It takes courage to break out of the family tradition, and Nagpur’s Abhinav Somani He did exactly that when he chose to pursue Law as his calling. The CLAT 2023 topper He was the son of a family that was a doctor, but he didn’t want to follow their path. “I was unsure of which path to follow and despite coming from a family of physicians, did not want to be one. My father who is a psychiatrist and mother, a gynaecologist, have been incredibly supportive of my decision,” says the 18-year-old who took up Arts stream after his class X boards, before zeroing in on Law at his father’s suggestion.
With over a year’s preparation and consistent hard work, he had thought of securing a good rank in CLAT, but the AIR 1 rank was “definitely unexpected”, Abhinav says. He found that a systematic approach to exam preparation worked for him. He attended the 2-year classroom program of his coaching institute and took mock tests every week, reading the daily newspaper to stay up to date on the latest developments. It helped him to improve his knowledge over time.
Both Maths, General Knowledge and English sections were difficult in CLAT 2023. Logical Reasoning and legal Reasoning were moderately difficult. “English has always been my forte, hence not much preparation was required. Of the 150 questions in CLAT there are only 15 Maths questions. However, many aspirants shun them. The trick is not to be afraid of the subject since it is just basic Arithmetic,” says Abhinav, a Ruskin Bond fan who is passionate about historical fiction, devouring Leo Tolstoy’s works.
Abhinav, a Centre Point School student from Nagpur, wants a datesheet to help him plan his exam preparations. Instead of counting the study hours, Abhinav goes about fulfilling the “tasks” that he assigns to himself daily.
Now that the stress of CLAT is firmly behind him, a visibly relieved Abhinav—who also topped the All India Law Entrance Test (AILET) this year — looks forward to joining the National Law School of India University (NLSIU Bangalore). “If I don’t become a lawyer, I would like to become a print journalist,” he says, confessing to his fondness for the medium.
While he is eager to discover the wonders of college life and to make new friends, he doesn’t want to worry about the future. “I have zero knowledge about Law’s prospects and would go to college to just enjoy the experience,” he says. Abhinav encourages aspirants not to give up on their dreams and to always seek out help if they have questions.
With over a year’s preparation and consistent hard work, he had thought of securing a good rank in CLAT, but the AIR 1 rank was “definitely unexpected”, Abhinav says. He found that a systematic approach to exam preparation worked for him. He attended the 2-year classroom program of his coaching institute and took mock tests every week, reading the daily newspaper to stay up to date on the latest developments. It helped him to improve his knowledge over time.
Both Maths, General Knowledge and English sections were difficult in CLAT 2023. Logical Reasoning and legal Reasoning were moderately difficult. “English has always been my forte, hence not much preparation was required. Of the 150 questions in CLAT there are only 15 Maths questions. However, many aspirants shun them. The trick is not to be afraid of the subject since it is just basic Arithmetic,” says Abhinav, a Ruskin Bond fan who is passionate about historical fiction, devouring Leo Tolstoy’s works.
Abhinav, a Centre Point School student from Nagpur, wants a datesheet to help him plan his exam preparations. Instead of counting the study hours, Abhinav goes about fulfilling the “tasks” that he assigns to himself daily.
Now that the stress of CLAT is firmly behind him, a visibly relieved Abhinav—who also topped the All India Law Entrance Test (AILET) this year — looks forward to joining the National Law School of India University (NLSIU Bangalore). “If I don’t become a lawyer, I would like to become a print journalist,” he says, confessing to his fondness for the medium.
While he is eager to discover the wonders of college life and to make new friends, he doesn’t want to worry about the future. “I have zero knowledge about Law’s prospects and would go to college to just enjoy the experience,” he says. Abhinav encourages aspirants not to give up on their dreams and to always seek out help if they have questions.