Make notes so you can quickly review them.
For boards: last year's question papers and NCERT textbooks.
For CLAT: Video lectures, online practice exams, and standard CLAT preparation books.
For more varied learning, combine online and offline materials.
To develop exam temperament, begin taking the CLAT 2026 Mock Test early.
Concurrently, finish past years' board exams within the allotted exam time.
Examine errors and adjust time management as necessary.
Revisions per week lessen the forgetting curve.
For a fast review, use notes, mind maps, and flashcards.
For prospective applicants preparing for the CLAT in the 12th grade, time management is crucial to crack CLAT in the 1st attempt. Make a smart plan, put in a lot of effort, and condense the syllabus for the 12th board test and the key CLAT themes. After finishing, proceed to the other subjects and make several edits to prepare for CLAT 2026. Below are the CLAT 2026 time management tips:
CLAT Topics | Time Allotment |
Daily Newspaper Reading and Note Making | 30 Minutes |
Vocabs Practice | 30 Minutes |
Legal Subjects | 1 Hour |
Quantitative Aptitude | 1 Hour |
Passage-Based Questions | 30 Minutes |
Logical Reasoning | 30 Minutes |
Appear for CLAT Mock Test and CLAT Previous Year Questions | 2 Times a Week |
Focusing on High-weightage topics can significantly boost your chances of scoring 100+ in the CLAT 2026 exam preparation. Here’s a section-wise breakdown:
Section | High weightage Topics |
English | RCs, Vocabulary in Context, Para Completion |
Legal Aptitude and Reasoning: | Principle-Fact Questions, Current Legal Issues |
Current Affairs & GK | National & Legal Updates, Awards, International Events |
Quantitative Techniques | Percentages, Ratios, Data Interpretation |
Logical Reasoning | Critical Reasoning, Assumption/Inference |
Below are the Subject-wise preparation tips for CLAT 2026 in tabular format.
Subjects | Preparation Tips |
English Language |
|
Current Affairs and General Knowledge |
|
Legal Reasoning |
|
Logical Reasoning |
|
Quantitative Aptitude |
|
A student's academic and professional future is greatly influenced by both of these milestones: CLAT provides access to India's esteemed National Law Universities (NLUs), while Class 12 grades are essential for college admissions and academic records and balancing CLAT and 12th Board exams together is essential. Here's a closer look at the reasons for and strategies for kids to get ready for both.
Overlapping Skills and Knowledge: CLAT places more emphasis on aptitude, reading comprehension, logical reasoning, legal awareness, and general knowledge than Class 12 exams, which concentrate on subject-specific academic knowledge (such as political science, English, economics, etc.). The knowledge that overlaps is English proficiency, general knowledge, reasoning and aptitude.
Helps in developing Time management Skills: Simultaneously preparing for both tests forces pupils to develop time management skills. Making a study plan that incorporates both daily CLAT practice (such as completing comprehension and logical problems) and Class 12 courses fosters outstanding time management skills.
Gives a Competitive Edge: While passing the CLAT explicitly opens up a legal career option, performing well on the Class 12 exam guarantees eligibility for several academic prospects in different fields. By preparing for both, you vary your academic profile and keep additional opportunities for higher education open, preventing you from putting all your eggs in one basket.
No Drop Year and opportunity loss: After completing their 12th grade, many students take a year off to be ready for the CLAT. You can save time and money by preparing throughout your 12th grade and avoiding the need for a gap year. This puts you ahead of your classmates in terms of job advancement, in addition to relieving academic burden.
Early Exposure for competitive exams: Students receive an early taste of competitive exam patterns by studying for CLAT in addition to boards. Later in one's academic career, this assists in preparing for upcoming tests like the UPSC, CAT, or judiciary exams by boosting resilience and confidence.
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To prepare for CLAT along with boards, it is critical to understand what to avoid. By avoiding certain blunders, you may enhance your study technique and do better on both tests. Let's take a look at what you should avoid when preparing for boards and CLAT in 2026.
Avoid referring to many resources, as this will confuse you.
Try to avoid using mocks from different websites. Instead, try mocks only from reliable sources.
Don't be demotivated by others' preparations.
Do not spend too much time on social media platforms. Set a time limit for efficiency.
Do not study for more than 2-3 hours at once. Instead, take small pauses during your preparation.
Along with NCERT textbooks and daily newspaper reading, these are a few CLAT books for the 2026 exam that can help you prepare for CLAT 2026:
Subjects | Books |
English Language |
|
Legal Reasoning |
|
Logical Reasoning |
|
Quantitative Techniques |
|
Current Affairs & General Knowledge |
|
It is a wise, forward-looking move to prepare for both the Class 12 Boards and the CLAT at the same time. It requires an optimistic outlook, smart preparation, and consistency. Students who become adept at striking a balance between the two will benefit from both academic success and a solid basis for a prosperous legal profession. Managing both tests is not only feasible, but it may also mark a significant turning point in a student's academic career, provided they follow a study plan, have access to the appropriate materials, and make timely adjustments.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Though Class 12 Marks do not directly affect CLAT, you have to pass Class 12 with a minimum of 45% Marks and 40% for Reserved Categories.
70 Marks is a good score for CLAT; it depends on the difficulty level of the exam and the specific NLU you are targeting.
Along with preparing 12th Boards, try to allot 2-3 hours daily to prepare for CLAT 2026. With a systematic preparation strategy, it's not that difficult to crack the CLAT 2026.
By comparing the previous year's CLAT difficulty level, it is predicted that the CLAT 2026 difficulty level will be moderate to difficult.
For CLAT 2026, there are approximately 3,361 seats for CLAT UG and CLAT PG; there are approximately 1,298 Seats.
On Question asked by student community
For CLAT 2025, the General Knowledge and Current Affairs section has around 28 to 32 questions. These questions come from recent news, events, and general topics like the Constitution, international issues, awards, and government schemes.
You should mainly focus on current events from the last 12 to 18 months. The exam gives short passages from newspapers or magazines, and you have to answer questions based on those passages.
The most important topics are national and international current affairs, major government policies, legal news, awards and honours, science and technology updates, sports events, important personalities, and environmental issues.
Some of the most expected topics for CLAT 2025 are global conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine war and Middle East updates, major elections in India and other countries, new laws, bills, and reforms in India, international meetings like G20 and COP climate conferences, important awards in 2024 and 2025, recent achievements in science and space technology, and new government schemes and court judgments.
To prepare, you should read current affairs daily, revise important news from April 2024 till now, and practice passage-based questions from mock tests. Static GK (like history, geography, or constitution) should also be studied but only the parts that are connected to current events.
Career360 website for CLAT GK: https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-gk-questions
Hello dear candidate,
Yes, you are right UGC rules do not allow two regular full time courses simultaneously.
But for CLAT or NLU admission they only check if your 12th certificate is valid and is from a recognized board, not if you did another course along with it.
The BCI also do not reject candidate for this reason.
Thank you.
Hello,
If you are from Delhi and appearing for CLAT, then you come under the General (All India) category, as CLAT reservation is based on the domicile of NLUs, and Delhi does not have a National Law University under CLAT (NLU Delhi conducts AILET separately).So, you can apply for CLAT through All India Quota, and if you don’t get a seat in NLUs. You can apply through CLAT, AILET, or private law colleges like Amity, Symbiosis, or IPU for admission.
Keep both CLAT and AILET options open to maximize your chances.
Hope you understand.
Hello,
Since you are in class 11 and targeting CLAT 2027, you have enough time to prepare without coaching. First, understand the CLAT pattern – it has English, Current Affairs, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques. Start with basics and read daily to improve vocabulary and comprehension.
Best books to start:
Word Power Made Easy – Norman Lewis
High School English Grammar & Composition – Wren & Martin
Legal Aptitude for CLAT – A.P. Bhardwaj
A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning – R.S. Aggarwal
Quantitative Aptitude – R.S. Aggarwal
Manorama Yearbook or Lucent’s GK for current affairs
Read newspapers like The Hindu daily, practice mock tests regularly, and revise current affairs every month. With consistent practice and reading, you can easily prepare for CLAT 2027 along with JEE.
Hope it helps !
Hello,
No, you are not elligible to appear for the CLAT exam while in Class 11, as the elligiblity criteria require you to be in or have completed Class 12 . However, you can start preparing for the exam now.
You can get the CLAT Exam practice tests by following this link:
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