CUET Topper Tips: Following NCERT by heart is the key to score full marks, says Jigeesha Bhargavi

Bhargavi scored 99.2% in Class 12th, shares her preparation journey, and tips to crack the CUET-UG exam. Bhargavi who studied Humanities in Class 12th scored 800/800 in CUET 2022. Read further to know what books she referred to, her routine that helped her to excel in the entrance exam.

Jigeesha Bhargavi who is currently pursuing BA Political Science (Hons.) from Hindu College is amongst the first batch of students who appeared for the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) 2022. While speaking with Shiksha.com, Bhargavi scored 99.2% in Class 12th, shares her journey, and tips to crack the CUET exam. Bhargavi who studied Humanities in Class 12th scored 800/800 in CUET 2022. Read further to know what books she referred to, her routine that helped her to excel in the entrance exam.

Q. Please tell us about your family and educational background.

A.  I have studied Humanities from CBSE board. My subjects were History, Political Science, Economics, English, and Sociology. Both of my parents are Sanskrit teachers and we are a family of three.

Q. When did you start preparing for CUET Exam? What all books did you refer to?

A. I started preparing specifically for CUET only one month before the exams. However, the syllabus for board exams and CUET are roughly the same, so my preparation for boards made me quite ready, already for the CUET. I studied Only NCERT books for the domain-specific subjects. For the General Test paper, I bought an Arihant Publication book and for the language paper, I studied wholly from YouTube.

Q. How much time did you devote to self-study? What do you feel is better, coaching or self-study?

A. I found a cornucopia of free exam materials available online through YouTube videos, thus never opted for any coaching. There was no routine as such. I set certain achievable and flexible targets for every day and religiously completed them. Self-study is better when you have to prepare for an exam in a short span.

Q. How did you prepare for CUET UG, just a month before the exam?

A. As I had gone over NCERT a zillion times because of pre-boards, tests, and board exams, the only revision was left to be done for domain-specific tests. I gave a thorough study to the chapters of NCERT which were deleted in the Class 12 syllabus and thus everything was almost covered.  And as mentioned earlier,  YouTube videos were a great help for language.

Q. How many domain tests did you appear in the CUET exam?

A. Three domain-specific papers, namely, Political Science, History, Sociology

Q. Which subject is your strong one and which is the weakest? Are NCERT books sufficient for preparations?

A. My weakest was probably History because there were a lot of deleted chapters in history NCERT books were the start and end of preparations for me and they have to fetch me full marks, so yes NCERT is more than enough. 

Q. When it came to exam day, what was your strategy? According to you, what was the toughest and easiest section?

A. On exam day my strategy was to stay highly alert while attempting the paper, as a single wrong click had the power to dilute all my hard work to ashes. I went over the paper 2 times. Once while attempting and then while revising. The toughest section was a general test, perhaps because I was not thoroughly prepared for it, except that all were easy.

Q. Which all universities did you apply for? What was your dream college?

A.  I applied to Delhi University and Banaras Hindu University. My dream college is the one I am currently studying in, ie, Hindu College, University of Delhi.

Q. To whom do you attribute your successful CUET topper journey? What would you suggest to future CUET aspirants in terms of preparation, attitude etc?

A. There is no one person per se who deserves gratitude for my success. There are my school teachers especially, Manisha and Pushpa Ma'am, who taught me and made me fall in love with the subjects that studying did not feel like a chore. There is my mother who is the wind beneath my wings. Also, the YouTube teachers teach brilliantly and give so much material free of cost , I cannot imagine sitting for my language exam without those videos.

To the aspirants, I would suggest that following NCERT by heart is the key to cracking the CUET Exam. Don't be so anxious, CUET is much more simpler than your imagination. Review a wide range of English vocabulary and sentence structures, including idioms. Many students think they won't be able to pass the English exam since they haven't read any novels, but this is untrue. Second, focus on your board test because you'll be fully prepared for the CUET once you finish your Class 12 exam. The syllabus should then be reviewed.

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