CLAT 2027: Your law-entrance preparation has an information overload problem

Read | CLAT 2027 registrations open till October 31; exam on December 6

Understand what the paper requires

Current affairs make up 25% of the CLAT UG paper. Wherein, they don’t test how many newspapers an aspirant can read in a day; rather, it is a test of recognising developments of constitutional, legal, political, economic, social, environmental and international significance. Being able to filter is as crucial as being able to remember.

A Supreme Court decision, a constitutional amendment, a significant governmental policy, an international treaty or important environmental agreement could warrant consistent discussion. However, every political statement, minor administrative announcement or trending story might not merit a place in a student’s notes.

Build a filter, not a pile

For a news item to be worthy of your time, ask yourself the following questions:

What exactly has happened?

Why is this development significant?

Does it relate to law, governance, constitutionalism, international relations, the economy, science or the environment?

Is there a judgment, statute, institution, treaty, policy or principle associated with it?

Can I explain its importance in my own words?

These questions help convert passive consumption into active learning.

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Don’t collect, rather consolidate

Telegram channels or pdf compilation offered by coaching centres may serve as tools for revision. But taking several subscriptions leads to duplicity of the data. Instead, pick 1 credible newspaper of your choice and invest 45 mins to 1 hour every day to read it focussing on explainer and editorial sections.

Organise your notes judiciously by theme, not by date under heads such as – Recent changes in law, Court decisions, international, economic, political, environmental, scientific, sports, awards section. Ensure that each entry is crisp to give you the relevant information, before exam these will be your ready reckoner.

The real skill is informed judgment

FOMO is a major source of continuous consumption of information. Social media and coaching institutes may share lists of “must read” articles or summary of opinions, such unstructured consumption cannot replace a disciplined preparation.

No student can possibly read everything, and not every development is relevant. Therefore, a sensible strategy involves prioritisation of information and having the confidence to disregard repetitive material.

Ultimately, preparing for CLAT is a reading, reasoning and interpretation exercise. These are also building blocks in the learning of law. A student who can pinpoint the main topic of a news report, differentiate fact from opinion, can describe the applicability of a legal principle and can relate an event to its larger context is learning other skills beyond those required for an entrance exam.

Therefore the most effective preparation strategy is not to consume volumes of material, but to consume material that enables an aspirant to identify what matters, understand why it matters and remember it when it is needed.

Build a Routine

Daily: 45 minutes using one newspaper, add 2-3 points to notes.

Weekly: One hour revision of the week’s notes and a passage based practise set.

Monthly: Regularly recheck one compilation against notes and complete only what is missing.

In the last six weeks, do not introduce any other sources, only revise what you have. All this will prevent over exposure of same information that not only isn’t processed but can’t be retained. It also provides time for reading comprehension, legal reasoning, logical reasoning and quantitative techniques which cannot be ignored while preparing for current affairs. You will be asked to prioritise and sift through data while at law school, CLAT preparation is a good place to start that journey.

The author is Dean, School of Law, Woxsen University