What Not to Do in the CLAT Exam Hall - Real Mistakes by Aspirants
- Himanshi Goyal
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
The CLAT exam is an important step for students who want to enter top law universities in India. Every year, thousands of students prepare for months and give their best. But sometimes, even after good preparation, students don’t get the result they expected. One of the main reasons for this is not what they studied, but what they did-or didn’t do-inside the exam hall.
In this blog, we’ll talk about real mistakes made by CLAT aspirants during the exam. These are not imaginary or exaggerated problems. These are mistakes that have actually cost students marks, ranks, and even NLU seats.
If you know these mistakes in advance, you can avoid them. The goal here is simple: help you perform your best on the final day.
1. Don’t Reach the Exam Centre at the Last Minute
Many students think they’ll save time by reaching the centre just before the gate closes. But this is risky. Traffic, wrong address, forgotten documents-anything can go wrong.
Real Example: A student reached 5 minutes before gate closure. He forgot his ID proof. He had to go back to get it, but by the time he returned, the gate was closed. He missed the exam completely.
What You Should Do: Always reach at least 60 to 90 minutes early. Carry extra copies of your admit card, photo ID, and passport-size photos. A calm start gives you confidence. Let others rush-you stay relaxed and ready. Also, stay updated on all details about the CLAT exam, like reporting time, documents required, and centre location. Last-minute surprises are not worth the risk.
2. Don’t Start Solving Without Reading Instructions
Most students skip reading the instructions because they think they already know the pattern. But sometimes, there are important changes or notes in the instructions that can affect your strategy.
Real Example: In CLAT 2020, a student didn’t read that the question order had changed. He started solving as per old sections and got confused. This cost him valuable time.
What You Should Do: Take the first 1–2 minutes to carefully read the instructions. Make sure you understand if there’s any change in section order, marking scheme, or number of questions.
3. Don’t Spend Too Much Time on One Question
It’s common to get stuck on a tough question. But if you spend 5–6 minutes on one question, you’re wasting the time you could have used to solve easier ones.
Real Example: A student from Delhi spent over 12 minutes on two legal reasoning questions. He missed 10 questions in English due to lack of time.
What You Should Do: If a question is taking too long, mark it for review and move on. You can always come back to it later. Focus on solving maximum questions correctly in the given time.
4. Don’t Guess Answers Randomly
Some students feel tempted to mark random answers in the last few minutes, thinking it’s better than leaving questions blank. But remember, CLAT has negative marking.
Real Example: A student marked 20 answers randomly at the end. 15 were wrong. He lost more than 3 marks and dropped over 1000 ranks.
What You Should Do: Attempt a question only if you are at least 75-80% sure. If you have no clue, skip it. One wrong answer can reduce your total score by 0.25.
5. Don’t Save OMR Filling for the Last Moment
Many students solve the paper in the booklet first and decide to fill the OMR sheet at the end. But this is very risky. What if you run out of time?
Real Example: A top mock scorer didn’t fill a single bubble till the last 10 minutes. In the rush, she mismarked 8 answers and left 5 blank. Her final score dropped by 8 marks.
What You Should Do: Follow the “solve and mark” method. Solve 2–3 questions, then immediately mark them on the OMR. This ensures accuracy and saves you from last-minute panic.
Take a moment to look at our CLAT PG Test Series and start preparing smartly.
6. Don’t Get Distracted by Others Around You
The exam hall may have students making noises, invigilators walking around, or people sneezing and coughing. Don’t let that break your focus.
Real Example: One student kept turning around because someone was tapping a pen loudly. He got irritated, lost focus, and made silly mistakes in logical reasoning.
What You Should Do: Practice sitting in noisy environments at home. On exam day, remind yourself: “I’m here to focus on my paper, not on others.” Block out the noise mentally.
7. Don’t Keep the Easy Section for the End
Some students think they will finish the tough sections first and do English or Current Affairs in the end. But during the last few minutes, pressure increases, and you may not perform your best.
Real Example: A student left GK for the end. She got only 8 minutes for it and guessed most answers. Accuracy dropped.
What You Should Do: Use a fixed time plan for each section. Do not change your strategy during the exam. Don’t underestimate any section. Stay consistent and steady.
8. Don’t Panic If First Few Questions Are Difficult
It happens sometimes that the paper starts with 2-3 tough questions. Some students feel like the whole paper is going to be tough and start panicking.
Real Example: A student from Jaipur saw that the first two legal reasoning questions were hard. He got nervous and couldn’t focus properly after that.
What You Should Do: If the beginning is tough, skip those and move to the next ones. You may find easier questions ahead. CLAT papers are always a mix-some hard, some easy. Stay calm and steady.
9. Don’t Keep Changing Your Answers Again and Again
Many students review their paper and keep changing their answers out of doubt. This often leads to wrong changes.
Real Example: A student changed 5 answers in the last 10 minutes. All five were changed from correct to incorrect. He lost 1.25 marks.
What You Should Do: Change your answer only if you are very sure that your first one was wrong. In most cases, your first instinct is right. Don’t overthink.
10. Don’t Compare Yourself With Others Just Before the Exam
Before the paper starts, some students start asking each other, “Did you study this?” or “Did you revise that topic?” This creates panic.
Real Example: A boy heard someone talking about a current legal case. He hadn’t read about it. He got nervous thinking his prep was weak and couldn’t focus well in the exam.
What You Should Do: On exam day, stay away from unnecessary discussions. You’ve prepared in your own way. Don’t doubt yourself because of what others say. Trust your own preparation.
Also checkout Ways to Study Current Affairs Daily in 45 Minutes
11. Don’t Wear Uncomfortable Clothes or Forget Essentials
Sometimes students wear tight clothes, uncomfortable shoes, or forget their glasses. This creates physical discomfort, which affects concentration.
Real Example: A student wore a new shirt that was too tight and felt itchy during the exam. He kept adjusting it and couldn’t concentrate properly.
What You Should Do: Wear simple and comfortable clothes. Carry extra pens, water bottle, spectacles (if needed), and all required documents. Be physically ready for the 2-hour test.
12. Don’t Skip Breakfast or Stay Hungry
Some students skip meals thinking it will make them light and active. But writing an intense 2-hour paper on an empty stomach is not a good idea.
Real Example: A student fainted in the middle of the exam due to low energy. He hadn’t eaten anything since morning.
What You Should Do: Have a healthy breakfast. Don’t overeat, but don’t stay hungry either. A calm mind needs a balanced body.
Quick Recap: Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake | What You Should Do |
Reaching late | Reach 1.5 hours early with all documents |
Not reading instructions | Spend 2 minutes reading before starting |
Spending too much time on a question | Skip and revisit later |
Random guessing | Attempt only if you’re 75-80% sure |
Filling OMR at the end | Solve + mark together |
Getting distracted by others | Block out the noise |
Leaving easy sections for later | Follow time-based strategy |
Panicking at tough start | Move to next question calmly |
Changing answers too often | Trust your first instinct |
Comparing with others | Stay focused on your own prep |
Wearing uncomfortable clothes | Dress simply and comfortably |
Skipping meals | Eat light and healthy breakfast |
Final Thoughts
The CLAT exam is not just a test of your knowledge-it’s a test of your smartness, time management, and ability to stay calm under pressure.
A student who avoids these small mistakes often scores better than a student who knows more but panics inside the exam hall.
So as you prepare, also train yourself to think smartly, act calmly, and avoid these errors. On the final day, your mindset will make the real difference.
You have already worked hard. Now, focus on doing things the right way inside the exam hall. One mistake avoided can improve your rank by hundreds.
So, walk into that exam hall confidently. You’re not just ready-you’re ready smartly.
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