CLAT 2023 Topper Priyam Mitra in an exclusive interview with Shiksha.com spoke about his journey and tips to crack the exam with just two weeks of preparation. "I relied completely on self-study, hence, did not take any coaching for CLAT," he says. My strategy for the exam not only helped me to get AIR 13 in CLAT 2023 but also Rank 1 in MP state. Read further to know more about the books he referred to, the study pattern he followed to excel in the CLAT 2023 exam.
Q. Congratulations! Did you expect to be the topper of CLAT 2023?
A. Thank you. No, I did not expect to be AIR 13 as well as MP state rank 1, although after appearing for the exam I was happy and thought that I might get a rank in the top 100. And after I calculated my marks from the answer key, I was hoping to be in the top 50.
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Q. What was the preparation strategy that helped you crack CLAT 2023?
A. As I was enrolled in coaching for JEE prep, therefore I had strategized to devote a month of dedicated preparation for CLAT. However, I fell terribly ill a month before the exam and could only give 2 weeks to the preparation. I first tried to understand the CLAT exam pattern well, and then I practiced some past year papers, the 2 sample papers released by the CLAT Consortium, and gave some mocks.
Q. What study plan did you follow for this exam?
A. For the sections of English, logical reasoning, and legal reasoning, my study plan was to practice as many questions as I could in a timed fashion to enhance my speed, accuracy, and comprehension. As for the maths section, my focus was especially on practicing questions on DI. For GK section, my plan was to go through any year end compilation available in the market, although I was keeping myself abreast of the daily current affairs too.
Q. How did you deal with your strengths and weaknesses while preparing for the exam?
A. My reading speed and the sections of maths, legal, English, and logical reasoning were my strengths while GK section was my weakness. To build further upon my strengths, I focussed on practicing questions on the respective sections. To tackle my weakness, I tried to go through an year-end compilation. I think its imperative to devote sufficient time towards tackling our weaknesses.
Q. Was law always your first preference?
A. It wasn’t so initially although I always maintained a keen interest in the current legal affairs of the nation and the world. I really admire the power of knowledge that one acquires after knowing the law of the land. I believe everyone should know the law since ignorance of the law is no excuse.
Q. Any tips for students who are planning to take the exam next year?
A. Make sure to solve previous year's papers and sample papers released by the Consortium plus give mocks in a timed manner. Reading speed is important to complete the paper on time. This can be enhanced by reading novels, and also by reading newspapers. Do work on comprehension skills to perform well in passage-type questions. Practicing previous year's questions will help one in this area. Keep yourselves abreast with current affairs by regularly following the news on TV, YouTube, newspapers, or the compilations available in the market. Make sure to work on your weak areas to strengthen them. Practice is the key to converting your weaknesses into strengths. Don’t forget to be confident in your abilities & preparation, and don’t panic in the examination hall. Lastly, this quote inspired me a lot, “it always seems impossible until it’s done.”
Q. What are your future plans?
A. Well, am excited to join NLSIU, Bangalore in July. And I look forward to having a great holistic learning experience there.

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Student Forum
Answered 2 days ago
No, CLAT is not compulsory to take admission in the law courses at Innovative Institute of Law. Candidates are shortlisted based on merit achieved in last qualifying exam. However, the institute accepts CLAT score as well.
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
To check the merit list for NLU Silvassa, students can refer to the list of pointers below.
- Go to the official Consortium of NLUs website.
- Click on the CLAT OPTION in the top-right corner
- Scroll down to the notification section
- Check the merit list for all courses at the UG and PG levels.
Students shou
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
To get a seat at GNLU Silvassa for the UG and PG-level law courses, students have to appear for the CLAT entrance examination and then the counselling process to be considered eligible for admission.
The GNLU Silvassa CLAT cutoff 2026 was concluded after 5 rounds of seat allotment for the above-ment
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
Yes, you could get into GNLU Silvassa with a 4000 rank if you belong to the SC AI category. For this category, the overall cutoff range was 2843 to 8902. Hence, a rank of 4000 could get you a seat at this institute.
Students can see the table below to know the last round closing ranks for available
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
GNLU Silvassa CLAT cutoff 2026 concluded after the release of the final round of seat allotment for the BA LLB (Hons) and LLM courses. The cutoff was out for several AI and HS quota categories.
For the General AI category, the overall cutoff ranged from 336 to 1500 for both courses, with LLM course
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
To get a seat at Dr B.R. Ambedkar National Law University for the BA LLB and LLM courses, students have to first appear for the CLAT entrance exam and then sit for the CLAT counselling process to be considered eligible for admission to the above-mentioned courses.
The NLU Sonepat CLAT cutoff 2026 was
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
Yes, you could get into NLU Sonepat with a CLAT rank of 300 if you belong to the OBC AI category.
For this category, the overall cutoff ranged from 3409 to 4684 for the BA LLB and LLM courses. Students can refer to the table below to know the first and last round closing ranks for this category.
| Course | Round 1 | Last Round |
|---|---|---|
| B.A. LL.B. | 3409 | 3780 |
| Master of Legislative Laws (LL.M.) | 3526 | 4684 |
Not
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
To know how to check the merit list for NLU Sonepat admission to the UG and PG-level courses, see below:
- Go to the official Consortium of NLUs portal.
- Click on the CLAT option on the top bar.
- Find the merit list declared for UG and PG programmes.
- Candidates can also log in to the CLAT portal to access
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
To get into HPNLU for the BA LLB (Hons), LLM and BBA LLB (Hons) courses, students have to first appear for the CLAT entrance examination, followed by its counselling process. Only those students who appear for the counselling process are considered eligible for admission.
The HPNLU CLAT cutoff 2026
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
The NLU Shimla CLAT cutoff 2026 was released for both the SC All India and the SC Home State quota. The cutoff was out for admission to the BBA LLB (Hons), LLM and BA LLB (Hons) courses.
For the ST AI category, the overall cutoff ranged from 4544 in the first round to 13896 in the last round. As per
N
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
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