CLAT 2025 Topper Interview: “It's how you perform on D-Day that matters” - Divya Negi, AIR 318

Divya Negi from Dehradun, Uttarakhand secured AIR 318 in the recently concluded CLAT 2025 exam. Careers360 caught up with her to talk about her recent success. A class 12 science student, it was on her mother’s suggestion that she picked up law. Read the full interview with the CLAT topper here.

Hello Divya, Congratulations on securing AIR 318 in CLAT 2025!

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

I was giving a mock test for AILET 2025 when I got to know the CLAT results were out, I wasn’t sure how to feel but I was definitely nervous. Upon checking my rank, I was a bit disappointed because of course, everyone’s aim is NLSIU Bengaluru but after a while, I realised it was a significant improvement from last year and I should be happy with the result. In the beginning, I was not quite expecting the ranks as my marks were low, but it all worked out for the better.

Q. What is your CLAT 2025 score?

My score in CLAT 2025 is 91.5.

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

I was an NRI; I was born in Ivory Coast (West Africa) and lived there for 12 years. I came to India around 5 years ago. I used to study in a Cambridge school and currently, I’m studying under the CBSE board, PCM stream. I also got 98.4% in my 10th board. I aspire to get a good percentage this year too! My family has been very supportive, especially my mother who made sure I had everything I required for my studies.

Q. What made you choose law?

I wasn’t interested in Medical or Engineering so my mother did some research and gave me an option of Common Law Admission Test/law. I further researched and became intrigued so I decided CLAT would be it for me.

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

I had given CLAT last year and I got a rank of 2500+. Giving the paper last year helped me understand the CLAT exam pattern and questions. Due to this, I was able to prepare more efficiently and work on my weak points which I could easily identify. I focused mainly on GK and current affairs, quantitative techniques, and logical reasoning sections throughout the year, as I was good in English and legal reasoning.

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

It was a bit hard for me to follow a specific timetable every day as balancing the science stream along with CLAT was not an easy feat. Both were completely different subjects/topics and, along with upcoming exams, competitions, and school activities taking time out was a bit difficult. But I made sure to allot a given time to CLAT, around 1-2 hours in the first few months, and slowly increased the time to 4-5 hours per day. I also joined coaching at Forum CLAT with timings from 4-6 so my schedule would usually start from 7 am and I’d be free by 6-7 pm. After 6-7p,m I would study for CLAT and complete pending assignments.

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

For English I highly recommend Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis, the book really helps build and enhance vocabulary which in turn helps with faster reading skills and comprehension. For CA/GK I used to read the monthly CLAT POST of Legal Edge. A book I would highly recommend for logical reasoning would be AR by MK Pandey. Apart from that, for legal reasoning I read Pearson’s LA/LR, and for quants, RS Aggarwal's Quantitative Aptitude.

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

My Top 5 choices in the NLU preference list would be:

1. NLSIU Bengaluru

2. NALSAR Hyderabad

3. GNLU Gandhinagar

4. NLU Jodhpur

5. WBNUJS Kolkata

Q. 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?

Yes, I think this approach was one of the few things the Consortium did right. Though it doesn’t change much, in my opinion, it is better as students can have better clarity about their options after their rank and decide accordingly. When given at the time of CLAT registration, everyone ends up blindly trusting the NIRF law rankings or other rankings. However, after the results, candidates do proper research, which helps them have a better idea of NLU preferences.

Q. What are your other interests and hobbies?

Even with CLAT, I made sure to balance my hobbies, interests, and outings accordingly. I didn’t shut myself off as I felt it would take a toll on my mental health; I made sure to enjoy studying too. I especially enjoyed playing various sports with my friends in school like Volleyball, Basketball, Badminton, and Table Tennis. Some other hobbies I have are cooking, painting, etc. I recently won 1st prize in a face painting competition this year.

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

Don’t stress too much. Make sure to balance your studies and enjoyment, it’s very important! I would not suggest studying extensively from the beginning of the year due to fear of burnout. Instead, climb the ladder slowly but steadily. Give a lot of CLAT mock tests and make sure to analyze them. Do not fear if you keep getting low marks in Mocks but don’t be above the clouds either if you get really good marks because, at the end of the day, it’s how you perform on the D-Day that matters! Best of luck!!