It is a myth that you have to memorise a lot of notes to crack the judiciary exam.
Most people who try to do this end up failing.
Of course, in college exams, right before your exam, you can mug up material from topper’s notes/ guidebooks and focus on filling up lots of sheets in the exam.
Here’s why it does not work:
- There is a lot more information to learn in the judiciary exam as the syllabus is vast. You may not manage to complete the syllabus if you focus on cramming.
- There is so much to learn that you might not be able to retain what you prepared if you rely on cramming.
- In college exams, if your answer is long, the examiner might give you more marks thinking that you have put in more effort. If you do this in the judiciary exam, the examiner may not read your full answer, and most likely, you may not complete the paper.
- Even if you somehow manage to cram everything, you cannot set yourself apart by writing crammed content. 50k-1 lakh candidates are writing the exam, and hundreds go to the same coaching class, so it’s unlikely that your answer will stand out.
- Most judiciary exams are gradually shifting towards asking critical questions which do not have direct answers which can be found in the textbook. You need to remember the proposition correctly and draw interconnections. It’s hard to do this for the first time in the exam hall if you have not understood the concepts thoroughly.
- Of course, if you have crammed, you cannot answer application-based questions.
- You will also find it extremely hard to go past the interview stage, as your understanding, articulation, and personality will not stand out. You are likely to struggle with cracking the mains as well.
If you are not good at cramming, trust me, it is not a disadvantage.
If I cannot cram, how should I assimilate the vast amounts of information in the syllabus?
What you need to do is practice.
Also, get feedback and improve.
You need to practise writing the answers (by hand), taking lots of mocks, identifying your weaknesses and getting feedback on the quality of your work.
Do not postpone this for the last phase of your preparation, or once you clear the prelims.
All this practice will come in handy for prelims preparation as well.
Cracking prelims in any case is very easy if you have done such a high level of preparation.
Remember that selection boards are making papers that are harder to clear using notes from coaching institutes.
Some state exams, such as Delhi Judicial Services, specifically require you to write an analysis in their mains exams.
You cannot answer such questions without having a conceptual and practical understanding of the topic.
Here’s another pitfall to keep in mind: most people think that if you have studied a chapter 5 times and learned some new concepts, they are well-prepared for the exam.
They are in for a shock at the examination hall.
Learning the materials or even the exact answer you may write does not mean that you are well prepared to attempt the judiciary exam.
Do you know why?
You do not still know whether you can write it precisely, in legible handwriting, and in limited time.
You succeed when you practise writing answers and then taking mock tests, where you must write in a limited time frame, and in exam-type conditions.
Knowing the answers is not enough, you have to be able to write precise and attractive answers in a short time.
It is like reading how to play cricket from a book, but never practising how to play different kinds of bowlers in the nets, and turning up for a cricket match thinking that you are well-prepared to score a century!
Can you imagine what will happen?
You cannot leave any aspect about your judiciary preparation to chance if you want to clear the exam.
There is no mystery, no magic, only consistent work with guidance so that you are on the right track and don’t get distracted or fall off the bandwagon.
When should you start practising?
The best time to start practising is from the day you decide to prepare systematically.
The earlier you start, the better your chances of cracking the judiciary exam.
Unless you start with answer-writing practice from Day 1 or not, you never know whether you are adequately prepared for the exam.
Most people postpone “answer-writing practice” for the last moment. They never end up finishing the syllabus for the judiciary mains exam.
Of course, coaching classes will not tell you these secrets.
Why?
Because they will have more work to do.
They will have to provide corrections to all your answers.
And they do not have the resources to do this.
That is why they leave it for the last moment.
They also do not want to help every student.
Instead, they want to focus on a handful of their favourite students so that they can minimise their costs.
That prevents many hard-working, serious and deserving candidates from preparing effectively for the judiciary exam.