My name is Sadhana Shubhdarshini, and I am a PhD scholar. In June 2023, I cleared the UGC NET JRF exam. Currently, I am pursuing my PhD in Mass Communication at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU) in Lucknow. I completed my Master’s, MJMC, from Ravenshaw University in Odisha. I enrolled for my Master’s in 2021.
Sadhana (PhD scholar) qualified for the NET exam in her second attempt, while she cleared JRF in her third attempt. Today in Topper’s Mantra, we will explore the specific strategies necessary for preparing for the UGC NET exam…
I completely self-prepared for the exam. I watched YouTube videos to create notes and later revised them. When we are appearing for the NET JRF exam, we are already well-versed with the subjects, so we can prepare ourselves as well.
It’s not necessary to take coaching. In fact, there is plenty of material available on the internet and YouTube. So, if you have the time and are a Master’s first or final-year student, you can easily prepare through self-study. If you don’t have time and there is a good coaching institute available for your subject, you can seek help from there. They provide material according to the syllabus.
Choose the right online study material For effective preparation, firstly, get a printout of the NET JRF syllabus and extract material from the internet, YouTube, and other online portals according to it. Nowadays, you can also take the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in preparation.
Many online and offline coaching institutes provide study material, but it’s not as beneficial to prepare from printed material of any coaching institute. When you make your own notes, you know what you have studied and written. This way, things are easily stored in our memory.
Practice Previous Year Question Papers Practicing previous year question papers is very important. You should dedicate at least one month to understand the syllabus and question pattern. Once you understand the syllabus and question pattern, it becomes easier to find out the right teachers. It may take some time to find the right source amidst the plethora of teachers and content available online. For example, if there are 10 chapters in Paper 1, fix teachers according to each chapter. Prepare under the guidance of the same teacher till the end.
If you failed in the first attempt, change the teacher The first time I took the UGC NET exam, I followed some teachers. In the second attempt, I changed the teacher because by the second attempt, I knew which teacher was good and taught well. After that, I made subject-wise notes and prepared accordingly.
Many candidates suggest thick books, especially for Paper 2, to students from humanities background. However, I believe it’s not helpful for the exam; it might be helpful for later. You need pinpoint notes for the exam. You can get these points from YouTube channels and exam-oriented small books. I took help from a book by Arihant Publications for my subject. You should also try attempting the questions.
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