The Dream Called CLAT – by Rongeet Poddar (Rank 3 – CLAT 2015)

Here is an awe inspiring note from Rongeet Poddar who clinched Rank 3 at the CLAT this year, and made us all extremely proud, at CG!

With a mere couple of months to go before CLAT, on a sultry Kolkata afternoon, I was sitting at this very table in my room and scrolling nervously down the screen of my laptop. There was a GK website tab open, and I sat there deeply engrossed in an article, at CLATGyan, written by a CLAT topper of some previous year. The sweat on my creased brows almost reached my eyes. There was a lump in my throat. I was desperately looking for some inspiration that would propel me towards intensifying my last minute preparation. Little did I know then that I would be writing an article myself for the same website that had helped me immensely in an hour of need, that day. Incidentally, the monsoon rains seem to have set in as I write this. How seasons change with the passage of time!

If you dream big, you have to put in a big effort to fulfill it. In my book, CLAT is not a sprint race. It’s a marathon. You have to put in dedicated effort over a continuous period of time to ace it. There is no substitute for hard work and perseverance. For starters, you need a smart study plan that would help you prepare efficiently. The study plan should include all the subjects. Try to stick to it. Your daily target achievements will build the CLAT topper in you, block by block. And while you engross yourself in that static GK book or those Current Affairs compendiums, never sacrifice your peace of mind because that will eventually help you sustain your preparation.

Enjoy what you learn. No task at hand will appear uphill if you have a smile on your face while engaging in it. Do take those much need breaks now and then. Don’t hesitate in indulging in what you love to do during those breaks. It’s imperative that I let you know here, that in the midst of my CLAT preparation schedule, I played football at my club, whenever I felt like, and debated extensively on social media platforms with worthy opponents.  Besides, I went out on numerous dates with my girlfriend throughout the course of the year. There will be people who will let you know that these are the ideal ingredients of failure. But hey, those people find their voices only because you are not single-minded. When you are doing something, concentrate only on that.  To me, these served as the necessary fillips to my preparation whenever I felt bogged down. They helped me soothe my nerves in the middle of the roller coaster ride. I no longer felt jittery.

Slogging half-heartedly for hours without adequate food and sleep won’t ensure that you land in a top notch law school. So, please don’t punish yourselves.  All you need to do is to make sure that your preparation sessions are fun and productive. Devote substantial time to all the five areas that are tested in CLAT at least once every couple of days. You need to be specifically regular with Current Affairs. It will help you recollect better. The last month before D-Day should only involve practicing mocks and previous years’ papers every single day coupled with general knowledge revision every odd day. Like all competitive examinations, time management, on the day, is the key. Notwithstanding the difficulty level of the paper, keep your composure. If you lose that, you lose everything.

If the mock scores are not going your way, don’t ever feel demoralized. Undertake a detailed mock analysis. Assess your strengths and weaknesses and then approach the next mock with a plan that suits your needs. The next mock is waiting for you, right at your doorstep, to emerge with a perfect score.  Your dream is never over.

If you require any help in any area, feel free to get back to me through any medium that’s convenient for you.

All the best!

Rongeet Poddar