CLAT 2023 Topper, AILET 2023 Topper (AIR 1) Abhinav Somani read newspapers religiously, made notes from them
Common Law Admission Test 2026 ( CLAT )
Counselling - 25 Feb '26 - 6 Mar '26
CLAT 2023 Topper, AILET 2023 Topper Abhinav Somani shares his journey, his preparation tips, and many other suggestions to crack one of the toughest LAW exams with shiksha.com. Read further to know more.
CLAT 2023 Topper, AILET 2023 Topper (AIR 1) Abhinav Somani read newspapers religiously, made notes from them
CLAT Topper 2023 Abhinav Somani who is also the AILET 2023 Topper with All India Rank 1 in an exclusive interview with Shiksha.com speaks about how he focussed more on cracking the entrance exams than the school exams. He says, "scoring poorly in school exams doesn’t really affect you as much as scoring poorly in your law entrance would." In this article, we bring forward to you all the preparation tips, books he referred to and strategies he followed to crack the two toughest law exams in the country.
Explore colleges based on CLAT
Want better recommendations?
There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.
- Chat with our counselor
- Get your personalised list of colleges & exams matching your preferences
Q. Congratulations! Did you expect to be the topper of CLAT 2023?
Ans. After I gave Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2023, I had an expectation that I would get a good rank since my paper went quite well. When I checked using the answer key, that expectation was further strengthened. However, AIR 1 was something utterly unexpected. I never thought that I would be the topper since no matter how much you score, you always have this nagging feeling that someone might have scored more than you. So, being AIR 1 was a pleasant surprise.
According to the NIRF report 2025 released by the University, the key highlights of GNLU placements over the past three years are presented below:
Particulars | UG 5-year Placement Statistics (2022) | UG 5-year Placement Statistics (2023) | UG 5-year Placement Statistics (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
Median package | INR 15.4 LPA | INR 16 LPA | INR 18 LPA |
Total students | 177 | 175 | 181 |
Students placed | 116 | 163 | 175 |
Students opted for higher studies | 61 | 12 | 6 |
Particulars | PG 1-year Placement Statistics (2022) | PG 1-year Placement Statistics (2023) | PG 1-year Placement Statistics (2024) |
Median package | INR 4.2 LPA | INR 6 LPA | INR 6.20 LPA |
Total students | 64 | 63 | 67 |
Students placed | 35 | 52 | 43 |
Students opted for higher studies | 29 | 11 | 24 |
Yes, NLU Delhi has a decent placement rate, with students from almost all the courses getting placement assistance. During the 2024 placement session, 65 BA LLB (Hons) students were placed out of the total 79 graduated students of the batch 2024 with a median package of INR 18 LPA. In LLM program, 48 students of the batch 2024 got placements with a median salary of INR 10.68 LPA.
Q. What was the preparation strategy that helped you crack CLAT 2023?
Ans. The mainstay of my preparation strategy was reading the newspaper and giving mocks. I read the newspapers religiously and made notes from them. The newspaper also helps you with your vocabulary, reading speed and comprehension ability. I also gave mocks regularly. I had a study group with 4 of my friends and we used to give mocks together. We started with 1 mock a week in January 2022, bumping it up to 5-6 per week by October 2022.
Explore more Law exams with upcoming dates
27 Feb '26
1 Nov '25 - 28 Feb '26
28 Feb '26
28 Jan '26 - 22 Mar '26
15 Nov '25 - 23 Mar '26
3 Mar '26 - 31 Mar '26
4 Apr '26
25 Feb '26
7 Apr '26
Q. How did you manage time between board exams and entrance exam prep?
Ans. Quite frankly, I really did not pay much mind to my school studies and board exams during this period. I used to study for school exams one day before the actual exam. The important thing is to get your priorities straight. You have to realize that scoring poorly in school exams doesn’t really affect you as much as scoring poorly in your law entrance would.
Q. Did you take any coaching for this exam?
Ans. Yes, I was enrolled in coaching from the beginning of my preparation.
Q. What study plan did you follow for this exam?
Ans. Each night, before sleeping, I used to plan out the next day. I never counted the hours I put in. Anyway, they varied quite a bit from day to day. I set a number of tasks that I had to complete and worked towards completing them the next day. These tasks could include, for example, Analyse Mock XYZ or Revise January’s GK.
The NLSIU Bangalore average package 2022 has not been released yet. The course-wise median package offered during NLSIU Bangalore placements is presented below:
Course | Median Package (2021) |
|---|---|
BA LLB (Hons) | INR 15 LPA |
Note: The above-mentioned data is gathered from NLSIU Bangalore NIRF report 2022.
Q. Which books did you read to prepare for the exam?
Ans. I only read the material provided by my coachings for preparation. I did not refer to any other books.
Q. How did you deal with your strengths and weaknesses while preparing for the exam?
Ans. I’ve always been good at English. Since CLAT is majorly a comprehension-based exam, I used my reading speed and vocabulary to the fullest. I’ve never been that great at Mathematics. So, at first, I was quite afraid of the Quantitative Techniques section in CLAT. However, I realized that I did not have to love Mathematics. I just had to practice it for the next one-and-a-half years. So, I bit my tongue and started working on it. Before I knew it, I was good enough at it! This definitely gave me an edge as most aspirants are scared of Maths and many don’t even attempt the section.
Q. What other law entrance exams did you take or are planning to take?
Ans. I took the AILET Exam conducted by NLU Delhi in which also I secured AIR 1, apart from CLAT. I’m not planning to take any other examination.
Q. Was law always your first preference?
Ans. After Class 10th, I was quite unsure about the Profession I wished to take up. I knew I was not cut out for Science as I had neither the requisite interest nor aptitude for it. I was deeply interested in the Humanities as I’ve always loved Literature, History and Political Science. It was my father who suggested that I can take up law as a profession. He enrolled me in coaching, to see if I developed an interest in Law. And sure enough, I took to it like a duck to water.
Q. Any tips for students who are planning to take the exam next year?
Ans. I would recommend that you do not blindly follow someone else’s preparation strategy. Rather, try out multiple strategies and find one that works perfectly for you. Better still, devise your own strategy, that makes optimal use of your strengths and weaknesses.
Q. What are your future plans?
Ans. Right now, I am focussing on my Board examinations. College will start in the first week of July.
Read More:
She has over 10 years of experience in the education and publishing sectors. She specialises in exam coverage and content creation. At Shiksha, she writes, analyses, and presents information for students preparing f
Read Full BioNews & Updates
Explore Other Exams
5 May '26 | AILET Fourth Provisional Merit... |
4 Feb '26 | AILET Third Provisional Merit ... |
8 Jun '25 | LSAT India 2025 May Session Re... |
May '25 | LSAT India 2025 May Exam |
25 Feb '26 | LL.B. (5-yr) Admissions | ULSA... |
Feb '26 | ULSAT 2026 Admit Card |
Apr '26 | RULET 2026 Application Process |
May '26 | RULET 2026 Correction Window |
8 Jan '26 - 28 Feb '26 | MH CET Law 2026 Application (f... |
9 Jan '26 - 15 Mar '26 | MH CET Law 2026 Application (f... |
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 |
29 Jan '26 - 9 Apr '26 | PU UGLAW 2026 Online Registrat... |
Apr '26 | PU UGLAW 2026 last date of fee... |
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
The level of exams obviously differs as the participating universities are different. CLAT is a national level exam where the participating universities are all National Law universities, but same is not the case with RULET.
C
Contributor-Level 8
Answered Yesterday
The Consortium of NLUs is expected to start the CLAT Application Process 2027 by July. Candidates will be able to fill the CLAT Application Form 2027 by visiting consortiumofnlus.ac.in.
M
Contributor-Level 8
Answered Yesterday
The Quantitative Techniques & Logical Reasoning sections are considered the most difficult to prepare for in the CLAT exam.
C
Contributor-Level 8
Answered Yesterday
Candidates can access the CLAT 2027 syllabus on consortiumofnlus.ac.in. The Consortium has not released the CLAT Notification yet. Once it is published, the syllabus will also be announced.
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
No, candidates cannot join the NLSIU directly; they have to appear for the CLAT entrance examination to be eligible for the course.
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
No, students have to appear for a (CLAT) Common Law Admission Test entrance examination to be eligible for admission at NLSIU. There is no direct admission.
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
To prepare for CLAT Exam you need right books and good study plan. You must solve past-year question papers and mock tests.
N
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 4 days ago
Some of the important topics of CLAT Legal Reasoning include
- Legal Maxims
- Important Supreme Court Judgments
- Legal GK
- Indian Constitution
- Important Acts and Amendments of the Legislature
- Current Affairs
M
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 5 days ago
Yes, you can join many law colleges without CLAT by applying through private universities, which often take students based on merit or interviews. You can also go for state-level law exams like MH CET Law, TS LAWCET, and others, or appear for university-specific entrance tests. In many places, direc
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
CLAT is a national-level law exam held for admission into 24+ National Law Universities (NLUs). It mainly tests you through passage-based and analytical questions, which take more time to solve and need deeper focus. On the other hand, MH CET Law is a state-level exam for Maharashtra law colleges, k
A
Contributor-Level 10
The placement rate recorded during NLIU Bhopal BA LLB placements 2023 is not released. However, according to NLIU Bhopal NIRF report 2023, the placement rate recorded during NLIU Bhopal BA LLB / BSc LLB placements 2022 was 56%. Earlier, the placement rate recorded during NLIU Bhopal BA LLB / BSc LLB placements 2021 and 2020 was 54% and 42%, respectively.