CLAT 2024 Topper Interview: Sritama Goswami shares how solving mock tests, less study hours helped her ace in CLAT Exam
Common Law Admission Test 2026 ( CLAT )
Counselling - 25 Feb '26 - 6 Mar '26
Sritama Goswami secured AIR 117 in CLAT 2024 Exam. While speaking to Shiksha, she shared her preparation tips, books she referred to and her study methods and helped her to ace one of the toughest law entrance exams in the country. Read further to know more.
CLAT 2024 Topper Interview: Sritama Goswami shares how solving mock tests, less study hours helped her ace in CLAT Exam
CLAT Topper 2024 Sritama Goswami in an exclusive interview with Shiksha.com talks about how strategizing well and being focused helped her to crack one of the toughest law exam in the country. Sritama secured AIR 117 in CLAT 2024. While speaking to Shiksha, she said, "One of my strengths was strategizing well and being focused. I knew I could depend on that. I tried to minimize my weaknesses by giving many mocks. I didn't stress too much about my weaknesses because I didn't want to hamper my strengths." In this article, we bring forward to you all the preparation tips, books and how to crack the CLAT Exam as per the topper's perspective.
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. Did you expect this good rank in CLAT 2024?
A. Not at all! I thought I messed up the CLAT Exam because I was underconfident after finishing. My rank was a great surprise for me.
Q. Did the change in CLAT Exam Pattern 2024 hamper your preparation?
A. Not really. I adapted to the new CLAT Exam Pattern pretty quickly and felt that perhaps I was better suited to the new pattern. Since the total number of questions was reduced to 120, I was satisfied that there was a higher chance of completing the full paper.
Explore more Law exams with upcoming dates
1 Nov '25 - 28 Feb '26
28 Feb '26
14 Mar '26
28 Jan '26 - 22 Mar '26
15 Nov '25 - 23 Mar '26
3 Mar '26 - 31 Mar '26
4 Apr '26
8 Jan '26 - 3 Mar '26
14 Apr '26
Q. Which section did you feel was more challenging? And took more time in the exam?
A. Maths was challenging for me and it took more time than I should have given in the paper. However, I could do a reasonable amount of questions before the paper ended.
Q. How did you manage time between the Class 12th Board Exam and Entrance Preparation?
A. I didn't have to balance my class 12 boards and CLAT because this was a drop-year for me. I could dedicate my time and attention to the entrance exams.
Q. Do you feel coaching plays an essential part in clearing the law entrance Exam?
A. Yes it does. Although some people can manage on their own, I have found that I need teachers to keep me on track and accountable. My coaching played an essential role in my success.
Q. What was your study plan?
A. I didn't study for too long per day. I studied 4 hours max per day because any longer would stress me out. However, I took 2 mocks per week and that number intensified towards the end of my preparation.
Q. Do you think NCERT books are sufficient for law entrance exam Preparation?
A. I didn't study from NCERT books at all because I am from an ICSE/ISC background.
Q. How did you deal with your strengths and weaknesses while preparing for entrance Exam?
A. One of my strengths was strategizing well and being focused. I knew I could depend on that. I tried to minimize my weaknesses by giving many mocks. I didn't stress too much about my weaknesses because I didn't want to hamper my strengths.
Also Read: CLAT 2024 Topper AIR 1 Jai Bohara says 'Good score in Boards doesn't guarantee good college'
Q. Was Law always your choice as a career?
A. No it wasn't. I wanted to become a teacher for a long time. However, my family has a legacy of lawyers, so it was always at the back of my mind that law could be a viable career option. Once I became aware of the growing legal opportunities in India, I decided to pursue law.
Q. Any tips for students who are planning to take the exam next year?
A. Take CLAT mocks regularly. Analyse them well. A rigorous analysis is more important than giving a huge number of mocks but poor analysis. Don't get too hung up on failures. Move on and try to learn from them. Improvement might take time but be patient because it will happen if you are diligent. Lastly- take it easy. A relaxed mind always performs better. Best of luck!
Read More:
News & 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 - 3 Mar '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
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
S
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.
R
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
Answered 2 days ago
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
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
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.
N
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
A
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 3 days ago
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.
M
Contributor-Level 8
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.
C
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
P
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
Contributor-Level 10
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 Bio