CLAT 2026 Books: Booklist, Where to Find, Preparation Tips 

CLAT 2026 is scheduled to be held on December 7, 2025. CLAT will be conducted in offline mode (pen and paper) across multiple centres in India. Candidates will be given 2 hours (120 minutes) to attempt all the questions. The official schedule is announced by the Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) through its website, consortiumofnlus.ac.in. Candidates are advised to visit CLAT website regularly and check for any updates or changes in the exam schedule.

Yes, CLAT 2026 registration has started on August 1, 2025, on the official website of the Consortium of NLUs, consortiumofnlus.ac.in. The last date to fill out the application form is October 31, 2025. Candidates are advised to complete the registration process before the deadline, as late submissions will not be accepted. The application form includes steps such as registration, filling in personal details, uploading documents, and paying the application fee online.

Yes, the CLAT exam has a negative marking system. For every incorrect answer, 0.25 marks are deducted from the total score. Each correct answer carries 1 mark, while unanswered questions do not affect the score. This marking pattern is applicable to both CLAT UG and CLAT PG exams. Hence, it is better for the candidates to attempt only those questions they are confident about to avoid unnecessary loss of marks due to negative marking.

For CLAT Legal Reasoning section, candidates should follow books like Legal Awareness and Legal Reasoning by Pearson, Objective Legal Aptitude by R.S. Aggarwal, Important Judgments that Transformed India by Alex Andrews George, and Legal Aptitude and Legal Reasoning by A.P. Bhardwaj. These books explain all the important concepts, legal principles, and reasoning patterns in simple language. Candidates should also read editorials and landmark judgments to understand the application of law in real-life cases.

To prepare for the Logical Reasoning section of CLAT 2026, candidates can refer to Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal, Analytical Reasoning by M.K. Pandey, A New Approach to Verbal and Analytical Reasoning by Arihant Publications, and Logical Reasoning by Arun Sharma. These books offer clear explanations and a large number of practice questions. Regular practice helps in improving speed, accuracy, and the ability to analyse arguments and draw logical conclusions.

For CLAT Quantitative Techniques, candidates can refer to Quantitative Aptitude by R.S. Aggarwal, Magical Book on Quicker Maths by M. Tyra, Fast Track Objective Arithmetic by Arihant Publications, and Data Interpretation by R.S. Aggarwal. These books are useful for building conceptual clarity and solving arithmetic and data interpretation problems. Since the Quantitative section in CLAT focuses on basic math concepts, practising a few questions daily can help in improving accuracy and confidence.

Candidates appearing in CLAT PG 2026 should focus on core law subjects like Constitutional Law, Jurisprudence, Contract, Criminal Law, and Administrative Law. Reading landmark judgments and recent legal developments is equally important. Standard reference books such as Singhal’s Handbooks, PSA Pillai for IPC, Avtar Singh for Contract, and PM Bakshi’s Constitution of India are useful. Practising CLAT previous year papers and mock tests also helps in understanding the type of legal comprehension passages asked in the exam.

For the English section, the best books are Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis, High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren & Martin, General English by S.P. Bakshi, and English is Easy by Chetananand Singh. These books improve the candidates’ vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension. Candidates should also develop a habit of reading newspapers and editorials daily, as CLAT English passages are based on contemporary topics and real-life situations.

To perform well in CLAT General Knowledge section, candidates should refer to Lucent’s General Knowledge, Manorama Yearbook, Competition Success Review, and Pratiyogita Darpan. Monthly current affairs magazines and the India Year Book are also very useful. Reading newspapers like The Hindu, The Telegraph, and The Times of India helps the candidates in staying updated with national and international events. The GK section in CLAT focuses more on current events, so regular reading and revision are essential.