CLAT 2022 Topper Janhavi Joshi says Best way to strategize Preparation is to go weekly. Give a mock, analyse it

CLAT 2022 Topper Janhavi Joshi spoke to Shiksha about her exam preparations and what tips she followed to become the topper in the law entrance exam. Here are excerpts from the interview:

Did you expect to be the topper of CLAT 2022?

I always had a goal of getting an NLS level rank but I tried not to think about it much, especially before and while writing the paper. My mindset was to enjoy the paper and do my very best. I knew that I would get a top 50 rank after submitting the OMR, it's just the feeling of satisfaction that yes, this was my best performance. 

 What was the preparation strategy that helped you crack CLAT 2022?

This question is extremely important and the answer for this will definitely be a long one.

Please note that I was a dropper, I had given CLAT in 2021 and got a rank of 1211. I was aware that I had made several mistakes while preparing hence I made a list of them ranging from ignoring Quant, not giving mocks on time to studying till the very last moment. Many people ask me whether they should take a drop or not, and in my opinion, you should only take a drop if you are able to identify what went wrong. Even if the preparation was done sincerely there could be many reasons such as getting a panic attack during the paper, stressing out etc. This makes it extremely important to assess your preparation and test-taking attitude with an open mind. The strategy differs from person to person. The best way to strategize your preparation is to go weekly. Give a mock, analyse it, take note of the things you want to improve and plan your week accordingly. The best strategy for CLAT includes:

Master the art of reading quickly and critically - This includes slowing down when the author is mentioning their opinion and speeding through the examples. You should be able to identify the main idea of a passage when you are done reading it.

The skill of elimination- Never look for the right option, instead look for the wrong option as the human brain is extremely good at finding faults. For this use the BANEs strategy

 B - Broad, options that are too broad and vague

 A - Alien, outside information not supported by the passage 

 N - Narrow, options that are narrow and do not cover the passage comprehensively(these options mostly appear in conclusion and main idea questions)

 E - Extreme(one of the most common wrong options, this will include words like never, all, always etc)

 For legal choose principle-based answers over fact-based ones.

 Time management - CLAT is a time-bound exam and mostly you won't get the full 2 hours as filling in the details eat up to 5-10 minutes. You really have to nail time management and a way to do that is through time-bound practice. My goal was to read and solve one passage in 4 minutes, this was a hefty goal and I would fail many times, but you will get there with consistent practice. My sequence and sectional timing for CLAT was

 Legal reasoning 35 min

 Logical reasoning 25 min

 English 25min

Current affairs 8-10 min(I took 12 min in the actual paper as the section was tough and required extrapolation)

Maths- 15 min

Because of this sequence and time limit I was able to finish the paper 5 minutes before the bell rang which gave me extra time to spend on tough questions, due to this I was able to attempt 144 questions.

Did you take any coaching for the exam?

It is possible to study for CLAT without coaching and I will mention all the sources later. I would still recommend purchasing mocks, because analysing them with the help of data like percentile, and rank is essential to know where you stand in the competition.

 I was a legal edge Udaan scholar, I was also a part of legal edge's super 30 program. Moreover, I purchased mocks from Career Launcher and enrolled in Mega GK.

What study plan did you follow for CLAT 2022?

 I didn't have just one study year-long plan, nor I would recommend people to follow it. Everyone is different and you should know yourself really well. Make a list of weekly goals and then plan daily according to them. And, before all this make sure you study the new CLAT pattern, and know what exactly the exam want from you. Refer to the papers from 2020 to 2023. Still, this is how my drop year looked like:

1. I spent the first 2 months revising the core concepts which I had already studied for CLAT 2021, this was the toughest stage of my prep as I was also battling with depression at the time and my mock scores were not great(40-60). Spent the first 2 months wrapping up the syllabus like the basics of RC, CR, legal theory and mocks.

2.  I started studying GK in the 3rd month, I cannot stress enough about starting GK early as it is vast and you have to devise a method of revision. This is the time when my mock scores increased exponentially from 66 to 106(this was also because of the anime Black Clover, it changed my mindset)

3. I spent the entire month of December studying quants as it was my weakness and I wanted to improve it. The rest of my preparation was based on my needs. Please remember that your preparation does not have to be a bed of roses, it will not be smooth sailing. Ups and downs will be there and it is okay.

Which books did you read to prepare for the CLAT exam? Mention the names of the books.

 I think one can easily cover the syllabus with the help of the following books and YouTube videos. Make sure not to solve irrelevant material or material without a solution. Restrict yourself to quality books, and mocks that provide in-depth explanations.

1) Gejo speaks RC playlist

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj8E34obZYU0sxwpe8w7ZLN6PlzLcMtqs

2) LSAT lab RC playlist

 https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFMhoXoxQ4Oj5wFgm3kJ-P--rrJPpckzW

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFMhoXoxQ4OgOMrZPue_h905sREiRp1gu

3) Definitive guide to RC by Aristotle

4) Powerscore GMAT Bible- seriously the best book to know and practice the concepts of critical reasoning.

5) GMAT official guide(only for CR questions)

6) Career definer playlist for the basics of qt, this was my holy grail. It helped me so much. Highly recommend it for anyone struggling with maths.

 https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAr0hfIonl-E4U1e8cDXOk_WyjoYoeslr

 7) career definer easy to moderate and mains level data interpretation playlist

 https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAr0hfIonl-FQ8JvBHmoUaC9rQy0LZkPk

 https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAr0hfIonl-GXA1ddO7H65-nbDT_JpItF

 8) how to read better and faster(I didn't find the eye exercises helpful though)

 9) word power made easy for vocabulary

 10) Wiley Aristotle GMAT reading comprehension grail

 11) vocabulary.com for practising new words

 12) LSAT demons(website) for practicing CR and RC.

 13) Newspaper, pick any one from the Hindu or the Indian express

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

I think the best way to deal with strengths and weaknesses is to divide your day into two parts:

1. Essential task- for me this includes the active reading of the newspaper (40 min), 2-3 sets of data interpretation, and 3 hours of current affairs

2.  Non-essential tasks- this is where you can include the weaknesses. My weaknesses were legal, maths GK etc. So I would spend a lot of time giving sectional tests analysing them, trying to read with an appetite, and attempting old mocks again. For anyone struggling with qt take all the mocks you've given till now and divide the mistakes into two parts a)slow or incorrect calculations and b) conceptual gaps.

 Please analyse mocks well, this also can be divided into two parts:

 a) Micro analysis: question-wise analysis, what was the reasoning of the examiner, were there any silly mistakes

 b) Macro analysis: big mistakes like giving too much time to a section, panicking etc

Which colleges you aimed while preparing for CLAT exam.

 I aimed for the top 3 national law schools.

If you would like to talk about subject-wise preparation for CLAT2022

English- Newspaper reading, all the links and books that I recommend for English. I spent almost 30 min every day on vocabulary initially. A very useful exercise is to read editorials in a time-bound manner, summarising them and then matching the summary with the one provided under the title.

Critical Reasoning - power score GMAT Bible, solving many LSAT and GMAT-based questions. There's a caveat here, GMAT has immaculately designed questions and answers, but in CLAT you might not find the perfect answer and will have to make do with the most suitable one.

 Legal reasoning - I referred to coaching material for theory, you can also refer to blogs like IPleaders to know the basics of contracts, torts, constitutional law, family law, miscellaneous laws etc. Get used to the legal jargon by reading legal articles from the newspaper, I would not recommend Live Law, bar and Bench as these sites are meant for law students and not law aspirants. Please do not go with the assumption that whatever you've studied will come in an exam, get used to reading and understanding things you don't know. The foundation formed with theory and newspapers will help you in understanding new topics. While reading passages focus on the definition and exception part, and please select principle-based answers.

GK and current affairs - I referred to mega GK notes and weekly mentions. Revision is the key, try to revise at least 3 times. What you study may not directly come into the exam but it will definitely help you in guessing the answer. Use elimination and intelligent guessing in GK.

 Quants- Refer to the playlist to clear your basics. Please do not skip topics like percentage, ratio proportion, profit loss, mensuration etc. Learn and master short tricks. Practice daily in a time-bound manner.

 Tell us about your family background.

There are no lawyers in my family so I will be a first-generation lawyer. My mother and brother supported me a lot in tough times and getting this rank would be impossible without their help. 

What are your hobbies?

My hobbies are reading, painting, learning languages, fashion history, sculpting, teaching, acting, singing, watching anime and old movies...and of course talking.

 Which other law entrance exams you prepared for alongside CLAT 2022.

I was preparing for AILET and MHCET along with CLAT, though CLAT took the majority of my preparation time

 Was law always your first preference?

No, the law was not my first preference. I had a hard time deciding what to do with my life. Initially I wanted to become an artist, I had also done NEET foundation. But then law felt like a powerful tool to make an impact.

 Any tips for students who are planning to take these exams in future?

Make sure you enjoy your preparation, things might feel mundane at times but it will all be worth it. Please take enough breaks to avoid burnout, and give some time to your favourite shows and hobbies. Get used to working under pressure. The most important tip is to avoid panic studying, especially before an exam, this just results in more stress, hence not recommended. Take care of sleep, eat well and please do not ignore your mental health.

What are your future plans?

I don't have concrete plans for the future, I have many things to explore. As of now, I want to do something related to teaching.

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