CLAT LLM 2022 Result has been released on June 24, 2022. With 94 marks, Samriddhi Sharma has topped the exam and managed to secured AIR 1 in CLAT LLM 2022. Samriddhi has done her graduation in law from the University of Lucknow and LLM in Constitutional and Administrative Law from BHU. Now that she has topped CLAT LLM 2022, she is aiming for placements in PSUs. Sharing her preparation strategy, she has talked about the importance of referring to landmark judgements while preparing for the exam. In this interview with Collegedunia, Samriddhi Sharma has talked about her overall experience and preparation strategy. Future aspirants must read the complete interview article to get valuable insights on how to ace CLAT LLM exam.

Ques: Please add brief introduction about yourself.

Ans: My name is Samriddhi Mishra. I have secured AIR 1 in CLAT PG 2022. I am a law graduate from University of Lucknow. I have also done LL.M. in Constitutional and Administrative Law from Banaras Hindu University.

Ques: What was your reaction when you saw your CLAT PG 2022 Result? Were you expecting the result or did it surprise you?

Ans: I saw the result in the morning. I was expecting a good rank, But AIR 1 was unexpected and unthinkable. I told my brother first of all, he was elated and told everybody. The family is overjoyed. I feel thankful to my parents, teachers, seniors and friends for motivating me all the time.

Ques: What did you think about difficulty level of the exam?

Ans: I think paper was moderate. But, it was certainly a lengthier paper. Time management and not panicking in those two hours helped. The pattern is evolving every year after 2020, so it was a bit different in some ways.

Ques: When did you start preparing for the exam? How much time do you think is required to prepare for CLAT PG?

Ans: I was preparing for multiple law related government exam. So, the result is cumulative effect of them. I had taken this exam in 2021 as well. I went through the last 2 previous year papers and understood the pattern and standard of questions.

I used my notes prepared at University intensively. I am thankful to my teachers who developed a conceptual clarity from the beginning.

What I did specially for CLAT is giving special attention to Judgments. I think if one has developed a base in Under Graduate days itself and is only focusing on this exam, one can prepare for it in 2 months.

Ques: What are the important resources to prepare for legal issues and judgment-related questions?

Ans: So far as landmark judgments are concerned, I never ventured out of my notes and books. I gave special attention to Constitutional Law in this respect. There are some topics like reservation, amendment, Interplay between FRs and DPSPs, Doctrine of repugnancy, minority rights etc. which have evolved through series of precedents. I studied them thoroughly.

For the recent judgments, I used some YouTube channel to identify the cases I had to read in 2020-2022. I read only those cases which related to subjects in the syllabus of CLAT PG. I confined myself to those cases in which constitutional bench sat, constitutional validity of any enactment was challenged, some new jurisprudence evolved, the cases which became national debate or on which columns were written, etc.

For reading judgments, you can use any reporter like AIR, SCC Online, Manupatra, LiveLaw, Indiankanoon etc. Since, my university provided subscription of SCC Online to all students, I used it.

Ques: Since questions asked in CLAT PG Paper are based on paragraphs, do you think the reading speed of a candidate plays an essential role in acing the exam?

Ans: Yes, reading speed does matter. However, an advantage you have in CLAT PG is that the passages are not entirely unseen. You already have read those judgments or know the rationale behind the theory in jurisprudence, etc.

One must have a plan while entering the examination hall as to how one shall solve the paper. One must know which passages would be easier to comprehend and solve them first.

Ques: Did you join any CLAT Coaching Institute? If Yes, which one? If not, why did you go for self-preparation?

Ans: No, I did not take any coaching for CLAT exam. I did not feel the need of one. I had a strategy in my mind and I worked on it.

Also, I feel that the exam is really simple and once you understand the pattern, it can be cracked by self-study easily.

Ques: How were the last few days before the exam?

Ans: Since, I was preparing for multiple exams, I only freezed 2 hours for CLAT for 3 Months and from June 1 onwards, I gave my entire study time to CLAT.

In these days, I revised my notes of International law, jurisprudence and the notes of judgments I had prepared in the last three months. I revised the bare acts of subjects based on enactments.

Ques: Did you attempt CLAT PG Mock Tests? Which mock tests help you crack CLAT PG 2022?

Ans: I did buy a mock test series. But, after solving 5-6 tests, I realized the questions do not synchronize with the pattern and standard of the paper. The pattern has changed in recent past, so it was natural. But, it did help me in practicing to read 20 passages and solve 120 questions in limited time of 2 hours.

Ques: Did you follow any strategy while attempting questions in CLAT PG 2022? Is there any mistake that you think could have been avoided?

Ans: I entered the examination hall with the strategy that I would go through the entire paper in 60 mins and solve as many questions as I can and then mark the OMR sheet in 10 mins. But, this entire process actually took 80 mins in which I attempted the passage that were familiar like the judgments I had read, the jurisprudence theory I already knew, the concepts I knew thoroughly.

There after I went to other questions. I had attempted 90 questions initially. Thereafter, I used elimination technique and attempted 20 more. This fetched me the score of 94/119.

I think not solving enough questions is a very common mistake, which I did last year. Bur, I rectified it this time.

Ques: What are your career plans after CLAT LLM? Do you wish to seek for job opportunities in the public sector or private organisation?

Ans: I have done LL.M. in Constitutional and Administrative law from Banaras HIndu University in 2020-21. I had taken this exam for PSU placements only. So, I would be sitting for interviews.

Ques: What other exams did you take or are planning to take?

Ans: I had three failed attempts in Judicial service examinations the previous year. I also gave SC Judicial Clerkship exam in 2021, in which I succeeded, but opted out to join to focus on securing a permanent job.

Ques: Any tips for students who are planning to take CLAT PG exam in future?

Ans: Understanding the new pattern is very important. So, please go through the three previous papers you have. Do not try to begin from the beginning. Build on your college foundations. And confine your resources. Learn reading judgments on your own.