CLAT Prep Tips from 8th topper Chitwan Sharma

A first year BA LLB (Hons) student, Chitwan Sharma scored an impressive 133.25 in CLAT 2015 and secured eighth rank in this law entrance exam.

Talking about the duration for which one should prepare in order to crack CLAT, Chitwan shares that, “This varies from student to student. Some need more time, some a notch less but I think one year preparation time should suffice provided one is diligent with their studies”.

Currently pursuing his law degree from National Law School of India University, Bangalore, Chitwan spoke to Shiksha and shared his prep strategy for CLAT exam.

Aspirants looking to give CLAT exam can develop a better understanding of what prep strategy to adopt in order to fare well in the exam by reading the detailed interview Shiksha.com had with Chitwan Sharma.

1. How did you prepare for the exam?

My preparation strategy was essentially based upon giving as many practice tests as possible. I had joined quite a few test series programmess offered by various coaching institutions across the nation. Apart from this, I set daily preparation targets for myself which as a strategy helped me a lot with my preparation.

2. Which coaching classes did you join?

Legal Edge Tutorials, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

3. When should one start preparing for the exam/how much time is necessary to score well in the exam?

This varies across students. Some need more time, some a notch less but I think a one year preparation time should suffice provided one is diligent with their studies.

4. How long did you prepare for the exam and how many hours did you study in a day?

I prepared for one year. As mentioned earlier, I followed a task based approach. Limits not on my time but on the work I did daily. My time was spent accordingly.

5. What are the important books you referred to for covering the syllabus?

There are a variety of books available that are more or less the same. Reading any of them would help. But to answer the question, I did General Knowledge books by Arihant Publications, English and Legal Reasoning by Pearson, Maths and Logical Reasoning by R.S. Aggarwal.

6. Are there any important topics to score well?

Most of times general topics are asked in top competitive examinations like the Civil Services Exam but the level is quite basic. There are no topics specifically to be covered for CLAT.

7. Any study tips from your experience?

Remembering things can be easy when written down on a paper and revised regularly.

8. What as per you are the mistakes one should avoid while preparing for the exam?

It is very important to keep a patient attitude towards one’s studies across their prep time. Students should not freak out when their schedule fails or when they end up with bad scores in their mock tests because that’s all pretty natural in every serious prep. But at the same time one should learn from the mistakes made and not commit them again in the next tests.

9. How did you prepare for different sections of the exam?

I went through the books mentioned above and then also revised the General Knowledge books again in April. Besides this, for the legal reasoning part, I did my mock test questions. I also read some landmark cases. For Constitution, I read what the Arihant Books covered and also read up on some relevant topics on the Internet. I practiced Maths and Logical Reasoning from as many sources as possible that included some CAT level practice questions as well.

10. When did you start revising the syllabus?

April 2015 onwards.

11. How did you manage time while giving the exam?

I already had a brief outline of the time I had allotted for each section and followed the same. This, time strategy I made in the first two minutes into the exam.

12. What mistakes should one avoid while giving the exam in order to score well?

One should not let their attention divert to something else while in the middle of solving a problem. Alertness and attention is the key. Keep close tab on the time. It is important to decide what section and questions to attempt first according to one’s own strengths and weaknesses. Do not mess up the basic calculations in the Maths and Logical Reasoning sections.

13. Which as per you was the most difficult section in CLAT 2015 exam?

I think all of them were more or less the same level except for General Knowledge which was a bit different than what is expected from CLAT but was still easy.

14. Is there any section that plays the “deciding factor” for securing good ranks in the exam?

There are one or two such sections but they differ from paper to paper. It was Maths and Logical Reasoning in 2015, I think.

15. How can one overcome their weaknesses during their preparation time?

Self-evaluation is always the best way to do this. If you are stuck you always have your mock test statistics that you can work out. If this doesn’t help, consulting your teacher will definitely help you.

16. Any advice for aspirants who will be taking the exam in 2016?

Just stay motivated and work diligently. Your luck on the CLAT day matters, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to work hard for it. Give as many tests as possible. This worked for me, could work for you as well. All the best! Do well.  

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