With a score of 147.5 in CLAT 2017, Sumit Kumar Gupta secured Rank 4 in the law entrance exam. A Science stream student of Sainik School Goalpara, Assam, Sumit secured 87.2% in his Class 12 Board exams.
Apart from being passionate about making a career in Law, Sumit loves to read books and play volleyball. NLSIU Bangalore is mostly the national law university (NLU) of choice for most CLAT toppers. But that is not the case with Sumit who wants to secure admission at The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (WBNUJS).
In a candid interview with Shiksha, Sumit shared his CLAT prep strategy and future goals. Read the complete interview below for more details.
Q. Congratulations on your success! Did you expect to be the topper of CLAT?
Thank you, after the AILET results I was confident that I would be in top 10 of CLAT but Rank 4 came as a pleasant surprise. After I saw my result, I thanked almighty and informed my parents about the CLAT result.
Q. Whom do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my parents, teachers and my friends.
Q. Could you tell us your preparation strategy that helped you crack CLAT exam?
I gave many mock tests. After giving the test I used to jot down my weaknesses and strengths and started working on them accordingly. I stretched myself covering a variety of study material. Later on, I solved around 60 mock tests.
Q. Could you talk a little about how you prepared for the different sections of CLAT exam?
For vocabulary I referred to books by Norman Lewis. I read The Hindu on a daily basis. Also, I tried analysing grammar upto Class 10 and worked on it. I also read Qualitative English by S Chand publication.
For Maths, I read Quantitative Mathematics by RS Aggarwal and for Logical Reasoning I used a book by Arihant publication.
For Legal Aptitude, I had a simple formula i.e. sticking to the principle even if it is wrong.
For GK, I used various magazines like TIT-BITS and Pratiyogita Darpan.
Apart from this, I read study material that I received from my coaching centre.
Q. Did you take any coaching for this exam?
Yes, I enrolled for a correspondence course of CLAT Path, Patna which helped me immensely.
Q. What study plan did you follow for this exam?
I had a simple approach that is to work on my weaknesses and also keep my strengths in view. I devoted quality time to my studies (around 6-8 hours) and used to solve a mock test daily in the later stage of my preparation.
I worked on my weaknesses on a daily basis and devoted around 4-5 hours to that. In addition, I also kept in touch with my strengths.
Q. What other law entrance exams did you take?
I took AILET and secured 10th rank in it. View AILET 2017 Topper Profiles.
Q. Was law always your first preference?
No, since I studied in Sainik School, joining the Defence Forces was always my first preference but due to some medical issues I couldn't join the same. Later on, I analysed my strengths and chose Law as a career as this course also fascinated me very much.
Q. How was the CLAT exam this year?
CLAT exam was great this year. The pattern was a little different to that of the last year. Read CLAT 2017 Exam Analysis.
Q. Any tips for students who are planning to take the exam next year?
Tips for students appearing next year is that CLAT is a dynamic exam. You need proper planning along with a time table. Stick to your time table and stretch yourself to cover wide range of topics. Solve mock tests and work on your weaknesses and strengths. Don't panic and start working hard. All will be good at the end if you have prepared diligently.
Q. What are your future plans?
It is not decided yet but I will be considering two options i.e. either I will go for Corporate Sector or I will prepare for Civil Services.
Other related articles:
CLAT 2017 Topper Interview: AIR 1 Rajat Maloo shares his Success Mantra
Meet CLAT 2017 Girl Topper Radhika Sharda
CLAT 2017 Topper Interview: AIR 5, Himanshu Ashwani advises aspirants to take mock tests regularly
News & Updates
Explore Other Exams
7 Aug '25 - 10 Nov '25 | AILET 2026 Registration |
27 Nov '25 | AILET 2026 Admit Card |
8 Jun '25 | LSAT India 2025 May Session Re... |
May '25 | LSAT India 2025 May Exam |
31 Aug '25 | ULSAT 2025 Applications (3-yea... |
31 Aug '25 | ULSAT 2025 Applications (5-yea... |
1 Aug '25 - 30 Nov '25 | SLAT Application Form 2026 |
11 Dec '25 | SLAT 2026 Admit Card for Test ... |
Apr '26 | RULET 2026 Application Process |
May '26 | RULET 2026 Correction Window |
15 Sep '25 - 25 Sep '25 | MH CET Law 2025 Institute Leve... |
13 Sep '25 - 22 Sep '25 | MH CET Law 2025 Institute Leve... |
Jul '23 | LFAT 2023 Declaration of Resul... |
1 Jun '23 - 7 Jun '23 | LFAT 2023 Reserved Exam Dates |
Feb '26 | ACLAT Exam 2026 |
1 Oct '25 | ACLAT 2025 Application |
10 Jul '25 - 15 Jul '25 | PU UGLAW Counselling 2025 |
3 Jul '25 | PU UGLAW Provisional Merit Lis... |
Student Forum
Answered 4 days ago
No you can't. To get admission in ipu in BBA LLB course you have to give CLAT Exam
H
Beginner-Level 1
Answered 6 days ago
While it is not impossible, it is a really challenging task. To score well, you must start preparing for CLAT at least six months before. It is very important to score well if you are looking forward to getting into good NLU. For top 10 NLU, you at least need to score between 100 to 105 as per past
N
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 6 days ago
The CLAT Syllabus is published by the Consortium. The syllabus has been announced. Candidates who are preparing for the exam must note that there are no changes made in the syllabus so far. Candidates can check the syllabus by visiting the official website. You can only download the PDF from websit
C
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 weeks ago
To know if you are eligible for CLAT Exam or not you can visit the official website and check the notification. The notification which was earlier released by the consortium carries all important details like elgibility criteria, fees, exam dates etc. Once you have checked if you are eligible to app
Answered 2 weeks ago
You don't have to worry. In case you have forgotten your ID and password, which is pretty much normal. You can go and click on the forgot password tab in the registration window. You will receive the mail and then you have to reset your password. Once day you will be able to login.
M
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 weeks ago
See, it doesn't matter that you fill the form through laptop or phone. What matters is you fill the form. Yes, you should have good network connection and internet speed. It should not happen that you have filled the form and when you reach the last step you loose the connection. So what is importan
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 weeks ago
Yes, the application form for CLAT was released long back in August. Those who have not filled the form yet must understand that there is no right day to fill the form. You should fill is as soon as possible. Because if you miss it you have to wait one more year unnecessarily to appear in the exam.
M
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 weeks ago
This is so sad. But unfortunately, even with all the right documents, if you have not paid the application fee, your application form will be rejected. Since the application process is currently underwa, y you can still go and submit the fees. Once the window will close you won't be able to pay the
A
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 weeks ago
The last date to submit the application form is October 31, 2025. It must be noted that the consortium will open the application correction window after that. Sometimes the consortium do extend the last date for registration but it is better to fill the form way before and why to wait.
M
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 weeks ago
Students can fill the application form by visiting the official website. You should know that there is no other way to fill the registration form. The application form is not released offline neither you can download the form and send it to the consortium. You should fill the form by October 31, 20
B
Contributor-Level 7