Is it Worth Taking a Year Drop to Prepare for the CLAT?

CLAT is a vital entrance exam in the life of every law aspirant. The exam offers you a chance to secure a seat in one of the 22 NLUs in the country. Hence, scoring good marks in the exam will ensure a seat in the India’s top NLUs and set your career. 

But it is not possible for all the CLAT aspirants to grab the seat in top NLUs in the first attempt. So then they decide to drop a year and prepare for the CLAT once again. Students are often in this contemplation: Is it worth dropping a year to prepare for the CLAT?

Also read: How to Prepare for Judiciary Exams in 2022

Like any other decision that you take, there are two probable outcomes to your decision. One outcome might go in your favor, and the other might not as much. Similarly, there’s no universal answer to this question, but it depends on subjectivity and practicality. However, there are some pros and cons that might help you figure out the right decision for you. Let’s look at some shortlisted advantages and disadvantages of dropping a year for CLAT, so you can make an informed decision.  Also Read: How to prepare for CLAT

Cons

• Many students believe that preparing for CLAT takes a whole year. But it’s not the case. Students get a reasonable amount of time to complete the syllabus even if they prepare thoroughly for 7-8 months. Most students clear the CLAT exam within 6 months of preparation. So taking a drop for one year is not advisable. 

• One year is not a small duration and it is far more valuable than you think. The year you want to invest in the pursuit of a better college, you can invest in better internships, legal research, and mooting skills. 

• It is possible that even after taking a drop, you could not make it to your dream college because the competition is very high; even a difference of a mark can break your chance to get into the top law college.

Pros

• One year of CLAT preparation will give sufficient time to the students to complete the syllabus thoroughly and also revise it multiple times. Students will have reasonable time to attempt as many mock tests as possible and practice previous year’s question papers. 

• As per the statistics, most students studying in the top NLUs have cracked CLAT after taking a drop for one year. So this isn’t absurd because most students dream of getting into the top 5 NLUs and wish to graduate from there.

• One year of intense preparation gives you a boost in confidence and comprehensive study of all the subjects, which will definitely provide you an edge over other students who were busy with board preparation. 

• There’s a pressure to make the drop year count, but drop year gives sufficient time to the students to prepare for the exam and also pursue a certificate course that would help to strengthen the resume, which would help later in the law school.

Also read: Tips to Prepare for CLAT English Language Section

Before making a decision, consider the following points as well:

• Measure your potential in terms of ‘CLAT rank’ and not ‘CLAT score’. Rank allotment in the CLAT exam adjusts for the difficulty level of the paper. So you need to know if you have reached the peak of your potential or there’s still a scope to perform better in the exam. 

• Most National Law Universities and other law colleges like Jindal or Nirma cost between 10-12 lakhs fees over a period of five years. Considering other expenses like accommodation and food the total amount can increase up to 13-14 lakhs, which is a huge amount for many people. So consider this as one of the law school selection factors. 

• Experts say, getting or not getting into a law school is not the end of the road. It takes 20-25 years of experience to make a remarkable career in law by making the right decisions at the right place, positions, and roles. 

Conclusion

It is advisable that students should calculate the risk and be sure about their decision. So think before making a decision and try to seek advice from people already in the legal field as they’ll be the best people to guide you in the right direction. At last, put in all your hard work and dedication, and you’ll land at the best place. 

Also read – Appearing for CLAT One More Time?