Hello! I’m back for my yearly blog post (quite literally, that is what it has become). Sure, I haven’t posted for almost 2 years, but today, I present a momentous story that sums up 50% of my life over the last 2 years, and hopefully justifies my long break from this blog.
(Rest assured, I have a lot more in store coming out in the next few weeks, so stay tuned.)
“Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn.” – John Maxwell
In this, not-so-short blog post, I will be talking about my experience answering one of India’s most prominent and competitive law entrance exams, CLAT.
(15 minute read)
Introduction (and a small disclaimer)
This blog post is going to be about my journey preparing for CLAT and a raw first hand account of my experience and the difference phases I went through preparing for this examination.
The small disclaimer: This blog post is neither a success story to revere nor a setback saga for me to vent. It’s not a GUIDE to answering CLAT either. It’s just a direct recount of the journey of the average CLAT aspirant that had its ups and downs, with lots of things to learn for anybody, answering the exam or not. This journey could have been different in so many ways, as for something as serious as an entrance exam spanning over months, the smallest of decisions make significant changes, and this one happens to be my version. Enjoy!
The story begins in early 2023. Soon after my IGCSE (10th Board) exams, I reached a fork in the road to my career. I had to choose my subjects and stream for Grade 11 in my local state board (a shift from IGCSE). The idea of law stemmed from my developed interest and passion for researching and writing which I discovered through the Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) IGCSE subject called Global Perspectives. This further compounded by my passion and skill in debating and public speaking, made law an attractive option for me. If you know me well from before, you would also know that I was/am an avid coder, 3D artist, game developer, car enthusiast, etc however apprehensively, I let go of those avenues and eventually the idea of something in Science.
After zeroing down on law (while choosing commerce with maths to keep options in the finance sector open as a backup), I began researching about the field in India, and that’s what let me to the entrance exam called CLAT.
What is CLAT? [OPEN IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE IN DETAIL]
The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) UG is a 2 hour long national-level entrance exam for admission to undergraduate law programs in India. It is used for admission mainly into National Law Universities (NLUs) (which are like the IITs for Engineering students). It’s conducted once a year in December and includes sections / subjects like English Language, Legal Reasoning, Current Affairs, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques.
The Kickoff
The first few months of my preparation (April – June 2023) were spent familiarising myself with the exam. At the time I was still busy with a mobile app commission.
Soon after my IGCSE results in May, I began looking at what resources and books I would need to buy, the paper format of the exam and other technical details about the sections, time, etc.
TIP #1
FORMAT OF THE PAPER: IT IS ALWAYS USEFUL FOR ANY EXAMINATION, TO KNOW THE FORMAT OF THE PAPER, AS YOU CAN PREDICT ALMOST EVERYTHING THAT CAN COME AND PRACTICE FOR THE SAME.
As part of this internet surfing, I was also watching a lot of Youtube videos about the exam and most videos said that I wouldn’t need a coaching institute. Therefore, in the first few weeks of Grade 11, I made up my mind that I would not make my parents pay for any coaching institute and figure out this exam on my own. It wasn’t a particularly difficult syllabus however I didn’t know where to start.
I began with building my vocabulary through fun games, quizzes and doing regular general reading. I collected study material from my seniors and online resources.
TIP #2
HAVE / FIND GOOD SENIORS! REPEATED CLAT TAKERS / DROPPERS CAN ACT AS A CATALYST TO YOUR PREPARATION BY SHARING HARD-EARNED LESSONS!
And so, with that, I decided to spend my 11th Grade seriously preparing for CLAT. Did things go as planned? NO. I had made a detailed timetable and study page on Notion to help me get through this preparation. However, little did I know, I would be sucked into school activities…and literally engulfed.
I was extremely busy with school, right from day one. The school I joined had lots of activities 24/7. Soon I became CR, I had duties and was taking part in all sorts of competitions and events. I was barely doing any CLAT preparation and it was just surface level. However, I still had a year to go…right?
Everything changed when December came by, with exactly 1 year left, things got real.
The Actual Beginning
In December, after careful consideration, I finally enrolled with an online coaching institute called LegalEdge. The purpose of this decision was mainly driven by the fact that I would get a structure and discipline in my preparation.
Short Review on LegalEdge as a coaching institute for CLAT / OLET [OPEN IF INTERESTED]
LegalEdge is undoubtedly one of the most popular and established coaching institutions in the CLAT Coaching Industry. In my opinion, although slightly expensive, they are a reliable and great option for CLAT coaching. They have a very involved and active team working on everything and can be reached out to easily. The teachers are great and ensure everyone understands despite a large number of students in each online class, however all of this remains true only if you are and equally self driven and involved student. Financially, it would make a lot more sense to simply work hard and try to get into their Super 30 batch and avoid joining the regular coaching batch, especially for exceptional students aiming for a high rank. LegalEdge mocks have been almost unanimously agreed on to be the best in the entire CLAT scene, and I agree. Their GK compendium is not the most concise, but all resources that they provide are well curated.
Why I believe Entrance Exam Coaching is necessary? [OPEN FOR MORE INSIGHT]
In my opinion, coaching is necessary for entrance exams (especially if you’re simultaneously in school) because of 3 main reasons.
- Discipline:
- Coaching provides a schedule, a feeling of accountability and forms consistent study habits.
- It helps maintain focus, preventing procrastination and ensuring CONSISTENT progress.
- Direction:
- Coaching helps streamlining the vast syllabus into manageable segments and steps so you know where to begin.
- Discussion:
- Coaching creates a platform for interactive learning with other students and teachers.
- It helps you stay in the loop, constantly discussing with other students.
In my first few classes with LegalEdge, I learned about the different sections of the exam and got a preliminary roadmap for the entire year. I made my notebooks for each subject and a categorised general knowledge note file. My CLAT preparation was officially off to a start, a slow start, but a start.
At the start of my preparation, my mock scores were in the 70-80 range, scoring 83 in my first mock.
I spent the first few weeks just attending class. Initially, I had the impression that they were conducted at fixed timings, so I would religiously attend the classes at 8 pm every day. However, I soon realised that you can watch the recordings later and that it wasn’t exactly fixed. During the first few months (December 2023 – February 2024) I watched classes and gave mocks (online). Although I did have a small backlog of missed classes, I would usually cover it by the end of the week. (GK remained)
At the end of February, I had my school term exam, and thanks to my poor time management and procrastination, I had to dedicate all my time to studying for my school exams, and hence CLAT preparation was frozen for 2 weeks (excluding 1 mock).
During these nascent stages of my preparation, I found myself in a good place with regard to the exam. I noticed that I was inherently quite ahead of the game (early on) in lots of subjects due to my existing background in Logical Reasoning and superior command of the English language. I was regularly answering most of the weekly mocks, however a feeling of complacency set in due to this and therefore a gear down in my preparation.
In February, I got my first smartphone so that I could cover the 2 pm classes on the bus on my way back home from school. While this worked initially, as school days got more tiring and since school ended at 2 PM, I was unable to consistently keep up with classes. Furthermore, making digital notes on a moving bus while watching the class was not an easy task to maintain.
It was also at the latter half of this first phase, that I joined and began being active on Telegram, where I met lots of people through CLAT-related group chats, etc.
Why Join Telegram OR Importance of Socialising with other CLAT Aspirants
[OPEN FOR SPECIAL TIP]
Connecting with fellow CLAT aspirants, whether in person or online, keeps you informed and prevents the fear of missing out. In a world driven by validation, interacting with peers can be reassuring. It also provides an opportunity to learn from their experiences and support each other in staying accountable.
In March, a new batch of students joined. It was at this point when I first realised that my GK backlog had collected and that I was on par with the new students in terms of GK. However, there was still a lot of time to cover this up.
It was also around this time when I first heard about the Super 30 batch (Multiple batches of LegalEdges’s top 30 students determined through multiple tests and an interview) This was the first round of the Super 30 Batch, and I missed the tests due to my exams and not knowing about them. I was determined to answer the next round in June.
What is the Super 30 batch [OPEN TO KNOW MORE]
Super 30 is LegalEdge’s exclusive batch for its top 30 students (multiple batches of 30 though…), selected through tests and interviews. It offered interactive classes, premium study material, mentorship, mocks, GK challenges, marathons, doubt-solving sessions, and direct access to expert faculty for guidance.
In April, GK Fiestas, i.e. weekly GK were released to help us revise and find missing spots in our preparation. I was up to date with recent affairs but still had a backlog of videos and topics to complete, including the compendium.
In the first few weeks of April, I learned about “Mock Analysis”. I began analysing my mocks after answering and identifying my mistakes and where I needed to improve. This was a game-changer in my CLAT Preparation. I also had my first All India Open Mock in April, a mock test in which students all across India, not only LegalEdge students, were able to answer. This was helpful to put into perspective where I ranked when the number of students answering was increased like it would be in the CLAT exam.
At this stage in my preparation, I had no set timetable for the day. I was always returning back from school, and just doing sections arbitrarily with no structure. In hindsight, I should have followed a strict timetable, so I could get certain things done within a deadline, rather than doing a bit of everything but nothing thoroughly.
It was during this phase, that I began to experiment with the order in which I give my mocks i.e. the sections. I also remember being mindful of what I was working on for each subject according to the kind of questions that were being asked (for example, strengthening questions, and identifying assumptions). In GK, I was only doing specifically relevant topics before the mock, which helped keep my scores decent, however, this masked the huge gaps I had left in my general knowledge preparation in particular.
From the last few weeks of April till the middle of May, I was regularly answering weekly mocks. I was working on my other subjects such as logical and legal reasoning, however, I was not making any major efforts to consume the large amounts of general knowledge. Simultaneously, I was very active in school and I was continued to participate in competitions from time to time though at a restraint.
Avoiding the elephant in the room: Putting off GK and Maths [OPEN TO KNOW MORE]
Looking back at 2024, I realize that, both in school and during my CLAT preparation, I was subconsciously avoiding my two biggest challenges—Mathematics at school and General Knowledge at home. I kept pushing them to the last minute, almost as if giving myself an excuse for not performing well. Whether out of fear or hesitation, I never truly faced these challenges head-on. Deep down, I know I was just taking the easy way out.
TIP #3: PRINTING MOCKS:
ANSWERING MOCKS OFFLINE IS A MUST. PRINTING YOUR MOCKS AND ANSWERING THEM HELPS YOU TO FOCUS, READ BETTER AND SIMULATED THE REAL EXAM CONDITIONS. IT ALSO HELPS YOU AVOID ONLINE DISTRACTIONS AND SCREEN FATIGUE.Towards the end of May, I began preparing intensively. My scores were volatile but I maintained myself in the lower to upper 80s range. I also began doing a lot more mock analysis using an E-MAC (Excel Sheet of my mock scores) and my Physical Copy. By this point, I had solved over 25 mocks since the start of my preparation.
The Super 30 Phase
In June 2024, the Super 30 Batch 2 was announced. Immediately, students all over Telegram were buzzing about Super 30, some claiming it to be very hard, and useful, and how every student in this batch had made it to the top NLU’s and cracked CLAT perfectly. It was nerve-racking.
On June 3rd, the first selection test of 3 was conducted. When I opened the test, I was horrified. The language used was distinctly ostentatious and sophisticated. Every word had been discernibly replaced with a synonym. The rest of the sections were tough and I wasn’t able to finish QT in time. The other two tests were similar and by the end, I was glad it was over. (I also had my school exams going on simultaneously so it wasn’t fun.)
A few weeks later, out of nowhere, I got an email from LegalEdge saying that I had passed Round 1 of the selection process (the tests), and that I would be called for an interview (Round 2) soon.
My Super 30 interview was extremely lucky. The teacher who conducted my interview, remembered me (my name is quite memorable :P) in many of his classes. I think he already had a good impression of me because when I failed to answer his 2 of his 5 very basic GK questions, he seemed unfazed. One peculiar question that he asked me, were my views on the recent Lok Sabha elections. I gave a very bland neutral answer ( to avoid hurting the sentiments of any political party as it was an Interview) however, later on, I felt my answer was far from satisfactory. When the interview ended, both my parents and I were sure that I wouldn’t make it into the Super 30 batch. Remarkably, a few weeks later, on June 15 2024, I got an email saying that I had been selected, and the batch was added to my LE portal as well. It was an astonishing moment.
The Super 30 batch opened doors for a whole different kind of preparation. The interaction with these students (“toppers”) was a huge help. This batch contained students who were repeaters with ranks as high as AIR 36 in CLAT 2024 and therefore the calibre of my CLAT preparation multiplied and I learned a lot of things I would have learned too late in the regular batches. We had an informal S30 group where we would analyse mocks, discuss common issues and share tips. Moreover, LE provided a separate timetable for Super 30 students every month to follow, giving me a structure to further build on my preparation.
However soon after this “high” in my preparation, the next 2 months took a plunge for many reasons. During July and August, I was answering weekly mocks and keeping up with S30, however, I was doing no mock analysis nor coverage of General Knowledge.
This was primarily due to my school examinations, registration issues (due to being OCI) and a local festival in my village. The initial enthusiasm of S30 had dialled down by the end of August.
Since I had stopped actively covering GK, I had also stopped giving the weekly GK Fiestas which was a big mistake. I misinterpreted them for practice and not as a source of learning and revision.
TIP #4: REGULAR GK REVISION AND PRACTICE: THE BEST WAY TO RETAIN LARGE AMOUNTS OF INFORMATION THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, IS CONSISTENT PRACTICE. WEEKLY GK QUIZZES HELP YOU TO REVISE AND IDENTIFY GAPS IN YOUR PREPARATION. DO NOT SKIP THEMIn July, LegalEdge conducted an offline boot camp and all the S30 students were specifically invited to go to Bhopal. I did not join them as it was too expensive of a trip and my school examinations were approaching. This made me develop a small disconnection from the rest of the batch as their CLAT preparation further accelerated.
In July, the registrations for CLAT 2025 were also opened. This was a monumental moment in my CLAT Preparation as at one point I was almost led to believe that I wouldn’t have to answer CLAT at all due to the fact I’m an OCI citizen. As unjustified as it is, this ended up delaying my preparation in August as well, compounded by the local festival in my village.
During this time, I was regularly going to school and spent the evenings either doing school work or mock analysis. Another mistake I made was not solving the RSM practice material in tandem to the theory we were learning in the classes. This meant that mocks were becoming more of my practice than a form of testing. I was still keeping up with S30 classes and tests and at this point, I had almost completely stopped my regular batch classes.
#TIP 5: AS AND WHEN YOU LEARN A TOPIC IN LEGAL, LOGICAL, ENGLISH OR QT, SOLVE AN ASSIGNMENT OR SECTIONAL OF THE SAME TO TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE. 100 Days Left
The end of August marked 100 days left for CLAT and so the grind restarted. The Super 30 mocks were getting more challenging and my score was dropping. (It even fell to the 60s for high-difficultly level mocks)
My GK backlog was reducing slowly, but I was under the illusion that I still had enough time to cover it. Moreover, I was still confused about the entire ordeal of OCI candidates appearing for CLAT or not.
Soon, there were only 75 days left. I hadn’t solved any PYQs yet. I was consistently answering mocks and analysing them, although I wasn’t asking doubts often, which meant that my analysis was half-baked.
Why you need a Doubt Clearing Group / Mentor (mindset vs understanding)
[OPEN FOR AN IN-DEPTH EXPLANATION]
Being part of a DCS group greatly helped me by allowing me to cross-check my wrong answers with the correct reasoning. Exams like CLAT are more about developing the right mindset and approach, particularly in Logical Reasoning, to avoid repeating mistakes. Simply looking at the correct answer and its explanation isn’t enough to do justice to the effort put into the test. However, by analyzing mistakes, questioning the thought process behind them, and understanding why a certain approach is correct, you learn far more. You won’t make the same errors again, therefore making way for a perfect score.
October 2025 hit me like a rock and my school term exams hit even harder. This is where things entered escalated significantly. LegalEdge released their GMB (Section Wise Practice Assignments) and everyone was preparing diligently.
My mock scores had stagnated, and I knew I had to step up my preparation. All this while, I had been trying to sail on two boats (School Exams and CLAT). So, I completely set aside school exams and activities, shifting my full focus to CLAT.
At this stage, I started paying attention to the subtle nuances of the exam. I figured out whether to underline passages, when to skim-read, and the optimal order for answering the paper. These small details made a key difference in what set toppers apart. I did a lot of heavy doubt-solving which I was not used to before.
Most importantly, I learned to be mindful about my number of attempts and began to consciously increase this number. Even in October, I would still attempt no more than 105/120 questions and this was holding me back massively. It was also in this phase that I made note of my common mistakes and weaknesses. Albeit it was a little bit late to address them, it was still very needed.
TIP #6: WORK ON YOUR ACCURACY AND ATTEMPTS, TO GAIN THE MAXIMUM SCORE. EVEN IF YOU ARE UNSURE ABOUT CERTAIN QUESTIONS, SET A MINIMUM NUMBER OF ATTEMPTED QUESTIONS TO REACH. From a General Knowledge point of view, I was covering major topics such as the Olympics, Lok Sabha Elections, etc. I received my GMB booklets much later than other LE students (perks of living on a remote island) and this also held back my preparation during this crucial time.
By the time November arrived, it was now entirely up to the students. Everyone was focused on their own preparation. I had made my own General Knowledge topic list according to my own level.
As I had never taken a formal offline test before, I travelled to Andheri, Mumbai to answer an All India Open Mock towards the end of November. My scores were all over the map and dependent on the kind of mocks I was answering.
During the last last two months, I answered a wide range of mocks from different coaching institutes. While LE’s mocks were definitely the most refined, answering other mocks gave me a better idea about the unexpected nature of CLAT.
During this last stretch, I continued doing heavy newspaper reading to keep my reading speed up to mark. It was the time to tie all loose ends. My General Knowledge continued to dawdle behind other subjects, and I was still trying to cover the QT topics that had a minor chance of coming for CLAT. This was how I spent most of my time in the last month; just doing the bare minimum.
By November 15, I got my admit card and centre. I would be answering in GLC South Mumbai.
Less than a week to go
November 27, 2024, is a day to be remembered by every CLAT 2025 student because it was on this day that the Consortium of NLU’s released the rules, guidelines and other information regarding the exam.
(3 days before CLAT) .
Among a plethora of unmerited points, one point stirred up the hornet’s nest.
“There will be no marking in the question paper other than the space provided as a working sheet.” ~ Consortium of NLU’s (November 27, 2025)
This meant that students were no longer allowed to underline and annotate on the question paper. For a reading-heavy paper, this had a massive impact on the reading speed of all students, as we had been told to practice underlining the most important points of a passage. While the consortium tried to clear the confusion within the next few days, by the time CLAT arrived, there was no clear understanding of what was to be or not to be done. (I personally decided to take the risk and continued underlining in regulated amounts so as to not attract the attention of my invigilator.)
During this time, AIOMs had already shown who the toppers were, and it was a reality check for me to understand where I stood and where I could still aim to go. It’s also during this last phase where you feel the most regret and anxiety. I spent every night overthinking about my wasted time during the year, the expectations others had for me, and those I had set for myself. P.S. Not trying to sound negative, but it was a very dejected and slow phase, especially seeing others doing exceptionally well.
The CLAT DAY
Thank you for reading this far. At last, we have reached the D-Day.
That morning, I woke up late and had a light breakfast. At the hotel, I did some light reading and revision of all the sections. I leafed through all sorts of PDFs I had collected throughout the year. The centre was a 3-minute walk away from my hotel and I aimed to reach there by 12:30.
Once I reached the centre, I sat and solved a few remaining GMB assignments to keep my mind fresh and in the examination mode. There was a Burger King joint right next to the college, and CLAT aspirants from all over India flocked there.
Initially, when I entered the gates of Government Law College, Mumbai, I was worried about whether they would stop me from discrepancies in my Adhaar Card details, carrying a transparent exam pad, etc. However, once I entered the exam room and took my seat, my mind cleared itself of all such thoughts. The environment was fairly welcoming and I spoke to the person seated behind me. Coincidentally, I knew another candidate in my exam hall from Goa.
Before the final bell, I felt relaxed and had accepted what was to come. My only intention now was to give my best.
CLAT 2025
CLAT 2025, has been one of the most controversial CLAT papers of all time. After all, It’s a paper that has been held up for numerous discussions in a Supreme Court case spanning over the last 4 months and counting. This paper was a rollercoaster of emotions, ending at the pinnacle of anxiety.
When I was handed my paper, I was very relaxed. I followed my game plan and answered in a custom order. I had prepared to be adaptable. In the first hour, nothing threw me off. English was fairly easy (I ended up scoring a full 24/24). GK was extremely easy and most of the questions were answered in the passage itself. This got my hopes up as I continued through the paper.
All of a sudden Logical Reasoning delivered an unpleasant surprise. There was an analytical reasoning question hidden among the regular passages, something not expected in CLAT. (To make matters worse, me a student who had not been preparing for AILET and OLETs, had very little practice with such questions).
This instantly threw me off, but I attempted it anyway…twice. TURNS OUT, THE QUESTION WAS WRONG. This resulted in me wasting a lot of time on a question that was wrong while gaslighting myself into thinking I had made a mistake. Due to the time wasted here, and the QT section being slightly more difficult, I was unable to complete most of the QT section, leaving my attempts at a meagre 106-108.
When I came out of the exam centre, I felt no big feeling of relief or relaxation. I was curious to know how others had done. My dad didn’t ask me any questions, and we took a taxi straight to Crawford Market. I bought a new school bag and headed back home.
And that my dear readers, brings me to the end of my CLAT journey. After this, I began preparing for SLAT and my boards, but that’s a story for another day!
jehshalom fernandes
all the very best lucius!🫡💪
Lucius De Almeida
Thank you!
Aman
crazyyyy
kelly
loved the detailed accounts of your experience 😀 keep it up ^^
Lucius De Almeida
Thank You!