Although CLAT may not be a very tough exam but needless to say, it still demands unyielding resolve, handwork and consistency if one desires a good result. My purpose behind writing this blog is to share my preparation journey for CLAT and AILET and to also share some suggestions for the same.
Know what it is
‘To fight you must first know the strengths and weakness of your enemies.’
As I first made up my mind to give CLAT, I researched about it and what does it test me upon.
A good way is to also go through previous year question papers which gives a fair idea about what CLAT or AILET is. One may also take clues from their mentors or from ones who have already attempted it.
CLAT or AILET generally test for rationality, analytical skills, general awareness and basic mathematical skills (CLAT) in an individual.
Proper Plan
A good approach would be to first and foremost consider & calculate the time that you have for your preparation. I started a couple of months after entering 12th grade though it is suggested to begin gradually at least from grade 11th itself . The more time you have, the better it is as it wouldn’t be pressurising and easier to grasp the various concepts in depth. As I started in grade 12th I had to compromise a bit on my extra-curricular activities and academics. Hence it would be wise to first chalk out a rough skeleton as to how you would like to pursue the preparation. My strategy was to divide the whole syllabus in parts and not burdening everything together, increasing each level at a time.
Also don’t keep it very monotonous and try to make it bit interesting while rewarding yourself on completing a particular level.
Mentorship
I took classes and mentorship at Clat Essentials and it was one of the best decisions of my life as he not only taught me for CLAT or AILET but also moulded me as a person.
It’s quite important to seek guidance from a mentor who can track your progress and guide you frequently where one stands. One may also join some classes if that helps but again it mostly depends upon how diligent and consistent one is.
I also benefited a great deal from the kind of ambitious and talented peers that I got accompanied with at Dozen. Forming groups for mocks analyses and Current affairs preparation helps a lot. The kind of group matters a lot and leaves an immensely great impact on one’s preparation.
Materials
Resources for preparation are crucial for any competitive exam and should be decided accordingly. Most of us made a mistake of wandering about several materials thinking it would help us but frankly speaking that is not the case. Therefore, filter out some good resources, maybe a maximum of 3 to 4 of them complemented my prep and saved me from fretting about excess of information (which might also not be credible at times). Also, the nature of resource may vary for different subjects which I would mention in individual subjects section below. Keep them fixed for some time and change only when they aren’t helping you anymore, for instance if one wants to upgrade to next level, etc.
Time Management
Managing time in the long run is very effective. It is most important when you are particularly a school student. For me, I learnt as to how much priority to be given to a particular activity or event and to sacrifice on what. Usually my school got over at 2 pm and I tried dedicating major time for the prep, especially as the D-day approached.
Try to shun distractions and other interruptions which might consume your time unnecessarily.
Required hours of sleep and meal also play a big role. I tried not to compromise on my sleep and didn’t keep myself awake forcefully as it never worked out for me. Rather I would wake up early and then continue with whatever task remained left from last night. And believe me it’s the best time to do anything which requires your full concentration and efficiency.
I also took breaks in between to ensure I didn’t get worn out. Occasionally going out and hanging out with friends works as healer. Additionally, my mentors and my friends at Clat Essentials, themselves made learning fun and I truly never felt burdensome and being there at the centre itself was a stressbuster for me.
Ones who face problems with attention span or of focus, practicing yoga and meditating may work wonders for them . Yoga such as padmasana, vrikshasana, phalaksana (plank) are some of them, which I sometimes engaged in. In fact, regular exercise and meditation should be performed by everyone as its essential for maintaining both physical and mental health.
Newspapers
I used to read newspapers during initial days but gradually could not do so that often later. Reading newspapers is important (at least for beginners) as it improves your vocabulary, reading speed, general awareness and diversifies one’s reading.
I used to read editorial sections of the Hindu, Indian Express which along with above mentioned pros also improved analytical skills. We used to read the editorials and extract its essence and the main crux and consequently its nuances.
During later days of my prep I didn’t make it a fixed rule to read one regularly but did so if felt like. Thus, as per one’s requirement and time availability, reading newspaper sessions should be devised.
English
For comprehending passages, one’s command over the language is of utmost importance. Second, if one’s vocab is strong that would also make a difference . I used to practice vocab from CE(CLAT essentials) English concept book.
I started with practicing and solving English passage from CE(CLAT essentials) English workbook. I also referred to some other materials provided by my mentor. I particularly liked passages related to sci-fiction, story excerpt, opinion related (especially the ones which entailed new ideas). Occasionally some of the philosophical passages would also draw my attention. I always enjoyed reading and comprehending passages.
For some weeks I had even solved some GMAT questions which may have helped as well. But gradually I only stuck to mocks and analysis for English and stopped giving sectionals.
Frankly, English is an easy to moderate section if managed well and it becomes enjoyable as well (unless the passage is too knotty).
General Knowledge (GK)
This is what everyone is perplexed and apprehensive about. I admit this being a demanding topic as anything can be asked from anywhere. But with right kind of preparation since the beginning and consistency can solve these problems.
It is usually suggested to cover GK after the last CLAT or AILET held exam for current affairs which means a year’s GK along with the evergreen topics which are extremely important and which everyone should know about.
First, I would like to advice that whatever one is preparing notes on, should keep them duly arranged in some folder or doc [eg. OneDrive or Microsoft doc] . This was a mistake which I, in fact, most of us did. We did not preserve the notes earlier made and then when we required them, we had to either juggle through or make new ones or just read them up from somewhere. This was nothing but a drain of time and energy. Hence if you arrange then in a folder sequentially since the initiation of the prep, you would be a step ahead of others.
Second, I used to usually prepare my own notes but also took external help if required like referring to the notes of ones who have already gathered information on that topic. My teachers and mentor also helped me sail through this. I read up semi-annual GK compendiums of 2-3 sources. And this reminds me that one should not refer to a lot of sources for GK as well . It is wise to screen out good and convenient 2 to 3 sources and continue with them at least for some time . It is recommended to skim through some compendiums, monthly, quarterly or biannually, as preferable, so that at least important of all topics are covered.
I had subscribed some news channel on
YouTube like Indian Express, economic times, the guardian, vajiram and ravi and others would give me a rough idea of what important happened at the end of the day when I visited the channels. There is also a channel called News on AIR official which was initially a radio frequency and supplies a summary of important public news at 9:00 p.m. on YouTube platform.
We had list of important topics and used to have regular quizzes on the same which also gave room for frequent revisions which is a crucial aspect for GK preparation. The GK notes would feel worthless if one is not revise them alongside. Therefore, prepare a list of topics which you need to prepare and then religiously work on that , and don’t forget to revise them time and again. One can also go through past year papers to gauge important topics for CLAT.
GK is mandatory to prepare as it constitutes almost 25% of the paper and missing this would be like missing the train. Being headstrong throughout would help one ace current affairs as well.
Legal
Even this is an interesting section where after reading a law related passage you would have to apply that legal knowledge to solve problems.
For legal, initially, I used to solve sectionals and later only relied upon mocks and their analyses. It’s usually recommended to follow the passage only and apply the principles, refraining from applying outside knowledge as it may get negative marked. Nevertheless, it’s also advantageous to know basics of some important topics such as contracts, torts , Hindu marriage act, ADR, culpable homicide , defamation, IPR to name a
few. I had also prepared notes on few important judicial precedents and popular legal maxims along with basic structure doctrine. It usually saved some time while solving the overall paper as I already knew the fundamentals .
Cautiously, I also got to learn about some loopholes and tricky parts where the questions will try to trap you, and this attitude would steadily develop as you face variety of questions and mocks.
Overall, this is not a very tough section but still attention to minute details in the passage and the following questions is essential to fetch marks here.
Logic
Initially I practiced only from CE(CLAT essentials) logic workbook and other logic exercise books. I had also solved through some GMAT question for logical section as mentioned above, which made my foundational understanding strong. GMAT truly has standard questions to level up and enhance one’s logical mind which can also be considered a standard up as compared to regular CLAT questions.
Logic is more about rational sense which can only come be attained through lots of practice and analysis. Learning from one’s mistakes is the key to improvisation. For logic I didn’t just try random sources but only practiced from the ones suggested by my mentor.
Additionally, I occasionally practiced analytical reasoning questions which is one of the aspects where CLAT differs from AILET. I practiced from MK Pandey and RS Agarwal and topics such as syllogism, clock, calendar, coding and decoding, sitting arrangements, puzzles, etc, and I believe this is approximately enough and one can keep practicing from different materials as per convenience.
I personally always felt I should give an extra effort for logic as this section is a bit mentally taxing and consistent practice is required to ace it.
Quantitative Techniques (QT)
CLAT mostly tests an individual up till 10th grade mathematics but one must be thorough with them and know everything from basic simple concepts till advance methods.
The important topics for QT include percentage, ratio& proportion , profit&loss, fractions, time and work, mensuration, which form the foundational pillars for most DIs and consequent questions. Even I used to toggle between the said topics for practicing mathematics. My primary sources for QT were RS Agarwal book for quantitative techniques and CE (CLAT Essential) QT concept and workbook.
I used to dedicate approximately 6-7 hours a week and always tried to maximise it. However, I never fixed water-tight time slots for QT but made it a point to finish up whatever I had in my to-do list. Technical subjects like QT demand sustained and uninterrupted exercise. It would be good if one takes up one topic at a time and keeps finishing them since the beginning of the prep.
CLAT has a habit of asking lengthy and time-consuming Data Interpretation questions usually. Also what I have observed is that the main quantitative operations remain the same but the consortium would twist the questions in such ways as they may feel unfeasible but it really isn’t. Therefore regular practice of diversified questions would play a major role for increasing speed and knowledge.
Although QT has much lesser weightage in the paper as compared to other sections, but it still can become the deciding factor, especially when the rest of the paper may be moderately easy. Thus I believe that practising QT is also very crucial for attaining a good rank.
Mocks and Analysis
This is the most substantial part of prep journey which shows one a mirror as where one stands and how much room for improvement is still expected. I relied on CLAT Essentials mock tests and IDIA mocksfor my preparation. I used to take 1 mock a week, which increased to 2, then 3, then 4,… the more mocks and diverse ones you take, the more exposure ad accustomed you’ll become to different standard of questions . Also only taking mocks would be fruitless if you don’t analyse them. I never used to compromise on analysis for any mock. Until and unless one is aware of their mistakes one cannot woof upon them .
Honestly, analysing a mock takes more time than attempting it. I would, while analysing, read each and every passage with all my heart and soul ensuring I didn’t miss anything . Initially I took around approx. 5-6 hours for scrutinising each mock, but this time gradually reduced. Taking mock just for the sake of taking one is a waste of time and effort when you could have done something more productive.
In between mocks I also solved some previous year question papers which is a reliable way to quantify your performance with actual CLAT or AILET examination papers.
The number of mock depends on an individual according to their time availability, mental capacity and requirement and cannot be compared with others. Also keep a record of your marks in a tabular sheet since the beginning so that you may get an idea as to how much progress you have made it is usually advisable to compare your marks with others but just for the sake of gauging one’s standing in comparison to other CLAT aspirants as this is a competitive exam at the end of the day.
Final Note
Determination, persistent effort and handwork matters a lot. Believing in ‘I’ and motivating your own self would take you heights not only in a competitive exam but also in future endeavours.
To conclude I would just like to mention that giving one’s best is of utmost importance. You may not be able to control the outcome but your own preparedness. In the process we usually forget to appreciate ourselves which should not be the case. One should praise and care one’s own-selves while avoiding an austere nature.
Throughout the preparation, when we are just concerned about mocks, marks and the D-day, we forget to enjoy the process which is in itself a life lesson. We forget to appreciate our peers who also enrich our preparation. It is important to also analyse your failures and only then will it become the stairs for one’s achievement.
I would like to thank my parents, CLAT Essentials and IDIA for holding my hand throughout the way to CLAT and AILET and would always remain indebted for their compassion and insight.
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