UGC NET 2017 for JRF & Assistant Professor: Prep tips for Geography by Waseem Ahmmad Bhat

Registration: 19 Nov '24 - 10 Dec '24

Updated on Jan 5, 2018 15:12 IST

A PhD student, Waseem Ahmmad Bhat cracked UGC NET (November) 2017 Geography paper for both JRF (Junior Research Fellowship) and Assistant Professor. He scored a whopping 252/350 marks (72%). His paper-wise scores include 64/100 (64%) in Paper I, 72/100 (72%) in Paper II, and 116/150 (78%) in Paper III.

An extremely dedicated student, Waseem never took any coaching for the exam. However, this is not his first attempt of UGC NET Geography paper. Regarding the same, Waseem stated, “I have qualified UGC NET five to six times before. But what I did different this time as part of my UGC NET (November) 2017 preparation strategy was that I focused on my strengths and tried to look into my weaknesses. I made my strengths stronger and at the same time also erased my weaknesses.” He added, “As part of my prep strategy, I also practiced previous years’ papers a lot more than my previous attempts of the exam.”

When we asked Waseem what as per him was the most difficult part of UGC NET exam, he revealed that he found Human Geography and World Geography to be most difficult. He further talked about the study plan he followed for the exam and shared that he studied for four to five hours regularly for a month. And, those four to five hours were mainly utilised to study Physical and Indian Geography.

Waseem shared that he studied the following books for his preparation for UGC NET 2017:

Book	Author
Fundamentals of Physical Geography	Majid Husain
Physical Geography	Savindra Singh
India: A Comprehensive Geography	D R Khullar
Evolution of Geographical Thought	Majid Husain
Human Geography	Majid Husain
Geography	Surender Singh
Practical Geography: A Systematic Approach	Ashis Sarkar
NCERT practical books of Classes 11^th and 12^th

When we questioned Waseem about the mistakes students should avoid while preparing for UGC NET, he answered, “Students usually do not study according to the syllabus formulated by UGC. This is not a good practice to follow.”

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He also advised students on managing time well in the exam and said, “Students usually complain about the lack of time in Paper I of the exam. Time can be managed efficiently if they solve maximum possible number of previous years’ papers.” He added, “Students should work hard and always believe in themselves that they can crack the exam.”

Highly ambitious, Waseem loves studying. Before pursuing PhD, he was a post-graduate Geography student at University of Kashmir. Waseem also shared that playing Cricket is a hobby that he pursues.

In future, Waseem wants to make his career in the field of Research.

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