How to Read the Newspaper for CLAT Preparation?

How to read a newspaper for CLAT 2025: Getting into the habit of reading newspapers might seem easy, but keeping up with it requires a lot of effort, time, energy, and enthusiasm, which is not easy. But the best part about reading newspapers is that it improves your general knowledge and helps you read faster and understand better over time.

The Current Affairs and GK section is critical in the CLAT exam. It’s where they ask questions about what’s happening in the world and general knowledge. This part makes up about 25% of all the questions in the exam. 

Get ready for the CLAT with our FREE Mock Tests guided by our experts.

So, doing well here can boost your overall score. To do well, it’s crucial to read newspapers regularly. They’re like your daily dose of what’s happening around you. In this blog, we’ll talk about How to read a newspaper for CLAT preparation and which ones to read.

Which newspapers should you read?

The biggest question is how to read a newspaper for CLAT, but another problem is which newspaper you should read. With over a lakh newspapers and periodicals published in India, getting inundated with information is easy. Moreover, you can easily get confused about which newspaper to follow religiously. 

Know more: CLAT Time Management: The Key to Acing CLAT 2025

According to IMS mentors, two newspapers are enough to teach your reading and comprehension skills while delivering the right mix of news items. 

Which topics should you cover?

Newspapers can be as many as 32 pages long – a lot of material to consume. Instead of reading the entire paper, focus on. 

• Frontpage headlines
• Editorials
• State news from the concurrent list
• Expert opinions
• International news
• National News
• Business news
• Sports (can be overlooked)
• Advertisements (can be overlooked)
• Entertainment (can be overlooked)
• Lifestyle (can be overlooked)
• Local news (can be ignored unless nationally significant)
• Celebrity interviews (can be overlooked)

How to read a newspaper for CLAT: Areas to Focus on While Reading the Newspaper 

Newspaper reading takes time, so it’s best to read selectively. Focus on essential topics for the CLAT exam and ignore irrelevant ones. Key areas to focus on include:

• Frontpage
• Editorial page – language, knowledge, terminology
• Recurring issues like Hong Kong protests, news related to elections, etc.
• Standard Questions News such as appointments, records, awards, etc.
• Business related news
• International news

How Much Time is Required to Read a Newspaper for CLAT 2025?

Proper time management is crucial for CLAT preparation, including dedicating sufficient time to read newspapers. Here’s a breakdown of recommendations on how much time to allocate for newspaper reading for CLAT 2025.

How to read a newspaper for CLAT: 4 preparation tips

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

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

1. 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 unquestioningly 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. 

2. Focus on matters of national importance:

Trends have shown that the CLAT loves to discuss questions that pertain to matters on a national scale. Very few, if 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. 

3. 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 the personal opinions of reputed experts. However, reading the editorials can have a two-pronged advantage. 

• It drastically improves your English writing and reading skills. Your vocabulary and expression improve, empowering you to structure and convey your ideas better. 
• 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 exam. 

4. Create notes for all the critical points:

Effective note-taking while reading newspapers is essential for CLAT preparation. It aids in better retention and understanding of important topics. Here are some strategies and recommendations for making notes while reading newspapers for CLAT 2025.

Know more about: How to Attempt Lengthy Passage-Based Questions by Improving Reading Comprehension For CLAT 2025 

Conclusion 

The Current Affairs and GK section is one of the most critical sections of the CLAT exam. 

With the right approach, students can easily score well here and maximise their overall marks. CLAT’s preparation strategy must recognise the importance of reading newspapers every day. 

Newspapers collate current affairs from around the country and keep you up-to-date with relevant news. 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 have discussed How to read a newspaper for CLAT 2025.