UGC NET 2018 for JRF & Assistant Professor: Prep tips for History by Chiranjit Gorai
Chiranjit Gorai, UGC NET 2018 qualified
Chiranjit Gorai has cracked UGC NET (July) 2018 History paper for both Assistant Professor and JRF by scoring a total of 174 out of 300 marks (58%). His paper-wise scores in the exam include 54/ 100 (54%) in paper-I and 120/ 200 (60%) in paper-II.
Currently, pursuing MPhil from Kazi Nazrul University, Asansol, Chiranjit has completed his graduation in BA History (Honours) from BB College, Asansol (West Bengal) under The University of Burdwan. The lad has also done MA in Ancient Indian History and Culture from Calcutta University and completed a professional BEd degree course from The University of Burdwan.
An extremely focused student, clearing UGC NET was always Chiranjit’s first preference. However, in his free time, Chiranjit likes playing Cricket, reading books, watching movies, and listening to music. The lad is a big fan of Sourav Ganguly, Cristiano Ronaldo as well as Akshay Kumar.
In a candid interview with Shiksha, Chiranjit talks about the preparation strategy he adopted to clear UGC NET 2018 exam, his future plans and a lot more. Read the complete interview with Chiranjot Gorai below:
Q. Congratulations for qualifying UGC NET. Did you expect to qualify UGC NET for Assistant Professor and JRF?
Yes, after the official answer keys for UGC NET July 2018 exam were published, I was sure about myself clearing the exam.
Q. Could you tell us your preparation strategy that helped you crack UGC NET exam?
I was always focused about clearing UGC NET. Although I never followed any particular study plan, I started studying four to five hours per day three months before of the exam. I studied mostly at night and solved previous years question papers for both subject paper (paper-II) as well as general paper (paper-I). Solving previous year question papers of UGC NET helped me the most in cracking the exam.
Q. Which books did you read to prepare for the exam?
I read different books to prepare for Ancient India, Medieval India and Modern India history. Some of the books I studied for my NET preparation are mentioned below:
Ancient India
1. A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century by Upinder Singh
2. India's Ancient Past by RS Sharma
3. Ancient India in Historical Outline by DN Jha
4. Interpreting Early India by Romila Thapar
5. The Penguin History of Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300 by Romila Thapar
Medieval India
1. Medieval India: From Sultanate to the Mughals (Parts 1 & 2) by Satish Chandra
2. Medieval India: Study of Civilization by Irfan Habib
Modern India
1. From Plassey to Partition and After by Sekhar Bandyopadhyay
2. Modern India: 1885 – 1947 by Sumit Sarkar
Q. How did you deal with your strengths and your weaknesses while preparing for the exam?
Before the preparation, Medieval India subject of UGC NET syllabus was my weak point. Soon I had realised that it was my weaker area as compared to the Ancient or Modern India subjects. Then I gave more time to the preparation of Medieval India and focused on making my concepts of the subject stronger. And thus, I overcome that situation. Ancient Indian portion of NET syllabus was my strongest point for the exam.
Q. Which as per you was the most difficult part of the UGC NET exam?
For me, the section of 'People and Environment' in first paper was the most difficult part of the exam.
Q. What other teaching entrance exams did you take?
Other than UGC NET, I have also qualified West Bengal upper primary TET.
Q. Any tips for students who are planning to take the exam next year?
First of all, students should always be consistent with their studies. For better preparation and stronger concepts they should first read all the standard books of History and then jump to other books and solving past year question papers of UGC NET. Also, making personal notes along with studying is always helpful to remember things for a longer time. Lastly, students should always be confident about their preparation.
Q. What are your future plans?
In near future, I want to pursue PhD.
