CLAT Essentials is proud to celebrate the journey of Pritha — a student whose love for words, curiosity, and storytelling found its way into the world of law. From expressing herself through poetry and literature to stepping into the dynamic field of legal studies, Pritha’s journey reflects creativity, exploration, and a constant desire to learn.
Originally from Ranchi, Pritha moved to Kolkata in 2019 and continued her schooling at Delhi Public School Ruby Park. During her school years, she found her voice through literary pursuits, contributing poems to competitions and being a part of the editorial team of her school’s annual magazine. Her inclination towards writing and communication became an important part of shaping her perspective and interests.
Her journey towards law led her to O.P. Jindal Global Law School, where she has recently completed her first year of study. Alongside academics, she continues to explore the practical side of the legal field through her internship at Legal Vidhiya, while also making time for her love for legal dramas and, as she puts it, rewatching Law & Order: SVU for the millionth time.
With a blend of creativity, curiosity, and a genuine passion for the world of law, Pritha’s journey represents the many ways in which diverse interests can come together to shape a future legal professional.
Q. You were preparing for CLAT, AILET, and LNAT while also handling board exams and school commitments. What did a typical weekday look like during your busiest months?
The October-November 2024 period was perhaps the most stressful and tense period of my life thus far! A typical weekday started for me around noon after lunch, as usually the house would become quiet and peaceful around this time. I would start by making a list of all the topics I’d like to cover that day to give myself a direction.
I would use the POMODORO method, have ‘Study With Me’ videos on YouTube playing in the background and basically attempt to make preparation as fun for me aspossible so I could to keep myself motivated. In the evenings, around 6-8PM, I would take a mock test. I aimed at doing a minimum of 3 mock papers a week. I had friends from CLAT Essentials who sat on Google Meet with me to compare answers, which was incredibly helpful.
Q. What motivated your decision to pursue a career in law?
My decision to pursue a career in law came quite late, around July 2023, when I was already halfway through 12th Grade and studying commerce. Until then, I had planned to pursue English Literature. However, one weekend I found myself down an internet rabbit hole that I now consider a pivotal turning point in my life. I began reading about Amal Clooney, an international human rights lawyer who has represented survivors of genocide, sexual violence, torture, and other mass atrocities. Her work with Yazidi women seeking justice against ISIS, including a case that resulted in the first conviction of an ISIS member for genocide, particularly resonated with me.
Before that moment, I had ambition. I knew I was intelligent, well-read, and eager to prove myself. Learning about Clooney’s work fundamentally changed the way I viewed success. For the first time, I saw law not merely as a profession, but as a means of creating tangible change in people’s lives. It shifted my focus away from personal achievement and toward a deeper awareness of the responsibilities that come with privilege and opportunity.
What inspired me most was the realization that legal advocacy could give a voice to those who are often unheard and help secure justice for people facing extraordinary circumstances. I was drawn to the combination of intellectual rigor, critical thinking, and meaningful impact that the legal profession demands. From that point onward, I knew I wanted to pursue a career that would allow me to use my abilities in service of others, and law felt like the clearest path to doing so.
Q. Was there ever a point when you felt you had taken on too much? How did you avoid burnout?
Burnout for me was an on-and-off situation. Throughout school and the gap year, I often found myself balancing academics with extracurricular commitments and personal responsibilities, and there were many periods when I felt stretched too thin. At times, I fell into the habit of measuring my worth by how productive I was, which made it difficult to recognize when I needed to slow down.
What helped me avoid complete burnout was learning to be more intentional with my time and energy. I began prioritizing tasks based on their importance rather than trying to do everything at once, and I became more comfortable saying no to commitments that did not align with my goals. I also made a conscious effort to set aside time for reading, spending time with friends and family and pursuing interests unrelated to academics. I had to fight the subconscious notion that I was allowing myself be distracted, but it was these “distractions” that allowed me to return to it with greater focus and perspective.
Most importantly, I learned that consistency is more sustainable than constantly pushing myself to the limit. Rather than treating rest as something I had to earn, I started viewing it as a necessary part of performing well. That shift in mindset helped me manage demanding periods more effectively and prevented temporary stress from turning into long-term burnout.
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?
Taking a drop year was not an easy decision. There was uncertainty, self-doubt, and the awareness that many of my peers would be moving on to university while I was choosing a different path. However, I knew I would rather spend one extra year pursuing a goal I genuinely cared about than spend years wondering whether I had given it my best effort.
What convinced me was the belief that I could do better and that law was the path I wanted to pursue. I chose to view the drop year not as a setback, but as an investment in my future. By focusing on my long-term goals rather than comparisons with others, I was able to stay motivated and committed.
Looking back, I know it was the right decision because it gave me the opportunity to grow and pursue my aspirations with greater confidence and clarity.
Q. Subject wise, could you tell us how you prepared for each subject in CLAT, your strategy, the hurdles you faced and how you overcame them?
My preparation varied significantly across subjects. English and Legal Reasoning came relatively naturally to me because I have always been an avid reader and was comfortable with comprehension-based questions. As a result, my focus in these sections was primarily on regular practice and maintaining consistency through mock tests.
My biggest hurdle was General Knowledge. Unlike the other sections, success in GK depended on sustained effort over a long period of time, and I initially found it overwhelming to keep up with the sheer volume of current affairs while balancing the rest of my preparation. To manage this, I developed a structured system for myself. I created tiered lists of topics based on their importance and set dedicated themes or topics to cover each week. Just as importantly, I made it a point to regularly revise what I had learned the previous week instead of constantly moving on to new material. This approach helped break a daunting subject into manageable goals and ensured that information stayed with me over time.
Quantitative Techniques was another area that required focused effort. While I was comfortable with basic mathematical concepts, I struggled with speed and accuracy under exam conditions. Regular practice and careful analysis of my mistakes helped me become more efficient and confident in approaching the section.
Overall, my strategy was to leverage my strengths in English and Legal Reasoning while dedicating extra time to improving the areas I found most challenging. This allowed me to gradually turn my weaknesses into manageable sections by the time of the examination.
Q. Which mattered more in your journey: consistency, mock scores, mentorship, or self-analysis?
If I had to choose one factor, it would be consistency. Mock scores, mentorship, and self-analysis were all important, but none of them would have mattered without showing up every day and putting in the work.
There were periods during my preparation when my mock scores were disappointing, and if I had judged my progress solely on those results, I would have become discouraged. Consistency allowed me to trust the process even when immediate results were not visible. It ensured that I kept revising, practicing, and improving little by little each day.
I believe consistency is what makes all the other factors effective. Mock tests only help if you take them regularly, mentorship only helps if you consistently apply the advice you receive, and self-analysis only matters if you use it to make gradual improvements. Looking back, my success was not the result of any single breakthrough moment, but of sustained effort over time.
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?
Admittedly, I did not maintain a formal error log or systematic record of every mistake I made. However, I still viewed post-test analysis as an essential part of the preparation process. After each mock, I would review the questions I had answered incorrectly and try to understand the reason behind the mistake. Did it stemmed from a gap in knowledge, a misinterpretation of the passage, poor time management, or simply carelessness?
Rather than focusing solely on my score, I paid attention to patterns in my performance. For example, if I consistently struggled with a particular type of GK question or found myself spending too much time on Quantitative Techniques, I would adjust my preparation accordingly. This helped me identify weaknesses and allocate my time more effectively.
While a detailed error log may have made my analysis more structured, I found that regular reflection after each mock and a conscious effort to address recurring mistakes were sufficient for me. The key was not just recognizing errors, but actively changing my approach to avoid repeating them in future tests.
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 & LNAT preparation?
Yes, I did receive mentoring support through CLAT Essentials, and my mentor played a significant role in my preparation. One of the most valuable aspects of his guidance was that he personally reviewed and analyzed my mock tests. Often, it is difficult to objectively assess your own performance, and having an experienced mentor highlight areas for improvement and suggest specific strategies helped make my preparation far more focused and efficient.
I believe one-on-one mentoring can be extremely valuable, particularly for students who may feel overwhelmed by the preparation process. A good mentor provides not only academic guidance but also perspective and reassurance during difficult phases. That said, mentoring can only supplement a student’s efforts, not replace them. Ultimately, success still depends on consistent work, but the right mentor can help ensure that effort is directed in the most effective way possible.
Q. For LNAT What type of passages challenged you the most initially, and how did you train yourself to handle them?
Initially, I found passages on economics and finance the most challenging, particularly those discussing market structures, monetary policy, or technical financial concepts. Coming from a commerce background, I was familiar with some of the terminology, but LNAT passages often presented complex arguments and nuanced perspectives that required careful analysis rather than subject knowledge alone. I sometimes found myself getting caught up in unfamiliar details instead of focusing on the author’s central argument.
To overcome this, I made a conscious effort to read more business and economics-focused publications, focusing especially on articles about markets and technology as that is what I struggled with the most. As I practiced, I learned to concentrate on the structure of the argument rather than the complexity of the topic itself. Over time, this helped me become more comfortable with dense, technical passages. I eventually improved my ability to identify key assumptions, evaluate reasoning and answer questions with greater confidence during the LNAT.
Q.How do you handle the “I understand the passage, but the options are confusing” deadlock?
This was something I encountered quite often during my LNAT preparation. In many cases, the difficulty was not understanding the passage itself but distinguishing between multiple answer choices that all seemed plausible. What helped me was reminding myself that the LNAT tests reading comprehension, not personal opinion or outside knowledge. Whenever I felt stuck, I would return to the passage and look for direct textual support rather than relying on my intuition.
I also trained myself to eliminate options systematically.I first attempted to differentiate between the choices themselves, which usually revealed subtle exaggerations, assumptions, or conclusions that went slightly beyond what the author had actually said. By focusing on what could be clearly supported by the text and ruling out answers that were only partially correct, I found it much easier to break the deadlock and arrive at the best answer.
Q. In your experience, do LNAT options test logic, language, or the author’s intent more?
In my experience, LNAT questions test all three, but if I had to choose one, I would say they primarily test logic. The exam is explicitly not about memorising information. I translated the passages in my head to see if I could make the same argument in simpler language. Through this, I could better understand how the argument is constructed, what inferences I could make and which assumptions I could find.
That said, logic cannot be separated from language or the author’s intent. Many incorrect options are designed to exploit a careless reading of the text by subtly exaggerating the author’s position or misrepresenting what was actually said. As a result, success in the LNAT requires a combination of careful reading, sensitivity to language and an ability to follow the author’s reasoning. Ultimately, I found that the strongest answers were usually the ones most firmly grounded in the logic of the passage rather than my own interpretation of it.
Q. Do you read the passage first or the questions first? Also, how did you divide time between passages—strictly equal segments or a more instinctive “triage” method?
I followed a fairly simple approach. I would read the passage first, but my goal was not to fully analyze or absorb every detail on the first read. Instead, I focused on familiarizing myself with the language, understanding the overall structure of the argument, and noting where particular points, examples, or counterarguments appeared. Once I had that mental map of the passage, I would move on to the questions. More often than not, I already had a rough idea of where in the text I needed to look for the answer, which made the process much more efficient.
In terms of time management, I did not divide my time into strict, equal segments for each passage. I adopted a more instinctive approach. If a passage was relatively straightforward, I would move through it quickly and save that time for more challenging passages. At the same time, I was careful not to get stuck on any single question for too long. The LNAT rewards efficiency as much as accuracy, so I found it more effective to remain flexible and adapt my pace based on the difficulty of the passage rather than forcing myself into a rigid time allocation.
Q. LNAT options are famous for having two “very close” options. What was your internal checklist for killing that second-best option?
When I was stuck between two very similar options, I would remind myself that the LNAT is not asking for the most reasonable answer, it is asking for the best-supported answer. My internal checklist was fairly simple: Is this option directly supported by the passage? Does it accurately reflect the author’s argument? Does it introduce any assumptions that are not present in the text?
I found that the “second-best” option was often attractive because it was broadly consistent with the passage, but not fully grounded in it. It might exaggerate the author’s position, overgeneralize a point, or rely on an inference that went a step too far. Whenever I was unsure, I would return to the relevant part of the passage and look for textual evidence. If I could not clearly justify an option using the text itself, I would eliminate it, no matter how plausible it sounded. That approach helped me avoid many of the traps that LNAT questions are designed to set.
Q. How many full-length mocks did you take, and what is the “correct” way to analyse them so you actually learn?
I took around six to seven full-length LNAT mocks during my preparation.. Since I was taking a relatively small number of mocks, I wanted to ensure that I extracted as much value as possible from each one rather than simply rushing through test after test.
The most effective way to analyze a mock is to review every question you got wrong and, more importantly, every question you got right but were uncertain about. I would ask myself why the correct answer was correct, why the other options were wrong, and whether my mistake came from misreading the passage, misunderstanding the question, or making an assumption that was not supported by the text. The goal should not be to memorize answers but to identify patterns in your thinking. Once you understand why you are making mistakes, you can begin correcting them.
Q. If someone has only 30 days left, what are the three things they must focus on to get a good score in LNAT?
If someone has only 30 days left before the LNAT, I would recommend focusing on three things: reading comprehension, question analysis, and consistency.
First, spend time reading challenging material every day. Opinion pieces, essays, and long-form articles on politics, philosophy, law, and social issues can help you become more comfortable with the type of dense, argumentative passages that frequently appear in the LNAT. The goal is not to memorize information but to improve your ability to follow complex reasoning.
Second, focus on understanding the logic behind LNAT questions. When reviewing practice tests, do not just check whether your answer was right or wrong. Take the time to understand why the correct option is correct and why the others are not. This develops the analytical skills that the LNAT is really testing.
Finally, be consistent. With only 30 days left, there is little value in studying intensively for a few days and then burning out. Even a few hours of focused preparation every day will be more effective than occasional bursts of effort. In my experience, steady practice and careful review are what lead to the greatest improvement in a short period of time.
Q. In competitive exams like CLAT and LNAT, time management is an essential skill, how did you navigate and build that?
To be honest, time management is a skill I am still actively working on. I’m starting to realise it’s nothing I could genuinely say I will ever master. Rather, I’ve begun to think of it as a choice I must make daily,something I continuously refine through practice and experience. During my preparation, I became more aware of how I was spending my time, both within mock tests and in my day-to-day study routine, and that awareness alone helped me improve significantly.
What helped me most was regular exposure to timed conditions. The more mocks and practice questions I attempted, the better I became at judging when to move on from a difficult question and when it was worth spending a little extra time. I also learned that the key to effective time management is to learn what to prioritise when, rather than simply adapting more speed. Knowing where your strengths lie, allocating your time accordingly and avoiding the trap of perfectionism can make a significant difference. Even now, I see time management as an ongoing process of learning and adapting more efficient ways to work.
Q. At what specific moment did you realise LNAT was a completely different beast, and your CLAT strategies weren’t going to cut it? Which CLAT habits helped you, and which ones actively hurt your performance?
I realized LNAT was a completely different beast fairly early in my preparation, particularly when I began attempting practice questions and noticed that many of the strategies that worked well in CLAT were not enough on their own. In CLAT, speed is often a major factor because of the breadth of the paper and the number of sections involved. In the LNAT, however, success depends much more heavily on close reading, careful reasoning and most importantly: resisting the temptation to make assumptions. I quickly understood that simply reading quickly and moving on was not going to work.
That said, some habits from CLAT were extremely useful. The reading stamina I had developed through English and Legal Reasoning passages gave me a strong foundation, and I was already comfortable extracting arguments from dense texts under time pressure. The habit that hurt me most was the instinct to move too quickly. In CLAT, efficiency is often rewarded, but in the LNAT, I found that slowing down and paying attention to subtle differences in wording was far more important. I had to shift from a speed-oriented mindset to a precision-oriented one, and that adjustment made a significant difference in my performance.
Q. Looking back, what specific mistake cost you those 1–2 marks in LNAT that would have made your score even higher?
Looking back, I think the marks I lost were less a result of lacking knowledge and more a result of overthinking. There were a few questions where I found myself caught between two plausible options and spent too much time searching for hidden meanings or nuances that simply were not there. In retrospect, I should have trusted the passage more and relied on the option that was most directly supported by the text.
If I had to identify one lesson from those lost marks, it would be that the LNAT rewards disciplined reading rather than cleverness. The correct answer is usually the one that best reflects the author’s argument, not the one that requires the most sophisticated interpretation. Learning to trust the evidence in front of you and resisting the urge to overanalyze would probably have gained me those extra one or two marks.
Q. Based on your experience, what is your primary advice for future aspirants targeting CLAT and LNAT
If I had to give one piece of advice to future CLAT and LNAT aspirants, it would be to focus on consistency rather than perfection. It is easy to become obsessed with mock scores and rankings, but genuine improvement comes from showing up for yourself every day.
I would also encourage students to play to their strengths while being honest about their weaknesses. For me, English and Logical Reasoning came naturally, but General Knowledge required significantly more effort and structure. Progress accelerated when I stopped avoiding difficult areas and began tackling them one by one. Finally, remember that neither exam is designed to reward rote learning. Both CLAT and LNAT test your ability to think critically and perform under pressure. Developing those skills takes time, but they will serve you far beyond the examination hall.
A CLAT Essentials Interview by Oyishee Bose