The Art of Consistency in Judiciary Exam Preparation 2022

Whether you're a school student, a college graduate, or a judicial aspirant, your contribution to the Indian Judicial System depends on your consistent perceived potential.

In other words, how can you accomplish fruitful results for your State High Court and Supreme Court recruitment exams? How effective judgements can you make as a Civil Judge in the future?

Obviously, you cannot be 100% certain about this. Ultimately, your true potential to become a successful Civil Judge depends on your overall consistency.

The interview panellists will judge you on the basis of your consistency, honesty, and knowledge. So, does consistency matter in judiciary exams? Yes, of course, it matters a lot!

Read this blog post to learn why consistency is important in judiciary exams and how to be consistent in judicial service preparation.

Also, be one of the few aspirants to know the 10 ultimate secrets to be consistent through your preparation journey.

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Consistency in Judiciary Exams: Why is it Important?

Anurag Basu, a 37-year-old civil judge, is appointed as First Class Judicial Magistrate in Madhya Pradesh. He is married with three children now.

Recently, he was issued a warning letter by the High Court of Madhya Pradesh for his in-disciplinary actions. Ten years ago, he cracked the MPCJ Exam on his first attempt scoring decent marks with an AIR 56. After ten years of serving as a Civil Judge, he now felt perpetually exhausted. 

The reason for his exhaustion is not the work pressure but rather his inconsistent attitude towards work. In the initial days of employment, Anurag was consistent and disciplined.

With age, he started taking his job for granted. Anurag doesn't have a timetable, and he wakes up and sleeps as per his wish.

As a result, he reaches the court late every morning. He sleeps poorly, makes no time to exercise, and seldom eats healthy meals; instead grabs a bite to eat on the run or while working on the cases.

And, the official duties are being neglected due to his inconsistent behaviour. It leads to delayed justice for the common people. Overall, Anurag leaves a negative impression of the Indian Judiciary on the citizens.

In the words of John C. Maxwell, we can say that motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing. That's the Law of Consistency. It doesn't matter how talented you are. It doesn't matter how many opportunities you receive.

If you want to grow, consistency is key. Anurag's story is not uncommon. We, homo sapiens, evolved from animals. Still, we are the same.

We need constant motivation to get started for the day. There is no infinite stream of discipline that flows through our minds. This is where the role of consistency basks into the limelight. 

“ Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing. That's the Law of Consistency. It doesn't matter how talented you are. It doesn't matter how many opportunities you receive. If you want to grow, consistency is key.”

Consistency plays a key role in the life of a judicial aspirant as well as a civil judge.

Being consistent in the judicial service preparation means dedicating yourself to your study goals, staying focused on scoring the minimum cut-off marks, and finally making it to the final merit list for the judiciary exam.

Considering the length and breadth of the year-long three-tier judicial service exam, it is natural to get out of the way. It is the critical driver that will help you achieve your dream of being a civil judge.

Judiciary Service Exams require a long-term commitment and involve sustained effort from the aspirants.

As the toppers say, ‘it is not the destination that matters; the journey of reaching the destination teaches you to be a successful judge. 

How to be Outrageously Consistent with Judiciary Exam Preparation?

As per the latest statistics, only three out of ten candidates who appeared for the judiciary exams could score the minimum qualifying marks.

After a detailed survey of those aspirants, we were not surprised to know that only the candidates who were consistent throughout the process, from the Preliminary stage to the Interview, cracked the exam.

# 10 Powerful Tips to be More Consistent with Judiciary Preparation

Discipline, accountability, and responsibility are all parts of staying consistent. Consistency can spell the difference between failure and success, and consistency can help any aspirant achieve success in the Civil Judge exam.

So, here are the ten most important tips to improve your consistency in the Judiciary exams. 

1. Find an Absolute Goal - A pre-decided goal will help you stay motivated in the long run. And motivation is the opposite side of the coin of consistency.

Having clear goals will motivate you and keep you consistent. If you are preparing for the Judicial Service Exam, shortlist one-two states for which you wish to be a Civil Judge. Don’t give every other judiciary exam under the sun.

The difficult question is how to choose the best from the rest. Generally, most candidates give preference to their home state.

However, your second or third preference can be the neighboring states. Follow one course until success. 

For instance, if you reside in New Delhi permanently, you can apply for the Delhi Judiciary exam. Check if you satisfy all the eligibility criteria mentioned in the official notification beforehand. Besides this, you can also apply for Haryana Judiciary and Uttrakhand Judiciary exams. 

2. Take Inspiration from Toppers - The judicial service exam is a year-long exam. Hence, finding a constant source of inspiration can be a bit tedious.

There is no need to stay loyal to any individual topper. Obviously, you can choose and change your favourite Civil Judge from time to time.

Keep an eye out for the exceptional work these toppers do as Civil Judge. 

If you're having difficulty staying consistent while preparing for the judiciary exams, maybe you can take inspiration from other people's experiences and stories.

Consider reading some books or taking advice from a life coach or mentor who can help you gain clarity and focus in your life. Learn from the life story of other Civil Judges. 

3. Plan a Solid Strategy to be a Civil Judge - Your overall goal of becoming a Civil Judge is broad in vision and scope. So, divide it into smaller bits that you can achieve in shorter periods.

Strategizing the judicial service preparation will reap sweeter fruits in the initial stages. 

For example, if your dream of becoming a Civil Judge will take one year to complete, make a detailed plan for every month. Break your strategy into three parts; Prelims strategy, Mains strategy, and Interview strategy.

Focus on the first month: what all you must do for every month, then weeks, and then days. With a proper schedule and timetable, you will see what you need to do precisely at specific points in time, and everything becomes clear. 

4. Set Realistic Goals - Set predefined goals that are achievable and practical at the same time.

Do not overburden your body with challenging, unachievable goals; these won't fetch you marks in the long run. Be realistic in your judiciary exam preparation.

For instance, if you are a beginner in the judiciary exam preparation, you might start with fewer study hours than an aspirant who has been in the judicial service preparation for ten months.

Don't force yourself to study for long if your body or mind doesn't allow it. Study only when you are interested in learning. 

5. Adapt Good Change in Your Daily Routine - Follow the ‘KAIZEN Strategy.’ It is a Japanese strategy derived from two words, Kai and Zen, meaning good and change, respectively.

“Getting 1% better every day, at the end of the year, you will be 37% better.” Make small efforts for the greater target of becoming a Civil Judge.

There are multiple ways you identify yourself. Incline or shift an angle from where you see yourself. A change in perspective can definitely bring a change in your daily habits. 

For instance, each student has a unique identity in a group of judicial aspirants. There is a student, say, Rahul, who is identified as the one who mastered all the Bare Acts. Whenever anyone has doubts in the Bare Acts, they go to Rahul to clear it.

One day, he was unable to solve a doubt. Everyone mocked and revoked him of the title “Master of Bare Acts.”

Instead of ignoring that mockery, he took it in an optimistic way. He went home, identified the problem areas, and created and tested solutions by studying these acts dedicatedly for five hours a day. This is how Rahul changed his identity and daily habits.

6. Prioritize the Subjects - All subjects hold an equal weightage in Judicial Service Examination. This is a myth!

Like not all fingers are equal. Still, each has its own significance. Undoubtedly, all subjects in judiciary exams are important.

However, it would be best if you prioritize them based on their level; P1 for the most important, P2 for moderately important, and P3 for the least important.

Prioritizing will tell you the shape of your judiciary exam preparation. It will keep you updated with the 

Prioritize the subjects based on the following criteria. 

• Prelims centric v.s Mains centric approach - If Prelims are approaching in 90 days, then prioritize the prelims-centric subjects. Else, keep it Mains oriented. 
• Most scoring v.s less scoring - Obviously, prioritize the most scoring subjects. But don’t leave the less scoring subjects. Anyways, both of these subjects are going to fetch you some marks.
• Major subjects v.s minor subjects - Cover the major subjects first. Then, you will be done with 70% preparation. Next, go for the minor subjects.
• Your favourite subjects V.S your least favourite subjects - Remember, it is not your hobby to appear for the judiciary exam. It is the only way to become a Civil Judge. So, keep your likes and dislikes to yourself. Study all subjects despite your likeness for the same. 

7. Follow Habit Stacking - Adding a new habit after or before every old habit is habit stacking. 

For instance, brushing your teeth is an old habit, whereas revising the Indian Evidence Act is a new habit. Make your cue visible. Your cue is the thing that triggers your habit. Revising IEA should be at the back of your mind as soon as you pick the brush. 

Trigger factors in the case of judiciary aspirants can be the notifications of upcoming judiciary exams, the syllabus, and the deadline. Keep these triggers visible or nearby you.

Settle or rearrange the cravings by the environment.

Choose a specific place to study wherever the trigger is visible. Whenever you don’t want to study, start with the easy response.

Follow a 2 minutes rule which says that study for at least two minutes to be consistent with your judiciary preparation.

At last, reward yourself with any favourite thing for being consistent. This way, you can make a rule of stacking your brushing and revising IEA.

8. Manage Time Judiciously - Time constraint is the frequent complaint aspect by judiciary aspirants. Follow the technique of “time block.” Choose certain hours from your schedule; it doesn’t have to be the same always.

However, a busy schedule might have, you must sit and only study with 100% focus at that slot of time. This is a proven technique that many judiciary toppers follow.

9. Possess Consistent Knowledge of Law - The main responsibility of civil judges is to formulate and apply the law.

His judgement weighs heavily upon

(1) Correctness: the law should be fair, practical, and conform to legal rules, and

(2) Consistency: judges must dispose of similar cases in the same fashion, so the law should be applied uniformly throughout the judiciary.

However, both correctness and consistency are interrelated. 

Let’s say you have to pronounce a judgement of the ‘Basic Structure of Law’.

However, you must be aware of the fact that the Basic Structure hasn’t been defined yet. It is a vague set of laws and rules which form the core of our Indian Constitution.

In this case, your judgement must be in conjunction with the ‘Basic Structure of Law’ as decided by the Supreme Court.

When all agree on what constitutes the basic doctrine, all know that others will apply it too. 

10. Reinforcement & Punishment - Never blame yourself for failures. Treat yourself like a child.

For instance, reward yourself if you have done something good, say, completed a new topic. Reinforce your own behaviour. Console yourself for the wrong thing done, but never punish yourself. 

Summing Up

Consistency is the core virtue of being a successful individual. Knowing why consistency matters in your judiciary exam preparation must be an eye-opener.

Save these 10 life-saver tips, and read them whenever you don’t feel like studying. As a result of these tips, you will be able to get the necessary push you need at that particular time.

Happy Reading!