Deepak Kumar, UGC NET 2018 qualified for Assistant Professor & JRF shares prep tips for History

University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test 2024 ( UGC NET )

Updated on Aug 10, 2018 15:51 IST

Deepak Kumar, UGC NET qualified

Deepak Kumar has cracked UGC NET 2018 History paper for both Assistant Professor and JRF (Junior Research Fellowship) by scoring 156/300 marks (52%). His paper-wise scores are 56/100 (56%) in paper-I and 100/200 (50%) in paper-II.

Belonging to a rural area, clearing UGC NET was always Deepak’s first preference. Although he came from a background where his parents gave little or no importance to studies, he was determined enough to achieve his goal of cracking UGC NET History paper. According to Deepak, “My parents had no idea about UGC NET-JRF but still they supported me in my journey of clearing JRF.”

An extremely hardworking student, Deepak is a graduate as well as postgraduate in History from Ram Lal Anand College and Sri Venkateswara College, respectively. Both the colleges are affiliated to University of Delhi. Currently, Deepak is preparing for his MPhil interview at University of Delhi and is also searching for teaching jobs in colleges.

In his free time, Deepak likes reading books and newspapers. The lad also likes listening to news regularly.
In a candid interview with Shiksha, Deepak shares his prep strategy and study plan for the exam. The lad also gives some relevant prep tips to aspirants of UGC NET (December) 2018. Read the complete interview below:

Q. Did you expect to qualify UGC NET for Assistant Professor and JRF?

A.

I did expect to qualify UGC NET for Assistant Professor and JRF as I am interested in further research on topics like Dalit and their internal conflicts. For this, I did a lot hardwork and studied consistently.

Q. Could you tell us your preparation strategy that helped you crack UGC NET exam?

A.

I studied for 8-10 hours a day. During those hours I studied a book thoroughly especially by noting down all important facts so that I could memorise them easily. The most important point is that I never mugged up any facts, rather just tried to understand them and that helped me crack the exam.

Q. Did you take any coaching for this exam?

A.

No, I have never been for any coaching. I believe self-study is the best means to achieve success.

Q. What study plan did you follow for this exam?

A.

I adopted a step-by-step study plan mentioned below:

First, I studied the syllabus thoroughly.

Second, I studied all basic books to clear my concepts.

Third, I studied all important facts.

Last, I solved last 10 years’ question papers of UGC NET to mark my score and personally grade myself.

Q. Which books did you read to prepare for the exam?

A.

The books that I referred to for UGC NET preparation are:

Paper

Book

Author/ Publication

I

UGC-NET/JRF/SET Teaching And Research Aptitude (General Paper - I)

Upkar

 

 

 

II

Ancient India

RS Sharma

Medieval India (Volume 1 & 2)

Satish Chandra

A New Look at Modern Indian History: Form 1707 To The Modern Times

BL Grover

From Plassey to Partition: A History of Modern India

Sekhar Bandyopadhyay

Kiran UPSC Bhartiy Etihas (Indian History)

Nagendra Pratap Singh

Q. How did you deal with your strengths and weaknesses while preparing for the exam?

A.

I had set my aim at JRF and to achieve that I focused on studying continuously. Yes, it was a little difficult to follow the routine regularly and it became difficult to clear some concepts so at that time I used to contact my friends to have a discussion on different topics. All those discussions with my friends helped me clear my doubts. And, at the end of all the obstacles I was able to achieve the result that I wanted.

Q. What as per you are the mistakes one should avoid while preparing for the exam?

A.

One should be very clear on the books they are referring to for NET preparation as good books are the necessity to clear any exam. Secondly, candidates should avoid mugging up and concentrate on understanding the topic that they are studying.

At the end, regular study and positive attitude is all that is required to crack the exam.

Q. Any advice to manage time while giving the exam?

A.

Time management depends on one's own self. It is important to make a plan a day before the exam especially for General paper (paper-I). For paper-II, not much planning is required.

Q. Which as per you was the most difficult part of the UGC NET exam?

A.

Nothing is difficult or easy as it depends on the study one does and that makes one confident.

Q. Any things that students should keep in mind to perform well on the day of the exam?

A.

Don't panic, keep calm and read each question carefully so that you answer it well. Self-confidence and passion is necessary to clear the exam.

Q. What other teaching entrance exams did you take?

A.

I have cleared MPhil entrance exams of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Delhi University.

Q. Any tips for students who are planning to take the exam next year?

A.

Study well and regularly. Don't panic. Don't overthink, just study.

About the Author
Download Important Dates for Sarkari Exams Exams

News & Updates

Latest NewsPopular News

Explore Other Exams

28 Feb '25 -

2 Mar '25

CSIR NET December Session Exam...

4 Jan '25 -

5 Jan '25

CSIR NET December Application ...

Aug '25

SSC JE Tier 1 Application Proc...

Oct '25

SSC JE Tier 1 Exam 2025

13 Jan '25

HPTET Result Announced

13 Jan '25

HPTET Final Answer Key

Feb '25

Kerala SET Exam 2025 for Janua...

15 Jan '25

Kerala SET 2025 Admit Card

30 Jan '25 -

7 Feb '25

KTET Answer Key

18 Jan '25 -

19 Jan '25

KTET Exam Date

Feb '25

SBI PO 2025 Prelims Admit Card

8 Mar '25

SBI PO Prelims Exam 2025 Day 1

22 Nov '24

OTET OMR Sheet & Final Answer ...

22 Nov '24

OTET Result

27 Jul '25

IBPS RRB PO 2025 Prelims Exam

2 Aug '25 -

3 Aug '25

IBPS RRB PO 2025 Prelims Exam

5 Feb '25

TSTET Final Answer Key 2024-25

5 Feb '25

TSTET Result Declaration

22 Jan '25 -

11 Feb '25

IAS 2025 Application Dates

12 Feb '25 -

18 Feb '25

IAS 2025 Application Correctio...

The list of exams are recommended based on what other exams do the students in your area show interest in
qna

Student Forum

chatAnything you would want to ask experts?
Write here...

Answered 2 days ago

The UGC NET (University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test) is a national-level exam in India conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on behalf of the UGC. It determines eligibility for Assistant Professorship and awards the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in Indian universities and

...Read more

P

Parth Mishra

Beginner-Level 5

Answered 3 days ago

To change your UGC NET application subject from Home Science to Life Science, you need to access the "Application Correction Window" on the official NTA UGC NET website, login using your credentials, and modify the subject selection to "Life Science" within the designated timeframe; make sure to che

...Read more

A

Anurag Shivam

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 4 days ago

Obtaining access to your UGC NET admit card requires a visit to the official website at ugcnet.nta.ac.in. Visitors can access the UGC NET admit card download link on the website then complete the login process by using application number and date of birth alongside a security key. The display of you

...Read more

K

Krish Lalwani

Contributor-Level 7

Answered 4 days ago

National Eligibility Test (NET) examination allows students to take place before entering into a PG course. University Grants Commission (UGC) lets students who participate in their Master's degree final year examinations or have finished their Master's degree to sit for the NET exam. A candidate do

...Read more

K

Krish Lalwani

Contributor-Level 7

Answered 4 days ago

Hi Monika,

Yes, you are eligible to apply for the UGC NET exam in Political Science after completing your Master's degree in Political Science. The University Grants Commission (UGC) requires candidates to have a Master's degree or equivalent with at least 55% marks (50% for SC/ST/PwD/Transgender ca

...Read more

A

Ankit kumar

Contributor-Level 9

Answered 5 days ago

Sample papers for the UGC NET Political Science examination are provided on the official website of UGC NET, which is ugcnet.nta.nic.in. Many educational institutions like, Shiksha have made available downloadable practice papers in PDF from 2009 to 2023. Solving these papers helps a candidate under

...Read more

L

Lalita Kumari

Beginner-Level 5

Answered a week ago

Yes, you can definitely try the UGC NET in Environmental Science if you hold a Master's degree in Botany. The UGC NET eligibility criteria also include that such applicants holding their Master's degrees in subjects allied to Environmental Science are acceptable too. Botany falls in that category as

...Read more

T

Tanya Tomar

Contributor-Level 9

Answered a week ago

The new syllabus for UGC NET 2025 is divided into two papers: Paper 1 carries topics like General Teaching and Research Aptitude which are: Teaching Aptitude, Research Aptitude, Comprehension, Communication, Mathematical Reasoning, and Data Interpretation. This carries a total of 50 MCQs carrying 10

...Read more

L

Lalita Kumari

Beginner-Level 5

Answered a week ago

Since there is no separate Statistics paper in the UGC NET exam, you can choose Mathematical Sciences (Code 88). This subject includes topics from statistics, mathematics, and operations research, making it the best fit for your background.

V

Vidhi

Beginner-Level 2

Answered 2 weeks ago

Yes, the National Testing Agency released the UGC NET 2024 answer key for the December session on its official website - ugcnet.nta.ac.in. The UGC NET answer key is made available through the candidates' login on the official website. Along with the release of the answer key, the UGC NET response sh

...Read more

I

Ishita Kaur

Beginner-Level 2