It takes courage to break out of the family tradition, and Nagpur’s Abhinav Somani did just that when he decided to take up Law as his calling. The CLAT 2023 topper who secured 116.75 marks was born into a family of doctors but was not inclined to follow in their footsteps. “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. What worked in his favour was a systematic approach to exam preparation, as he attended the 2-year classroom programme of his coaching institute, taking frequent mock tests (of around 5-6 per week) and reading the daily newspapers to keep himself updated about the latest happenings. Over time, it helped him improve his general knowledge.
Both Maths and General Knowledge sections were tough in CLAT 2023, while English, Logical Reasoning and Legal Reasoning were of moderate difficulty level. “English has always been my forte, hence not much preparation was required. Out of the 150 questions in CLAT, only 15 are Maths questions, but even then, many aspirants shy away from 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.
Like all other CBSE class XII aspirants, Abhinav, a student of Centre Point School, Nagpur, is eager to get a date sheet to plan his exam preparation accordingly. 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.
Keen to explore the charms of college life, he would not like to think too much about the future. “I have zero knowledge about Law’s prospects and would go to college to just enjoy the experience,” he says. Advising aspirants to work on their weaknesses and to never be afraid to seek help, Abhinav believes there is no substitute for persistence.
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. What worked in his favour was a systematic approach to exam preparation, as he attended the 2-year classroom programme of his coaching institute, taking frequent mock tests (of around 5-6 per week) and reading the daily newspapers to keep himself updated about the latest happenings. Over time, it helped him improve his general knowledge.
Both Maths and General Knowledge sections were tough in CLAT 2023, while English, Logical Reasoning and Legal Reasoning were of moderate difficulty level. “English has always been my forte, hence not much preparation was required. Out of the 150 questions in CLAT, only 15 are Maths questions, but even then, many aspirants shy away from 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.
Like all other CBSE class XII aspirants, Abhinav, a student of Centre Point School, Nagpur, is eager to get a date sheet to plan his exam preparation accordingly. 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.
Keen to explore the charms of college life, he would not like to think too much about the future. “I have zero knowledge about Law’s prospects and would go to college to just enjoy the experience,” he says. Advising aspirants to work on their weaknesses and to never be afraid to seek help, Abhinav believes there is no substitute for persistence.
