AILET 2016 Rank 2 Holder Shubham Jain wants to become an environmentalist

Shubham Jain secured an impressive 116 in AILET exam to secure Rank-2 in this law entrance exam. A student of Amity International School, Noida, Shubham loves to read and debate.

Talking about his hobbies, Shubham candidly replied by stating that, “I'm a very passionate debater and there is a natural instinct in me to bring forth any discussion about social change, if possible”. Further he said, “I spend my free time reading about environmental issues and innovations in science that can lead to a more sustainable future. I also love reading mystery novels and I have a keen interest in history”.

His father is from IIT Delhi and is working in the field of solar energy, and mother is a software engineer from BITS Pilani. Thus Shubham shares that, “my natural orientation was towards science. But over time my interests shifted away from the stream and I realised law might be better for me, as it can empower me to help people”.

Shiksha spoke to Shubham Jain who very confidently shares his success strategy to clear AILET 2016 and other popular law entrance exams in India. Read the full interview we had with AILET Rank-2 holder below:

Q. What was your score in AILET 2016?

Ans. My score in AILET was 116. The sectional scores are not out but my estimates are

• English 32/35
• GK 20/35
• Legal 21/35
• Logical 34/35
• Maths 9/10

Q. Did you expect to be the topper of AILET 2016?

Ans. I did expect a good rank after the answer key was out, but Rank 2 came as a great surprise!

Q. Whom do you attribute your success to?

Ans. The main credit goes to my mother, who made me realize how necessary it is to push yourself and work hard in the most crucial year of school life, since I had to continuously cope with Boards and entrances.

My family was really helpful, and my coaching teachers were greatly cooperative, and all of this helped me crack the exam.

Q. Could you tell us your preparation strategy that helped you crack AILET exam?

Ans. I practiced a lot of mock tests. I dedicated my summer vacations to preparation and worked on individual sections. I read about Legal Knowledge for weeks and also worked to improve my Critical Reasoning. After that I started taking mocks and would practice at least one mock every day, at times going up to 3 mocks in a day.

After every mock I used to analyse my performance thoroughly and note the weak areas. In December, after my second term exams and before pre-boards, I started working on the identified weak areas.

Once board exams were over, I would dedicate almost all my time to GK, as there was a lot to cover up due to the important months lost in Board prep. I continued with the 1-2 mocks per day schedule throughout April and kept the last 15 days for re-working all weak areas. As I had Maths in my Class 12^th and because I am a passionate reader, I never had to struggle with Maths and English so much.

Q. Did you taking any coaching for this exam?

Ans. Yes, I took coaching for 2 years. I was enrolled in Career Launcher, Noida Sector 18, UP.

Q. What study plan did you follow for this exam?

Ans. Time management was the most crucial part, because I had to juggle between Boards and law entrances. I dedicated the months of May, June, December (2015) and April (2016) entirely for law entrances, and January and February (2016) entirely for Boards. I juggled between them at all other times.

I had to give up extra-curricular activities almost completely and I barely took breaks. But in the end I believe it worked out for me.

Q. How did you deal with your strengths and your weaknesses while preparing for the exam?

Ans. After a few mock tests I started keeping a tally of my scores in every section. Every week, I would analyse which section/topic I went wrong the most and in the following week I would give that area special importance. I struggled through GK and Critical Reasoning till the very last month, but with practice I gained confidence in the end. I went through daily, weekly, fortnightly and monthly compendiums of various GK websites.

To strengthen Analytical Reasoning and English, I prepared from very high level material, sometimes even from CAT/GMAT preparation material.

Q. What other law entrance exams did you take or are planning to take?

Ans. I gave IPU (Law) CET, CLAT, and Symbiosis SET along with AILET, and the results were fairly good. I got AIR 3 in IPU, AIR 64 in CLAT, and a score of 124 in SET (they don't declare ranks but I cleared all law schools).

Q. Was law always your first preference?

Ans. For the past 3 years, yes, law has been my first preference. Before that, I was more inclined towards computer science engineering. There was something in the NTSE preparation that told me I could not carry on with engineering for life, and almost simultaneously I was introduced to the field of law.

Q. Any tips for students who are planning to take the exam next year?

Ans. I would advise students to be honest with themselves. I have seen many students cheat in mock tests to get good scores. They're only fooling themselves. The biggest stake in your future is yours.

Also, please analyse your performance thoroughly. It might take more time than the actual test itself, but it is extremely important. Frequency of tests is irrelevant if you cannot gain a lot from it.

Q. What are your future plans?

Ans. I'm inclined towards the environment sector. I wish to be an environmentalist. I have 5 years ahead of me to finalise a path, but I believe I'm certain about the direction.

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