A Journey to Remember – Nishant Prasad

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Nishant Prasad is a high level contributor of CLATGyan and a II semester student of NALSAR University of Law by virtue of his CLAT 92 Rank. Moreover, he is the one who takes care of our basic needs in the hostels. From broken windows to disturbed supply of water, we go to him for fixation. Oh.. he also plays a lot of Taylor Swift while we dress up for classes!… Here’s Nishant Prasad telling you his story….

Well this story begins in about class 8 when I decided that Science is not a way for me to go. With dismal scores and absolute disinterest in the subject, it would be suicide. I decided to take up humanities after 10th. I was well-supported by my parents who are humanities students themselves. With an engineer in the picture(my elder brother), Science wasn’t much required I guess.

After the 10th board results were out, applications to junior colleges in Mumbai began. I heard of classes by LST from a senior who had taken them (currently in NUJS). I went to their office and they told me we have a 2 year classroom programme as well as a one year programme. Being the lazy ass I was I decided I shall enjoy my 11th as it was pretty much the only year which would not matter in the future and I could enjoy. So I decided to join LST in 12th. It was during this visit to LST that I became absolutely clear on CLAT as an All India entrance exam and its procedures.fab24fe0678404d9a7d670313ad82af7ebd8a24b83be1cac7bb29244a6a1932c

11th std went on peacefully. I had the greatest time of my life. I would like to say something here – I never regretted wasting my 1 year in the 11th std. doing nothing. I was proud of that decision. The year came to an end and at this point of time I was absolutely nowhere in terms of preparations. And believe me I hate reading. I had not read anything but the sports sections of newspapers up until this point.

12th std began and so did LST classes. I used to enjoy coming for classes as I had made some great friends there who also now happen to be some of my closest friends. We had an amazing time studying law and dreaming about those top 3 NLU’s. Well our dreams were dashed after the first test at LST where our ranks were so dismal that we would not be getting any Law school, let alone the 11 NLU’s. It was at this point where all of us who were the ‘wasted’ students(according to our teachers), still remained a pain to them but started working. It was an eye-opener. And herein I don’t even mean working hard like a few others in our class who used to scare us. They were always the ones answering, knew all the answers of weird GK questions about people, events and countries I had never heard of. They knew the Law of torts as if they had finished the semester at law school.

I still had not learnt my lesson. My preparation after the “eye-opener” was that I FORCED myself to read the entire paper along with the editorials.

Section wise my preparations were as follows and this started in December.(don’t follow it, believe me its too late.)

1. English: I enthusiastically started a book called Norman Lewis as my vocabulary was pathetic and with the LST people giving such words in their mock tests I had never known it became a must. It started off pretty well. I learnt a few good words. As time passed I stopped doing it. Its not completed even till now. I would personally recommend you do manage to complete it though.

2. Logical Reasoning: This was one section where I was not that worried. In Analytical reasoning my only problem was time, and in time with practice from the mock tests and from certain books, that was overcome. Critical reasoning was something which many of my friends had a problem, but it was something which came naturally to me and I scored pretty well in it. Logic was my strength and actually my only strength hence I hoped that I would not screw up this section in CLAT!

3. Legal Aptitude and GK: Since we were pretty sure that legal reasoning was not going to play a big part, I didn’t quite practice it that much. But I was good at it and enjoyed it. So it wasn’t a worry for me. Legal knowledge was a HUGE problem. For Current GK and legal knowledge the next six months all I did was read through newspapers and I maintained a book where I wrote down all important questions with answers. This book helped a lot because writing things down tends to help me remember. My current Gk was hence becoming stronger as well as legal knowledge. However I had left Static GK all on what I had learnt in school history and geography.( A good thing I was always good in History and geography otherwise with the CLAT paper we had I would not be where I am today.) With the LST mocks throwing ridiculous GK and legal knowledge questions which we knew weren’t going to come, still the pressure was building as there was a fear of IF these questions come, then what? Our legal knowledge scores were terrible in the mocks.

4. Maths: This was my worst section. With a highest score of 8/20 among all mocks of LST, this section had been the reason for my horrid ranks in the mocks. I was very worried that this section would be the reason for my downfall in CLAT, because it was a subject I was struggling with since the time I first did it and even with all efforts it somehow always amazed my brain by turning out to be something else. I could not improve myself in this as I had been trying to do so for the past 8 years and it had not happened. This section was left to God. Thankfully the CLAT’10 maths was of a very low level. It disappointed others but it was a blessing in disguise for me.

With respect to books that I used, they were minimal. Very enthusiastically I had bought Pearsons GK manual etc. Never used it. The few books I did use were:

  1. Verbal and Non-Verbal reasoning by R.S Agarwal- I loved logic, solved it religiously.
  2. Universals legal GK- I don’t remember the exact name but it was a thin Green book with Legal knowledge.

That’s pretty much it. I had lexis Nexis and other books loaded, but I never got to using them. Also one mistake I did but it did not cost me, was I did not solve any past year papers. Not even one. For the upcoming CLAT although I would advise you to solve the NUJS papers.

LST mocks: These mocks content wise, most of it was a waste as it was too tough and such questions can never come for CLAT. But what these mocks helped me in was practicing on OMR sheets and time management. My speed in circling the options became much faster than when I first did it. And these small things matter. Your speed in CLAT will be important. Also I did use all the mock tests and wrote down the important GK questions which I thought might come in current. I actually copied almost all GK questions from the mocks as we thought current affairs will be important. We all know how that went in the end.

At this point it was around March-April and the only thing I was doing was brushing up my Current affairs and Legal knowledge. I had forgotten all other sections and Maths well, I did not even try. At the end of each year, the Hindu releases an event diary online for important events of the previous year. I went through the entire diary and again wrote down what was relevant.

That was pretty much it for preparation. One thing which really helped me was discussing and sharing materials with friends. In our group we shared everything we had made. Don’t be selfish, it hurts you in the end. Discuss with your friends in class. It helps.

One other thing I had done which helped me for my CLAT was the Sriram classes Mocks. I was able to answer static GK only because in all their mocks they had given only static GK and minimal current affairs.

Soon it was May and 2nd December was NLU-D and Symbiosis exams. Amongst the running between centers for both exams were not that great for me. 9th May came pretty quickly and frankly in the last week I had not done anything. The exam time went pretty quickly as we were too engrossed in giving the paper. When the paper ended, the feeling cannot be described in words.

P.S. Never discuss the CLAT paper. It might disappoint you and keep you anxious till the results. Did not happen to me but I saw it happen to others. But this is your personal choice.

The story does not end here. NLU Delhi results came within 2 weeks and with a dismal rank of 424 I wondered whether I was going to make it to any NLU in CLAT which had a much greater number of takers. The day of CLAT results came pretty soon. 29th May. Just two days before my birthday. I was wondering whether it would be a sad one or a good one. The day went impatiently as the results came out at 8 in the night.

The results were to my liking and well the 4 months of not-that-much-effort had not gone to waste. It was a Huge surprise and shock to even my parents who checked the name twice at that rank. Yes, I was coming to NALSAR.

You might be able to identify with some of the problems I had If not all of them. Hope you enjoyed reading my experience. I thought it would be a good read for you people.

I really hope CG is helping you and we see our users here with us next year!

Adios Amigos!

Nishant Prasad,

The ClatGyan Team

50 COMMENTS

  1. i totally agree with Nishant … the only memory i have of attending lst was Bingo sessions… not that i advise you guys to follow it.. but what is important here is that if their are people who know a lot or keep on answering questions and you sit at the last bench dumbstruck doesn’t mean you should loose hope or feel a nobody , this had happened to me and i had ended up doubting all my decisions … just continue working intelligently without caring a damn about them.. coz in the end everything becomes right.. i can say this as i was a fellow dadar lstian and now his nalsar batch mate.. 🙂

  2. Hunh! i thought you were about to provide a breather to me..regarding the Maths thing. Luck was when CLAT 10 happened. 🙁
    I can relate to this..almost entirely..except for the English thing…
    I face the same problem you used to face..with AR…I take more time than required..especially in solving the arrangement/grouping problems.

  3. And leave aside LST mocks. They are crazy !!
    We have 5 mocks … this month ! Moreover…they are not done with Critical Reasoning and certain other topics..How do they expect us to be prepared for Mocks in November !!

    I think one should start with Mocks only from January…Don’t u people think the same ?

    I know what Sandipan thinks… ” Just do it man..take the mocks” 😛

    • The November Mocks serve a “higher purpose” – they tend to give you that reality check. I think the November Mocks are better equipped for you to know what all you still have to do. I remember that our coaching centre had 3 changes in the management and admin and we still had no proper teacher for ANY subject at all (except for a brief interim period where CL) and most of the portion was still not covered – the Mocks are one of the few things that you should take seriously, and also, do them with without apprehension and then go back and introspect.

      None of my mocks went well. But the thing is Mocks can only teach you *how* a paper is to be written and nothing else. Do each mock twice, that’d be an honest advice.

  4. if mocks started in january i would not have made it through…fact is no one is expected to do well in lst mocks..they do not teach you to crack the clat..what they do teach you is time management..they give you a general idea as to questions that might come..facts that you would not give a second thought to in newspapers seem important after you start writing mocks…their true purpose is to wake you up so you realize clat is no cakewalk..i personally would not worry if i managed a rank within two hundred in lst mocks…dont worry too much about mocks…dont miss any…write them all…but remember..no matter how well you do in mocks..what matters in the end is how you do in the CLAT.

  5. @yash
    Yes..you know exactly what i am talking about
    🙂

    @Premangsu
    I am really sorry, but i really cannot advise you on Maths. But CG has some smart editors. Please contact them. 🙂

    @Siddhant
    Please be free to. Anytime you want. And dont be scared. Be confident about it. It’ll help you fare better.

    @all
    I totally agree with aymen. The mocks were an eye-opener. Even if the portion isnt done the mocks would tell me exactly what I am not good at and what i need to focus more on. Please do them diligently. and rethink over them once the mocks are over. Go through them again. Just keep them in your memory.

  6. @premangsu
    For AR the only thing that helped me was practicing it. The mocks also helped me. I became quicker as time went by.

  7. Damn! I missed the last mock because I was afraid I couldn’t write more than half the answers. Damn again !
    Yaa..n that’s why Im not cribbing about AR (as much as Im cribbin about Maths)..I can solve the questions…all I need there is practice..
    Thank you everybody… Thank you very much 🙂

  8. Well to add here, mocks if taken sincerely do help a lot in confidence building. I took the LST crash course and gave about 13 mocks in the one month period. The first few u fail to complete the paper like miserably. Then as u do more of them, your time improves and so do your scores( not doing well in the mocks shud not b taken negatively, but doing well in them and steadily improving does egg u to work harder). And trust me, by the end wen you have given so many mocks, there is this feeling within you that makes u think U WILL DO WELL. And that frame of mind is very important when you are going to give the exam!! Makes a huge difference!!

  9. I would like to second Archit here! Mocks really do help a lot in your confidence building…
    I was a crash course student too…Our first mock happened just after 3 days og coaching. Just imagine the level of my preparation..was hardly aware of anything…BUT the key is to give them seriously..It hardly matters how you fared in mocks…take them as a motivation to keep doing better! The best Rank I got in LST mocks was 212….And see today here I am- A second semester student of NALSAR!!
    All the best to you all….

  10. guys,,
    thanks a lot for this post,,m also a student of lst & have been giving the mocks,& the thing eating me inside out is that i am unable to even attempt the paper 100%,is it fine for now,,plus have noticed that it takes me around 15 minutes to fill the bubbles,,is it too slow?????

    @nishant —can we talk on FB,,i have some imp. queries….

    • Rish – 15 minutes is very slow. Get a few of them photocopied and work on “bubbling” them. And yes, Mocks – hardly anyone is able to complete in time – at least the November mocks. Work on your timing and all, and try solving the mocks with various permutations and combinations, and you’ll figure out the best one that suits you. Here is what I used to do:

      1. GK – comfy with the subject, and you know it or you don’t, finish 50 questions in 15-20 minutes
      2. LGK and Legal Reasoning – same (primarily because my tie score relied on it)
      3. Maths – 20 questions in 30 seconds, a,b,c,d – d,c,b,a. Not to be followed if you aren’t me, bad trick. I was lucky that Bhopal gave us lame math questions
      4.English – do this only if you are sure of completing the RCs in time.
      5. Reasoning – first analytical(=time consuming) and then verbal(=was able to do them quickly)
      4.

  11. @premangshu- dont be so scared of maths its not that difficult… it may seem tough now, but all you need is to get a hang of it…i suggest you start practicing by solving different kinds of sums and develop faster techniques … practice is all you need ..dont go by the techniques given in the modules as they are time consuming…. also learn to analyse the question before you start reading it.. if you have understood the subject enough 70% of the time you know in what range the ans should be just by reading it…. so you narrow your ans to 2 choices and then after that it becomes easier.. also follow all the articles put up on clatgyan ..

  12. @rishabh
    My method of filling the “bubbles” was i used to mark ticks on 5 questions on the qn ppr itself and den fill 5 bubbles together.
    Since each box had 5 bubbles. it would be faster and i would never make a mistake of filling two bubbles on the same line or on the wrong qn no.
    The section you do first or last depends on what you are comfortable with.

  13. @ Rish – I agree with aymen on this. Use these mocks to set a pattern fr yourself that helps u complete as much of the paper that u can. Even i would recommend that GK section be done first. And since LEGAL portion is the tie score it must be given due importance.

    @ all – please practice and improve your time on the OMR sheet. Also, i personally do not approve that u do the entire paper and then sit out in the last to fill out the OMR, Because there might b a particular paper which is lengthy and u aren’t even able to complete it(and it could well be the CLAT itself)…What i used to do was fill out the OMR after each section just as i used to complete it( it does require practice Becoz the section u do first may start from question no. 51 or 85…But practice is what mocks are about ) . Use these mocks to develop the most time- effective strategy fr urself…each one of u might b comfortable at a different technique.

  14. hello, i am a science student (PCM) currently in 11th. i am taking the correspondence 2 yr course of sriram. i have heard that one tends to get a bit relaxed in the correspondence one as u know, no teachers, class atmosphere etc…(right now i definitely am) but i am worried whether i’ll be able to manage PCM with classroom coaching in 12th.. is it too hectic???any one here with sriram experience??

    P.S.-This article was very nice and helpful.thanks a lot! 🙂

  15. @sabika – Though i do not have Sriram Experience but mostly coaching institutes have classes like 2-3 times a week fr 4 hrs daily….very few places its more than that. And moreover CLAT requires more preparation on your own part than any class room…classroom option may not be required at all…it depends from person to person.. and about being from a PCM background, i myself had PCM with Comp. Sci. and in fact the majority of people in my batch are from the science stream..Not to worry about that….Just stay aware. Keep reading on your own. And u will do well…

  16. @nishant>>>hey just want 2 know one thing tht u state in ur article tht u got 424 rank in delhi nd a whooping 92 air rank in clat!!!y so much of difference!!!is nlud paper completly differs or is it the 2 extra week tht u got 2 prepare 4 clat create sum wonder or rather its just sheer luck???buddy jst wanted to knw dis bcoz am desperately keeping my eye on nlu d nd i knw i cud nt manage any onther nlu 4 simple reason of them being outside delhi………..any personal suggestion regarding prep 4 nlu d???

  17. thanks….specially about the science stream encouragement. actually just because of clat i took my 5th subject physical edu. so that i could give more time for preps…it hardly counts..:-P

  18. Well, i guess i had a good day on CLAT..i had messed up my NLU-D paper in logic which was my best section hence the bad rank. So i guess a really bad day!
    But still my clat rank was unexpected.

    Anyways, regarding NLU-D..it is a very good paper. They give you relevant GK questions, Good logic and a decent level of maths.
    So i guess you will enjoy the paper. Be thorough with current affairs. They asked only those last time. Hardly 5 static qns.

  19. I m in 11th class n m preparing for CLAT . I appreciate your work…………………its of great help! i feel so relieved that i found your website………….GREAT WORK…….KEEP IT UP! I VISIT YOUR WEBSITE DAILY N WILL CONTINUE DOING SO……..besties (best wishes) to all of u.

  20. @zac
    dude..you were a part of the entire thing man…and one of the friends i have mentioned in the article man..You better be here with me next year! Our LST year was amazing!

    @Kriti
    Thank you so much. We here at Clatgyan are very happy to help all of you aspirants. We hope it helps you in clat 2012!
    🙂

  21. This is very well-written, and I hope I find myself where you guys are a year from now (or somewhere close to it!).

    I’m doing LST correspondence, and yes, I’m generally pretty laid-back with regards to preparation. That should probably change now, I think December’s a pretty late start too :|. I need to work on logic, and I can’t find RS Agarwal anywhere! Slight freak-out happening 🙂

    Thanks you guys, all this really helps.

  22. Kudos to you guys! More than the supplements and doses you guys put up, it’s articles like these that actually give me this feeling of cracking the CLAT as being possible. I could especially relate to the ‘wasted’ students thing, not that I’m not even working towards cracking the exam, but you know, it sort of gave me the sense that I’m not alone. Maybe I have a chance, maybe I don’t. But reading this gave me some optimism atleast. In my opinion, more than knowing trivia and having a brain the size of Mojo jojo’s (figuratively!) , I’ve come to learn having the right mental aptitude works. Or helps atleast. Thanks for the article, and I hope I can clear CLAT 2011 with a good rank, maybe join you guys. Thanks again!!! Keep up the good work!! 🙂

  23. @atulaa
    yes..please look for MK PAndey if u cannot find RS Agarwal

    @Divya
    Thanks a lot. I am glad the article gives you confidence. That is the reason i wrote it. Sure hope to See you with us.
    🙂
    All the Best!

  24. @ Nishant , Aymen , Archit & CG team
    thanks to u guys,i have started working on my speed,& hopefully next test onwards things will be better
    🙂

  25. @Samarth
    As aymen said generally on the 31st..But definitely by mid Jan.

    And as for the sriram mocks I went on their website http://www.lawentrancecoaching.com and send a Demand draft to them for their online mocks. They send me a password and user id and i gave the mocks.
    But I frankly dont feel the sriram mocks will be good for this years CLAT. I would suggest not to go for it.
    But its your wish and practice is practice. Nothing can do you bad. So thats your decision.

  26. Hey guys, i just need some help! I totally suck at maths….I can barely get a single question right. Are there any books that could help me??? Theb modules seem useless…i really need help. I’m thinking of hiring a tutor from march…

  27. im in 12th n preparing for clat….im so glad i found this website..its really very helpful.. im very tensed bcause i started my preparations really late…but just reading the articels n some inspirational stories on dis websites gives me hope:) …gud wrk guys..ul r really doin a gr8 job:D …..

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