Common mistakes while preparing for UGC NET exam

UGC National Eligibility Test(NET) is a national-level examination conducted for the purpose of selecting candidates for the posts of Assistant Professor or both Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Assistant Professor at universities and colleges. UGC NET Exam is considered one of the toughest exams and it is not easy for everyone to give 100% in their first attempt. It happens due to lot of pressure and stress, lack of proper awareness and incomplete preparation but with the right preparation strategies and tips you can surely crack it with confidence and no mistakes.

Some common mistakes UGC NET aspirants must avoid are:-

1.Time control and command

One of the biggest mistakes aspiring UGC NET aspirants should avoid is starting the preparation strategy late. The candidates must start preparation early to have enough time and a systematic approach to manage and complete the entire syllabus along with revising the topics. To be able to perform better they must understand the latest syllabus and exam pattern. 

 2.Proper planning is a must

Preparing for UGC NET without a proper plan is a blunder the aspirants must avoid at all cost. One must plan their studies to cover the complete syllabus and use their time better sticking to their schedule. Also while preparing they must focus on class 11th and 12th books to gain command over the basics. One should not consult and refer to many books at a time. They must collect only useful books to avoid confusion.

3.Practice questions as per the exam pattern

The aspirants must try to practice questions as per the exam pattern because practicing only descriptive or only objective questions is a big mistake. They must give importance equally to both the parts. No topic of the syllabus must be skipped in the syllabus as it will affect their performance.

4.Both paper 1 and paper 2 hold equal value

UGC NET is conducted in two phases:- Paper-1(General Aptitude Questions) & Paper-2(subject chosen by candidate). One of the gravest mistakes candidates make is ignoring paper-1 and focusing on paper-2. It should be avoided because clearing paper-1 is important to qualify for paper-2. Some students focus only on studying but not revising the topics. To qualify in the exam the candidates must cover the whole UGC NET syllabus for paper-1 and paper-2. But revision of the entire syllabus is important to recall everything you have learnt.

5.Ignoring mock tests and not analyzing the performance periodically

One should not ignore solving previous year’s question and sample papers, FNET it is a big blunder to do. The aspirants should solve these question papers in a timely manner to know the exam pattern, difficulty levels, types of questions, important topics and manage time better. They should take mock tests and do performance analysis on a regular basis, identify weak areas and try to improve.

6.Running for shortcuts

The candidates should never try to run for shortcut ways to get the desired results in the UGC NET exam. The UGC NET exam mostly includes theory subjects and there is not much scope of shortcuts here. Taking the shortcut route actually costs more time. Some students try to do so by picking and avoiding topics according to suitability. One should try to be in the flow of study without sidelining any topic however unimportant it may seem to be.

7.Don’t fall in the trap of wrong choice of study materials

The choice of study materials is a very crucial part of UGC NET exam. A well analyzed and chosen study material setup can be the first step towards success in the exam. 

8.Setting the target score with reference to last year’s cut-off marks

Setting an estimated score for UGC NET according to last year’s cut-off can put one in trouble. Many coaching institutes advise to prepare that way and candidates interpret it wrong setting their targets equal to previous year’s cut-off marks while they must set it higher than the previous year.

9.Try to avoid making silly mistakes

It’s human nature to make mistakes. And the aspirants of the exam are no exception to it. One must not feel guilty about making mistakes but should learn from them because a single mark can be the deciding factor between a pass and fail result scenario. These are some mistakes which candidates must avoid-

1.Do not misunderstand the format of the test.

2.Do not guess multiple answers for a question and be confused.

3.Do not read questions in a hurry.

4.Do not misunderstand the key terms in the question.

5.Do not spend a long time on a single question appearing tough to you.

6.Try to manage time well.

7.Do not let nervousness get on you better than your confidence to crack the exam nicely.

Conclusion

The UGC NET exam may be considered to be a high-difficulty level one but the candidates must not be disheartened by anything. If they take care of these common mistakes while preparing for the exam and try to follow the guidelines, tips provided here they can surely set the ball rolling in their court and crack the exam fine, with complete perfection, success and confidence ready to embrace the reality that nothing succeeds like success and nothing is a hurdle for a human being if he is a determined one ready to win no matter what.