CLAT 2025 toppers share their exam strategies

The results of this year's edition of the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT 2025) were recently released, even as the provisional answer key raised a few eyebrows..Speaking to Bar & Bench, some of the toppers tell us how they went about preparing for CLAT 2025, the gateway exam to premier National Law Universities..Yash Jarwal [Rank 3].Yash covered the syllabus for CLAT 2025 over a two-year period. "In my first year, I completed my basics of all the three reading sections like Reading Comprehension, Legal Reasoning and Critical Reasoning. So, in my second year, I had plenty of time to cover GK and Quantitative Techniques. Starting early really helped me a lot.".Having prepared since May 2023, he says regular mock tests and materials provided by his coaching institution really helped him. Yash had a specific style in writing his mock tests. This strategy, he says, allowed him to tackle difficult questions with more ease."I start with Critical Reasoning questions, then I attempt Legal Reasoning, then I attempt GK, then Reading Comprehension and then finally Quantitative Techniques, because If I do any silly mistakes in this section, it will take too much time.".Yash found GK very tough and tried various sources, but found revising daily impractical as it is not required in CLAT. He limited his sources to monthly compendiums, GK that he saw in mock tests, class notes and notes he made himself. In his final days of preparation, he relied on revising rather than reading up on news..Vidit Rawat [Rank 9].Vidit dedicated 12 months of preparation to his first attempt at CLAT last year and 7 months to his second attempt this year..He said that CLAT 2025 felt unfamiliar and went beyond the Consortium's syllabus."As soon as I saw those questions, those 8 marks, I realised it's going to make a big change and that I have to score well in these 8 marks."With the General Knowledge (GK) section only consisting of reading comprehension, he had to change strategy."The reading sections are a bit ubiquitous, as everyone can score good in them. There is only a difference of 3-4 marks in the marks of candidates, so the deciding factors are the Analytical Reasoning or Quantitative Techniques and Current Affairs, including GK sections. If someone works on these sections, they will score well."While sharing his experience, he advises future aspirants, "Please be consistent with your preparation if you are preparing for a year or so. Give some time daily to each section, don't rush it. The marks (in mocks) will eventually increase and don't forget to see previous years' questions, as they are the most important part.".Vinod Charan [Rank 20].Dissatisfied with his CLAT 2024 result, Vinod joined a coaching centre in May and had 6 months of preparation for CLAT 2025. His strategy was to allot 25 minutes to English and Logical Reasoning, 40 minutes to Legal Reasoning, and the rest of the time was given to GK and Quantitative Techniques. Vinod says it helped him tackle the few unexpected questions in the paper.Having improved his score with mock tests, he advises future aspirants to give mocks not by quantity alone, but to analyse the answers as well..His weakness was the Quantitative Techniques sections. To catch up, he solved suggested math modules from his coaching institute and thanked his faculty. "I give special thanks to my Quantitative Techniques teacher at Law Prep Tutorials- Reetesh Sir.".Dushyant Singh Nayal [Rank 44].Dushyant began his preparation in April 2023. He approached this paper by asking what the paper demands from the candidate in order to make the most out of it..He did a mock test every day for the 15 days leading up to CLAT. He says, "It actually sets your body clock in that way. I would give mocks and try to sit for 4 hours at least and that has helped me as the exam is very demanding."Dushyant found Legal Reasoning tough as he would make assumptions. He recommends solving GMAT level questions and verbal ability by Anuj Sharma. .Commenting on the CLAT 2025 paper, Dushyant says, "I was happy to see those questions, because CLAT has a monotonous pattern and with simple questions, it becomes easy to crack the exam. Adding these types of new questions makes this paper difficult and easier for people who have studied well and had a broader preparation. I saw those questions as an advantage to my attempt rather than as a challenge.".Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.