Kaartikay Agarwal is a first year student of National Law University, Delhi.
“Beta, what do you want to be when you grow up?”
“A lawyer”
“Oh! That’s interesting, are your parents lawyers?”
“No!”
“Are any of your relatives lawyers?”
“No.”
*Awkward Silence*
Since 6th grade, I have been having various versions of this conversation with different people. I feel extremely proud writing this article for CLATGyan because CLATGyan, for me, was a huge source of inspiration and encouragement during my CLAT prep and I hope I can do the same for someone out there. I have tried to compile some general observations as well as some tips and tricks that I made note of and followed during the duration of my preparation for these law entrance examinations.
The Beginning
Since my childhood, I always had a unique attraction towards law – I thought of it as a subject that could potentially help me do something for my country, change things around me and contribute to the society. Law was always my one true vocation. I formally started my preparation in 11th grade by joining a coaching institute near my house and in full disclosure, without doing proper research on choosing a coaching centre. I was somewhere or the other extremely fascinated by the syllabus for CLAT and AILET right from the start. I always had a liking for the subjects like Current Affairs and Legal Reasoning; for example, I had a habit of reading newspapers since 5th grade, along with quizzing and debating which also helped. I had taken humanities in Class 11 with subjects like political science and legal studies and that somehow helped a little in the General Knowledge section.
The problematic area in the paper for me appeared in the form of Mathematics; let’s just say, it was not one of my favorite subjects. Throughout my preparation, I had taken advice from numerous people – those who claim mathematics is the easiest subject of all and one doesn’t need to focus on it, and those people who say that you can skip the entire section as its just a question of a mere 10/20 marks. However, I believe that both the approaches are wrong. Mathematics in CLAT and AILET does not only need accuracy but it also needs speed and leaving mathematics is a big NO since the competition is growing and in the end, even 0.25 marks may keep you away from your dream college. Every mark is important and leaving any subject due to fear is not recommended.
In CLAT I ended up scoring more than I had initially expected in the quantitative section and I guess, miracles do happen. But, keep in mind that there is no substitute for hard work. I didn’t prepare sincerely for the law entrances in 11th grade and I would not suggest you do the same. Your time in that year can be used extremely efficiently to create a solid foundation for yourself and ease the pressure for the next year, especially in areas where you may be weak and that can be worked upon in that year. Another mistake I have seen kids making is ignoring subjects like English because they feel it doesn’t need attention. Believe me, it does! I felt the same way initially but as I started giving more mocks, I realized that English needs to be worked on, especially for AILET.
Be yourself
The thing that I believe really worked in my favor is being myself. What I mean by this is not sacrificing my preferences and identity in preparing for the exam because I have seen kids taking a lot of stress and restricting themselves from things they like but personally, I don’t think this is the right approach. Of course, we need to steer clear of any distractions but we need to be mature enough to be clear about what those are. I never stopped myself from attending a quiz or attending a MUN or reading a novel or watching any TV series or listening to music but I knew in the end, always, that my top priority always remained CLAT. I knew there was a limit to all the extra-curricular activities as they would not help me get any closer to cracking CLAT. I also never sacrificed my sleep – I have seen kids studying all night, without sleeping but that does not work for me as I like to relax and study. Even on the day of AILET and CLAT, I made it a point to listen to music before the exam. I was fortunate enough to get scholarships to visit Japan and the United States of America and I didn’t stop myself from letting go of that opportunity but then again, I made it a point to cover up for the time I lost later. Separate distractions from things that matter to you and then decide. Relaxing does not mean procrastination. One of my favorite quotes of all time is ‘You may win the rate race but you’ll still be a rat’.
Being Honest
A big mistake I have seen people making is getting arrogant once they start scoring well in the mock tests and this later, affects their prep. Boasting about scoring high in mocks isn’t going to help. I have also witnessed a lot of tricks people use in mocks to score better to make themselves feel better, but I think that is one of the biggest mistakes. Cheating in mocks may give you temporary satisfaction for a day but in the real exam, it will only create dissatisfaction. Be honest to yourself to say the very least, know your strengths and weaknesses or choose to become arrogant just because you are scoring well. Knowing your own capacity and ability always helps – what may work for me may not work for you. Someone needs just 2 hours to study while someone else needs 12! Its absolutely fine and that is why knowing your limits and boundaries would be a big advantage that will come handy in your prep. Be realistic and be honest.
No Excuses
What I have realized during my preparation is that excuses don’t work; they won’t work with your parents or the society and even, won’t end up fitting right with yourself. We all need to take responsibility. If we work hard and end up at our dream college, it’ll be beneficial for us and if we don’t, we’ll be at a disadvantage. In life, in the truest sense, excuses do not work. “I could not do this because of that or them” does not work in CLAT as there is no substitute for hard work and good results. “I didn’t have the right material or the right coaching” will not work as well.
Smart work
I have always been a big supporter of smart work. What I mean by “smart work” is not simply studying hard but also studying in the right manner with the right material and attitude. In the end, it is the little things that matter – the right mocks, the right material and the right mindset. Having a good reading speed always helps and reading novels since my childhood really helped me maintain a good reading speed and this was an advantage during CLAT. I was able to easily give more time than usual to my weaker subjects. Giving an adequate number of mocks is also very essential as they help you practice and get used to the paper.
Boards.
All of us preparing for CLAT in Class 12 are well aware of the dreaded combination of boards and CLAT. To be honest, I never studied a lot for my boards. I always knew that I may score well in my boards but it would matter a lot if I am unable to crack the law entrances. Therefore, boards for me were always secondary to CLAT. A big advantage that I had in my boards was that I had chosen subjects in Class 11 that I actually liked; so, studying for my boards was not a big task. Majority of my preparation was done in two weeks before boards and I knew anything above 90% would be more than satisfactory. I ended up getting a 96% but then again, it hardly mattered in the end. Choosing a stream that you like and feel comfortable with is a huge blessing in the end. Even during the board exams, I stayed in touch with my CLAT prep by giving mocks and studying GK even a day before my board exams!
Company Matters
A good crowd around you is extremely important – people who challenge you and drive you in the right direction. A study partner is a good option and he/she should be someone who you can collaborate with, compare your scores with and ask for help when needed. Steer clear of negative people and those who may distract you. This will also be good for your mental health and well being. People who try to pull you down will always be there but we just need to keep the faith, ignore them and keep moving forward.
What works?
Choosing what works for you and what does not is very important. You may prefer studying visually and someone may prefer learning vocally; each person has their own way of learning that is unique and it is important to find that for yourself. For example, I may prefer reading the newspaper but someone else may prefer an app for general knowledge. To each, his own.
Before the battle
Just before CLAT and AILET, it is completely justified as well as fine to have periods of anxiety and nervousness because after all, its human nature. I did too, at times when I felt scared at the thought of whether I will get through to my dream college or not and the various “what ifs” of life. I had put all my eggs in one basket, I had no plan B or C. Many of my friends had applied in various streams and career options but I always knew that this is where I belonged and thus, never thought of diversifying my options. I was also not very open to the idea of a drop because I knew I didn’t have it in me to take a gap year. I had to go full throttle. It is important to keep calm, especially immediately before the exam. In one of the law entrances (MHCET), I was not able to perform to the best of my abilities due to this very reason. I made it a point to not commit the same mistake during AILET and CLAT.
What next?
Is life a joyride after cracking these exams? Absolutely not! There will always be new challenges, new goals and new battlefields but it is important to keep marching forward, working twice as hard and striving forward. Getting a good college is not the end of the story, we still need to work hard but that is all a part of the process.
I sincerely hope to see some of you at NLU-Delhi next year. Till we meet again, may the force be with you in all your endeavors. I’ll leave you with this wonderful couplet to get that punch of motivation that we all regularly need.
दिल नाउम्मीद तो नहीं नाकाम ही तो है
लंबी है ग़म की शाम मगर शाम ही तो है
– फ़ैज़ अहमद फ़ैज़
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How did you prepare for the math section ?
Quite inspirational…thankyou for this!