CLT 30-Day Study Plan

Plan 30 days of CLT preparation: lessons first, then targeted practice, then mixed review.

Updated October 2, 2026

A 30-day schedule in four parts. Study a little each day and use the last day of each part to review mistakes.

Your 30 days

A month gives each section about a week, with a final week for timed work. Answer the daily question as well; it keeps the other sections fresh while you focus on one.

When	What to do	Time a day
Days 1–7	Verbal Reasoning: all 12 lessons, two a day, plus the analogy method	45–60 min
Days 8–15	Grammar/Writing: all 12 lessons, then mixed editing sets	45–60 min
Days 16–22	Quantitative Reasoning: five lessons a day by topic, all arithmetic by hand	60 min
Days 23–29	Timed sections on alternate days; review every miss on the days between	60 min
Day 30	Light review; set up your device and room if you are testing remotely	20 min

Days 1–7: Reading and evidence

Work through the 12 Verbal Reasoning lessons, one or two passages at a time.For each passage, state the central claim in one sentence before you look at the questions.Practice the analogy questions separately; every passage has them and they reward a set method.For every evidence question you miss, find the exact sentence that supports the right answer.

Open the lessons

Days 8–15: Grammar and editing

Work through the 12 Grammar/Writing lessons.Review sentence boundaries, agreement and punctuation first; half the section tests them.On every edit, check that the change keeps the writer’s meaning.Practice the questions about adding, deleting or moving a sentence against the passage’s purpose.

Open the lessons

Days 16–22: Math without a calculator

Work through the Quantitative Reasoning lessons, starting with the topics you find hardest.Do all arithmetic by hand. The CLT does not allow a calculator.Review geometry and trigonometry formulas, including the ones the test does not supply.Practice logic and word problems by writing the conditions down before you calculate.

Open practice sets

Days 23–30: Timed practice and review

Take timed sets at the real pace: 40 questions in 40, 35 and 45 minutes.After each set, sort your misses into careless errors, slow questions and gaps in knowledge.Go back to the lesson for each gap, then redo the questions you missed.If you will take the optional school essay, write two 30-minute practice essays.

Open practice sets

How to review a practice set

Mark each miss as careless, too slow, or a gap in what you know.
For a gap, go back to the lesson for that question type before doing more questions.
For a slow question, redo it untimed and write down the step that took longest.
Redo every missed question a few days later without looking at the explanation.

The last two days

Stop learning new material. Review your list of missed questions and your formula notes.
If you are testing remotely, run the official simulation on your test-day computer and check your ID and room.
Sleep. The CLT is two hours of close reading and hand calculation.

Test day checklist Timed practice sets All lessons

Adjust as you go

Spend more time on the topics you keep missing.

Review your saved practice

Frequently Asked Questions

We suggest one to two months of steady work. Two weeks is enough if you are retaking and need to fix one section.

Start with your weakest section. Each section is worth the same 40 points, so the lowest one has the most room to improve.

No, and you should not use one. The CLT does not allow a calculator, so do all practice arithmetic by hand.

It helps with general skills, but practice the parts that are specific to the CLT: reading passages that include literary, historical and philosophical texts from earlier periods, analogy questions tied to each passage, and math with no calculator.