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Is the CLAT exam necessary for a law degree?
The CLAT is just an entrance exam conducted by the National Law Universities for admission to their 5 year integrated law programs. There are other similar exams like the AILET, LSAT, SET etc. Some institutes do give admissions on basis of 12th board exam marks.
All these are for the 5 year integrated law courses after std. 12.
You can also go the classic route of the 3 year LLB after completing graduation.
How many mocks should one give before CLAT?
I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.
- Bruce Lee
Quality, not Quantity, matters.
Even if you give a 100 mocks, if you do not analyze them for your strengths and weaknesses and fail to fine tune a strategy, the 100 mocks would be of no use.
After giving a mock, sit down with your response sheet and answer key and analyze for the following:
- Questions that you left: Was it lack of time or lack of knowledge?
- Questions that you got incorrect: Was it a silly mistake or lack of knowledge?
- Questions that you got correct: Is it possible to do this in a better and faster way?
Keep fine tuning your strategy till you are confident in appearing for the next one.
If you still insist on a numeric answer, about 10–12 mocks, accompanied with intense analysis, should be good.
How can I study for CLAT in one month?
Understand the CLAT. It tests you on your fundamentals in English, Mathematics, Reasoning and General Knowledge. Legal Aptitude is merely a combination of English and Reasoning.
If you have been a decent student, you should already have your language and numeric skills in place.
For a focused preparation for the CLAT, first understand the paper. Go through past papers to get an idea of the kind of questions to expect.
If your fundamentals in Math and English and reasonable good, you can just brush up relevant topics. The same applies for reasoning.
The bugbear for most CLAT aspirants is the GK and Current Affairs (CA) section. Many students (in India) are not up to date with their GK and CA.
Your review of past papers would give you a general idea of what to expect in GK CA. Prepare a daily schedule for yourself where you devote time to go through national newspapers and website (like gktoday.in) to up your GK CA quotient.
Go through relevant material to improve your vocabulary and reading speed. The ability to read fast is a major advantage in cracking any entrance exam.
Prepare a strategy to maximize your score in the test by analysing your strengths and weaknesses.
I hope this gives you a start on how to prepare for the CLAT.
How do I keep myself motivated for cracking CLAT?
A young boy is walking on a public street with his parents. The young boy is in primary school.
The family of three sees a young person coming towards them. This person is wearing the sweat shirt of NLSIU Bangalore.
The parents tap the boy on his shoulder and point towards the sweat shirt clad person. They tell him, “See that person wearing that sweat shirt? That shirt is earned by those who crack an exam like CLAT and secure good marks to make it the top Law School in India. We hope that one day, you will also be like this person and make us proud.”
Family friends are over for dinner. They ask the host couple, “So, your child has just completed std. 12. Have you though about the future?”
The host couple: “Our kid has cracked the CLAT this year. NLSIU Bangalore is the address for our child, for the next 5 years.”
The guests: (to their own child) “Wow! See, NLSIU is the best college for law that there is and uncle and aunty are so proud of their child. We sincerely hope that you will take this as a motivational lesson and also study well to get into an equally good college.”
When an NLU student (or for that matter, a student of any top college) walks around in public (especially in the college branded sweats), people all around, do turn back to stare (often with envy and respect) at the person who has had the distinction of earning the letters.
So, forget all soppy advice about how studying well will set your career and get you a happy life.
If you want to be the center of attention among people and want to see them look at you with envy and respect, you need to get into a great college.
For a law aspirant, that means: Cracking the CLAT!
Feel motivated yet?
Is coaching necessary for CLAT?
As a businessman, who runs a coaching center, my answer should be YES.
However…
That is not the truth.
If you have the basic aptitude for language, numbers and reasoning, and the discipline required to be regular in your preparation, you can easily cope without any sort of tuition.
Thankfully (for us coaching center guys), many students notoriously lack the discipline to do self study. This is where we make our living.
We don’t do anything extraordinary. We simply provide a structured and disciplined way to maximize your potential for performance in any entrance exam.
The study material and mock tests that we provide are an additional bonus.
How difficult is it to crack CLAT with decent marks?
How difficult is it to hit a six in a cricket match?
If you ask this to some of the top batsmen in the world, the answer would be - depending on the bowler, not that difficult.
For a total noob like me, even a soft tossed ball would not be met with my bat.
So, the ease (or difficulty) of cracking the CLAT depends on:
- The difficulty level of the paper
- The aptitude of the student
- The student’s level of preparedness
among other factors.
What tips and advice would you like to give someone who is joining NLU?
This is a generic sort of advice for students who are about to join any college.
- Do not take your first year lightly. Students have the tendency to chill out in their first year and think that they can make it up in the later years. If you slack academically in the first year, it becomes a huge pain to make up for it in the future.
- Always aim for the highest possible grades. Right from the first test that you give at your institute. Till the very end. Grades matter. All of them.
- Attendance is not a joke. Don’t fall into the bad habit of trying to maintain the minimum possible attendance and try to get away with it. You may feel that the classes are boring and useless, that the teachers don’t know how to teach, and a lot of other stuff. Just ignore everything and try to sit through the classes. Professional don’t get to choose every meeting according to their interest. In your career, you will be attending a lot of meetings where you would be bored but can’t do anything about it. Consider the college lectures to be training for that.
- Academics matter. But so do extra-curricular activities. Participate in as many activities as you can, without compromising on your academic schedule. Time management is crucial. Learn it.
- There will more college mates to dissuade you from the path of good grades and attendance and less to encourage you. Learn to keep the right company. It may feel good to be ‘cool’. It’s still better to be among those who got ‘placed’ well. Isn’t this generation all about ‘placements’ and ‘packages’? Keep those in mind - ALL THE TIME!
- College days are the best days of your life. Build good friendships. They help build networks. That last a lifetime.
Enjoy.
But responsibly.
All the best!
What happens after passing from NLSIU Bangalore?
After graduating from ANY institute, you either take up a job or you pursue higher studies.
In extreme cases, you take a break and just enjoy life.
If you start working, you could either start practice as a litigator (after clearing the bar council exam)
OR
You join some firm in (generally) the legal department.
In higher education, you may either pursue an LLM or MBA or CA or some other post graduate course.
What is the career after CLAT?
The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is an entrance exam to secure admission to the law programmes at the National Law Universities and other Law schools which consider the CLAT score for admission.
If you clear the CLAT (UG), you secure admission to law schools where you work towards obtaining your bachelor’s degree.
The CLAT PG is to secure admission to the LLM programmes.
The following Public Sector Undertakings/Institutions are likely to use the CLAT-2017 – PG scores for the purpose of recruitment in their organisations.
1. Oil India Limited
2. Oil and Natural Gas corporation Limited (ONGC)
3. GAIL (India) Limited
Are there any law colleges in India where I can do a regular LLB without attending the class?
Imagine that you or a close relative/friend is in a serious accident and are in immediate need of medical attention.
When you reach the only hospital accessible at that time, you discover that the only doctor at hand, did a ‘regular MBBS’ without attending any class.
Would you trust him?
Stop being cavalier about education, irrespective of the field that it is in.
Either get a full fledged education or stay out of it.
Don't try to get a degree for the sake of it.
Can I take the CLAT exam for an LLB after graduation?
There is no age limit for the CLAT, since 2015. Technically speaking, nothing stops you from taking the CLAT exam for the integrated 5 year LLB courses after completing your graduation.
However, consider this: With a minimum of 3 years for your first graduation and 5 year of integrated Law, you will have spent 8 years to get a handful of UG degrees.
If you are keen on law after graduation, why not go in for the regular LLB offered by universities to graduate students?
Is it hard to clear CLAT being a science student?
Not at all. The CLAT is not biased towards any particular stream. The paper is common to all and tests students on concepts that they have learned till std. 10. If you are regular in your preparation, cracking the CLAT should be a piece of cake.
Any tips regarding preparation?
Go through the syllabus and past year papers. Be regular in preparing for GK and Current Affairs. It’s all about strategically attempting the paper.
Are all National Law Schools equally good?
The older NLUs (Bangalore, Hyderabad, Bhopal, Kolkata, Jodhpur, Gandhinagar…) are ranked much higher than the newer ones. Don’t worry about them now. Just start your preparations.
Is it worth studying law in Symbiosis? I'm sure it is, but is it better to take a break and study for the CLAT and aim for NLSIU or NALSAR, or should I just continue with Symbiosis this year?
Symbiosis Pune is a pretty decent campus to study on.
Appearing for the CLAT next year to get into top 3 NLUs may be worth the attempt.
However…
Consider a few things first.
- If you are successful and manage the top 3 NLUs, would you be willing to give up 1 year of studies as sacrifice to achieve your goal?
- When you spend time preparing for CLAT (and I assume you would do so along with current academics), will you be able to cope with current college academics as well? For, if you fail to clear the CLAT as per expectations, your current studies at Symbiosis should not suffer.
Is it worth taking a drop for CLAT?
That depends on a lot of factors.
- Why a drop? Did you appear for the CLAT once, failed to crack an NLU and now wish to have a second shot at it?
- You did not appear for any entrance exam in your year of 12th and now wish to join a professional course like law?
In any case, there are numerous pros and cons to taking a drop.
If you utilise your drop year properly and manage to get admission to the institute of your choice, your drop year will no longer matter. Your success will be worth it.
However, if you do not manage to make optimum utilisation of your drop year and do not manage to secure admission in a decent institute, you will have to live with the knowledge that you wasted an entire year. More than yourself, it would be your friends and relatives who will keep reminding you of the same.
If you think you have what it takes to clear a national level entrance exam and can handle a negative outcome, then by all means, take a drop.
On a personal note, I am not a big fan of taking a drop year under there are very strong circumstances in favour of one.
What is the benefit of studying LLB in a NLU instead of a normal college?
Brand value. Recognition.
People tend to associate quality with known brands over generic products. That’s why a Levis jeans would cost more than a generic one - although, for all practical purposes, the cloth could have come for both, from the same factory.
In education, the name of your institute is an indicator of your academic caliber. The very fact that you have managed to get admission to the institute speaks about you.
An IIT is always preferred over a local engineering college.
An IIM always commands more respect over any other management college.
So do the NLUs. At least the older ones.
How much percentage is necessary to pass out the entrance examination?
How much percentage is necessary to pass out the entrance examination?
Sigh… here we go … again!
Entrance exams are NOT like school/college exams. Schools/colleges have no limit on the number of students they can pass. However, entrance exams are restricted by the number of seats available. So, if an institute has 100 seats, the top 100 scorers in the entrance exam are offered admissions. If 95/100 accept, the remaining 5 are offered to those who ranked 101 to 105.
So, there is no fixed percentage of marks that determine you clearing an entrance exam.
What's your strategy for achieving rank in competitive exams?
What's your strategy for achieving rank in competitive exams?
- Appear for the exam as if the outcome is not going to determine your life. Your only aim is to answer as many questions as you can and to have fun while doing so. This attitude is tough to develop. However, candidates who learn this, tend to be less stressed during the exam and focus more on solving the questions.
- While reading a question, do not try to recall the chapter from which it is supposed to be or the formula that is supposed to be applied. Just focus on the data that is given and the question that is asked. There can be more than one approach to solve the problem.
- In continuation of the previous point, make sure that you are clear with your fundamentals. I have seen students trying to cram short cut methods for questions without understanding the basics. If your fundamentals are clear, you can approach any problem logically and crack it without trying to recall some obscure formula or method.
- Practice. A lot. Rather than doing a 1000 questions during your practice period. do a 100 questions, but at least 10 times each. Believe me, such rigorous practice actually yields better results.
- The basic skills for most competitive exams (I limit myself to entrance exams of India) are the ability to read and comprehend quickly and crunch numbers quickly. Expand your reading, which in turn, enhances your vocabulary. If you are quick with adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing numbers, most of basic math is a cake walk.
- Never believe that an exam is tough. Also, do not assume that an exam is easy. An exam is just that. An exam. If you are well prepared and confident, you can crack it. Period.
Where does all this advice come from? My personal experiences.
I coach students for various entrance exams for admission to UG courses of Law, Management, Hotel Management, Mass Communication, Liberal Studies etc.
I have appeared for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 4 times, since 2015 and have cracked it every single time. (By that, I mean, I have qualified for admission to the NLUs). I have also appeared for the Under Graduate Aptitude Test (UGAT) 4 times and secured over 99.98 percentile, every time. The reason why I have been able to do this is because of the afore mentioned details. I am not invested in the outcome of the exam and give it just for the sake of being updated with the patterns and syllabus of the papers. So, I am more calm and composed during the paper. Years of teaching my students, the same things repetitively, has given me sufficient mastery over the basics and speed in both reading and calculating. I have also seen my students succeed in these papers and more when they follow these principles.
I hope, this helps.
All the best!
What are the essentials for an NLU hostel?
Don’t go overboard with packing things from home. Most National level colleges have good on-campus shopping facilities (or at least easy access to such shops nearby) where you can get the essentials.
You just need to take some basics for the first few days when you are new to the place and need to figure out what to get and where to get it from.
- Essential toiletries (brush, paste…)
- Basic clothes (couple of formals, couple of casuals, inner wear, night clothes), footwear
- Bath towels, hand towels
- A lock and key set (in case you need to lock your room / cup board)
- Medicines (basics like cold tablets, fever medication, band aids - essentially - a first aid kit)
- Any item that the college has specifically asked you to bring along (if at all)
Once you are on campus, you can purchase a bucket, mug, rope (for clothesline), clothespins, stationery items, books etc. Get an extension board to plug in all your electronics.
Often, students purchase their laptops in bulk from a local dealer. See if you can do the same.
Carry enough liquid cash for essential purchases.
Have fun!
Is it advisable to get into IIM after doing MBBS?
Management education is good after graduation in any field.
An MBBS graduate with a management degree would be extremely sought after by Hospitals to run their management departments. The same is true for any organisation connected with the medical world.
Go for it.
How can I get admission in IHM Pusa?
The National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology (NCHMCT) conducts the IHM Joint Entrance Exam (IHM JEE) - usually on the last Saturday of April, every year.
The 200 mcq, 3 hours paper tests students on English, Reasoning, Math, GK & Current Affairs, Scientific Aptitude and Service Aptitude.
Based on the rank of the candidate, the student can get admission to the IHMs including the one at Pusa.
What is the secret to success in competitive exams?
What is the secret to success in competitive exams?
Give the exam as if it doesn’t matter.
Now, this advice may seem a bit strange, but bear with me. It is known that when the mind is not preoccupied with other matters, it can solve the problem at hand in a better manner.
Many students, while appearing for any exam, are often worried about the outcome of the exam. Will I score sufficient marks? This paper is tough - what can I do now… and a plethora of other questions that distract them from the question at hand.
On the other hand, when you stop worrying about the outcome of the exam and think as if the paper is being attempted only for the sake of attempting the paper and with no other goal, you focus better on the questions. This often leads to a better outcome. You need to mentally prepare yourself before hand that you will not unnecessarily give extraordinary importance to the paper. If you crack it, good. If you don’t, it doesn’t matter. The day you learn to have this attitude, you will see better results.
I speak from personal experience. I appear for a couple of UG and PG entrance exams (e.g. CLAT, UGAT, CAT) every year. The main purpose is to just get a feel of the paper and test my mettle. I have no interest in the outcome of the exam. In every single paper so given, I have had highly satisfactory results.
Give it a shot. All the best.
What is the scope of MBA after law in India?
Define “Scope”.
Queries of this nature “What is the scope of xyz as a career” remind of a scene from the movie Lakshya.
The actress’ father says (and I paraphrase the translation)
If you become a scientist but don’t be a good scientist, then what’s the point?
Be a grass cutter (a menial job holder) but be excellent at cutting grass.
Moral: If you are good at what you do, there’s always scope for whatever you choose to do.
Which coaching institute is best for my kid in 5th standard for IIT JEE preparation?
He is a kid and doesn’t know even what is good or bad…
Truer words were never spoken. As an extension of this argument, he doesn’t know the fundamental concepts of most subjects - be it Mathematics, Science, Language, Social Sciences, Art etc.
He has not yet developed the right aptitude and personality traits to be good at any particular career stream.
The IIT brand is NOT a guarantee of success.
Let’s perform a small test.
Can you name 3 IITians who are famous in the public arena for their engineering feats?
Not many can give the 3 names.
Now, can you name 3 IITians who are famous - irrespective of their current area of work?
Some obvious names are Chetan Bhagat, Manohar Parrikar, Arvind Kejriwal… none of whom are famous for being engineers.
I do not mean to imply that IITians are not successful. However, the corollary that non-IITians (or for that matter, non-Engineers) are not successful - is wrong.
As a parent, you have every right to guide your child on the right path. However, let him reach the stage where your advice will actually make sense to him.
Help your kid understand fundamentals of all subjects - not just the science and math ones. When the right time comes ( I consider students to be mature enough to start IIT preparations after std. X), you can definitely judge whether your kid is suitable for a career in engineering and then help him achieve YOUR dream.
How can I prepare for the NEET from the 7th standard?
7th standard and dreaming about medicine?
While I applaud your ambition, I am concerned about undue pressure being taken on (or is it being imposed?) by a young and (possibly) unprepared mind.
To crack any entrance exam, students need to have a strong grasp over the fundamentals. The best thing that you can do as a student in Std. 7, is to learn EVERY subject that is being taught with great attention and interest.
Clarify every concept that is being taught (be it Maths, Science, Social Studies, Languages or any thing else). Don’t learn things by rote. Grasp the fundamentals. Be curious to know everything. How has a particular formula been derived. Why did a particular incident take place. Don’t limit to the material in your text books. Read more material on the same topics. Judiciously use the Internet.
Read a lot. That does not mean just your school text books but a whole lot of other things - including newspapers, magazines and novels. Enrich your vocabulary and knowledge. Develop the habit of reading fast.
Once you reach the grade where you have to select a stream, make the right choice based upon your aptitude, interest and personality. DO NOT BLINDLY take up a stream just because someone told you to do so.
Don’t be fixated upon one stream. You are young and yet to be exposed to many options. Keep your mind open to all ideas.
When the right time comes, make an informed choice.
Do you regret joining IIT Madras?
Yes.
After spending 2 glorious years on campus, the day I left the campus, I realised that I am leaving behind some of the best days of my life.
The environs, the junta, the facilities - it would be almost impossible to be back in such a life.
IIT Madras spoiled me by introducing me to a way of life that was far better than what I had ever experienced.
Had I not joined the campus, I would never have to live with memories and a sense of longing for that life.
Why do I find myself missing school as I get older?
My routine as a school kid:
Sleep in bed till mom jolts me awake.
Complete morning ablutions.
Scarf down my breakfast (which magically appears on the table)
Have a bath and get dressed (clothes are magically laid out for me)
Go to school - have fun - return
Have lunch (all hot and ready)
Complete my home work
Go out to play
Eat dinner (again… you guessed it, all ready for me to chomp down)
Sleep.
My routine as an adult:
Drag myself out of bed as the alarm goes off. Succumb to the temptation of the snooze button a couple of times. In the end, the weight of responsibilities jolt me awake.
Complete morning ablutions. If any toileteries run low, then add the same to my shopping list.
Help in preparing breakfast and lunch. Pack the same.
Check whether any bills are pending (telephone, mobile, internet, electricity, taxes…) and pay them.
Drive self to office.
Complete the work
Return home.
(I am lucky to be living with parents who take care of dinner on most evenings)
Spend time with family.
Spend time with wife.
Go to sleep.
Apart from the usual routine, adults have to go for shopping - and not the fun kind - more on the line of groceries and other supplies.
The biggest pain is having to pay bills and making sure that the income at least matches the expenditure. Savings have to be taken into consideration. The adult is often responsible for other members of the family as well. Just as I used to magically have my meals and other stuff ready for me as a kid, I need to do the same for others now.
In one word, childhood was carefree. The biggest worry was completing the homework and doing well at school.
Adulthood brings a lot of responsibilities with it.
And that, my friend, is why many adults crave for their childhood.
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