The Dream Called CLAT – by Rongeet Poddar (Rank 3 – CLAT 2015)

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Here is an awe inspiring note from Rongeet Poddar who clinched Rank 3 at the CLAT this year, and made us all extremely proud, at CG!

DSC03826With a mere couple of months to go before CLAT, on a sultry Kolkata afternoon, I was sitting at this very table in my room and scrolling nervously down the screen of my laptop. There was a GK website tab open, and I sat there deeply engrossed in an article, at CLATGyan, written by a CLAT topper of some previous year. The sweat on my creased brows almost reached my eyes. There was a lump in my throat. I was desperately looking for some inspiration that would propel me towards intensifying my last minute preparation. Little did I know then that I would be writing an article myself for the same website that had helped me immensely in an hour of need, that day. Incidentally, the monsoon rains seem to have set in as I write this. How seasons change with the passage of time!

If you dream big, you have to put in a big effort to fulfill it. In my book, CLAT is not a sprint race. It’s a marathon. You have to put in dedicated effort over a continuous period of time to ace it. There is no substitute for hard work and perseverance. For starters, you need a smart study plan that would help you prepare efficiently. The study plan should include all the subjects. Try to stick to it. Your daily target achievements will build the CLAT topper in you, block by block. And while you engross yourself in that static GK book or those Current Affairs compendiums, never sacrifice your peace of mind because that will eventually help you sustain your preparation.

Enjoy what you learn. No task at hand will appear uphill if you have a smile on your face while engaging in it. Do take those much need breaks now and then. Don’t hesitate in indulging in what you love to do during those breaks. It’s imperative that I let you know here, that in the midst of my CLAT preparation schedule, I played football at my club, whenever I felt like, and debated extensively on social media platforms with worthy opponents.  Besides, I went out on numerous dates with my girlfriend throughout the course of the year. There will be people who will let you know that these are the ideal ingredients of failure. But hey, those people find their voices only because you are not single-minded. When you are doing something, concentrate only on that.  To me, these served as the necessary fillips to my preparation whenever I felt bogged down. They helped me soothe my nerves in the middle of the roller coaster ride. I no longer felt jittery.

Slogging half-heartedly for hours without adequate food and sleep won’t ensure that you land in a top notch law school. So, please don’t punish yourselves.  All you need to do is to make sure that your preparation sessions are fun and productive. Devote substantial time to all the five areas that are tested in CLAT at least once every couple of days. You need to be specifically regular with Current Affairs. It will help you recollect better. The last month before D-Day should only involve practicing mocks and previous years’ papers every single day coupled with general knowledge revision every odd day. Like all competitive examinations, time management, on the day, is the key. Notwithstanding the difficulty level of the paper, keep your composure. If you lose that, you lose everything.

If the mock scores are not going your way, don’t ever feel demoralized. Undertake a detailed mock analysis. Assess your strengths and weaknesses and then approach the next mock with a plan that suits your needs. The next mock is waiting for you, right at your doorstep, to emerge with a perfect score.  Your dream is never over.

If you require any help in any area, feel free to get back to me through any medium that’s convenient for you.

All the best!

Rongeet Poddar

23 COMMENTS

  1. with taking FUN,how did you manage it…i too had given clat but all what i have scored is low..help me getting good marks

    • You have to strike the proper balance. Your study plan needs to be perfect. And you need to try your best to stick to it.

  2. Thank you for writing this article 🙂 ..could you please give a rough example of your schedule/timetable..or how you managed school+clat.
    Thank you again.

    • You have to make sure that you accommodate all subjects in your time-table in the right proportion. 15 day or monthly study plans with daily targets will be ideal. Gk and maths should definitely be part of our daily scheme of things. Concentrate on the other three areas-English, Logic and Legal. Once every two days at least. If you preparing simultaneously if your board exams, devote a couple of hours at least to CLAT preparation everyday. Increase the time to six to eight hours after your board exams or when you get the odd free day. Utilize time efficiently.

  3. Hlo Rongeet bhai, firstly, heartiest congratulations for such wonderful rank. I am a class 12 student from PCM stream. I am actually freaking about taking the clat exam. Primarily because i have these drab physics and chemistry to worry about. As they say, 12 result is important. You can drop as well fir clat,..n blah blah.
    But i actually feel nailing it in its first attempt would be something desirable as for me. But then, the physics and chemistry aren’t ready to divide time with clat preps 🙁
    Pls suggest me how to manage everything at the same time:(

    • It’s a tough proposition. But it’s not impossible. You have to be smart. Try to devote an hour or two, at least for CLAT preparation everyday, in the following manner:
      half an hour to 40 minutes for GK(current affairs+a static GK topic), about 10-12 minutes for solving 20 Maths problems and English/Legal/ Logic alternatively per day, for the remaining part of the time. Whenever you get that odd free day or when your board exams are over, increase the time to around five-six hours. Do practise past years’ papers. Take mocks as well. Since you are already into Maths, you can cut the daily Maths practice once in a while and instead focus on Legal or English during the time allotted for practising Maths.

      I hope you get the hint. This is just a rough time table for you to follow. You can make your own as per your convenience. Utilise time efficiently. All the best!

  4. hello.. rongeet ,first of heartly congratulations for your success… please do some favour for me,, how do i increase my reading skills. and which books should i prefer to use, do i read fictions or weekly magazines, give some examples too…….. thank you

    • Thank you. First, start reading the first page and the important national and international news of any leading daily.

  5. hello rongeet, firstly congratulations for your wonderful performance.I would like to ask you some things
    1.)how to study for legal gk.  
    2.) how to score good marks in english ,i mean to say i am exteremely weak at english can you please suggest me how to go about for english. please do the needful and once again congo for your wonderful score in clat

  6. For legal GK, just go through the standard legal knowledge books. Basic constitutional knowledge like article numbers of the fundamental rights and important amendments should be within your grip. I guess you get the hint. As far as English is concerned, practise lots of RCs, grammar questions and parajumbles. Go through the important vocabs as well. Read the first page of the newspaper everyday, with the important national and international news. They’ll help. And thank you, Prasad.

  7. Hi Rongeet, congrats on your great performance. It doesn’t come off as a surprise to me as I was used to seeing your name at the top of every mock that I sat for in the past year. I wrote CLAT 15 and got through most of the tier 3 colleges. So, I decided to drop this year. 

    I’d really like your recommendation on which institutes’ correspondence should I take. I was a one year student at CL, so I already have their material. Apart from that I’ve solved the usual LR and Quants books. So, which correspondence should I go for. 

    Thanks in advance. Please help me on this. Would really appreciate. 

  8. Hi Rongeet, very well done! I remember your name being at the top of every CL and SriRam mock that I gave last year. Congrats on all your hard work and perseverance paying off! 

    I didn’t get through the top 3 colleges and the rest were never an option for me. I am attending GLC in Mumbai this year a.k.a. sitting at home and working my ass off for CLAT 2016. Your story gives me hope. 

    Best of luck at law school! And have a little fun, you deserve it! 

  9. hello Rongeet,thanks for this inspirational article u published im in a dillemma wether to join a coaching institute or prepare sitting at home .what would u suggest .i am a gap year student ..plse let me know as fast as possible

  10. hello there! firstly congratulations!! 🙂 😀
    i am currently left with 9months at hand for my CLAT…can u plz suggest wht ways can i prepare or which areas are better to focus first and which to be revised at last!!..

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