UGC NET 2025 Preparation Tips: Check Toppers Strategy & Guide

University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test 2025 ( UGC NET )

Shikha Goyal
Updated on Sep 29, 2025 16:54 IST

By Shikha Goyal, Assistant Manager

UGC NET Preparation 2025: The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts the UGC NET exam twice a year in June and December. The authority will publish the NET official notification PDF for the December session at ugcnet.nta.ac.in. Candidates preparing for the UGC NET exam must go through the preparation tips to crack the exam with a good strategy and smart work. Those candidates who want to become an Assistant Professor  and Junior Research Fellowships in Universities and colleges need to strategize their preparation. The UGC NET exam consists of Paper 1 and Paper 2. It is a computer-based exam. As the competition is getting tougher these days, candidates need to make a proper strategy for preparation and also how to score maximum marks. 

To start the preparation for the exam, candidates must go through the UGC NET previous year questions and exam pattern to ensure maximum marks in the exam. The previous year's questions will help the candidates to know the exam better like sections, repeated questions, marks weightage, etc.

To pass the exam for UGC NET 2025 and be qualified to work in Indian universities and colleges, applicants must put in their best effort and work hard. Shiksha offers the top UGC NET preparation advice for 2025, which applicants need to strictly adhere to in order to pass the test.

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Table of content
  • UGC NET Preparation Tips 2025
  • UGC NET Subject Wise Preparation Tips 2025
  • UGC NET Exam Analysis by Students
  • UGC NET Preparation Tips Video for LAW
  • Tips to Crack UGC NET Exam 2025
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UGC NET Preparation Tips 2025

Given below are some essential points that candidates must keep in mind for the preparation of UGC NET exam

UGC NET Syllabus & Exam Pattern 2025

The first step towards effective exam preparation is being well-versed with the UGC NET exam pattern and syllabus. The UGC NET exam comprises two Papers- Paper 1 and Paper 2. Candidates have to appear for both papers in a single duration of three hours. While Paper 1 contains questions that test the teaching and research aptitude of candidates, paper 2 consists of subject-specific questions. The syllabus makes you familiar with the important topics from which questions can be asked in the exam.

Check here the fundamentals of Sets, Probability, Game Theory, Sequence and Series, Differential Equations, Vector Algebra, Determinants, Mensuration, Relations and Functions, and Inverse Trigonometric Functions.

Download UGC NET Syllabus 2025

Download Here


Prepare for Competitive Exams with Expert Tips on English Section

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Also Read: UGC NET Last Minute Preparation Tips 2025

UGC NET Books 2025

There are many books available in the market for preparation and it often becomes difficult to choose the right ones. Given below are important UGC NET books for Paper 1 recommended by previous years’ toppers.

UGC NET Paper 1 Books

Authors

Trueman's UGC NET/SET General Paper I

M Gagan and Sajit Kumar

NTA UGC NET/SET/JRF Paper I: Teaching and Research Aptitude by Pearson

KVS Madaan

General Paper-1 UGC NET/JRF/SLET – Teaching & Research Aptitude

Arihant Experts

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

Dr Lal Jain and Dr KC Vashistha

Also Read: Best books to prepare for UGC NET 2025

Get the Top Score in Numerical Ability section of Competitive Entrance Exams with Expert Prep Tips

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Commonly asked questions
Q:   When will the UGC NET 2025 Dec session exam be conducted?
Q:   Is a separate book required for practicing the mock tests for the UGC NET exam?
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UGC NET Subject Wise Preparation Tips 2025

The candidates who are preparing for the NTA UGC NET exam must go through the subject-wise tips. The tips can help the candidates to prepare for the UGC NET exam

UGC NET Political Science Tips 

  • Focus on Political Theory and Comparative Political Analysis
  • Read the International Relations and Indian Foreign Policies 
  • Practice the mock test and previous years' question papers 

UGC NET Economics Tips 

  • Focus on Macro and Micro 
  • Understand the economic theories and models
  • Practice numerical and data interpretation questions 

UGC NET English Preparation Tips 

  • Focus on Indian, American, European Literature, and English Language Teaching
  • Analyse the works of contemporary writers
  • Practice reading, writing, and comprehension

UGC NET Mock Tests & Previous Years' Papers

Since UGC NET is an online exam, it is highly important for candidates to practise as many mock tests as possible. In addition, it is also important to attempt as many previous years’ UGC NET question papers as possible. Practicing UGC NET mock tests 2025 and attempting past years’ papers help candidates in many ways such as.

  • It gives the real look and feel of the exam
  • It improves the time management skill of candidates
  • Candidates are able to judge their weak areas for the exam
  • Candidates get to know the important topics for the exam

Get the Top Score in DI and Logical Reasoning section of Competitive Entrance Exams with Expert Prep Tips

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UGC NET Exam Analysis by Students

Every year after the UGC NET exam gets over; Shiksha reaches out to students to know the difficulty level and important questions asked in the exam. Candidates can check below the June 2025 session analysis based on the feedback of the students.

Candidates can go through previous years’ UGC NET exam analysis by students below to know about the questions asked in the exam.

UGC NET 2024 December Exam Analysis

Candidates can check below the December session exam analysis:

UGC NET Dec 2024 Exam Analysis; Check Jan 16, 2025 Question Papers Analysis 
UGC NET Dec 2024 Exam Analysis; Check Jan 10, 2025 Question Papers Analysis for all shifts
UGC NET Dec 2024 Exam Analysis; Check Jan 9, 2025 Question Papers Analysis for all Shifts
 UGC NET Dec 2024 Exam Analysis; Check Jan 8, 2025 Question Papers Analysis for all Shifts
UGC NET Dec 2024 Exam Analysis; Check Jan 7, 2025 Question Papers Analysis for All Shifts
UGC NET Dec 2024 Exam Analysis; Check Jan 3, 2025 Shift 1 Question Papers Analysis Here

UGC NET Paper 1 Analysis

UGC NET Paper 2 Analysis

Also Read: Teaching Exams for Government Jobs in India

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UGC NET Preparation Tips Video for LAW

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Tips to Crack UGC NET Exam 2025

The candidates can follow the UGC NET preparation tips given below to qualify for the exam in 2025 for the December Session. Following the tips can take out the best in the candidates and make them perform well in the NTA UGC NET Exam:

  • Start Preparing for the UGC NET exam from the university days 
  • Follow the syllabus of central universities to cover the maximum topics in the exam 
  • Make a timetable that ensures that the candidate can cover all the topics of the syllabus leaving time for revision and practice
  • Practice the previous year's question papers, it will help the candidates to know the exam pattern and sections that get maximum weightage in the question paper
  • Take the mock tests in the exam conditions to prepare for the exam day 
  • Practice for accuracy and speed. It will help the candidates with the time management
  • Take frequent breaks while preparing for the UGC NET exam 2025. Relaxing the mind can take out the best in the exam

UGC NET Topper Tips

The candidates preparing for the UGC NET exam can check the testimonies of the qualified candidates as no can tell you the best preparation strategy than a qualifier themselves:

Twinkle Jaiswal

Subject: Law

Qualified: UGC NET & JRF in June 2023

Komal Sharma

Subject: Political Science 

Qualified: UGC NET June 2022 & December 2021

Shivani Karn 

Subject: English 

Qualified: UGC NET December 2020

Rajat Sen

Subject: Mass Communication & Journalism

Qualified UGC NET 2019 for Assistant Professor

Vivek Sharma

Subject: Political Science

Qualified UGC NET 2019 for JRF & Assistant Professor

Puja Sen

Subject: Mass Communication & Journalism

Qualified UGC NET 2019 for Assistant Professor

Deepak Kumar

Subject: History

Qualified UGC NET 2018 for JRF & Assistant Professor

Richa Chaudhary

Subject: Psychology

Qualified UGC NET 2018 for Assistant Professor only

Arun PS

Subject: History

Qualified UGC NET 2018 for Assistant Professor only

Ravindra Kumar

Subject: Geography

Qualified UGC NET 2017 for JRF & Assistant Professor

Rajshree Bhati

Subject: Geography

Qualified UGC NET 2017 for JRF & Assistant Professor

Shekhar Chandra

Subject: History

Qualified UGC NET 2017 for Assistant Professor only

Abhinav Pandey

Subject: History

Qualified UGC NET 2019 for Assistant Professor only

Jeetu Singh

Subject: English

Qualified UGC NET 2019 for Assistant Professor only

Vivek Mishra

Subject: Geography

Qualified UGC NET 2018 for JRF & Assistant Professor

Chiranjit Gorai

Subject: History

Qualified UGC NET 2018 for JRF & Assistant Professor

Snigdha Moitra

Subject: Forensic Science

Qualified UGC NET 2018 for Assistant Professor only

Ramesh Kumar

Subject: Commerce

Qualified UGC NET 2018 for Assistant Professor only

Nazreen Parveen Ali

Subject: Commerce

Qualified UGC NET 2017 for JRF & Assistant Professor

Waseem Ahmmad Bhat

Subject: Geography

Qualified UGC NET 2017 for JRF & Assistant Professor

Kanika Suri

Subject: Commerce

Qualified UGC NET 2017 for Assistant Professor only

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UGC NET Exam

Student Forum

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

Answered 2 days ago

The Commission is expected to soon release the UGC NET notification for the December session in the form of PDF. It will be released at ugcnet.nta.ac.in.

N

Nitesh Pruthi

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a month ago

There are several books available in the market that consist of the UGC NET practice sets. Also, some standard guidebooks include model test papers for the practicing of the UGC NET exam. Online test series are also available for the candidates who are aspiring to prepare for the UGC NET exam.

S

Shikha Goyal

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

Candidates can check below the important books that can be used for the preparation for UGC NET paper 2 Commerce and English.

Commerce: Some of the books are Trueman's UGC NET Commerce, CB Gupta's Business Organisation, etc.

English: Some of the books are Arihant UGC NET English Literature, History of

...Read more

V

Virajita Shukla

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a month ago

The National Testing Agency (NTA) will conduct the December session of the UGC NET 2025 exam. The notification is not released yet. It is conducted to determine the eligibility of candidates for the post of Assistant Professor, the award of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), and the admission to Ph.D

...Read more

K

Kritika Sharma

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a month ago

After BA, you need to pursue an MA in Urdu (or a related subject).

Once you complete or are in the final year of your MA, you can apply for UGC NET in Urdu.

In short:

BA alone cannot fulfill the eligibility for UGC NET.

The eligibility for UGC NET is MA in Urdu (or related field) with 55%+ marks

S

SUMIT .

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 2 months ago

No, PhD students aren't exempt from UGC-NET or CSIR-NET. To get admission in a PhD course, UGC is requesting institutions to integrate NET scores.

A

Anshul Jindal

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

The UGC NET 2025 December session exam will be conducted online in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode at various centress across the country. The exam is administered by the National Testing Agency (NTA), and candidates must select their answers on a computer screen during the allotted time for each par

...Read more

J

Jasleen Jain

Contributor-Level 6

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