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.
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Student Forum
Answered Yesterday
Yes, you can join an LLB programme without CLAT at many law colleges in Mumbai. The most common entrance exam is not CLAT, but MHCET Law for 30+ government colleges in Mumbai. Find more about them below.
Note: All info. is from official sites and
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
No, students do not need CLAT exam score for admission into BA LLB programme. The college offers merit-based admission based on score in Class 12. The students who score atleast 45% marks in Class 12 are eligible to apply for this course.
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
Yes, you can absolutely get admission to law college without taking the CLAT exam by applying to private colleges with direct/merit-based admission, taking state-level entrance exams, or appearing for university-specific tests like SLAT or AILET for other colleges. Many colleges base admission on Cl
T
Contributor-Level 10
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Yes, you can find some good private law colleges in Chandigarh that do not necessarily require CLAT scores for LLB or related programmes. For instance, you can check Chitkara University's BA LLB course, which has merit-based admissions. without an entrance exam. If you are particularly looking for a
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Contributor-Level 10
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The Consortium of NLUs will conduct the CLAT Exam in offline; pen and paper mode. The exam will be conducted from 2 to 4 pm.
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Contributor-Level 8
Answered 2 days ago
The CLAT 2026 exam will be conducted in over 131 test centres spread across 89 cities in 25 states and 5 union territories throughout India. The exam, conducted by the Consortium of National Law Universities, is a pen-and-paper-based test, with these numerous centers providing extensive access to la
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Candidates can check the allotted CLAT Exam Centre on their admit card. It must be noted that there is no way to know the exam centre except checking the hall ticket.
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Answered 3 days ago
Candidates can apply for CLAT Exam by visiting consortiumofnlus.ac.in. Candidates must check the eligibility criteria before applying. CLAT Admission Process is completely online and no offline form will be accepted.
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Contributor-Level 8
Answered 3 days ago
While filling the CLAT application form 2026, candidates have to select three CLAT centres. Based on the preferences added by the candidate, authorities will allot the exam centre based on the choices added. Candidates must select the districts which are near their permanent or present address and
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Contributor-Level 8
Answered 3 days ago
The CLAT 2026 exam will be conducted at over 130 test centres spread across 89 cities in India. These centers cover 25 states and 5 union territories. Candidates can select up to three, or sometimes more, test city preferences during the application process, with the exact number of venues subject t
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