There are some goals that find us unexpectedly—and once they do, everything changes. For Mannat Bahal, law was one such discovery. Although she realized relatively late that she wanted to pursue a legal career, the moment she set her sights on it, she committed herself wholeheartedly. With determination, consistency, and an unwavering focus on her dream, she turned that decision into reality, earning a coveted seat at WBNUJS, Kolkata—the law school she had envisioned from the very beginning.
A student of CLAT Essentials, Mannat approached her preparation with the same energy and dedication that define every aspect of her life. Beyond academics, she has been an active sportsperson, representing her school in volleyball and excelling in badminton, while also securing victories in multiple inter-school volleyball tournaments. Her leadership and communication skills were equally evident when she received the Best Delegate Award at the Intra-AHS MUN 2024.
When she’s not studying or competing, Mannat enjoys making the most of life outside the classroom. Known for her cheerful nature and sense of humour, she has a way of keeping those around her smiling and never lets the pressures of life become too overwhelming. Whether it’s skateboarding, hiking through scenic trails, travelling to new places, spending time with friends, or unwinding with video games, she believes in maintaining a balance between ambition and enjoyment.
In this interview, Mannat shares her CLAT journey, the challenges she faced, the lessons she learned along the way, and what it feels like to finally call her dream law school her own.
Q. Congratulations on your outstanding achievement. Could you share your immediate reaction upon receiving the news that you are joining WBNUJS, and what this success signifies for you personally?
I got to know that I will be joining WBNUJS on a call with my mentor, at first I had misunderstood when he informed me that I had gotten in and thought he was joking. It was only after he clarified that he was being serious that the reality sank in. I was beyond joyous and extremely grateful to hear the news. WBNUJS has always been my dream college, being able to attend it is truly a dream come true which wouldn’t have been possible without my family and friends who were my support system through the entire journey. I wish to make the most out of this opportunity and embrace every challenge and learning experience that comes my way.
Q. What motivated your decision to pursue a career in law?
Honestly, law wasn’t my first passion — it was more of a practical choice. Towards the end of Class 12, I realized that I didn’t want to continue with commerce in college, and when I looked at my options, law was really the only option that made sense. So I went with it. But as I started preparing for CLAT and began reading more about landmark cases and the ways law shapes society, something changed. What began as a default choice slowly turned into something I genuinely care about.
Q. Could you outline the daily routine you adhered to during your preparation? Specifically, how did you structure your day to ensure effective study hours versus necessary breaks?
My routine was pretty straightforward. On days I had a mock at my coaching center, I’d give the test, do a quick analysis there with my friends, take a break, and then go home and revisit it more carefully on my own. On regular days, I’d give sectional tests, revise or make GK notes, and read editorials — since I was a slow reader, I regularly followed a reading exercise my mentor had given me to help build my speed. Sometimes I’d take mocks from other coaching centers on my own too, and those days followed the same structure as my coaching mock days.
Q. The decision to take a drop is rarely easy; there’s societal pressure, self-doubt, and uncertainty. How did you mentally prepare yourself for the drop year before it even began? And how did you know it was right for you?
Honestly, the drop wasn’t really a choice for me — it was just necessary. I figured out pretty late, almost at the end of Class 12, that law was what I actually wanted to do. And by then, CLAT 2025 was just a month away. There was no way I could have prepared properly in that time. So a drop year was really the only way forward. It wasn’t something I overthought. It just had to be done.
Q. Did your study routine evolve as the exam date approached, particularly in the final month? How did your strategy in the last 30 days differ from the initial phase of your preparation?
As the exam got closer, I basically just increased the frequency of my mocks and relentlessly revised GK. That was the main shift. I wasn’t doing anything drastically different — just more tests, revising GK as much as I could, and paying closer attention to the mistakes I was repeating.
Q. The preparation journey is often long and arduous. How did you navigate periods of burnout or suboptimal performance in your mock tests to maintain your momentum?
Honestly, whenever I hit a low point or felt burnt out, I just took a step back. I’d hang out with friends and family, spend time with people who mattered to me, and give myself a day or two off. Just being around the right people was enough to reset. It made me feel better and gave me the push to get back and give it my best — no matter how many times things hadn’t gone the way I wanted.
Q. CLAT is distinct for its high-pressure, speed-intensive nature. How did you manage exam-day anxiety, and did you utilize any specific techniques to maintain composure during the test?
No I did not have any particular technique as such.
Q. With the abundance of study material available, could you list the primary resources, books, periodicals, or platforms that you found most indispensable to your success?
I kept it pretty simple in terms of resources. For practice, I relied on mocks from my coaching center, CLAT ESSENTIALS and mocks from various other coaching centers as well. For study material, I used the books provided by my coaching and the CLAT Manual book. That was honestly about it.
Q. How instrumental were mock tests in your overall preparation strategy? Specifically, how did they aid in your conditioning for the actual exam environment?
Mock tests are extremely important in every aspirant’s preparation journey. They condition you to sit down and focus deeply on the paper for those two hours, which helps you get used to the exam environment and feel. But equally important is the analysis that follows each mock. A mock without proper analysis is pointless — the whole purpose is to see where you stand and figure out how to improve. If you skip that part, there’s no real value in giving the mock at all.
Q. Beyond merely attempting mock tests, how did you approach the post-test analysis? Did you maintain a systematic record of errors to track your improvement?
After every mock, I’d start by going through the GK section to see what I got wrong and update my notes accordingly. Then I’d look at the test overall — figuring out where I was slipping up and why. If something went wrong because my concept wasn’t clear, I’d go back and work on that concept. It was pretty straightforward — just understanding the mistake and fixing it.
Q. Given the vast scope of General Knowledge and Current Affairs, what methodology did you adopt to stay updated efficiently without feeling overwhelmed?
I kept it simple, I just followed the list of GK topics given by my coaching center and stuck to that. And whenever something came up in a mock that I didn’t know, I’d use it as an opportunity to update and enhance my notes.
Q. Time management is critical in a 120-minute examination. Could you walk us through your section-attempt strategy?
Time management was honestly one of my biggest struggles throughout preparation. I didn’t have a very fixed strategy — it was more of a loose plan that depended on the paper itself. If a section felt tough, I’d try not to spend too much time on it and just move on. If it felt manageable, I’d aim to finish it in as little time as possible to save up time on sections that were comparatively more difficult. It was adaptive more than anything else.
Q. In hindsight, is there any aspect of your preparation strategy that you would alter or improve upon if given the chance?
If I could go back, I’d focus a lot more on reading. Given how slow my reading speed was, I should have been much more serious about it, dedicating at least one to two hours a day consistently. I’d also take AR more seriously than I did. And with Maths, I used to skip practice because it scared me — I’d definitely not let myself get away with that again.
Q. How did you approach your second attempt differently — strategically, mentally, and in terms of resource selection?
I decided on law as a career pretty late into Class 12. I had registered for CLAT earlier, but I wasn’t fully clear on whether I wanted to pursue law. So I didn’t start preparing until I was sure about it, and by that point, there was only a month left for CLAT 2025. Therefore, my first attempt was purely superficial. I gave that exam just to get a feel of what it would be like to sit for CLAT a year down the line. Since I did no preparation for my first attempt, everything I did for my second attempt was entirely new.
Q. Did you take up any dedicated mentoring support, and how important do you think one-on-one mentoring from experienced educators is in shaping a student’s CLAT preparation?
Yes, I had dedicated mentoring support from CLAT ESSENTIALS, and honestly it made a huge difference. Classroom lectures are helpful, but one on one mentoring is on a different level. You get to address your specific doubts, understand concepts with much more clarity and depth, and it really strengthens your fundamentals. I think it’s essential for every student’s preparation journey.
Q. The comprehension-heavy format of CLAT rewards strong readers. Was reading always a habit for you, or did you consciously build it during prep — and if so, how?
Reading was never really a habit for me — if anything, it was one of my weaker areas. It was something I consciously had to build during prep. I followed reading exercises suggested by my mentor, read editorials regularly, and pushed myself to read for longer stretches at a time without taking breaks. It was a slow process, but it helped.
Q. Having gone through the entire journey yourself, what is the single biggest mistake you see fellow aspirants making that silently kills their rank?
From my own experience, I think not analyzing mocks with sufficient depth is something that quietly holds a lot of aspirants back — and I completely understand why, it’s exhausting to relive a bad test. But really sitting with it and understanding in depth where and why things went wrong is so important. The other thing I’d gently say is, please don’t leave out sections or topics just because they feel too hard. I know it’s tempting to lean into your strengths, but trying to compensate elsewhere rarely works out. Be patient with yourself, but don’t avoid the difficult parts.
Q. CLAT 2026 surprised most aspirants with its heavy analytical reasoning focus and a pattern quite distinct from what was expected. How did you keep your composure when you realized this mid-exam, and what’s your advice for future aspirants on handling an unpredictable paper?
Honestly, when I hit the analytical reasoning section, I did panic for a moment. But because I was already on a bit of a time crunch from the previous section, my mind just switched into focus mode. There wasn’t really room to spiral — I just had to keep moving and get through the paper. Looking back, that time pressure almost helped me stay composed, although it doesn’t always work out that way.
For future aspirants, I’d say this — if the paper is unpredictable, remember that it’s unpredictable for everyone. Every single student in that room is facing the same surprise. The ones who get ahead are the ones who don’t panic while others do. So take a breath, make the most of what’s in front of you, and trust your preparation.
Q. Comparison with peers is one of the most silent yet damaging traps during CLAT prep. Did you ever fall into it, and how did you learn to block out that noise?
Honestly, I was lucky in this regard. I was surrounded by some really smart and hardworking people, and somewhere along the way, comparison stopped feeling like a burden and became more of a motivation. Looking at them didn’t make me feel small — it showed me what was possible and how far I still had to go. It gave me a direction.
But I’d also say this with equal weight — comparison can go both ways. It can be a tool that pushes you forward, or it can be something that slowly starts eating at you. If you let it get to you too much, it can genuinely start affecting you mentally in ways that hurt both your mental health and preparation. So while it’s okay to look at others for motivation, please know where to draw the line. Because beyond a certain point, it stops being fuel and starts becoming harmful — and that’s something you really can’t afford during prep
Q. Based on your experience, what is your primary advice for future aspirants targeting CLAT 2027?
Give mocks seriously and analyze them well. And practice different types of question — even the ones that haven’t shown up in recent years. Don’t leave anything out just because it seems unlikely. CLAT is unpredictable, and you really don’t know what’s going to be in front of you on the day of the examination.
Q. Finally, what is your message to students who are currently weighing whether to take a drop for CLAT 2027 — both those who should take it and those who perhaps shouldn’t?
A drop is worth it only if you want to take it, not because of family pressure, not because you see others doing it. Be honest with yourself about that, because that clarity matters more than anything else. A drop year can be genuinely tough. There will be days when it feels isolating and overwhelming, and it’s completely normal to feel that way. But you should be prepared to get back on track after tough days. So only take it if you’re mentally prepared to face those hard days, pick yourself back up, and keep going anyway. And please keep this in mind — CLAT is unpredictable. You might give it everything you have and still not get the result you were hoping for. That doesn’t make your effort any less worth it. So take the drop only if you’re ready to pour your heart into that year and find the strength to make peace with whatever comes after.
A CLAT Essentials Interview by Oyishee Bose