5 Focus Areas to Clear JRF in the 1st Attempt!

For UGC NET | 29th November 2023 – 08 mins read

“With the right guidance, dedicated efforts, and comprehensive strategy, you can accomplish any mission you have set for yourself”

– Shubham Singhania

In our everyday lives, we are often aware of what we desire; however, what often poses a challenge is our inability to know how to proceed in the right direction.

This can be said about preparing for competitive exams like UGC NET.  As a mentor, I encounter aspirants who are enthusiastic to clear the exam in order to fulfill their dream to excel in the teaching field or pursue their passion for research.

However, owing to factors like the vast syllabus of the exam and difficulty level, their initial enthusiasm gets bogged down and they are often confused as to how they must prepare for the exam and the important areas they must focus on.

Having interacted with and guided so many students who managed to clear this exam, I have identified 5 key areas that the toppers have mastered that have helped them achieve remarkable success.

Therefore, together with practicing these tips with consistent efforts and focus in the right direction, you will not just clear UGC NET but also manage to clear JRF on the first attempt

So, without any further wait, let me introduce you to these focus areas that will effectively guide you in your exam preparation.

Focus Area No. 01: Follow the practice of Reverse Engineering

To begin with, I am well aware you are students of Commerce and Management, kindly don’t get confused by the term “Engineering”.

On a serious note, in terms of preparation, starting from scratch can be very time-consuming. It will require you to first go through all study materials which includes PDFs, and videos apart from the books.

One of the smart techniques adopted by the toppers is to practice this method called “reverse engineering”. After covering a considerable portion of the syllabus, you directly begin solving the MCQs of the chapters.

Now, don’t just simply stop at evaluating the number of questions attempted correctly, but also go through all the given options of the MCQs.

Since you are aware of the vastness of the syllabus for UGC NET, familiarizing yourself with information will help you cover all the topics as well as increase the number of questions you can attempt in the paper.

Therefore, following this method will help you immensely in preparing well for the exam.

Focus Area No 02: Solve as many case – studies as possible

Talking about the syllabus for Paper 2 subjects of Commerce and Management, apart from the theoretical part, it also contains numericals and case studies.

Many aspirants make a major mistake by not realizing the relevance of solving case studies as they assume it to be easy and leave it for the last minute.

However, as aspirants you must be aware of the marking scheme in Paper 2, wherein every question carries 2 marks, and 10 questions are asked from the section of case – studies.

Hence, solving case studies within a specified time becomes crucial as it will provide you an edge over others in the final exam result.

Having said that, allocating 1 -2 hours daily for practicing case studies during your preparation will help you to solve such questions within less time.

Focus Area No. 03: Time Management is a must!

One of the essential factors to keep in mind while preparing for any exam is your ability to solve questions within a limited time frame. Thus, comes the concept of “time management” into the picture.

It is a common misconception among aspirants that it is easy to clear an exam like UGC NET as the candidates are required to attempt just 150 questions within the time period of 3 hours.

If we take a look at the questions that have been asked in past year question papers, it becomes apparent that the difficulty level of the exam has been increasing.

Even as the questions asked are MCQs and objective in nature, many of those questions are statement-based – based which will require you to read the question carefully before you attempt it.

To become mindful of the time taken by you to solve the paper, you must practice solving questions with a timer on your side.

This will help you to analyze the time you take to solve each question and then work on improving your performance accordingly.

Focus Area No 04: Learn and master the art of elimination

Since the syllabus for an exam like UGC NET is vast, it is challenging to remember each and every information related to the topics.

With that view in mind, most of the candidates including toppers have confessed to knowing only 80- 100 questions out of 150 questions.

So then, how do they manage to not just attempt a good number of questions but also clear the cutoff for UGC NET JRF?

Well, they make diligent use of the technique called the “Elimination method”, which helps in narrowing the options by eliminating other possibilities.

To apply this method, you can either eliminate options through logical deductions or check which option seems most or least close to the correct answer.

You can learn this technique from various platforms and videos available online which teach you how to apply the same during the exam time.

Therefore, you must practice as many mocks as possible to check accuracy as well as the application of the elimination method in the questions you are unsure about.

Focus Area No 05: Go through the important factual information

When it comes to Paper 1, there are certain factual but important topics such as – Information and Communication Technology (ICT), People, Development, and Environment, which I advise the aspirants to cover towards the end.

However, due to paucity of time, many candidates are unable to cover such detailed topics and eventually make the huge mistake of skipping these topics. These sections are also dynamic in nature as it include current affairs.

The reason I refer to skipping these topics as a mistake is because the number of questions asked from these sections has been increasing over the last few years.

Hence, I suggest my students put in a little more effort to cover these topics and score good marks in these sections as a consequence.

Advice to the aspirants

Lastly, my advice to the aspirants would be to follow these tips to cover the syllabus in a thorough manner within less time.

Focusing on these key areas which have been discussed like reverse engineering, solving the case – studies, applying elimination methods, and ensuring time management will help you prepare better and make you exam–ready.

Following these tricks along with determined efforts will greatly favor your chances of succeeding in this examination!

I am assured that following these above-mentioned focus areas which I discussed in detail above will prove to be beneficial in your exam preparation.

To clear a competitive exam like UGC NET, you must ensure to stay consistent in your journey apart from preparing thoroughly.

So, practice these tips, make consistent efforts, and stay confident and I am sure you will clear UGC NET JRF with flying colors and contribute significantly to the research field.