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CLAT Application Date:01 Aug' 25 - 07 Nov' 25
CLAT 2021 Topper Interview: The Common Law Admission Test or CLAT is easily one of the most difficult and prestigious law entrance exams in the country. There is a reason for that: some of the best law colleges are member institutes of the CLAT consortium, including NLSIU Bangalore, which is the #1 ranked law college in the country as per NIRF rankings. So, when you top the CLAT 2021 exam, it has a nice ring to it. And if you succeed in CLAT in your second attempt, the success tastes that much sweeter.
It is exactly what happened with Shwetha Ramachandran, who hails from the coastal city of Kannur, Kerala. She had appeared in the CLAT 2020 exam, but her preparation was all over the place and she came up shorts. But instead of giving up, soon after the declaration of CLAT 2020 results, she organized herself and this time around hit the ground running with laser-like precision and focus.
The results of her efforts are now there for everyone to see. In the recently declared CLAT 2021 results, she exceeded even her own expectations and secured a stunning AIR 4 Rank. The icing on the cake: she can now get admission to her dream law school - NLSIU Bangalore.
Careers360 got hold of the young achiever for a quick CLAT 2021 Topper Interview. The interview covered topics related to CLAT 2021 exam preparation, books she used as reference material, the right way to attempt the CLAT test paper, and much more.
Shwetha also has a beautiful success mantra for up-and-coming law aspirants. Keep reading the CLAT 2021 Topper Interview to discover what it is!
Careers360: Congratulations on your performance in CLAT 2021. What was your initial reaction upon knowing your rank?
Shwetha: Thank you very much. I was really nervous about the results. But once I saw my results, I was on cloud nine. I was extremely happy.
Careers360: Tell us something about yourself - the board you studied under, the name of the school, the place you belong to, and a bit about your family.
Shwetha: My name is Shwetha Ramachandran. I am from Kannur, Kerala. My father, Ramachandran is an Engineering Contractor. My mother, Sasikala is a housewife. My sister, Shilpa is studying in 12th. I completed my 12th from Sreepuram English Medium High School and Junior College, Kannur. I did PCM in my 12th (ISC Board).
Careers360: What are your overall and sectional scores in CLAT 2021?
Shwetha: My overall score is 115.5
Careers360: Were you expecting the results, or it was a surprise?
Shwetha: I wasn't expecting this result at all. I wanted to get a rank below 400 so that I get into any of the top 5 colleges. But getting a single-digit rank was a huge surprise.
Careers360: How and when did you start preparing for CLAT 2021 exam?
Shwetha: I prepared for CLAT 2020 also. But it wasn't properly planned. I was doing random materials. But my proper structured preparation started after CLAT 2020 Results came out. So I started my preparation by devoting a lot of time to newspapers. In the beginning, I took nearly 2.5 hours to complete the newspaper. But then towards the end, I could do it within 1.5 hours. I did a lot of mocks, analyzed them, and prepared extensive notes for GK.
Careers360: Did you follow any specific routine and study hours?
Shwetha: Not always. But a normal day would start with the newspaper, then some RCs, analyze pending mocks (if any), and work on the mistakes in my previous mocks.
I tried to do mocks during the actual exam time ie 2-4 pm so that I get into that habit.
Careers360: What are the subject-wise books you used for CLAT exam preparation? Any specific reason for selecting these books?
Shwetha: For English, I practiced RCs from various sources. I took sectional and topic tests from various websites. For vocab, I did Word Power Made Easy and I had a vocabulary notebook where I noted down the new words I came across.
For GK, I identified important topics from the newspaper, did some research, and prepared notes. I used UPSC websites like Drishti IAS because they give you notes with the historical background, maps, flow charts, etc which makes studying them more interesting.
For Legal, I went through the basic concepts once and practiced a lot of old pattern Fact-Principle questions. I think that helped me a lot because they taught me how to approach these questions.
Logical Reasoning has two parts. For Analytical Reasoning, in the last three-four months, I did one chapter per week and covered the important chapters.
Critical Reasoning was one of my weak points so I practiced a lot of GMAT and LSAT questions. I did 20 questions per day and analyzed them thoroughly. I believe proper learning happens when you analyze these questions properly.
QT was one of my strongest sections. I analyzed my mistakes in mocks and focused on those specific topics. In the last four months, I did one chapter per week and covered the important topics. I did the Level 1 questions from the QT book for CAT by Arun Sharma.
Careers360: Tell us your last month’s exam preparation tips?
In the last month, I made an extensive revision plan. I revised my vocabulary notebook, my GK notes, I tried to go through some compendiums and focused on the revision of old mocks. I had a mock analysis book where I noted down my mistakes. I went through them.
I did some new mocks too and focused on their analysis.
Careers360: Did you solve sample papers and take mock tests? What is the correct frequency for these exercises?
Shwetha: Yes, I did. I solved the CLAT 2020 paper thrice and sample papers once. About mocks, I did approximately one every week in the first few months. Then I increased the frequency. There was a time when I did one mock every alternate day. But towards the end again I reduced the frequency to once every 3 or 4 days.
Careers360: Many students make a mess of their preparation in the law few days, as exam pressure reaches the pinnacle. How to handle this tricky phase?
Shwetha: It is obvious that you will be stressed. Talk to your mentors, parents, and friends. They will motivate you. Also, I used to remind myself that if I panic and end up not studying it is going to worsen my state. So I tried my best to focus on my studies.
Careers360: How can one improve accuracy and speed?
Shwetha: Speed increases with practice and accuracy with analysis.
Read your newspaper, books, periodicals, or anything you want. And analyze each and every question you practice. Convince yourself why you went wrong and why that specific option is the answer.
Careers360: Is there any particular order for attempting the CLAT question paper? How should one go about attempting the test?
Shwetha: So this depends on the test taker. I took time to warm up during the test. So I started with GK and then did QT. I try to complete these two sections in the first 20 minutes and I devote the remaining 100 minutes to the reading sections. But if the QT section is tough, I do GK, then the reading sections, and finally QT.
So, understand how you are as a test taker, talk to your mentors and devise your strategy. But again, you should be flexible enough to rebuild the entire strategy if there are surprises in the paper.
Careers360: Did the prolonged delay and multiple postponements affect your exam preparation? How did you manage to stay on track?
Shwetha: No. When the exam was scheduled to happen in June and the 12th boards’ schedule was out, the dates were clashing. So I was expecting the exam to get postponed. But suddenly the boards got postponed and then canceled. That made me very nervous. So I was working very hard during the last weeks of April and the first few weeks of May. When I knew the CLAT was getting postponed, it gave me a breather. I took a break for 2 days, planned, and then restarted the preparation.
Careers360: Did you face any difficulty during the exam considering there were strict COVID-19 guidelines in place?
Shwetha: Yes I did. The first months were okay but towards January and February, I was fed up with these online classes and preparation. Again I gave myself one day break, went out with my mother and sister, had some ice cream and I was good to go from the next day.
Careers360: Which law discipline do you want to study in your undergraduate?
Shwetha: I haven't decided that yet. But I find Humanitarian law and International law interesting. I haven't done any extensive research about it yet. I think I should try things out in my law school and then decide.
Careers360: Also, do you have any NLU preferences?
Shwetha: Yes, NLSIU has been the dream college from my school days.
Careers360: What you be your final word of advice to upcoming young law students?
Shwetha: Just prepare honestly. Be true to yourself. Listen to your mentors. They know what is best for you. Just trust them.
Also Read:
CLAT 2021 Topper Interview - Karthik J Lal, AIR 3
CLAT 2021 Toppers
On Question asked by student community
Hey there,
Many government colleges and universities accept admission without CLAT, but you have to give an entrance exam. Here are the colleges and universities-
Here are some Private colleges and universities that accept admission through merit-based-
Hope it helps!!!
For CLAT 2025, the General Knowledge and Current Affairs section has around 28 to 32 questions. These questions come from recent news, events, and general topics like the Constitution, international issues, awards, and government schemes.
You should mainly focus on current events from the last 12 to 18 months. The exam gives short passages from newspapers or magazines, and you have to answer questions based on those passages.
The most important topics are national and international current affairs, major government policies, legal news, awards and honours, science and technology updates, sports events, important personalities, and environmental issues.
Some of the most expected topics for CLAT 2025 are global conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine war and Middle East updates, major elections in India and other countries, new laws, bills, and reforms in India, international meetings like G20 and COP climate conferences, important awards in 2024 and 2025, recent achievements in science and space technology, and new government schemes and court judgments.
To prepare, you should read current affairs daily, revise important news from April 2024 till now, and practice passage-based questions from mock tests. Static GK (like history, geography, or constitution) should also be studied but only the parts that are connected to current events.
Career360 website for CLAT GK: https://law.careers360.com/articles/clat-gk-questions
Hello dear candidate,
Yes, you are right UGC rules do not allow two regular full time courses simultaneously.
But for CLAT or NLU admission they only check if your 12th certificate is valid and is from a recognized board, not if you did another course along with it.
The BCI also do not reject candidate for this reason.
Thank you.
Hello,
If you are from Delhi and appearing for CLAT, then you come under the General (All India) category, as CLAT reservation is based on the domicile of NLUs, and Delhi does not have a National Law University under CLAT (NLU Delhi conducts AILET separately).So, you can apply for CLAT through All India Quota, and if you don’t get a seat in NLUs. You can apply through CLAT, AILET, or private law colleges like Amity, Symbiosis, or IPU for admission.
Keep both CLAT and AILET options open to maximize your chances.
Hope you understand.
Hello,
Since you are in class 11 and targeting CLAT 2027, you have enough time to prepare without coaching. First, understand the CLAT pattern – it has English, Current Affairs, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques. Start with basics and read daily to improve vocabulary and comprehension.
Best books to start:
Word Power Made Easy – Norman Lewis
High School English Grammar & Composition – Wren & Martin
Legal Aptitude for CLAT – A.P. Bhardwaj
A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning – R.S. Aggarwal
Quantitative Aptitude – R.S. Aggarwal
Manorama Yearbook or Lucent’s GK for current affairs
Read newspapers like The Hindu daily, practice mock tests regularly, and revise current affairs every month. With consistent practice and reading, you can easily prepare for CLAT 2027 along with JEE.
Hope it helps !
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