CLAT 2025 Topper Interview Aditya Rao, AIR 37: “Smell the flowers and enjoy the process.”

Aditya Rao from Bengaluru, Karnataka secured All India 37th rank in CLAT 2025. A black belt holder in Taekwondo, he has indeed landed a strong punch. Aditya is also an avid debater and finds great excitement in studying law. He admits to falling in love with the subject during his preparation for the law entrance exam. Read the full interview as the CLAT topper shares his success story with Careers360.

Hello Aditya,

Congratulations on securing AIR 37 in CLAT 2025!

How did you feel when you checked your CLAT result? Were you expecting this rank?

The moment of seeing my score was one feeling that I’d never experienced before. I screamed and ran into my parent's room shouting I got AIR 37 I’m going to NLSIU Bangalore. I would not trade the moment for the world. It was a crazy feeling. I did not expect to get this rank at all, especially with the errors in the paper and the provisional answer key. As indicated by the CLAT provisional answer key, my score was higher than my peers but I did not expect AIR 37 at all. This was beyond my wildest dreams. I knew I did well in the paper, but not this well.

What is your CLAT 2025 score?

I scored 97.5 marks in CLAT 2025, with an AIR of 37 and a State Rank of 4.

Can you tell us a bit about your background - your education, your family?

I’m a student of the Deens Academy, Whitefield. I am currently in the 12th grade and I’m pursuing science, which is rather unconventional for those attempting the Common Law Admission Test. I have taken PCMPsychology as my combination. It became a whole new challenge for me to balance both Science and CLAT which are polar opposites. I was born and raised in Bangalore so NLSIU is a home campus for me. I have a family of three with no siblings, my mother is a homemaker and my father is currently a software consultant.

What made you choose law?

I chose law pretty much in 9th grade when I realised that I did not enjoy math. I looked for other career options that did not involve the subject and I found out law. From there, research and interest followed. I involved myself in Model UNs and Debates which brought me closer to the processes of law such as making agreements and documents, and to people who were pursuing law as a career option. Through that, I realised what a vast and interesting field of law is, and it made me want to pursue it further. Over the course of preparing for CLAT, I fell in love with the subject of law more and more. There's nothing in this field whose prospect does not excite me.

Can you tell us what was your preparation strategy for CLAT?

I joined the Career Launcher coaching in 11th grade for a 2-year batch. 11th Grade was relatively relaxed, focusing mainly on the basics of what it requires to excel at this exam. This I believe was essential to my success, strong basics, and understanding of the aspects of this paper. 12th Grade was when preparing started in full gear. I informed my school that I wouldn’t be coming to school as often and slowly started dedicating more and more hours to studying for CLAT. My CLAT mock tests began in January and I started to realise that GK and current affairs, was my weak section. So, over the course of the year, I focused on studying GK. I took mocks once a week in the beginning, slowly scaling up to two or three mocks a week as the exam got closer.

The Legal Reasoning and Quantitative Techniques sections were my strong points, so I focused more on other sections, while only practicing these with the mocks. I did GK through numerous compendiums. Focusing on in-depth coverage rather than broad coverage. I had a study group and made notes with them throughout the year, and revised only those notes in the last months leading to the exam. For CLAT logical reasoning and English sections, I revised sectional tests. One key aspect in my preparation was the discussion of Mock CLAT tests with my mentors. If I had any doubts or questions as to why an answer was a certain way, I would bring it up with them or discuss it with my peers. Analysing mocks is a crucial part of understanding your mistakes and correcting them.

Did you follow any specific daily timetable to prepare for the exam?

When I used to go to school my timetable became very hectic. So there wasn’t any set schedule. Depending on the workload of school I would adjust my CLAT practice times. However, I ensured that I got some CLAT work in for the day. Even if it was just 15-20 minutes, I made sure I got something done. That way I was able to keep up to date with the GK of the months gone by and make notes accordingly, while also keeping in touch with the other reading sections.

Around October-November when I stopped going to school in preparation for the exam, I had a more set timetable. I would wake up a little later than usual because good sleep is required for peak performance. I would then sit in my coaching center at Career Launcher Indiranagar, study GK from my notes, and revise. Then from 2 to 4, I would write a mock and then analyse it with my study group. After which we would revise some more GK and then call it a day. It became sort of a ritual after some time to repeat this schedule. If we didn’t feel like writing a mock, we would write sectional tests instead.

What books and resources did you refer to during your preparation?

I did not use too many books for the exam. I mainly used Mock tests and Sectional tests to boost my preparation. For GK I referred to various online GK compendiums, both monthly and weekly, and made notes for them along with my study group on a common document. After the notes were made, I referred only to those notes and paired them with mock tests.

Can you tell us the NLU choices you will be submitting in the order of your preference?

NLSIU, being the number one college in the country will be my first choice. It’s also in my home city of Bangalore so that’s an added benefit for me. Next would be NALSAR Hyderabad, NUJS Kolkata BSc and BA, followed by NLU Jodhpur and NLIU Bhopal.

This year, candidates have to submit their NLU choices after the CLAT result has been declared. Do you think this approach is better than last year when candidates had to submit their choices at the time of CLAT registration?

I think it won’t really make a difference because whichever college you get will be based on your CLAT score. Whether the NLU preference is given before the exam or after, the score that you will get will decide which college you go to. After the CLAT results might be even slightly better because then you can put more thought into deciding college within the rank that you have received.

What are your other interests and hobbies?

I was the President of my School’s Student Council this year as well as the Chargés d'affaires of my School’s Debate and MUN Club. I am active in the Bangalore Model UN circuit. I am an avid debater, having been the Chief Organizer of my school’s first interschool debate competition this year. I have also chaired numerous MUN conferences. I was also a sportsperson with a Black Belt in Taekwondo and have played cricket and football for my school team. My interests lie in public speaking and sport.

What would be your message for law aspirants who will be appearing for CLAT in the future?

The main part of preparation for this exam is enjoying the process. The exam tends to get stressful and the looming sense of gloom and doom is bound to come. As mock scores go up and down and back up again you sense a feeling of losing control and that weighs heavy on you in the entire period of preparation. If you’re too focused on the paper and make it your entire life, things will spiral out of control. You must stop to smell the flowers, and understand that this isn’t the make or break of your life, it’s just one exam. Having crumbled myself towards the end of the paper I know how important it is to get back up, put yourself back together, and go at it to the best of your ability. As my seniors have told me, CLAT is more of a mental game than a game of preparation. However much you study, if you can't control your mental state during the exam, then it will all be for naught.