Rajat Sen, UGC NET 2019 qualified for Assistant Professor wants to be a researcher

Check out the UGC NET preparation strategy and other tips by Rajat Sen, UGC NET 2019 qualifier below.

Rajat Sen qualified UGC NET 2019 exam for Assistant Professor in Mass Communication & Journalism subject. He scored total 178 out of 300 marks. His paper-wise marks in the exam include 66 in paper-I and 112 in paper-II.

Interestingly, Rajat completed his bachelor’s degree in Science with a Physics major from Jagannath Barooah College, Jorhat, Assam. However, thereafter, he changed his subject and completed his post-graduation in Mass Communication from Assam Central University, Silchar. He was also awarded Gold Medal for the same. Currently, Rajat is pursuing Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Mass Communication & Journalism at Tezpur Central University, Assam.

A very sincere and hard-working student, Rajat belongs to a lower middle class income family. His father is a government employee and mother is a homemaker. He belongs to the unreserved category and regarding the same he feels, “You can imagine the extra effort that I have had to put in during every competitive exam I sat for. UGC NET was no exception. I feel that is unfair to me because unlike popular discourse, I have had no special privileges or access to better education than that of my peers. Still I have to score more, pay more for my education. Well that is the way it is. I just have to put my head down and keep moving on. There are no two ways about it.”

In his free time, Rajat likes singing, playing badminton and watching Netflix and motorsports on TV. Shiksha got talking to Rajat to know his UGC NET preparation strategy, future plans and more. Go through the complete interview below.

To be honest, I did not think much about it while writing the exam. However, after tallying my response sheet with the UGC NET answer key, I was confident of clearing the exam for Assistant Professor at least, if not JRF (going by the trend of cutoffs of my paper of the previous years). The only disappointing part is that had I successfully attempted three to four correct questions more, I would have qualified for JRF as well in my very first attempt. However, all hope is not lost. I am planning to sit for the next NTA UGC NET exam to fare better.

Clearing the exam while pursuing master’s course is the best approach. In this way, you are able to keep abreast with all the theoretical concepts of your own subjects. Revision, practice and persistence is the key. Nevertheless, having a decent score in paper-I makes the job much easier. The more you score in paper-I the more chances you have of clearing NET/NET-JRF. The second paper is considered more critical and comprehensive of the two.

No, I did not. I think self-study is enough for this exam. One can take coaching if he/she wants to but the bulk of the syllabus has to be covered by the aspirant himself/herself. The coaching can only guide you (or in some cases misguide you).

I did not have a dedicated study schedule for myself. A couple of hours each day twice or thrice a week was sufficient for me. However, for more efficient results I would advise you to practice every day (even if it is for just one hour). This way you can build up your consistency and once the exam approaches you can find yourself in a comfortable position.

I prepared for paper-I from a book by KVS Madan. However, that itself is not enough. Reading newspapers and keeping yourself updated with the current affairs of all the units come in handy.

For paper-II (Mass Communication and Journalism), I did not follow a particular book. UGC NET previous years’ question papers, mock tests and the notes made during my master’s helped me a lot.

Personally, I feel that you cannot attempt to be a jack-of-all-trades if you are sitting for any competitive exam. All sections carry equal weightage so if you are weak in one section you can very well make it up in the next sections. Some people fear anything to do with numbers but the numerical aptitude, data Interpretation sections etc. are generally easy and scoring if you put a little effort into them.

During the examination, with the new UGC NET exam pattern it is not compulsory to finish paper-I within an hour. Paper-II does not take the entire two hours. Therefore, the ability to switch between the two sections during any stage of the exam is definitely a bonus for the students. Choose whichever questions you want to do within those three hours. Start with the easy sections, that is, the ones that you are most comfortable with, first.

Don’t panic under any circumstances and if you are appearing for such kind of CBT (computer-based test) for the first time, I would advise you to go to the official website of NTA (National Testing Agency) to make yourself familiar with the whole examination process. While answering, people are prone to making mistakes. It is a bit challenging, confusing and daunting initially but with enough practice, you are sure to succeed. Different colour codes for different sets of responses (some recorded and saved, some just left marked for review and unsaved etc.) make the job even more complicated. Also, never look at the countdown timer unless necessary. That also induces panic.

Every year presents a new set of challenges. Sometimes the numerical aptitude section is tough, sometimes the comprehension section and sometimes the Assertion/Reasoning section etc. You can never predict these things. I did not find paper-I especially tough (because of my science background). Students belonging to other streams can also become adept with a little bit of practice. In my case, I found paper-II comparatively tougher.

Try not to learn new things, concepts just before you sit for the exam or even on the previous night for that matter. This can mess with what you already know. It is advisable to revise whatever you have learnt over the course of the few months that you had been preparing for the exam.

As soon as I had decided that I wanted to become a researcher and thereafter move into academia, I had set a goal in my mind that I need to clear UGC NET as this is a benchmark for most PhD entrance examinations in various universities across the country.

Start your preparations early. Be systematic, continuously motivated and focused.

I am planning to go into academia and become a professor someday after I am done with my doctoral degree. Right now, the main goal is to come up with a good doctoral thesis at the end of these four to five years.