CLAT’S SEPARATE CHALLENGE: THE READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISE
Reading comprehension (RC) is one part of English Section for CLAT Preparation that is often considered one of the most burdening sections of CLAT to handle. According to aspirants and those who have already made it to the NLUs, this happens for two reasons.
CLAT 2018 Preparation Tips
First, the reading comprehension is an extremely unpredictable part of CLAT Exam. It is believed to a good extent that CLAT takers are able to do well and bring out their very best in handling the reading comprehension exercise only if fortunately, the subject matter and topic of the RC turns out to be one that captures their interest or one they like to explore. If this is not the case, the RC just becomes another big burden for aspirants to handle. Second, reading comprehension exercise in the CLAT never comes with a small weightage and therefore, it is always difficult for candidates to consider skipping attempting the exercise. To just relieve NLU aspirants of their hard times with CLAT to some extent, here are a few tips for handling reading comprehension exercise well in the CLAT.Develop background knowledge:
Wide reading is one of the most essential things to do if one wants to fare well in General Knowledge section of CLAT and particularly in the English section. This is because when one gets to read a lot about a variety of topics, he or she certainly develops a general idea and a background on various topics. Therefore, it is suggested that NLU aspirants should always maintain a habit of wide reading so that when struck with an ‘out-of-the-world’ passage, they are not disenchanted and it does not actually feel like an out-of-the-world passage to handle.
Get into the habit:
CLAT takers need to prepare themselves for the ten questions and ten minutes in which they are expected to handle the reading comprehension exercise well. This can happen only if aspirants ensure that they are well-versed with the entire ‘journey’ of starting to read a passage, looking for answers, searching for relevant things and coming to conclusions. The more one practices dealing with and solving reading comprehension exercises with passages based on a wide range of subjects, the readier the aspirant is to handle any kind of passage that CLAT is about to launch at him or her. Taking twenty minutes for reading a fifteen-hundred-word essay and getting answers to relevant questions, it wouldn’t be a lot of effort to put to solve at least three reading comprehension exercises every day. Additionally, the more one practices, the faster one gets with handling any type of passage.
Read without stoppage:
Often, aspirants find themselves reading one passage at least three times to get a preliminary gist about the passage. Although this may be considered acceptable initially, if one wants to really hit the top universities through CLAT, one should ensure that a single reading gives him or her a fairly good idea about the passage. This can happen only if the CLAT taker pushes his boundaries a little by ensuring that every time he reads a passage, he has his mind conditioned in such a way that he can retain most from the passage on a single reading. To be frank, this exercise is much about conditioning one’s mind to retain as much as possible with a single reading. This exercise will not only help an aspirant in relieving dependence for understanding on a second or third reading but also boost his or her confidence and save time during the actual examination.
Read long texts at a stretch:
Many aspirants complain of not being able to handle a passage in CLAT well due to deficiency in the required attention for grabbing the subject matter. One huge reason behind this is not being habitual with reading long texts at a stretch. Therefore, if CLAT takers want to fare really well with the reading comprehension exercise in CLAT, it is important to ensure that reading is continuous and uninterrupted. This can happen only if an aspirant is in the habit of reading long texts without stopping. As far these texts are concerned, they may range from a commentary on Mahabharata to the entire Harry Potter series – depends on one’s interest! What is important is reading continuously and without interruption.
Take up exercises to boost reading comprehension:
The net is filled with plethora of free resources to give one training for boosting reading speed and comprehension. It is important not only for NLU aspirants but also for managers, judges, lawyers etc. whose jobs often involve reading long texts and comprehending them at the same time. Therefore, one should make the most of such available resources. On an average, the reading speed of a candidate who is soon to sit for the CLAT should be nowhere below three hundred and fifty words per minute. If it is below this, attempts to increase the speed should be made at the earliest. A good reading speed is of covering five hundred words in a minute with comprehension level being above seventy-five per cent.
Every year, thousands of talented candidates lose seats in the NLUs they aspire to gain admission into as a result of losing marks they can easily gain in the reading comprehension exercise. On the other hand, reading comprehension exercise is also a plus point for those who love to handle passages that CLAT has to offer. Therefore, it is important that aspirants never under-estimate the importance of reading comprehension exercise in the CLAT. It is not only a scoring area with enough marks attached to it but handling the passage well also gives enough confidence to a CLAT taker to tackle other sections of CLAT well. With the tips mentioned above, one can definitely do well in the reading comprehension exercises and handling the passages which is often a big burden can certainly be made mere cakewalk and a really enjoyable exercise!
