CLAT Essentials is proud to celebrate the success of our student, Syed Hamdan Quasim, who has secured admission to WBNUJS, Kolkata, one of India’s premier law schools, where he will pursue the B.Sc. LL.B. (Hons.) programme.
A student of La Martiniere for Boys, Kolkata, Hamdan’s journey to law school is a testament to dedication, discipline, and effective time management. While preparing for one of the country’s most competitive law entrance examinations, he successfully balanced the demands of school, entrance examinations, and a range of extracurricular commitments. His ability to excel across multiple responsibilities reflects not only academic capability but also resilience and determination.
As a student of CLAT Essentials, Hamdan embraced the challenges of the preparation process with consistency and focus, ultimately turning his aspirations into reality. We are delighted to feature his journey and the insights he has gathered along the way.
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?
Truth be told, when I initially saw my results, I was taken aback. It took a second for it to really seep in, as I sat back and let out a sigh as if all my worldly burdens were lifted. If anything, I simply felt relieved and satisfied that all the work I had put in did pay off, immensely too. My success in this exam signifies my ability to adapt and persist, to absorb knowledge and use it to achieve my goals.
Q. What motivated your decision to pursue a career in law?
The primary driving factor behind this decision has to be the inspiration I have felt exude from my role model, my dad. Ever since I was a kid, I have really looked up to this man and moreover, this led to me developing a huge fascination in this field. I also find it enthralling how dynamic this field is.
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?
Well, I never really was amazing at following a strict time table. It was less about what subject I studied at the moment, and more so about how I tackled the particular topic, in a manner so that I can wrap it up efficiently and digest it properly. I gave a mock test everyday, and then I’d analyze my mistakes, including the questions I left. Understanding where I was going wrong and fixing those mistakes, over time, did pay off. And of course there was the everyday 15 – 30 minutes of current affairs for the day.
Q. You were simultaneously managing school board exam pressure, CLAT preparation, and extracurricular commitments. How did you practically divide your time across all three — did you follow a fixed weekly schedule, and did school ever take priority over CLAT prep?
Prior to the month of July, my work load was divided between school work and CLAT, but July onwards, I made a roughly 80/20 division of my time between CLAT and school respectively, giving around 80% of my time to CLAT preparation. I did have to slack off of CLAT studies for a while during September due to my Half yearly’s, but I kept it consistent otherwise.
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?
In the last 30 days, my routine did evolve as I switched back to what was already familiar to me. I did not bother trying to panic and learn about newer topics, as I just went on revising my completed syllabus thoroughly, especially my GK and QT. I revised those topics I especially found to be more difficult, including a few topics in AR aswell and I would rinse and repeat it until I would no longer make errors in my reasoning.
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?
During periods of burnout, when you’re exhausted, I’d suggest you to take a backseat and relax. Talk to a few friends, listen to your favorite music, just do not overthink it. You’re burnt out because you’re overworking yourself, and that won’t prove to be beneficial for anyone. It’s imperative that you understand the concept of a balance between work and life. Along with this, and I really cannot put enough emphasis on this but, please analyze your mocks. I have been preparing for my CLAT exam since the end of 10th grade and I really do understand why every single teacher ever has this to say. It helps out tremendously.
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?
I didn’t particularly utilize a specific technique to maintain my rhythm and composure; I just knew in the back of my head that whatever result I do end up getting is going to be one due to all the efforts I have put into this. I was confident, and felt content in knowing that I’ll be rewarded as per my hard work and dedication. One thing that helped was not overthinking this exam and just treating the paper like a mock test.
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?
So, I actually initially joined a 2 year coaching program at the end of 10th grade. And, the workbooks, textbooks and mock tests I got from them were really helpful in building up my foundation. Their faculty and teachers were amazing as well, they taught me what I know as my fundamentals for this exam. At the beginning of my 12th grade, I ended up joining CLAT Essentials as well, and here is where my preparation skyrocketed. Smaller batches helped make the class feel more personalized, and the faculty was exceptional, not simply because of how keenly they taught, but also because of how the teaching actually leveraged on us understanding and comprehending the concept, holistically, instead of sheepishly memorizing 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?
If I have to pick one fundamental method to prepare, Mock tests have to be the best way to not only learn and study, but to also expand your reading comprehension and help you figure out your speed and time management. At the beginning stage of my preparation, I couldn’t even finish 75 questions out of 120. By November, I was finishing CLAT mocks in an hour and AILET mocks in an hour and a half. And, I credit that all to mock tests. Besides, it’s also the easiest way to figure out which topics or subjects are your weak points and how to tackle them.
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 each mock test, I’d first categorize which topic was I making the mistake in. Let’s say I had given 4 mocks and I notice that in each of them, I had difficulty solving the QT questions related to Area , Volume and Surface area. Since I’d figure out my weak point(s), then it would just be a matter of time and effort as I’d work away, use the guidance of my teachers, especially my mentor, and fix it. After this, I’d move on to the next mistake until I had none left. I maintained a record of which topics were my strong and weak points, respectively.
Q. Given the vast scope of General Knowledge and Current Affairs, what methodology did you adopt to stay updated efficiently without feeling overwhelmed?
I’d follow along with CLAT Essentials’ quiz, which took place on every weekday. Alongside that, I had printed out the Rau’s IAS Monthly Magazines from January to November, 2025. I already had the important topics highlighted and I had annotated the magazines to add any other relevant information of the topic right next to it. Then, it was just a matter of rinse and repeat. On days when I was out or couldn’t use these materials, I’d just watch youtube videos of current affairs marathons, and I’d watch it at 2x speed so that I can get done with it even faster. (Watch it at a speed you can understand it at, though).
Q. Time management is critical in a 120-minute examination. Could you walk us through your section-attempt strategy?
Time management is indeed crucial, in such an intense examination where the candidates have to roughly answer one question per minute. I’d start with the English section, as I could anyway read through the passages really fast. Once I was done with that, to take a break from reading so that I don’t burn out, I’d switch it up to QT. Finishing the 9 – 14 questions of QT would let me go back to reading long passages swiftly as I’d then finish the Legal Section, followed by Logic and then Current Affairs since you almost never have to read any of the passages in that section. However, please make sure to skim past those passages as they might contain answers to some of the questions below it.
Q. In hindsight, is there any aspect of your preparation strategy that you would alter or improve upon if given the chance?
I wouldn’t exactly alter my strategy, but I would try to push myself to do even more on certain days when I know I could have. I do feel that I slacked off on certain days, which I now see could’ve been utilized in a much more productive way. But overall, I’d say my strategy, atleast personally, felt very concrete.
Q. When did you seriously begin your CLAT preparation, and looking back, do you think you started too early, too late, or at exactly the right time?
I seriously started my CLAT preparation around mid to the end of September and, while I would love to say that that was the right time for me, as things did fairly work out for me, it was definitely too late and I did get lucky. However, luck is not a variable that you can control, so please utilize your time and study intelligently and effectively, don’t just stack hours up of mindless studying where you didn’t absorb any information.
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?
I did take up one – on – one mentoring at CLAT Essentials, to further help me understand where I’m making errors and how to
avoid and mend those errors. I do believe it to be quite important and impactful because these mentors have been teaching students for years, especially a man like my mentor, who could see the patterns in my mistakes and point out the flaws perfectly. I got an in – depth explanation along with an idea of what to do and how to avoid making such mistakes with other similar questions and it drastically helped improve my mock results.
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?
I have always I used to be engrossed into reading when I was a child, but by the age of around 8 or 9, my passion for it died down. I never really had a habit for it from then on, but my conversational skills, observing others and writing skills have always been kept polished. I also have a knack for being eloquent and having an extensive vocabulary, so learning new words and phrases is something that I really look forward to, which helped me further enhance my reading comprehension skills and speed.
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 personal experience, I have seen really brilliant aspirants overthink and complicate very simple questions and strategy plans. They would try and prepare in the most elaborate way, with a very strict time table that left them effectively no time to even sit with their thoughts. Anxiety and overthinking are horribly difficult to deal with, and it’s not exactly a tangible but rather abstract problem which aspirants face and I believe that that is what makes it harder for them to deal with it. That feeling of knowing exactly what the answer is but you can’t recall as your brain fogs up due to you panicking. People tend to overextend themselves which hinders them a lot more than you might think it does.
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?
The main idea which helped elevate some of my anxiety and allowed me to stay composed was that, if I find this paper difficult and unpredictable, if I find it being something I’m not used to, I also know other students feel the same way about it and I’m not alone on that. Understand that it’s not just a shock for you, but it is one for everyone sharing that exam hall with you, and everyone who gives that exam. Again, work with what you know and have practiced, especially try using other methods to solve the question like eliminating the wrong options.
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?
I know the feeling of comparing your marks to the topper who scores amazingly every time all too well and it is so deleterious as comparing your results with theirs aids you in no way. I’m not asking you to not compare yourself to see where you currently stand, but if you are to compare yourself to someone, then that someone must be you. You might have gotten a 79/120 whereas the topper has gotten a 95/120. But also remember, that the same you had only gotten a 73 in the last mock. You are giving the exam for yourself, not for anyone else. You are and should be your only competition and point of comparison. Learn from your past mistakes, learn how to avoid them and move past. I know that you can do it.
Q. Based on your experience, what is your primary advice for future aspirants targeting CLAT 2027?
My primary advice would be to expect and be prepared for anything, because this paper can and will test just about the entire horizon of your knowledge, that too in short, concise questions that have to be answered pretty fast. Give a lot of mocks, there can never be enough of them, and figure out why you’re going wrong where you are. Keep working on that and also make time for your friends and family and enjoy this as well. This really is quite the experience and it’s going to end up teaching you a lot, you’re going to be a different person by the end of this exam and you’ll see that you’ve grown. Just work hard on this, have adequate fun too and have faith in yourself. You know what skills you possess, what you’ve been through, what you can put out. Have confidence in that same self.
A CLAT Essentials Interview