Vivek Sharma, UGC NET 2019 qualified for JRF & Assistant Professor shares prep tips for Political Science

Vivek Rohan Sharma qualified UGC NET 2019 (Political Science paper) for JRF & Assistant Professor with a total score of 198/300. Shiksha got talking to Vivek to know what prep strategy he adopted to crack the exam.

A postgraduate in Political Science from Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Smarak Mahavidyalaya (Dr. RMLS College) Muzaffarpur, Bihar, Vivek Rohan Sharma cracked the UGC NET June 2019 exam with 66%. His paper-wise scores in the exam include 68/100 (68%) in paper-I and 130/200 (65%) in paper-II. His overall percentile score in the exam is 99.87%.  

Belonging to a lower-middle-class family, Vivek never took any coaching for the exam. Going forward, the lad wishes to crack the UPSC Civil Services Examination. However, for now he has started preparation for BPSC examination which is expected to be held in September 2019.

While not studying, Vivek likes playing Chess, watching movies, listening to songs, and reciting poetry. Know what preparation strategy and study plan he followed to crack the UGC NET 2019 exam in the interview below:

Yes, I expected to qualify for JRF (Junior Research Fellowship). I had taken the UGC NET exam in December 2018 as well but qualified for Assistant Professor only. So I was expecting to crack the exam for JRF this time.

First of all, I analyzed the entire UGC NET syllabus. This year, new NET syllabus was introduced in which many new topics were added. So the syllabus was a bit rigorous. Solving previous years’ UGC NET question papers gave me the idea of the pattern of questions asked in the last few years. 

In my personal opinion, cracking UGC NET exam is not very tough as questions are mainly fact-based. Attempting UGC NET previous years’ question papers gave me the idea that facts are important and so I focused more on fact-based questions.

I just followed the syllabus and focused on each unit of the syllabus topic-wise. UGC NET syllabus for both papers (paper-I and II) was divided into 10 units and I focused on every unit. I read the topics and collected facts. To clear the NET exam, one needs more fact-based knowledge than conceptual knowledge.

The new UGC NET syllabus is so huge and topics are so diverse that the list of reference books is long. However, I mainly studied IGNOU books and took help of Youtube and Google. Some of the books that I would suggest candidates to certainly read are:

• An Introduction to Political Theory by OP Gauba
• Key Concepts in Politics and International Relations by Andrew Heywood
• Political Ideologies: An Introduction by Andrew Heywood
• Indian Polity by M Laxmikanth
• Governance in India by M Laxmikanth
• Political Theory : Ideas Andd Concepts by Sushila Ramaswamy
• Women in Political Thought: The Quest for Gender Equality and Beyond by Sushila Ramaswamy

Ups and downs are part of life. My weakness is consistency, this time I reduced it and tried to overcome. My family fully supported me; especially my sister motivated me a lot.

Don't hunt for materials, focus on topics. Don't ignore any unit of the syllabus. Too much deep study is not needed, focus more on facts. Don't ignore current affairs related to the syllabus.

Yes, time management is extremely important. Though there is enough time of 180 minutes for 150 questions, still your mismanagement of time may bring bad news for you. Control your excitement; give maximum 1 minute for 1 question.

To cover the whole syllabus is difficult. Diverse topics in paper 1 are troublesome. Rest, the exam is easy, with smart preparation it is not difficult to crack.

On the day of the exam, the student must be cool minded. Tension and over-excitement should be avoided. Attempt all questions.

Analyze the syllabus and previous years’ UGC NET question papers combined. Facts play an important role but clear your concepts as well. Study topic-wise and take help of Youtube and Google. Maintain consistency in your studies.

I want to enroll in PhD and simultaneously prepare for UPSC Civil Services.