CRACKING THE CLAT EXAM
The new CLAT pattern was introduced in 2020 and now we have two papers of the years 2020 and 2021 to be able to assess the new pattern of the exam. After a thorough analysis of the previous year papers, we have comprehensively revised this edition of the book to introduce questions on the new pattern of the exam in each section of the book.
The focus of the exam has shifted towards testing skills of reading comprehension and critical reasoning in each of the five sections of the paper. CLAT officials have been quoted as saying that the focus of the exam is on students who have competence in reading texts and those who demonstrate skills in inferential reasoning. With this goal in mind, comprehension based questions have been introduced for each section of the paper. As comprehension based questions take longer time to solve, the number of questions have been reduced from 200 to 150 with time-limit remaining the same. The weightage of each section has changed because of the reduction in the number of questions.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Guide for LLB, CLAT, AILET, SET, DU and other Law Entrance Exams is the most comprehensive book for preparation for law entrance exams. It is the ultimate guide for law school aspirants to achieve a high score in the entrance exams and secure admission into their dream law school. This book contains in-depth strategies, multiple practice questions and detailed explanations to all answers for the most exhaustive and thorough practice for the entrance exams.
A detailed analysis of the new exam pattern has been detailed in the Introduction to New Pattern given in the beginning of the book for the benefit of the reader. Five new mock tests have been added in the Legal, GK, Logic and Maths sections of the book which are based on the new pattern of the exam. Sample and practice questions have also been updated and irrelevant and outdated questions have been removed to make the book as useful as possible. In the GK section, we have updated the static GK portion to make it up to date. At the end of the book, we have included solved papers of CLAT 2020 and 2021 for practice. In some places our answers do not match with the CLAT authority and we have highlighted the same for the benefit of the students.
The notable features of this book include:
● 5 Mock Tests for each section of CLAT.
● Detailed Practice Tests for every chapter with explanations.
● Solved papers of CLAT 2020 and 2021 with explanations to all answers.
● General and section wise tips and tricks to ace the exam!
This book is a must-have for all students, whether they are new to law entrance exam preparation or have been preparing for a while. They will find the book immensely advantageous and helpful for their preparation.
The next CLAT date has been announced for 18 December, 2022. Here is the right time to start preparing for the exam! You can purchase the book from the EBC Webstore.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part One
Introduction
- Life, Law and Gyan
- Legal Personality Test
Part Two
Legal Aptitude
- Overview of Legal Aptitude
- Law of Tort
- Law of Contracts
- Criminal Law
- Constitutional Law
- Mock Tests
Part Three
English
- Overview of English Section
- Reading Comprehension
- Vocabulary
- Grammar
- Mock Tests
Part Four
General Knowledge
- Overview of General Knowledge
- History
- Geography
- Indian Polity, Economy and
- Sports and Miscellaneous
- Mock Tests
Part Five
Logical Reasoning
- Overview of Logical Reasoning
- Critical Reasoning
- Deductive Reasoning
- Analytical Reasoning
- Mock Tests
Part Six
Maths
- Overview of Maths Section
- Number System, Ratio and
- Profit, Loss and Discount, Simple
- HCF and LCM, Algebraic
- Time and Work, Work and Wages,
- Speed, Distance and Time,
- Probability, Permutation and
- Mock Tests
Part Seven
Solved Papers
- Solved Papers
Subject Index
PURCHASE LINK
A copy of the book can be bought HERE.
LIFE AT LAW SCHOOL
Life at Law School is an exhaustive guide for law students and law aspirants who want to get a inside knowledge about their college and how their college will help to achieve their goals in a better way. This book will help them to get the best use of their college and faculties to apply for good internships and job as well.
EXCERPT FROM THE PREFACE
The ever widening chasm between the haves and the have-nots is visible in every area of life, in every part of the world. This chasm is also visible amongst the students from the few elite law schools and the majority of law students hailing from the traditional law schools in India. Barring the top national law schools in India, most law school students do not necessarily have the guidance that they need on their law school journey.
There is a lot of information available in the market on different aspects of law school but not in a systematic way. Also, most of the information out there on different aspects of law school is not presented in a way that may address the issues that students face. Here are some of the pertinent issues and questions that the available information must answer. Let us start with internships. Where should one apply for internships—to a top-notch law firm in the second year or stick to the tradition of NGO first, then a District Court internship, then High Court, so on and so forth?
Similarly for moots—Is it okay to target a top tier moot right in the first year or is it better to develop some skill sets, win a small moot and only then go for the biggies such as Jessup, Manfred Lachs, Henry Dunant, to name a few?
To fill up these knowledge gaps in the information available on all aspects of law school, each one of us needs to be proactive—to do our bit and share information and insights that may help others in their own journeys.
This book is neither a comprehensive account nor a final word on the law school life. It is written with knowledge gained in hindsight from my own law school journey of eight years, in the hope that it may shed light on the path for those who set out for law school. I wrote this book because I wanted to share what I have learned, to help the coming generations of law students to see farther and achieve more than I did at the end of law school.
While each student has a unique journey, depending on his/her own values, preferences and expectations; seeing these questions through the prism of an insider’s experience is beneficial to debate the pros and cons of his/her own approach.
At the end, it is not about making the right choice, but it is about making an informed one. And that’s where this book hopes to come in handy.
In addition, this book intends not just to give information on planning different aspects of law school life, but also to provide the necessary inspiration required to sail through it. In reading this book, you may find yourself better equipped, not only to graduate through your law school but to do so with elan and panache. If this book helps you fulfil your destiny in any way by being your companion through your law-school journey, then my purpose of writing this book is served.
We need to push our individual and collective yardstick as a law community in India. If the people of this country are to restore their faith in the Indian legal system, each one of us need to strive for excellence. At the most fundamental level, we need to produce lawyers who have gone through world-class legal training, who are able to look at the legal system and expedite its reformation process. India’s legal system has to correspond to its people’s global ambitions. For doing this, we need a more community-based approach to understand and solve the problems of our legal system. Our duty is just not to ensure that our children are enrolled in the law school. But it is to ensure whether our children make the most of their time at law school and emerge as a strong and well-trained law community of law students. While institutional reforms and overhaul of the legal education in India is the need of the hour, each one of us need to contribute towards this process of reformation. One way of doing this is to share our experiences so that future generations of law students can build upon it . This remains the main motivation to have penned down this book.
More than anything, this book intends to be a living document, one that several people can build upon in generations to come. This book is based on my experiences, limited as they are, but there are several people out there who have lived a wonderful law school life and have made the most of it. This book invites them to share their perspectives, to share what they have learned, so that together we can inspire law students to settle for nothing but their own best versions.
Read this book as you like, either from the beginning to the end or going straight to the chapters that matter to you the most. But, returning to some of the pages and tips over a period of time may be insightful in ways that it wasn’t before. Sometimes when you have read a chapter, and are returning to it later, you may just skim through the rectangular boxed text, which highlights the most relevant points from the text. Also the key messages, which are placed in inward pointed box, could be written on paper and pasted on your wall. These will help you find your way, when you find yourself lost. Keeping your eyes fixed on the goal is the key and these messages will act as your guidepost along the way.
You may pick up this book at any stage of your law school journey—when you are contemplating joining a law school, or on your first day of law school journey, or when you are already mid-way through law school, or if you have recently graduated
EXTRACT FROM THE FOREWORD
An instructive guide on the prospective experiences that one is likely to encounter while studying law and the choices that graduates must negotiate with soon after. Engaging, accessible and filled with anecdotes from her own experiences, this compendium offers well-meaning and tested advice for anyone contemplating a career in law. Immensely useful.
-Shashi Tharoor, MP
A must-read for every law student on day one at a law school. Every law aspirant needs to read this to understand life at a law school. This book will guide them appropriately to attain excellence at a law school for a rewarding career in law. Sincere appreciations to the author who had been a role model at the law school. I take immense pride in being her teacher.
– Prof. Sanjeevi Shanthakumar, Vice-Chancellor, Gujarat National Law University
A first-hand practical guide for systematically shaping the five long years at the law school. It answers the common doubts and questions law students have over the course of their education. It’s like having an amazing advisor beside you, helping you in making intelligent decisions along the way. Right from mooting to networking, this book covers everything that a law student needs. A must-read for those aspiring to be in law schools or beyond!!
-Prof. G.S. Bajpai, Registrar, National Law University, Delhi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ON LAW SCHOOL
Why a law school for me?
How do I select the right law school?
What is law school life all about?
Am I prepared for law school or how do I prepare?
So when I look back at five years of law school—What will they look like?
ON DOING YOUR HOMEWORK
First things first
Elements of planning
Internships
THE FIRST YEAR—ON YOUR FIRST STEPS
Why is the first year special?
How to make the most of the first year?
THE MIDDLE YEARS—ON THE RUN
Take on the bigger load first
What does not exist—Create; What exists—Expand
Two faced: Inward and outward (look at law school and look outside of it)
Rank versus overall development
Choosing Honours paper
Make sure you are not taking the easy way out
Some common questions/concerns
Creative thinking or out of the box thinking
Do not conform to all the stereotypes of a lawyer
Generalisation versus specialisation
Too big for my shoes?
THE FINAL YEAR—ON THE FINISHING LINE
Tunnel vision or broad spectrum
Does your CV have an “international element?
Let us cut to the chase: Know your next step
Year of reaping
Have not figured out what to do with life or law yet?
Saying goodbye’
ON THE TANGIBLES
What can be measured can be achieved.
Curriculum vitae (CV)/resume
Grades/CGPA
Playing to your strengths and working on your weaknesses
The deficiencies of the system is no good excuse
Moot—The game is called mooting!
Master-class on mooting A step-by-step plan
Master the facts of the problem
Project work: On the value of project work
Publications
Tips on publishing
Internships
Conferences, debates, Model United Nations
Extracurriculars
Conclusion
ON THE INTANGIBLES
Aptitudes/skills
Friendships
Networking
Social media presence
Your attitude
Thank you notes
Summing up
ON THE PATH
Being regular to classes
Image building
Habit formation
Love of books and library
The argumentative Indian
Knowledge for knowledge’s sake
ON THE DESTINATION
Landing successfully after law school
Finding the right career opportunity
Finding a job
Questions you may still have
Corporate firms
In-house counsel
Public policy
Banks and financial institutions
Judiciary
Careers in international law
Applying for Masters: A to Z of Masters
Application procedure
Online/paper-based application
Recommendation letters
Writing sample
Scholarship applications
Other documents (birth certificate—translation company)
Rank—does it matter?
Funding—the big trouble?
How should the cost reflect in choice of college?
Final internship
Gap year
REMEMBER THE BIGGER PICTURE
APPENDIX
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ms. Avani Bansal is an Advocate in New Delhi and an alumni of HNLU, University of Oxford and Harvard Law School.She presents a weekly constitutional awareness show in Hindi at ‘The Wire’ – Hamara Samvidhan. ‘She also runs her own legal awareness YouTube channel ‘Hamara Kanoon’. Avani is the Founder of ‘The Womb’ : India’s first digital newspaper for women and gender issues.
She pursued her B.A LL.B (Hon.) from Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur, India, where she. Thereafter she pursued BCL and M.Phil in Law from University of Oxford (UK). She is passionate about access to justice, gender rights, environmental law and social change. She has delivered lectures around law schools in India and has been featured in the Week, Times of India, and in a short documentary on travelling amongst others. She is a Tedx speaker and a prolific speaker and writer. Presently she is an advocate at Supreme Court.
PURCHASE LINK
A copy of the book can be bought HERE.
