How to Prepare for Current Affairs and GK for CLAT 2022
Earlier the CLAT GK pattern was simple. There were 50 questions which came from static general knowledge, current affairs, and legal GK.
When CLAT started in 2008, the papers put weight on static G.K and Current affairs equally. The paper tested the student on the basis of the knowledge she has of the historical and current affairs of the country and world. However, this trend changed. In 2013 the G.K paper was divided evenly comprising half of Current Affairs. This did not stop there, gradually the number of questions kept rising till 2016 when it was carrying anywhere between 32-40 marks.
Things got very interesting in 2017 when the whole G.K section except for one question was comprised of Current Affairs. While it cannot be said with absolute certainty that this will be repeated, it says a lot about the trends changing and leaning towards current affairs.
In 2020, the CLAT paper will have around 32-35 Current Affairs/Gk questions which will be based on comprehensions. Each passage will have around 5 questions. The passages can be from Economics, Politics, Law or Social issues.
Remember…
- This section is the quickest to solve and carries the most marks.
- The total time it should take for average aspirants is anywhere between 8-12 minutes.
- It helps pacify the otherwise lack of time for solving other sections of the paper.
- With proper preparation, aspirants should aim to score anywhere between 28-32 marks in the section to have a competitive edge.
How to Prepare for Current Affairs and General Knowledge?
There are a few things which an aspirant should keep in mind while preparing for this section.
- Discipline: The biggest factor in preparing for general knowledge is discipline. You cannot leave out three weeks of preparation and hope to cover it up, remember, the syllabus is already the size of a mountain. Keep a slow and steady pace throughout your preparation.
- Yearbook: So all these yearbooks have the same content? Good. That means the content is important and you have to go through them. Studying a yearbook is important, not only does it contains the important events of the past year, it all helps you prepare for static gk, both from the same book.
- Newspaper: Make it a habit to read the news every morning. While you are at it, read the editorial section as well. It will help you build your vocabulary as well as keep you up to pace with the world. Do not read any newspaper, read the good ones which have quality editors like The Statesman/Hindu/Telegraph etc.
- Notes: It is important that you prepare notes for this section. Whenever you read GK, keep your copy and pen handy and jot down the important points. Think of it as an insurance for quality revision as well as better retaining of facts.
- Revision: General Knowledge is an endless area and even if you manage to read everything, there is a good chance that you will end up forgetting it wholly or partly. Both of these will cost you marks.
Key Points
- Watching an hour of news daily to know about the daily events of the world is advised. Please do not waste time over prime time debates, instead, go for Doordarshan news or All India Radio News.
- A thorough reading of a good national daily is highly advised and that notes be maintained for each day.
- While reading, special attention to the editorial sections since they are based on the current affairs and polish vocabulary of the candidate.
- One good magazine like Competition in Focus or Outlook can be referred on a monthly basis, to sum up, the affairs of the month.
- Make bullet-point notes to revise later.
- Maintain a stable preparation plan of 2-4 hours a day for a minimum of 1.5 months.
First published on March 12, 2021.