Hello there! If you are reading this then I am assuming that you either wish to, or plan to take up law entrance examinations in the near future. Whether you are fluent in English or your English is flawed, I urge you to give this a read and customize the takeaways from this piece as per your requirements. I will be speaking to those of you who will be taking the examinations in 2020 and those who plan to take them in later years. So, let’s get to the bottom of this, shall we?
The law entrance examination is not limited to the candidate’s legal acumen. It is a multidimensional test which has been crafted to test a variety of skills like reasoning, basic mathematical skills, general awareness, ability to deduce plausible answers depending on given legal principles and flare in English language. They do not require you to know more than you should know as a 16-17 year old kid. So, that’s one less thing to worry about. Now, coming to English, you have to be no Shakespeare but you must be comfortable with basic spoken and written English; something that comes with regular use of the language. This understanding is vital as you will be expected in your law course to read the bare Acts of law, judgments from the Hon’ble Courts, and research on various topics during the length of your course. The materials you will read will predominantly be in English.
The typical questions in the English Section comprise of:
- · Sentence Completion.
- · Rearrangement of group of words to form a sentence.
- · Filling up the gaps in a sentence with the apt word.
- · Error Correction.
- · Reading Comprehension
- · Synonyms/Antonyms
- · Active/Passive Voice
- · Tenses, and other grammatical questions
Now let’s come to what you are here for: How to prepare for the English section? First and foremost, let me clarify that if you are looking for a quick and effortless method to ace the section then you must realize that there is no such thing as a free lunch. You have to pay a price for everything and the price you pay here is: DEDICATION and CONSISTENCY, and the latter is more important than the former. You must dedicate atleast half an hour every day to the English section. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your grammar and vocabulary. But if you promise to put in a little effort every day, then inculcating these habits in your routine will make acing the English section a cakewalk for you.
· Put ‘em Reading Glasses on!
I will urge you, whichever standard you are in, to develop the habit of reading an English newspaper daily. This will help you in both: General Awareness as well as English. For English, you must read the editorial section to the least, if not the whole newspaper. Try to read with a pen and a diary. Write down the meaning of the words you don’t understand. Make a list of the idioms you come across. Repeat the spelling of the word you just read in your head. Additionally, you can also have your lunch/ dinner with the English News Channel (preferably some channel like the DD News), that is, if your parents allow you eating in front of the idiot-box.
· Be wise, technology-wise.
You can also download apps of some newspapers like The Hindu, The Indian Express, New York Times, Washington Post, or any other newspaper of your choice and do the same activity on the app if you like. You can also download apps dedicated to English quizzes. They are a fun way to learn.
· Use visual aids.
Put up a black/white-board in your room and write the word/idiom of the day and try to use it as much in your conversation that day as you can. You can write important information on a chart paper and stick/hang it in your room.
· Sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees.
Don’t limit your attention to the new, and difficult words that may be incomprehensible to you at the moment. Also pay attention to familiar words, their spelling, synonyms, antonyms, the way in which sentences are constructed. When is ‘do’ used and when is ‘does’ used? What is the difference between ‘advise’ and ‘advice’? Is ‘its’ a substitute for ‘it’s’? Remember: Grammar is key. To work on it, you can buy any standard grammar workbook for practice, or dig up your school grammar book you studied in the earlier years, preferably when you were in Std. 6th-8th. Alternatively, it is advisable that you buy a book dedicated to Law Entrance Examination. \
· Google Gyaan
Make a ‘Google-Gyaan’ Section in your diary. Here, write only about the words you are familiar with. Google them up. Write their synonyms/antonyms, usages, or contexts that you are unfamiliar with. That’s a fun way, right?
· Go the old-school way.
If you are in High School or so, then I will urge you to develop a habit of reading novels. The movie-version sure seems tempting but the books have a magic of their own. Read classic novels and stories during your leisure time. While enjoying the thrills of the story, also pay attention to the spellings and grammar. Write down the word or phrases you like in a diary. Try to use them in your conversations or your school assignments and answers if they fit. But hey, don’t forget to put the book down when the exams are approaching. You can’t have your cake and eat it too, right? Keeps novels strictly for leisure.
· ‘I can talk in English, I can walk in English, I can laugh in English!’
This was a humorous take on the importance of English language by Bollywood in its own way in Namak Halal. But we can follow this advice for our benefit after a chuckle or two. You must have heard that practice makes perfect. I have heard from many people that you have truly mastered a language when you think in the language inside your head, mostly involuntarily. And the gateway to that is talking in English. Be open to talking in English with your folks at home and school. Don’t stick to the ‘Yos’ and the ‘Wassups’. Use proper English and work on your grammar if you lack in it. You might face questions in the examination where you will be required to complete the sentence by filling in the appropriate word and trust me, under the examination pressure you might see yourself in a pickle between two options, if you lack practice. So, the goal here is to uplift the level at which your understanding of the English language is.
· Practice makes perfect.
It is as important to practice as it is to learn. We have a short-term as well as a long-term memory section. What you read today is in your short-term memory. But in order to be able to use the same information to your advantage in the examination, you must transfer it to the long-term memory section. How to do that you ask? Practice. That more you practice a thing, the stronger bonds the neurons form (Remember Std. 10th Science lessons?). Your brain gets an impression that the information must be vital to you, so it puts it in the long-term memory section. So, practice English quizzes, tests, mocks, workbooks, previous year questions, whatever you can get your hands on. Practice and then evaluate as to where did you go wrong and work on it. Easy-peasy lemon squeezy, right?
· Weekends are for fun. And learning.
I know you love Sundays and days off from School. Hey, we all do! Which is why you don’t have to learn anything new on Sunday. No word/idiom of the day. No jotting down new words. No quizzes. Nothing. (Try to read the Sunday editorial though at it is the most interesting and elaborate one.) Instead, what I want you to do on Sunday is go through whatever you have learnt throughout the week. Have a look at your diary. See if you still remember the spellings you think you do. Similarly, reserve your last day of the month to revise and re-test yourself on the learning of the whole month. So, take a day at a time, then deal with your Sundays and then have a review meeting with yourself at the end of each month and grade yourself. Keep a tab on your scores. You have to outdo yourself. And there’ you’re all set!
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