How to Prepare for the Quantitative Techniques section of CLAT?

As per the syllabus listed on Consortium Website, the Quantitative Techniques section of CLAT is designed to test the candidate’s aptitude for basic mathematics, i.e., knowledge of quantitative techniques learnt up to 10th Class/standard. In order to crack CLAT 2022, it is crucial that the candidates score well, at least 11+, in this section of the exam. Now at Oliveboard, we strongly believe that preparing for CLAT means it is very important to strategize a plan that works the best. 

This blog will help you with all the information you might need to get started with preparing for the Quantitative Techniques section of CLAT. We’ll also deliver some tips and techniques which you might incorporate into your study plan to get you going for this section.

Understanding CLAT

Common Law Admission Test, or CLAT, is a centralized national level entrance test for admissions to an integrated (5 years) undergraduate degree in Law (BA LLB, BBA LLB, BSc LLB, etc) in twenty-two National Law Universities (NLU) in India (except NLU Delhi which conducts a separate entrance, AILET). The test can be taken after the Higher Secondary Examination or the 12th grade and is conducted by the Consortium of NLUs nationally, every year. 

Generally, the battle of CLAT is a 120-minute field wherein the candidate has to solve 150 questions spread across five areas – English Language, Current Affairs (including General Knowledge), Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Techniques. Each question is a one-marker objective type. A negative marking of 0.25 mark per wrong answer has also been kept. 

Subject Areas	Approx. number of questions (Weightage)
English Language	28-32 questions or roughly 20% of the paper
Current Affairs, including General Knowledge	35-39 questions, or roughly 25% of the paper
Legal Reasoning	35-39 questions, or roughly 25% of the paper
Logical Reasoning	28-32 questions, or roughly 20% of the paper
Quantitative Technique	13-17 questions, or roughly 10% of the paper

Quantitative Techniques Section of CLAT

The Quantitative Techniques Section of CLAT constitutes roughly 10% of the paper, i.e., 13-17 questions out of 150 questions. But, kid you not! This section has been repetitively considered the make or break section for the top 5 NLUs given the fact that not enough candidates employ enough resources in this section. 

To give you a fair idea of the quant section, let’s take the case of the syllabus for 2022. As per the Consortium website, the Quant section for CLAT will include short sets of facts or propositions, graphs, or other textual, pictorial or diagrammatic representations of quantitative information, followed by a series of questions. You will be required to –

Step 1 – derive information from such passages, graphs, or other representations, and;

Step 2 – apply mathematical operations to such information.

The questions will require you to –

• Derive, infer, and manipulate numerical information set out in such passages, graphs, or other representations; and
• Apply various 10th standard mathematical operations on such information, including from areas such as 
  • number theory 
  • basic arithmetic 
  • averages and percentages 
  • ratio and proportion
  • mixtures and allegations 
  • time and work or time distance and speed 
  • fractions and equations 
  • monetary evaluations, i.e., profit-loss, and other operations and calculation based on money
  • probability 
  • permutations and combinations
• You may also be required to answer questions in the field of data interpretation such as those that require you to analyze histograms charts, tables and other graphical information extracting information from such graphical information.

Resources to prepare for the Quantitative Techniques section of CLAT

• The first and foremost book or resource material to refer to should be your Class Xth NCERT Mathematics textbook. Not only will it clear all your basics, it practically covers all the topic bases as well. You can expand upon your practice by coupling your textbook with vigorous practice from R.L. Pandey or Arora’s textbook on Mathematics for the same standard.
• Also, remember that the diagrammatic representations of the quantitative information for questions appearing in this section are created afresh by the question setters. In fact, some graphs and histograms have also been derived from public sources such as the website of the Reserve Bank of India. Though you might not stand the chance of seeing a repeated graph or table, etc. Hence, keep an eye out for sources like –
  • Yojana and Kurukshetra,
  • Graphs, charts, etc utilised in the economy and business section of the Newspaper,
  • Economic Survey released for every Financial Year along with the annual budget.
• Now you may have heard or read the suggestion from various sources that you shouldn’t be mugging up anything for the quantitative techniques section for CLAT. However, there are a few things memorizing of which might help you increase your accuracy and precision, namely –
  • Up to 20 tables, squares from 2 – 30, and cubes for 2 – 20. This will come in handy in both the arithmetic and logical reasoning sections. Though heavy calculations might not be involved anyway, speeding things while maintaining accuracy can never hurt in a competitive examination like CLAT, AILET, etc.
  • Variations in the practical use of formulae. To get the proper result in mensuration, for example, the formulae must be used carefully. 
• Mock test – The practice from all the materials and resources has to be coupled up with practice and a good amount of it. Use sectional tests after you’re done reading the concepts for every topic. Add solving mock tests to the mix and you’re golden. Full-length mock tests are especially helpful for improving time management. Check this out! 
• The previous year’s question papers – Coupling your conceptual clarity with practice from PYQs or previous year’s question papers can prove very helpful. While they may not include the additional element of requiring you to analyse a passage or graphical information and derive usable information from them, they will still help you develop the ability to perform common mathematical calculations quickly and accurately.

Preparation Strategy for the Quantitative Techniques Section of CLAT

The idea of this section is to assess the capacity of budding lawyers such as the aspirants to separate the useful information from unuseful ones and to be able to use the information in deriving conclusions. Also, rather than focusing on the complexity of calculations, the quantitative techniques section of CLAT, emphasizes your ability to find and manipulate relevant information comfortably. With this in mind, let’s cull out some tips and tricks for the preparation phase as well as the common mistakes while preparing.

Common mistakes to avoid while preparing for the quantitative techniques section of CLAT

1. Unstructured preparation – To quote Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” Sit with the syllabus on Day 1 of your prep. And set your target to make a study plan of your own – 

• how many mocks and sectional tests you’d need, 
• which are the sources you’d be referring to for each of the sections (limit to a 1 or 2 per section), 
• and how much time you will devote to this examination per day, 
• which topics will you prepare first. Gain conceptual clarity and move from there.

2. Inadequate practice

The Logical Reasoning and Quantitative Techniques section of CLAT demand a lot of work and application over time. The key to optimum right responses is consistent practice combined with increased precision and efficiency. 

3. Not analyzing your Mock test results

You should ask yourself these questions once you’re done taking a mock – 

• For questions left unsolved or unmarked – Was it lack of time or lack of knowledge?
• For incorrect responses – Was it a silly mistake or lack of knowledge?
• For correct answers – Is it possible to do this in a better and faster way?

The answers will help you unleash your true potential!

Tips for D-day

1. Since the CLAT 2022 is marking a significant change syllabus wise for the quant section for CLAT from formulae-based questions to more logic-based questions, it is critical that you carefully read the passages and questions to ensure that you understand the information provided and what the question is asking of you. Quant section for CLAT is looking for your ability to analyse textual and graphical material in addition to your ability to execute simple mathematical calculations.
2. Because the Quantitative Techniques section of CLAT 2022 differs from previous years’ papers in that it requires you to read a passage or analyse a set of graphical data before attempting a question, it is critical that you read the passage or graphical data and list out (or underline) the information that is provided to you, as well as the information that you may need to answer the questions.
3. A later question in the Quantitative Techniques section of CLAT 2022 will almost always demand you to use information that you computed or obtained when answering a prior question. Given this, it’s critical that you keep your preliminary notes and computations organised and accessible so that you may immediately refer to them when needed.

For more help with your CLAT preparation, tune in to Oliveboard. For tips and tricks on preparing for other law entrances, check this. Ciao!