By Kishwar Chahal
The National Educational Testing Bureau of University Grants Commission (UGC) conducts National Eligibility Test (NET) to determine eligibility for lectureship and for award of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) for Indian nationals in order to ensure minimum standards for the entrants in the teaching profession and research. The NET is a very useful method of short-listing the candidates from a pool of applicants.
We will be looking at some tips which will help perform better if not ace it. Before looking at the tips for clearing the UGC NET, you should know the syllabus of the examination. The notion of clearing the examination seems to be hard and candidates believe that the paper is tough. On the contrary, if you think that teaching is a passion rather than a profession that pays well, chances are that you will be able to clear the paper.
Let’s have a look at some tips for preparing for UGC NET:
Take time
If you are planning to appear for the UGC NET examination, the idea is to spend time on your preparation. It is advised you spend quality time on your preparation and also regular amounts of time. You will be required to be regular on the time that you take out for preparation. Most experts will advice you somewhere between three to six months for preparing for the test.
Familiarize yourself
Over the next some months you should be able to clearly know things for what they are as far as the syllabus for the test is concerned. You should channel your preparation on the topics in the syllabus and thus plan accordingly. If you start your preparation well ahead in time then there will not be any need to skip a topic.
Prioritize
Out of the three sections in the paper, two will be on a topic of your choice while the other is a common paper which is to test you on aptitude and general awareness. While it is necessary for you to score well in the paper from your subjects, remember that if you do not clear the first paper you will not be able to clear the NET as well. So give priority to all three and spend and plan time in preparation accordingly.
Notes
Although this is not the case with only this test, taking and making your own notes will take you a long way. Get into the practice of making your own notes; this will make a huge difference when you will revise.
Past question papers
Try and collect as many past year question papers as you possibly can. These will not only set a bar when you are preparing for the examination but will also assist you during the preparation itself. There is a possibility that you are not able to solve all the questions by yourself, so it is important that you take the help of a mentor, senior, teacher to help you with the questions.
Time if of the essence
You need to be able to practice a lot to be efficient. It is only when you know what question will be solved how will you be able to manage your time, efficiently. Time yourself when you are preparing for the UGC NET. By doing this you will have a fair enough idea of how things are to be done.
Be accurate
There is no fun in being quick if you can’t be accurate. The purpose behind being quick is that you do not miss out on anything you know. Similarly there is grave importance in being quick and accurate as well. So when you are preparing, keep in mind that while you are required to achieve your daily target and study, you are also to keep a check on how accurate your answers are.
In the end keep in mind that your answers will be as confident as you are. While keeping track of reality is of the utmost importance; do not break if you are not able to clear the paper in your first attempt. It has been made difficult for a purpose.