Top 10 Underrated Books That Can Boost Your CLAT Score
- himanshilawprep
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
When students prepare for the CLAT exam, they often follow the same study material used by others-coaching modules, online classes, previous year papers, and standard reference books. These are important and helpful, but sometimes, a few lesser-known books can make a big difference in your preparation.
These underrated books are not talked about as much, but they help you understand things better, build stronger concepts, and even improve your reading and thinking skills-all of which are useful for the CLAT exam.
If you're looking for a few extra tools that can help you score better, here is a list of 10 underrated books that can be useful in your CLAT preparation journey.
1. Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
This book is not new, but many students still ignore it or leave it halfway. It’s one of the best books to improve your vocabulary in a way that is easy to remember. It teaches you the meaning of words by breaking them down into roots and parts.
Instead of just memorising difficult words, this book helps you understand how words are formed. That way, even if you forget a word, you can guess its meaning during the exam. It’s also divided into small sessions, so you can finish one part in 15–20 minutes daily.
Plus, improving your vocabulary now will also help you stay updated on all details about CLAT 2026, especially if you're aiming for a better score in the English and comprehension section.
Tip: Do one session daily and revise words every weekend.
2. 30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary by Wilfred Funk & Norman Lewis
This is another excellent vocabulary book, especially if you want to improve fast. It’s simple and focuses on words that are commonly used in newspapers and CLAT comprehension passages.
The book is written like a 30-day challenge. Each day has a short lesson, a few new words, their meanings, and some usage practice. It's easy to follow, and you will see improvement in your vocabulary even after a week.
Think of it as daily brain exercise. Instead of scrolling Instagram for 10 minutes, try a chapter from this.
3. Legal Awareness and Legal Reasoning by A.P. Bhardwaj
While this book is available everywhere, many students ignore it because they rely only on coaching notes. But this book is actually very useful, especially for understanding legal topics in a simple and clear way.
It explains important legal concepts, includes past year questions, and has hundreds of practice questions. Whether you’re from a law background or not, this book can help you feel more confident while solving legal reasoning questions.
It’s a good book to read slowly along with your regular legal current affairs prep.
4. The Economist Magazine (or its Article Compilations)
Now you might think, “Why should I read an international magazine?” But here’s the thing-The Economist articles are very similar in structure and tone to what you get in CLAT reading comprehension passages.
They cover world news, economics, law, and society. Even if you read just one article a week, you will improve your reading speed, understand tough language better, and learn how to grasp the main idea of long passages.
You can find free article PDFs or summaries online if the magazine is too expensive.
5. How to Read Better and Faster by Norman Lewis
Reading long and tricky passages in CLAT can take a lot of time. This book helps you read faster without losing understanding.
It gives you tips and exercises that improve your focus and speed. You learn how to skip unnecessary words, how to guess meanings from context, and how to save time while reading.
Use this book to practice reading when you feel tired of solving MCQs-it feels different but still helps your prep.
6. Objective General English by S.P. Bakshi
This book is usually used by SSC and bank exam students, but it’s also very helpful for CLAT. It covers grammar, sentence correction, and usage rules-all of which are useful for the English section.
Many students lose marks due to grammar mistakes in fill-in-the-blank or error detection questions. This book explains every grammar rule in a simple way and has hundreds of practice questions.
Try doing 2-3 exercises daily from this book-it doesn’t take much time and helps a lot with basics.
Do check out Law Prep Judiciary if you want to crack the judiciary exam on your first attempt.
7. Manorama Yearbook (Selective Reading)
This book is often ignored because of its size. Yes, it’s big and full of facts, but if you use it smartly, it can help you with both static GK and current affairs.
You don’t have to read it from start to end. Just pick the sections that matter:
India & World updates
Government schemes
Awards and events
Polity basics
Use sticky notes to mark only useful pages. Don’t try to finish the whole thing-just focus on what matters for CLAT.
8. The Hindu Editorials (PDF Compilations or Saved Articles)
Editorials from The Hindu newspaper are a great way to practice reading comprehension and argument-based passages. They also improve your ability to understand different opinions, tones, and legal issues.
You can either read them daily or download monthly PDF compilations. Some Telegram channels and websites upload these regularly. Try summarising each article in 2-3 lines to improve your analytical thinking.
Focus on law-related, political, and social issue editorials. Sports and movie news can wait for later.
9. Crack CLAT Logical Reasoning by A.P. Bhardwaj
This book is very useful for the new CLAT pattern, which focuses on reasoning through passages instead of traditional puzzles.
It has clear explanations of:
Arguments
Assumptions
Strengthening/weakening points
Inferences
You also get practice questions based on recent patterns. Many students think logical reasoning is just common sense, but structured practice from this book can improve your accuracy.
Try solving one full passage daily. Over a month, you’ll notice the improvement.
10. Lucent’s General Knowledge
This book is known among students preparing for government exams, but it also has a lot of value for CLAT aspirants-especially for static GK like history, geography, polity, and science.
The best part is its short format. Each subject is explained in point form, so you can read and revise fast. For CLAT, you don’t need deep facts-you just need to understand the basics. Lucent helps with that.
Pair this with daily current affairs to make sure you’re not missing out on either static or dynamic GK.
How to Use These Books Without Getting Overloaded
Adding 10 books to your study routine might sound like a lot. But you don’t have to study all of them every day. Here’s how you can plan smartly:
Step 1: Choose 1-2 books based on your weak areas
For example:
Weak in vocabulary? → Word Power Made Easy or 30 Days Vocabulary
Grammar mistakes? → Objective General English
Poor reading speed? → How to Read Better and Faster
Step 2: Use 20-30 minutes daily for one of these books
You can read one session, one article, or one topic every day. It won’t disturb your main preparation but will give extra strength.
Step 3: Don’t just read-practice and revise
Underline important points. Make short notes. Practice MCQs where possible. Try to use new words in your mock answers. That’s how things stay in your memory.
Also explore Best Tips to Crack CLAT 2026 in First Attempt
Summary: Why These Books Matter
Many students focus only on mock tests and syllabus topics. But CLAT also checks how you think, how fast you read, how clearly you understand, and how well you use your knowledge.
These underrated books help with exactly that.
Book Title | Why It Helps |
Word Power Made Easy | Builds long-term vocabulary |
30 Days Vocabulary | Quick and effective word learning |
Legal Awareness by Bhardwaj | Solid legal basics + MCQs |
The Economist | Improves comprehension and awareness |
Read Better and Faster | Boosts reading speed and understanding |
Objective English by Bakshi | Clears grammar and sentence skills |
Manorama Yearbook | Quick source of static + current affairs |
Hindu Editorials | Great for comprehension and analysis |
Logical Reasoning by Bhardwaj | Practice for passage-based logic |
Lucent’s GK | Easy revision of static topics |
Final Words
Cracking CLAT doesn’t require you to study every book out there. But adding one or two smart, underrated books to your routine can make your preparation smoother and more effective.
It’s not about studying more hours-it’s about using the right material in the right way. These books are not very popular, but they are quietly powerful. Try them out, and you’ll see the results for yourself.
Take one book from this list today. Start small. Build a habit. And slowly, you’ll find that your understanding, speed, and confidence grow day by day.
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