CLAT Results And Reality Of Legal Education: A Note To Students At Threshold

The moment has come that i have to recount the story of my CLAT 2025 result which by the way was a bad night until it was revealed the results the next day and my fate was sealed

The night of the CLAT 2025 scores was not spectacular at all; it felt more like a regular night, which was the opposite of what most people think it would be. There was no immediate understanding or feeling of release, just a silent struggle with a rank that seemed to summarize the months of hard work into a single digit. For many, including me, the CLAT had assumed a very large role in determining the course of life, the view of oneself, and the expectations of what the future would be like. At that point, it looked as if the path had been set very firmly.

Now that the CLAT 2026 results have been announced, a similar situation is being experienced by thousands of students all over the country. The reactions are different—some are relieved, some are celebrating, some are disappointed, and some are still unsure—but what unites them is the sudden shift from waiting to facing the consequences. This reflection is meant for all students in this spectrum, not to either confirm success or lessen the disappointment, but to provide a thoughtful account of the significance of the results and, more importantly, what they do not indicate.

To most of the aspirants, concept of law school is taken as something very serious intellectually, tough pedagogy, and through a principled engagement with law as a tool for governance and social justice. In India, National Law Universities in particular, are perceived as places where the legal profession is made through mentoring, stimulating discussion and placing students under less pressure, thus making the whole learning process enjoyable. However, these anticipations have a strong basis; they come from the constitutional role that legal education is expected to play in a democracy committed to justice and equality^[1].

However, the lived reality of legal education is often much more demanding. The law students' life is characterized by continuous and sustained academic pressure that is never lifted. The volume of reading grows at a terrific pace, the due dates of the assessments coincide all the time and the grading system tends to favour quantity and speed rather than depth. Faculty shortage, administrative rigidity, and other structural constraints often lead to students having to adapt by themselves. As a result, the learning environment may slowly change from reflective learning to a mere exercise of endurance^[2].

This pressure is present not only in the classroom but also affects student culture in a wider sense. Informal hierarchies often appear based on internships, publications, competitions and committee positions which start to operate as a yardstick of quality and legitimacy. Rest is often associated with unproductiveness, and being exhausted is seen as a sign of dedication. The students' narratives and the remarks made in the editorials have always pointed out the psychological burden of this environment^[3], especially in the case of National Law Universities.

For those students obtaining top places and getting admission into premier universities, this changeover may come like a surprise and muddle them up. A good position usually leads to the belief that the hardest part is over. However, in reality, it is the very opposite as it initiates a more demanding phase. Validation of the past soon fades away, and the students find themselves in an academic group where high achievements are the rule and not the exception. The assessment is less about the past performance and more on the engagement in the present and ability to adapt. A lot of students undergo the difficulty not because of their lack of skill but due to the emotional and intellectual transformation this environment above all demands.

The students whose positions are not in line with their expectations are equally important. In a testing system as tight as CLAT, small variances in performance can cause very different results. Thus, it becomes important to draw the line between disappointment and exclusion. CLAT is more like an administrative tool that filters out minimum legal knowledge rather than a complete understanding of it. The law does not see merit as one numerical score and neither does the profession only accept those from top institutions. Courts, clients, and causes will ultimately focus on the preparation, reasoning, and professional integrity rather than just the ranking in the entrance exams^[4].

What connects students from different universities and levels is the common fact that legal education is a hard one and, sometimes, it is emotionally draining. Law schools almost always put discipline, patience, and confidence to the test. Self-doubt phases, academic difficulties, and feeling stuck are more or less the same for most students. In such circumstances, having a perspective becomes a must. Legal education is not meant to be a battle for acknowledgment that goes on and on. Its function is the development of one's ability to judge, understand with clear mind, and to be able to critically talk to and interact with power and the institutions. When the process gets nothing but extracting, the very survival of learning will be at risk unless resistance is made consciously.

Experience is the only teacher for some lessons. One student will not go through every assigned reading, and the building up of judgment will be more important than quantity. The practice of comparing oneself with others, although widespread, should not be the deciding factor for self-esteem. It is very common to have academic or professional failures that are not disqualifying but rather educational. Most importantly, to have a proper engagement with law, one needs to live a life beyond it. The principles stated in the Preamble—justice, freedom, equality, and brotherhood—should not only be the basis of constitutional interpretation but also the core values of legal education, the way students interact with themselves and with others^[5].

Following the announcement of the results, many juniors have contacted us with questions that are more the result of uncertainty than curiosity. The confusion is about institutions for some, others want to know how to deal with the situation, and some are even questioning the justification of pursuing law. What is being offered in response is not a reassuring response that has no connection to reality, but a clear understanding that comes out of experience. Even though law school will require more than CLAT, it also opens up avenues for the type of intellectual growth and professional training that no entrance exam can foretell. The path that lies ahead is neither straight nor equally rewarding for all; nevertheless, it is still meaningful for those who will travel it knowing their limits and the nature of the journey.

The writer of this piece does not end up prescribing but rather committing. One of the more persistent messages of legal education is that the availability of assistance should not be limited by rank, institution, or background. I will try to help as many students as possible through this transition, no matter if they come to law school with confidence or uncertainty. This help is based not on the promise of certainty, but on truth, common experience, and companionship. If the current situation seems very heavy, it is good to remember that no one examination is the end of the road for someone's professional value. Dealing with law is a long-term affair, and one's position in it is determined gradually, through continuous decisions rather than a single outcome.

Author is First-Year Student, B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) at National Law University, Jodhpur

Views Are Personal.

1. Academic Stress & Productivity Loss: The Unspoken Reality Of National Law Universities, Live Law (2025). ↑

2. Ibid Note 1 ↑

3. Shantanu Singh, A Perfection à la Self-Destruction: On the NLUs' Mental Health Malaise, Jury's Out Blog (2019). ↑

4. Bar Council of India Rules on Legal Education, 2020. ↑

5. Constitution of India, Preamble; Articles 14 and 21. ↑