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Cracking the UGC-NET Exam 2023: Tips, plans and strategies for preparing the way to success
The UGC-NET Exam is conducted twice a year in June and December in well over eighty subjects across India. The exam is scheduled to be held from December 6.
UGC NET 2023: It is a fact well known to candidates aspiring to serve as Assistant Professors in any college or university in any discipline across the country that they need to crack the UGC-NET examination conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) with the concurrence of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
The UGC-NET Exam is conducted twice a year in June and December respectively in well over eighty subjects in various cities of the country to decide the eligibility of candidates passing out from Indian universities for the selection of “Assistant Professors as well as “Junior Research Fellowship and Assistant Professors” in the colleges and universities of India.
UGC NET EXAM 2023: 4 most important instructions all candidates must keep in mind ahead of exams
The selection is based on the aggregate performance of candidates in both the papers – Paper I and Paper II. Although the examination demands a wide extensive and intensive preparation at the same time depending on the time and facilities available, an intelligent approach to the preparation for the examination may make it easier for aspirants to clear the exam with relative ease and freedom from anxiety.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Dr Gayatree Goswami, former Head of the Department of Education, at Gauhati University, stressed the fact that candidates appearing for the exam must be constantly updated. She said, “Another prerequisite to clear the examination is a professional commitment and due focus must be given to quality assurance.”
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“Having cleared both NET and SLET, one advice for young aspirants is to be thorough with their university syllabus. Any number of guidebooks or reading materials for this examination cannot be a substitute for having a clear understanding of the concepts of the discipline in question,” said Abhinav P Borbora, a researcher at Lokniti CSDS.
“Since the students would also have to appear for a general paper, apart from the subject-specific one, they would be advised to draw from the numerous resources available online and brush up their hold over arithmetic, GK, logic, IT, language, etc.,” added Abhinav.
Now, how does one go about with the preparations? Team Hindustan Times spoke to experts from the field who listed out the following strategies:
Collecting Study materials
“The first thing that a candidate planning to sit for the UGC-NET Exam needs to do is to procure the correct and proper study material," said Dr Manjeet Bhattacharya, dean, student welfare cell, Cotton University. For this, the most intelligent approach for the candidate would be to take guidance from candidates who have already cleared the exam for the kind of books and materials to be used, the experts and mentors to be consulted, the best coaching centers available, using question papers of previous years, building strategies, etc. Once this is done, half the battle is already won.
Solving questions of previous years
Solving question papers from previous years is unequivocally one of the most effective ways of preparing for any exam. And the UGC-NET Exam is no exception. While trying to solve the previous question papers the candidate becomes familiar not only with the nature and kind of questions asked but also with the questions to be expected for the next examination. Ideally speaking, candidates should try to solve question papers from the last ten years to get a fair grasp of the examination including its patterns and complexities.
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Taking mock tests
According to Abhinav P. Borbora, candidates preparing for the UGC-NET Exam inevitably take as many mock tests as possible to ensure their success in the Exam. He said, “As the question papers of previous years are already available in abundance, it is not difficult at all for candidates to take recourse to mock tests to their liking and comfort.”
“If taking the entire test proves tedious, candidates may begin with part selections. Eventually, of course, with time, the full-length tests will be mandatory for assessing the level of the candidate’s preparation,” Abhinav added.
Start preparing from student days
Rather than waiting to start preparing for the UGC-NET exam after doing their post-graduation, candidates seriously interested in becoming college or university teachers should start preparing for this exam right from their undergraduate days to take advantage of their fascination for and familiarity with the subjects of their choice. Such preparation will not only boost the confidence of the candidates but will also go a long way in ensuring their success in the exam.
Being practical with the timetable
All said and done, it is very important for candidates planning to take the UGC-NET Exam to stick to a timetable that is practical and realistic. While sincerity of approach is certainly most appreciable in the matter of preparation for the exam, being over-ambitious might not always lead to fruitful consequences. It is, necessary, therefore, for candidates to create a timetable for themselves based on their level of concentration, comfort, and health issues.
Cracking the UGC-NET examination is certainly not a cakewalk and involves a lot of effort. But, with proper planning and effective strategies, while preparing for the examination, one can achieve success on the first attempt itself.
