AILET 2023 Topper Interview: Shubham Thakare AIR 2 says expect the unexpected in entrance exam
In an exclusive interview with Shiskha.com speaks about his strategies, prep tips and what he followed to succeed in not only one LAW entrance exam but two with remarkable ranks. Shubham suggests to aspirants to expect the unexpected in the paper. Do not go into the paper with a fixed idea of how the paper would come, as law entrance exam has had a good history of giving surprises each year.
AILET 2023 Topper Interview: Shubham Thakare AIR 2 says expect the unexpected in entrance exam
AILET 2023 Topper with AIR 2 and CLAT 2023 Topper with AIR 2 Shubham Thakare in an exclusive interview with Shiskha.com speaks about his strategies, prep tips and what he followed to succeed in not only one LAW entrance exam but two with remarkable ranks. Shubham suggests to aspirants to expect the unexpected in the paper. Do not go into the paper with a fixed idea of how the paper would come, as law entrances has had a good history of giving surprises each year.
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Q. Congratulations! Did you expect to be the topper of AILET, CLAT 2023?
A. Thank you! No, I did not expect a single-digit rank in the exam. I had expected a double-digit rank below 50 after the answer key was released, so the CLAT 2023 Result and AILET 2023 Result were a big surprise.
Q. What was the preparation strategy that helped you crack these exams?
A. I divided my preparation into three parts - Concept, Practise and Execution. I used the beginning phase of my CLAT 2023 preparation to clear all the basic concepts of legal, Maths, and critical reasoning. After learning these concepts, I practised questions based on them from books or the internet. In the last phase, I focused on solving mock papers in a fixed time setting to practise the concepts in an exam-like environment. The same strategy worked for AILET 2023 exam too.
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Q. How did you manage time between board exams and entrance exam prep?
A. I think, this year, it was easier to manage boards and law entrance as the exam was preponed to December. Thus, I focused most of my time and energy on the CLAT, and AILET paper and studied for boards in the months following these entrance exams. However, to stay up to date with the board's syllabus, I did try to keep an hour or two every day solely for the purpose of boards even during my entrance exam prep.
Q. Did you take any coaching for this exam?
A. Yes, I was enrolled in Career Launcher Nagpur's 2-year Program for CLAT. I used to attend offline classes as well as give their offline mocks. I was also selected into the Super30 Batch of LegalEdge (another CLAT coaching), in which we were provided with special classes and mocks. In addition to this, I was a student of the Mega GK, a batch by Manav Sir. It helped me tremendously in my GK preparation, and Sir's mentorship classes made me improve many aspects of my prep.
Q. What study plan did you follow for this exam?
A. One main component of my study plan was to focus on all 5 subjects, as I did not want to create a weak link in my knowledge. In the earlier months of my preparation, I focused on English, Critical Reasoning and Legal Reasoning. In the later stages, I focused extensively on GK while consistently practising maths to improve my speed.
Q. Which books did you read to prepare for the exam?
A. For CLAT, AILET I used the books which were provided to me by the coaching. In addition to these, here are some of the books I found useful:
- Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis
- Wren and Martin for Grammar
- Adda 24x7 Maths Practise Book
- GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible by PowerScore
- GMAT Official Guide
Q. How did you deal with your strengths and weaknesses while preparing for the exam?
A. My strengths during my both entrance exam preparation were Legal Reasoning And English. However, I was cautious not to fall into the trap of overconfidence, so I continued to practise these subjects every day, to maintain my high scores. My Primary Weakness was Maths. I made a ton of silly mistakes in this section and used up a lot of time to solve them. To improve it, I used the Series for maths by the YouTube channel Career Definer and solved maths for an hour every day.
Q. What other law entrance exams did you take or are planning to take?
A. I appeared only for CLAT and AILET (All India Law Entrance Test). I achieved an All India Rank of 2 in this exam. I have not yet planned to take any other law entrance test after CLAT, as NLS Bangalore (Alloted through CLAT) was the college I wished to go to, since the beginning of my CLAT journey.
Q. Was law always your first preference?
A. Yes, Law was my first preference since the start of my 11th Grade. During the lockdown, I did extensive research on several fields of higher study to pursue and came to the conclusion that law was the most suitable career option for me.
Q. Any tips for students who are planning to take the exam next year?
A. For the Students preparing for law entrance exams, the most important tip is to "Expect The Unexpected" in the paper. Do not go into the paper with a fixed idea of how the paper would come, as CLAT has had a good history of giving surprises each year. Another key tip would be to be in harmony with yourself during the preparation. At times, things may not work out, you may have bad mocks, and a wish to give up the prep. Understand that it is normal to feel these things, hence, you should have self-confidence during your preparation.
You should also try to connect with other students preparing for CLAT, AILET and discuss your problems and preparation approaches with them. It will help you to learn a lot of new things, and make your CLAT prep more fun. Good Luck!
Q. What are your future plans?
A. I will be starting my 5-year Undergrad degree from NLSIU Bangalore in July this year. I haven't decided the specific career or area of law I wish to focus on, and I think that I will decide after experiencing the different aspects and branches of law in my college.
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