How to Read the Newspaper for CLAT Preparation?

29 January, 2024
parthiva mewawala

The Current Affairs and GK section is one of the most critical sections of the CLAT exam. Every year, around 35-40 questions are asked, accounting for almost 25% of the total marks. 

 

With the right approach, students can easily score well here and maximise their overall marks. And no CLAT preparation strategy can ignore the vitality of reading newspapers everyday. 

 

Newspapers collate current affairs from around the country and keep you abreast with relevant news items. Moreover, today’s digital age has made online copies of newspapers easily available to everyone. As a CLAT aspirant, newspapers should be part of your daily routine. 

 

In this blog, we’ve which newspapers to follow and how to read a newspaper for CLAT preparation specifically. 

Which newspapers should you read?

With over a lakh newspapers and periodicals being published in India, it’s easy to get inundated with information. Moreover, you can easily get confused as to which newspaper to follow religiously. 

 

According to IMS mentors, two newspapers are more than enough to inculcate reading and comprehension skills in you while delivering the right mix of news items. 

 

For English speakers, the Hindu and The Indian Express offer the right tone, language, and material to score well in CLAT. 

 

For Hindi speakers, it is advisable to begin with the Times of India, which is simpler to digest. Once they’re acquainted with the newspaper, they can switch to The Hindu and the Indian Express. 

 

Newspapers like The Telegraph and The Tribune are also considered top-notch for their quality of journalism and relevance. 

Which topics should you cover?

Newspapers can be as many as 32 pages long – which is a lot of material to consume. Instead of reading the entire paper, it’s better to skin the headlines, filter out key topics, and focus on them. 

 

The front page headlines, editorials, state news from the concurrent list, expert opinions, international news, national news, and business news are key matters that should be on your radar. 

 

Sports, advertisements, entertainment, lifestyle, local news, and celebrity interviews can be overlooked. 

How to read the newspaper for CLAT preparation – 4 tips

Newspaper reading is a good habit that needs to be nurtured within you over time. But for CLAT preparation, your approach should be a bit different to everyone else. 

 

We’ve collected 4 tips from our mentors to help you read and retain information from newspapers for your CLAT preparation. 

Create a list of relevant questions from previous years’ papers

The best way to concentrate your energy in the right direction is by figuring out the exact scope of the questions being asked. Instead of blindly reading through troves of pages, finely comb through the current affairs questions asked and create an exhaustive list. There’s a significant chance that similar questions will be asked this year too. 

Focus on matters of national importance

Trends have shown that the CLAT loves to discuss questions that pertain to matters of a national scale. Very few, of any at all, questions stem from local news. Keep this fact in mind while reading the newspaper. Unless the local news has some connection to a nationally significant matter, skip it. 

Don’t forget to read the editorials

The language and material of editorials can often put students off. Not only are editorials harder to comprehend, they’re usually related to personal opinions of reputed experts. But reading the editorials can have a two-pronged advantage. 

 

  • It drastically improves your English writing and reading skills. Your vocabulary as well as expression gets better empowering you to better structure and convey your ideas. 
  • Many of the long passages in CLAT mimic newspaper editorials. Practising comprehension with hard-to-read editorials will put you in a better position during the actual exam. 

Create notes for all the important points

We’ve saved the most important point for the last. In a separate notebook, list out all the important events in shorthand. Maintain this notebook and keep it updated with all the latest events. 

 

Not only will you recall the news better during the exam, you’ll also have a singular resource to revise current affairs from. 

How to read the newspaper to boost your CLAT preparation is a critical methodology that can reap great rewards for CLAT aspirants. Follow the tips given above and you’ll be able to beat your peers to a top score in the current affairs and GK section. To learn more such tips and talk to the most experienced IMS mentors, fill out the form here.