UGC NET examination is considered one of the toughest exams of the country. Those students who see their future career in teaching field have to crack this mandatory examination. According to UGC Regulations 2018, from 2023 onwards PhD will also be mandatory to be appointed as assistant professor in universities.
So, if you are planning to appear for the UGC NET examination that will be conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) in the month of June, here is the preparation guide and tips to crack this exam.
Examination Pattern
UGC Net examination is of two papers. Paper one contains general knowledge and teaching aptitude questions. This paper contains 50 questions and each question carries 2 marks, total 100 marks. Paper two is based on concerned subject. This paper contains 100 questions of 200 marks.
UGC NET in Journalism and Mass Communication
To appear in UGC NET in Journalism and Mass Communication candidate needs to have Master degree in the same stream. General and OBC candidates need 55 percent marks and for SC/STs there is 5 percent relaxation.
Candidates need to know the details of syllabus. Broad areas of study are following:
{{/usCountry}}Candidates need to know the details of syllabus. Broad areas of study are following:
{{/usCountry}}•Evolution of Media
•Print Journalism
•Media Law and Ethics
•Advertising and Public Relations
•Broadcast Journalism (TV/Radio Broadcast)
•Media Management
•Development Communication
•New media and Communication Technology
•Media Research
Prepare Notes
For better preparation candidates need to read at least one standard book from each area. UGC NET examination is based on Multiple Choice Questions therefore candidates should make their notes accordingly. In the age of new media we tend to take lot of help from google but dependence on online material is disastrous. Read books and make your own notes. You can enhance your notes with the help from online material but again be careful in taking online material as sometimes we get wrong information. Online material should be double checked. Avoid Wikipedia.
Analyse previous years question papers
Analysing previous year questions help a lot. Generally students solve previous year questions and don’t analyse question papers. Analysis of question papers include understanding the nature of questions from various courses, understanding focus area of each years question papers and finding out the books from where these questions have been asked. Understanding nature of questions is important as every core areas have different nature of questions. For example from Evolution of Media questions are related to factual details like publication year of newspapers, publisher name and hierarchy of establishment year of publications, newspapers etc. Similarly from Broadcast Journalism focus must be on technical details like types of camera, editing tools etc. So, understanding the nature of question papers in this manner will help a lot in making notes of different core areas. You will make relevant notes which will help you in UGC NET examinations.
Managing Time
Candidates need to complete preparation well before time. Ideally preparation should be complete before 3 months. In these three month aspirants should revise whole syllabus by going through prepared notes at least two times. UGC NET 2019 exam will be conducted in online mode (computer based test).
Some important facts:
Exam will be conducted in two sessions, paper 1 and paper 2. The question paper will contain objective type questions. Questions in Paper 1 will be from General Studies and teaching/ research aptitude. Questions in paper 2 will be based on subject selected by the candidate. Time duration for paper 1 will be of 1 hour and paper 2 will be of 2 hours. There will be 50 questions in paper 1 and 100 questions in paper 2. Candidates will be awarded 2 marks for each correct response.
(The author is Assistant Professor Department of Mass Communication and Media Central University of South Bihar. Views expressed are personal)