AILET 2026 AIR 9 Interview: Shivam on Choosing Law, Mock Discipline & Handling Pressure Like a “Player”

AILET 2026 AIR 9 Shivam, a student of the LegalEdge South Ex (Delhi Centre), shares his preparation journey with Harsh Gagrani on the day the results were announced. From being a first-generation law aspirant to securing a strong CLAT Rank 98 alongside AILET AIR 9, Shivam breaks down what changed between his first and second year of preparation, how he tackled GK, and how he stayed mentally steady during a difficult month when his mother was hospitalised.

Quick Snapshot: Shivam (AILET 2026 AIR 9)

• Name: Shivam
• Exam: AILET 2026
• Rank: AIR 9
• CLAT Rank: 98
• Centre: LegalEdge South Ex (Delhi Centre)
• Background: First-generation law aspirant; Humanities student; strong reading habit
• Strengths: English, Critical Reasoning (reading-driven)
• Challenge Area: General Knowledge (GK)
• Key GK Tools: Newspapers + LegalEdge Compendiums + Flashcards + Daily revision

Interview: Harsh Gagrani Sir [LegalEdge] X Shivam [AILET 2026 AIR 9]

Q1. How did you feel when the AILET results were announced? Where were you when you checked your rank?

Shivam: It’s a pretty interesting story. I was in a nearby mall with my friends. We were just chilling because I was celebrating my CLAT results too—CLAT also went fine, so we thought we’ll go out for a bit.

Shivam: Just when I reached, I got a call from a mentor at LegalEdge. She told me the results are out and asked me to check. So I checked it—and I saw my rank. I was obviously very happy. It was like, “This is very good!”

Q2. What is your CLAT rank as well?

Shivam: My rank in CLAT is 98, sir.

Q3. How did you choose law as a career? Are you a first-generation lawyer?

Shivam: I’m a first-generation lawyer.

Shivam: I’m from Modern Delhi International School in Faridabad. In our school, from 4th grade itself, students who perform well are put into a separate section and trained heavily in Maths and Science—basically preparing them for PCM as the default path.

Shivam: I was in that focused group from 4th to 10th. But by 9th–10th, I realised that other students genuinely enjoyed Maths and Science, and I don’t think I did.

Shivam: What I always loved was reading. As a kid, I would spend hours reading books—my parents would scold me because I’d read novels instead of revising for exams.

Q4. Which books or authors do you love?

Shivam: My favourites have changed a lot, but a book very close to my heart is House of the Blue Mangoes by David Davidar. He’s mainly a publisher but has written books too. I really love that book.

Shivam: Recently I read Will Durant’s The Story of Philosophy, which was also pretty eye-opening.

Q5. When did you decide to shift to Humanities and move toward law?

Shivam: In 9th grade, I told my parents that I don’t want PCM, and I would rather take Humanities.

Shivam: I also started attending conferences, MUNs, and inter-school competitions, which exposed me to the Humanities side of academics. I felt that in secondary school in India, Humanities isn’t explored to its limits.

Shivam: When I started seeing how rich these subjects are—and how they shape a person’s thinking—I felt like this is brilliant and I want to study this. My parents were supportive.

Shivam: And in Humanities, what appealed to me the most was law—how something humans create ends up governing us. How our ideas and philosophies create rules that govern entire lives. That’s how my interest started.

Q6. You prepared for two years. What changed between Year 1 and Year 2?

Shivam: In the first year, honestly, I wasn’t very committed. I took it lightly because I felt there was a lot of time.

Shivam: I do have regrets about the first year—especially that I should have started GK earlier. Not because old GK would be directly useful today, but because when you start studying GK, you learn the process of studying GK, and that process is the important part.

Shivam: In Year 1, I wasn’t very focused on material, but I was always committed to mocks. I analysed my mistakes properly and tried not to repeat them. Obviously, mistakes repeat, but that’s how you learn.

Q7. How many mocks did you attempt in Year 1 and Year 2?

Shivam: In the first year, around 60–70 mocks. In the second year, I didn’t count exactly, but maybe around 100. I’m not sure.

Q8. Was there a phase where you felt “Now it won’t happen”? How did you bounce back?

Shivam: Around a month before CLAT—in November—my mom was admitted to AIIMS Delhi for surgery. She was in the hospital for around 35–36 days. She’s completely fine now.

Shivam: I was absolutely not ready for it. Before that, my mindset toward this exam was that I must control all variables. Everything should be set—coaching, peaceful study environment, routine—then I will perform.

Shivam: But suddenly that controlled environment was completely thrown away. It became a chaotic period.

Shivam: Thankfully, my dad had always told me: you can never control all variables. All you can control is yourself.

Shivam: So during that phase, I kept telling myself: this is life, things happen, you can’t control it. What I can control is how I react to it and what I do right now.

Shivam: I stopped overthinking about the future and focused on one thing: “What can I do right now to make the best out of what I have?” Stay in the moment, prepare, and do what you can do best.

Shivam: This became a silver lining for me—it taught me a lot about life beyond exams.

Q9. What was your weakest section, and how did you deal with it?

Shivam: My weakest section was GK. I made it a point that I never missed newspapers.

Shivam: I was confident about English and Critical Reasoning because I had years of reading background. CLAT is basically two hours of reading—that’s something I used to tell myself.

Shivam: For GK, LegalEdge material was very helpful. What I used to do was read topics from newspapers on my own, and then check myself against LegalEdge compendiums—see what details are there that I missed, what I didn’t note down.

Shivam: Then I applied the same rule to other topics and fixed flaws in my GK approach.

Q10. How did you divide time for GK daily/weekly?

Shivam: The biggest emphasis in my GK prep was revision. I used different techniques, including electronic flashcards on my laptop and phone.

Shivam: Daily, around 1 to 1.5 hours was revision. It wasn’t too taxing because I made it fun through flashcards and notes—like telling myself a story again and again.

Shivam: For new topics, I wouldn’t spend more than 30–45 minutes a day.

Shivam: CLAT doesn’t expect a Class 12 student to know everything. They expect you to be curious, well-read, and aware. Some questions you won’t get if you study GK exclusively as GK—you’ll get them only if you read widely: newspapers and magazines.

Shivam: So GK approach should be reading-based.

Q11. How was your experience at LegalEdge South Ex (Delhi Centre)? Who helped you the most?

Shivam: I can’t thank Abhishek sir enough. He helped me a lot with the mental side—how to deal with things.

Shivam: He told me: take it like a player. It’s a game. Some balls you can’t hit—you avoid them. Some you can hit—do your best.

Shivam: Shubham sir and Rohit sir were also great. I used to bring 5–6 mocks together, mark the wrong questions with stickers, and sit with them for 20–30 minutes. They were kind enough to tolerate all of that and guide me properly.

Shivam: Rashmi ma’am also helped a lot. She would check in every few weeks to see how I was doing.

Q12. A message from your mother: What kind of support did the LegalEdge team provide during the hospital phase?

Shivam’s Mother: One mentor was in touch with me while I was in the hospital. I don’t remember the name exactly, but they told me—“Ma’am, you’re in the hospital. If you need any help regarding Shivam’s preparation, his mental health, or anything—if you feel he needs support—just let us know.”

Shivam’s Mother: That gave me a lot of peace of mind. I was worried lying on the hospital bed—how is the child managing alone? I’m very thankful to your whole Delhi team and you, sir.

Host: Thank you so much for mentioning that. I will pass this on to the Delhi team. Even if you don’t remember the mentor’s name, I’m sure the whole team will be happy. It’s good that we have the right people in place to take care of students at the Delhi centre.

Key Takeaways from Shivam’s Journey

• Reading is a superpower for CLAT/AILET. It strengthens English + Critical Reasoning naturally.
• Mock analysis matters more than mock count. Mark errors, revisit patterns, and avoid repetition.
• GK is not about “covering everything.” Make it reading-based + revision-heavy.
• Daily GK structure works: 1–1.5 hours revision + 30–45 minutes new topics.
• You can’t control all variables. Control your reaction, stay present, and do your best “today.”
• Mentor support changes outcomes. The right environment helps you stay stable under pressure.

Conclusion

Shivam’s AILET 2026 AIR 9 journey is proof that ranks are built not just through content—but through systems and mindset. From a reading-first approach to structured GK revision, from disciplined mock analysis to handling personal stress without losing focus, Shivam’s story gives aspirants one clear lesson: you don’t need perfect circumstances—you need a controlled reaction.