The CLAT 2026 exam is set to take place on 7th December 2025. The exam is one of the most competitive and difficult law entrance exams to take. The CLAT exam will help students get into various top law courses and universities such as NLSIU Bangalore and NALSAR amongst others. Reference books can be a huge help in students’ preparation process for the examinations and can help further improve their performance. Reference books for CLAT can also come with mock tests that can help in students’ preparation as well. This article highlights some of the best books per each subject of the CLAT exam to help students in their preparation process for CLAT.
CLAT UG Exam Pattern
Before getting into the subject-wise books for the CLAT examination it is crucial for students to be thorough with the exam pattern. Being thorough with the CLAT exam pattern ensures students know what to expect from the exam. It also helps students develop strong and effective plans for the CLAT examination accordingly.
Provided below is an overview of the CLAT exam pattern for students’ reference:
Exam Mode | Offline (Pen and Paper) |
Exam Duration | 2 Hours, 120 Minutes |
Total Marks | 120 Marks |
Total Questions | 120 Questions |
Question Types | Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) with Passages |
Sections | 5 Sections:
|
Negative Marking | Yes |
Also Read: CLAT Preparation Tips to Maximize Your Score
CLAT 2026 Best Books for Preparation
As mentioned, the CLAT examination consists of 5 sections. Using reference books for any or all of these 5 sections can vastly improve a student’s overall performance on the CLAT exam. Provided below is an overview of the subject-wise best books for the CLAT UG examination. The books for CLAT preparation are as follows:
English
This section requires students to have a thorough command over the English language. Students must have precise and thorough Grammar knowledge. Students must also possess strong comprehension skills. The books listed below all prepare students with these relevant skills that can help them ace the English section of the CLAT exam.
The books for the English section for CLAT are as follows:
Book Title | Author (s) |
High School English Grammar and Composition | Wren and Martin |
Objective General English | R.S Agarwal |
Word Power Made Easy | Norman Lewis |
English is Easy | Chetananand Singh |
Legal Reasoning
This section of the CLAT exam does not require students to be experts in the field of law. It does require that students are skilled enough to comprehend, understand and interpret the provided passages. It can also be beneficial for students to have strong reading abilities and some basic understanding of simple legal terms. These alongside the reference books provided can help significantly boost a student’s performance on this section of the CLAT exam as well.
The books are as follows:
Book Title | Author (s) |
Legal Aptitude and Legal Reasoning | R.S Agarwal |
Universal’ CLAT Guide | - |
Legal Awareness and Legal Reasoning | A.P Bharadwaj |
Pearson’s CLAT Guide | - |
Logical Reasoning
This section of the CLAT examination requires students to have strong and precise skills when it comes to pattern recognition and problem solving. Similar to English and Legal Reasoning, the books provided aim to enhance their comprehending abilities as well as their puzzle-solving capabilities as well. Students should aim to solve puzzles, riddles, analogies and visual-recognition amongst other types of questions that can be asked through the books provided.
The books for Logical Reasoning are as follows:
Book Title | Author (s) |
Analytical Reasoning | M.K Pandey |
Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning | R.S Agarwal |
A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning | R.S Agarwal |
Students Can Also Read: Subjects in CLAT 2026 UG and PG
Current Affairs
This section does not really require students to read that much as then topics and syllabus of this section are subject to change. However, students can read a few guide books and keep themselves up through news channels, articles and newspapers to prepare themselves for this section.
The books for the Current Affairs section of CLAT are as follows:
Book Title | Author (s) |
Newspapers such as the Hindustan Times, Times of India and Economic Times | - |
Lucent’s General Knowledge | - |
Manorama Yearbook | - |
Quantitative Aptitude
The Quant section of the CLAT exam mainly tests a student’s mathematical ability at a class 10th level. Students should aim to cover the various arithmetic, geometric and algebraic topics that are part of this section of the CLAT examination.
The books for Quantitative Aptitude of CLAT are as follows:
Book Title | Author (s) |
Class 10th NCERT Book | - |
Class 9th NCERT Book | - |
Fast Track Objective Arithmetic | Arihant and Rajesh Verma |
Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations | R.S Agarwal |
Wonder for Maths | S. Chand |
CLAT UG Syllabus
Provided below is an overview of the CLAT syllabus. Being familiar with the syllabus of the exam can help students know what topics of the provided sections of the CLAT exam they must focus on when studying for the paper, especially through the provided reference books for the examination.
The CLAT UG syllabus is as follows:
Section | Topics |
English |
|
Legal Reasoning |
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Logical Reasoning |
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Current Affairs |
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Quantitative Aptitude |
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Also Read: How Many Marks Are Required to Clear the CLAT Exam?