Where there is a will, there is a way. This proverb appropriately describes the lives of young judicial officers. Team Lawx is proud to publish this interview of Sumitha M.S. who has cleared the Kerala Judicial Service examination, 2020 (Munsiff Magistrate). She obtained her LLB from Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. She did her LLM from Department of Law, University of Kerala, Kariyavattom Campus, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala with a specialization in Public Law and Intellectual Property Rights. She cleared the National Eligibility Test for Lectureship (NET) and Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) conducted by National Testing Agency. She was pursuing her Doctor of Philosophy in Law (PhD) as a UGC Junior Research Fellowship awardee under the University of Kerala at the Research Centre, Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Ms. Sumitha M.S. is a close associate and content contributor of LawX team.

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1)      Congratulations on your well-deserved achievement.

            Thank you so much

2)     What was your strategy for clearing the exam?

Studying the bare act thoroughly is important. Each provision, their ingredients have to be understood. When one studies so many laws and their provisions, it is only common to forget some. So, to tackle that, I maintained a copy of handwritten short notes which facilitated constant and quick revision. 

3)     How to manage the time gap between Prelims and Main exam?

Now, since preliminary exam is objective based and its marks is not considered for the final computation of marks, basic knowledge about the major acts suffices. But this should not be taken lightly either. It is imperative to study the subjects for prelims at its best as the time gap between the prelims and mains exam suffices only to study the remaining topics and revise the subjects. Prepare notes for prelims as if you are preparing for the main exams and look out for repeated questions. Study only the latest relevant judgements and incorporate them in your notes right before the mains. Preparing your own set of notes in the preliminary stage itself would make the mains preparation easier as you can direct your focus only for the remaining topics.

 4)     How much time did you take to prepare for the exam?

Though, this was my third attempt, I gave the first attempt unprepared. I started preparing properly from March 2019. I cleared the prelims and mains but could not make it through the interview. But, I continued my preparation without any gap. The third attempt was the 2020 exam which got postponed to 2021 owing to covid and I got through that.

5)     How early should an aspirant start the study for judicial exams?

If one wants to clear the exam in the first attempt itself, start studying for the Munsiff exam parallelly with your law course during your final one or two years as by then you must have covered many major acts.  Personally speaking, I was first interested in teaching. Thus, I did my LLM and pursued PHD. But after my LLM, I practiced for one year. That is when I discovered my interest. So, interning with an advocate during or after your LLB course can help in finding your interest. 

6)     What could be the writing pattern for the exam?

To maintain a good writing pattern, it is necessary to have it practiced beforehand. Refer to previous question papers. Look out for repeated questions and frame answers for the same. Along with that, refer to relevant judgements and their current status and incorporate the same in the answers. Fortunately, age-old judgements are less relevant when it comes to the exam. So, refer to the latest judgements.

7)     What was the major challenge you faced while preparing the exam?  

Getting demotivated is pretty easy, especially when you have one or more failed attempts. So, not losing hope and consistently studying is what is the preparation about.

8)     What do you think could be your areas for improvement?

I feel my practical knowledge could have been better. That was reflected when I gave my interview. So, I would suggest that aspirants be well-acquainted with the practical aspects of court proceedings. This is where internships and even practicing experience play an important part. 

9)     Your word of advice to young aspirants.

Find your interest and pursue that, as far as possible. All law students may not find interest in judicial field, and that’s fine. Some may like corporate or teaching or any other field. Work on your interest consistently to see the best results. 

10) Thank you very much and wishing you all the best for your future endeavors. 

This interview was conducted by Anusha K P who is the LLB Student of Government Law College, Mumbai.