The preparations for the exams begin well in advance and aspirants interact a lot with NLS students, present and past, to get a feel of what the exams would be like.

Most students, who’ve written the exams and are studying at the law school, say a good one month is needed to crack the exams. The new ones though are giving themselves two months so that they’re thorough and are well-prepared by the time the exams arrive.

Metrolife spoke to a few students who are writing the exams; students currently studying at the law school; and the management to gauge the level of preparations.
Jyotsna Sripada, pursuing her B Sc at Mount Carmel College, is more than eager to write CLAT this year. She says that it is not only one among the premier law schools in the country.

“The quality of education and the brand value that comes with it is key to future placements. It plays an important role in deciding your career. And the opportunities that come with it are significant,” explains Jyotsna. She says she feels the pressure to perform well. “Gruelling coaching sessions and easily accessible material for preparation make it more competitive. The way the paper is set calls for an extensive preparation. A good month is required if you really want to crack the exam,” she adds.

Yashwant Prasad has just completed his second PUC and is awaiting the results. He is keen on NLS but he has kept his options open. “More then preparing for CLAT, I’ve focussed on performing well in my PUC exams. Marks is a the main criteria for admissions in the other law colleges. While NLS is my first option, it’s not my only choice. There are other institutions that are just as good,” he reasons.

While the aspirants are neck-deep in preparations, those who have written the CLAT say one month would suffice for preparations. They say what really helped them crack the test was solving past papers and reading up the material available for the entrance exam.

“The logic, math and English sections are the easiest and you can’t really prepare for them. For legal reasoning, looking up the previous papers would help one get an idea of what the questions would be like,” says Rishi Shroff, currently studying in third year at NLS. He adds, “Having been at NLS for three years now, I think it’s a brilliant space for learning because of the people that make up the institution."

CLAT is divided into various sections including logical and legal reasoning, english and maths. “The entrance is meant to judge the students’ ability to reason logically and their language must be perfect. A lot of importance is given to legal aptitude,” explains Prof R Venkata Rao, vice chancellor and professor of law.