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Always thought I should’ve been born in big city, says CLAT topper
Aakash Jain, CLAT topper, says it was not necessary to quit social networking sites for competitive examinations.
For Aakash Jain, topping the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) was not just about hard work and hitting the books. It also meant overcoming his inhibitions related to his small town origins and a fear of English.
But the 18-year-old from the small town of Kolaras in Shivpuri district said it isn’t necessary to quit social networking sites to ace such a tough examination. All one needs to do is study strategically, he said.
English was nothing less than a nightmare for Jain when he moved to Bhopal from Shivpuri, 312 km north of the state capital, to prepare for the test.
“When I came to Bhopal to prepare for the test and I saw students from convent schools, I always thought I should have been born in a big city as I was very poor in English. I always paid extra attention to English,” Jain told Hindustan Times over phone.
Jain scored 141.25 marks out of 200 in the CLAT, the results for which were declared on Tuesday night by the Ram Manohar Lohia National Law University in Lucknow.
The son of a grain merchant said it was not necessary to quit WhatsApp and social networking sites to do well in such examinations. “I remained active on WhatsApp and social networking sites. It never disturbed or distracted me from my studies. But then I never looked at anything else when I studied.”
He added: “I believe in studying strategically. I devoted six to eight hours daily for studies. I always revised whatever I studied at the coaching (institute) and whatever study materials were provided to me.
“When I had any doubt on any subject, I never hesitated in talking to my teachers. I confined myself to the syllabus and took every mock test to check my level of preparations.”
Jain said he was expecting good marks in the test but becoming the nationwide topper was like a dream come true. He now intends to join the National Law School of India University in Bengaluru.
“For my parents and neighbours, it’s a big surprise. I am happy that I have proved that students from small towns too can achieve anything with their hard work and dedication,” he said.
Speaking about pressure from parents on their children to achieve high marks in competitive and board examinations, Jain said students do not have time to focus completely on a particular competitive examination.
“They remain busy with Class 12 studies…(So) the best way is to leave a year’s gap after the Class 12 examination and prepare well for a competitive examination with complete dedication,” he said.
“Even my parents thought like that when I decided to drop my regular studies to prepare for CLAT, but I would not have been able to get such an impressive score if I had not allowed myself to take a break from regular studies and prepare for CLAT only.”
