And The Countdown Begins..

By Srija Kumar (NALSAR, Batch of 2020)

Note from the admin: Hope that timer on the top right corner of your device pushes you into action.

Just about a month to go for the CLAT. The day that is going to change your lives forever, at least for the next five years surely. The day that you have been waiting for, for almost a year. The day for which you’ve sacrificed your little pleasures, your precious sleep, your favourite television series.  I’m saying this not to scare you, but to give you a reality check.

You have 120 minutes to solve 200 questions. Make the best use of that time, so you won’t have any regrets once you finish the exam. To give your best during those 120 minutes, it’s very important to utilize this last one month before the exam expeditiously. Whether you have prepared diligently and are sure of getting through the exam with flying colours or whether you’re someone who has just started preparing after your boards and are clueless as to how to go about the preparation, remember that this one month can turn all the tables.

Here’s a small piece of advice about what you should be doing in the last month before CLAT. Starting with the most tricky and detested section for most, yeah you guessed it right, it’s the yucky Math section. The key to score well in this section is consistent practice. Assuming that you have practiced it in the span of one year, all you need to do now is revise the formulae and the short cut methods. Make a table of them and go through them on a regular basis so that on the day of the exam, you don’t fret and end up forgetting the formulae. Needless to say while solving your paper, don’t spend too much time on questions that are too difficult for you, the best way is always to start with the easy ones and then try your hand at the difficult ones if you have time. Try building this habit during your mocks, so that you can easily follow the same strategy during the actual exam.

The next most dreaded section is GK. This section is exhaustive, and unless you’re blessed with the genes of Einstein, you will have a hard time covering this in just one month. This month is solely meant for revision, and that too systematic revision. Divide your day in a way where you give at least an hour or two to revise current affairs and static GK. And if you’ve just started preparing for GK, you really need to toil. Brush up on all the important current affairs from the compendiums and read some basic static GK. Don’t decide to start a new GK book afresh and try finishing it because it would be an ideal recipe for disaster. Do as many questions as possible from whatever sources you land upon, this will help.

Next in queue is Legal Aptitude. Revise your concepts thoroughly, and reflect on the mistakes you make in the questions and alter your line of reasoning accordingly. Don’t forget to solve past year papers. You never know what the paper might entail this year, so don’t ignore Legal Knowledge, which would include brushing up basic Constitution trivia and other legal concepts like torts, contracts etc. Also, don’t spend too much time on this section. It is time consuming, but be aware of how much time you give each question.

For English, make sure you learn all the important words and grammar rules thoroughly be smart with reading comprehensions. This is the section where you are likely not only to gain marks easily, but also lose marks if you are hasty. For Reasoning, I would suggest that you focus on grasping the concept and start with the easier questions. Don’t stay stuck at one question. It’s a mistake most people commit and I am sure you’re smart enough not to repeat the same.

Apart from devoting time to different sections, it is important that you take at least one mock test every day. After the mock, take some time out to figure out where and why you went wrong and solve those wrong questions again. Remember, mocks are really an opportunity in disguise where you get to analyse your mistakes and not commit the same in the actual paper. Never get disheartened by the mock scores, they are simply to help you build on your weak areas.

And just a day before the exam, don’t stress yourself much, watch your favourite movie, binge on some yummy food and do whatever helps you stay calm. When you stay positive and believe in yourself, half the battle is won already. This mantra worked for me, and I made it to NALSAR. You are not alone. Nearly 50,000 odd people appearing for the exam are going through same stresses, so take a deep breath and set all your fears and doubts aside. Go ahead and seize the day!