Should you take a gap year for CLAT?

Updated on 29th May 2023 | 2:30 pm | #CLATrepeater

The NLU’s are out with their lists and it’s time for you to decide whether you want to retake your exams or not. There are three types of students who opt for retaking CLAT:

1. Law is the only career preference: Dropping a year to retake CLAT is a big step and you should not think of it unless you are sure that you want to pursue law as a career. Commitment towards qualifying this could come only when you are committed fully to doing law.

2. Who only wants to go to top NLUs: Students, who did okay in CLAT and might have gotten themselves into a private college, still prefer to drop a year to get into a high-ranking NLU.

3. Students who started preparing late!: Few students, taking in the pressure of boards, devotes all of their time to the boards and plan nothing for what they are going to do next or focus on their preparation for other exams. They missed out on career choices and now after boards, they want to go for CLAT. These are the students who are somewhat forced to take a drop to work on their career choices.

Irrespective of which category of students you lie in, taking a gap year for CLAT/AILET is worth a shot. Technically, you will not be ‘wasting’ a year despite taking a gap year as a gap year along with a 5-year Integrated BBA-LLB is equivalent to a 3-year UG degree followed by a 3-year LLB degree. Another year of preparation is nothing when compared to a career of 30-35 years.

How to prepare for CLAT as a repeater?

Once you have decided that you are dropping a year to prepare for CLAT, you need to structure your drop year, and your preparation. One year is a long time to prepare for CLAT and you will be doing that without the pressure of boards.

1. PLAN for it. Without the plan laid out to cover the syllabus, and work on your personal strategies, national entrance tests like CLAT and AILET are bound to be extremely difficult. Understand the paper pattern and syllabus to get the best results. Dedicate a fixed amount of time every day, make notes, and do revisions. Consistency is key.

2. Read Newspapers: Developing a reading habit, and not waiting till the last minute to mug up as much as possible is very important. Rather than making it a part of your preparation plan, make it a personal habit. Collect a few reliable sets of sources for all information you require for the test, and read them every day for an hour. Allocate a fixed time period when you must read the news. This is not only for test preparation but also a must for your professional requirements as a lawyer.

3. Analyze your CLAT mock tests: While you are hurriedly covering up as much syllabus as possible, it is also important to test your approach. Take mocks frequently to understand where you stand as compared to your peers who will be taking the test with you. Try out our mock tests to know your AIR benchmarking against all test-takers, and to understand your strengths and weaknesses We also provide personalized tips to give your most accurate attempts within the time limit of the paper. 

4. Be prepared for any surprises: Being a retaker, you have a fair amount of ideas about the question pattern, syllabus, and the way the test is conducted. However, you must know that CLAT loves to throw surprises. And therefore, you always need to be prepared for the same. To do this, take a look through past year's papers and see how the format has changed.

5. Tip:While answering the Legal Aptitude section, remember the reason you selected a particular answer. Sometimes, even though your answer is right, the reason behind it might be wrong. For a better understanding of concepts, don’t just look at the answers, but also their solutions and explanations.

6. Study Notes While preparing, keep making study notes. These notes are quite helpful during the last month when you are revising. And another important thing to remember is to make your own current affairs notes and revise them every weekend as current affairs keep building up on historic events. This helps with conceptual understanding of any event rather than remembering facts.

7. Take Coaching: Spending a lot of time by yourself preparing might be stressful and can take more time than required. There is no reason not to take help when it is available. Get streamlined guidance from us for your every need. We have a program just for you.

Preparing for CLAT in a drop year might seem like a risky step but it has benefits of its own. You’ll get to opt for the best law school and getting in a top NLU is a major step in establishing your career. Besides, you can manage your time in a better manner without any priority conflict. It’s all about your planning and the execution of it.


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