STRATEGIES TO PREPARE FOR UGC NET-JRF EXAM

When I first decided to appear for the UGC-NET/JRF exam, the biggest question on my mind was: How do I even begin? Is there a specific way to prepare for it? Naturally, I turned to Google and YouTube in search of answers. While some suggestions were genuinely helpful, most of the so-called YouTube “NET influencers” turned out to be more noise than guidance.

That’s when I thought of reaching out to seniors in the university — people who had already gone through the process. But because of the competitive nature of the exam and perhaps the fear of losing their ‘genius’ tag, they weren’t very forthcoming. So, I had to figure everything out on my own. And to be honest, it wasn’t fun.

That’s exactly why I made a promise to myself. The day I crack JRF, I’ll help others who are on the same path, and share everything I’ve learned — openly and honestly.

I believe my two-year journey with the UGC-NET exam might give you a clearer idea of how to design your own approach. And if you’re looking for a shortcut, feel free to skip ahead to the “Strategies” section.

HOW I CRACKED IT

When I started my master’s degree, I had one goal in mind — to crack the UGC-NET/JRF exam within the two years of the course. That gave me four attempts. I was confident, even a bit overconfident, and assumed it would be a smooth ride. But what I thought would be a cakewalk soon turned into a nightmare. I had no clarity on how to approach the exam.

In my first attempt, I focused entirely on reading the literary canon and ignored Previous Year Questions (PYQs). Not-surprisingly, I didn’t clear anything. I managed to read just two books and panicked when I saw how much more was left.

For the second attempt, I acknowledged my earlier mistakes. But my strategy remained the same — endless reading. I did manage to cover more this time and revised regularly. I cleared NET but missed JRF by five questions.

By the third attempt, I finally changed course. I shifted my focus to PYQs and stopped obsessing over reading bulky texts. Honestly, I enjoy reading more than solving endless questions like a robot. But I realised that understanding concepts is not enough. You need to memorise as well — sad, but true. Even with that shift, the result stayed the same. I cleared NET again and missed JRF by just three questions.

By the final attempt, I had a solid set of notes. I knew when to stop and had begun to understand the real value of PYQs. At that point, the challenge was no longer academic — it was mental. PhD admissions were near, and I needed the financial support that JRF would bring. Every day, I pushed myself to sit down and study. I revised Paper II, improved my performance in Paper I, and kept solving PYQs for both.

And finally, I did it. I got my JRF.

When I finally had a moment to breathe and reflect, it hit me — had I approached it the right way from the beginning, I might have succeeded much earlier. So here are the two strategies that worked best for me, and which I genuinely believe can work for anyone if applied with sincerity and consistency.

TWO STRATEGIES

1. PYQ ONLY

Trust me, guys, when I say only and only PYQs can get you JRF! I know many people who don’t know anything at all in-depth about their field of study but still hold JRF because, at the time, they memorised as many facts and answers as they could while solving PYQs. It makes sense also—the examiner who sets the paper every six months is not a very smart person himself and repeats at least forty percent of the questions, just framed in different ways. Likewise, MCQ-type questions are usually not a great qualitative test, as they focus mainly on memory and recall factors of learning. Additionally, for some reason, UGC-NET exams don’t have the minus marking system like JEE, NEET, and CAT, etc., leaving scope for guesswork and contributing to the viability of such a strategy.

How to smartly use PYQ to crack UGC-NET/JRF:

Instead of just memorising six thousand questions, I recommend a slight variation that will help you score better and learn at the same time. The trick is to locate all four options of one question and categorise the question at the same time. For example, if the question is:

What is the first English newspaper?
And the options are:
A) Bengal Gazette
B) Samachar Darpan
C) Search Light
D) The Leader

First thing first—we’ll take a loose page (file page or blank A4 paper) or flashcard and write the category of the question as ‘Newspaper History.’ Subsequently, look for the right answer and write it—in this case, Bengal Gazette. Meanwhile, we’ll also write some other basic information about the year in which it started, the founder’s name, place of publication, and other significant facts we think could be asked in future exams. Lastly, a crucial step: look for the information of the other options. In this case:

• Samachar Darpan is the first Bengali paper
• Search Light is the first English newspaper of Bihar
• The Leader is the first natively owned English paper in UP

There is a simple idea behind my PYQ strategy: if the examiner has bothered with three other options, he is interested in them and might frame some questions in subsequent exams under the same category. Therefore, scanning all the options is always the best option as it gives an idea of the examiner’s stock of knowledge and interest.

However, there are three downsides to this strategy:

1. Many times, the options given in a question are baseless and do not fructify, wasting time.
2. Because of the copious amount of PYQs available, it becomes virtually impossible to make notes for each question. Thus, you’ll have to decide which options to include and what to exclude.
3. Lastly, although you can learn a lot with this method too, it is no replacement for a good book and tutorials available online. Additionally, it makes the whole process bland and boring.

2. STUDYING PLUS PYQ’s

A slightly different yet much more difficult strategy is to read all the topics given in the syllabus of UGC-NET and build a solid base of notes and understanding before jumping into the PYQ world. The trick is not to waste more than three months finishing the syllabus, and to read no fewer than three canons of your field. Later, when done with the basic grounding, gradually move toward the PYQs.

The idea behind this strategy is quite simple:

1. It gives you a head start on what is being asked in questions, so the subject doesn’t completely feel alien or make you start doubting yourself for not knowing anything.
2. Reading books and credible articles will, for sure, prepare you for new and tricky questions that might come your way, giving you an additional edge over PYQ-only people.

How to do it?

First, create notes unit-wise. The idea is not to create lots of notes, but rather smart notes which would help you revise. Then, while solving PYQs, add the question notes under their respective categories. For example, advertising question notes under the “Advertising” unit notes you created earlier. This will help you create clean and categorised notes for each unit with its respective PYQ notes, facilitating easy revision and focused preparation on weaker subjects.

Although this process requires at least six months of rigorous effort to be exam-ready, I prefer this method the most—mainly for one particular reason: the knowledge and depth you acquire during these six or nine months will stay with you forever and will help you throughout your academic journey from PhD scholar to professor.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT STRATEGY FOR YOU

If you feel confused about which method to choose, follow these two easy steps and assess:

Step 1: Take any set of Previous Year Questions available.
Step 2: Solve the set, keeping in mind just one rule: only answer the questions you are 100% sure about, and leave it even if you have the slightest doubt.

If you score more than thirty questions right in Paper II with 100% surety, you can choose only the PYQ strategy. However, if your score is less than thirty, I recommend not taking the shortcut and religiously dedicating time to building the base first. Lastly, you are the master of your mind and you know yourself the best. Thus, do what you feel suits you the best.

Also, pair the strategies with the ‘Tips’ in the section succeeding it, as they’ll safeguard you from omitting the common mistakes every UGC-NET/JRF aspirant makes – Click Here!