Deepak Kumar has cracked UGC NET 2018 History paper for both Assistant Professor and JRF (Junior Research Fellowship) by scoring 156/300 marks (52%). His paper-wise scores are 56/100 (56%) in paper-I and 100/200 (50%) in paper-II.
Belonging to a rural area, clearing UGC NET was always Deepak’s first preference. Although he came from a background where his parents gave little or no importance to studies, he was determined enough to achieve his goal of cracking UGC NET History paper. According to Deepak, “My parents had no idea about UGC NET-JRF but still they supported me in my journey of clearing JRF.”
An extremely hardworking student, Deepak is a graduate as well as postgraduate in History from Ram Lal Anand College and Sri Venkateswara College, respectively. Both the colleges are affiliated to University of Delhi. Currently, Deepak is preparing for his MPhil interview at University of Delhi and is also searching for teaching jobs in colleges.
In his free time, Deepak likes reading books and newspapers. The lad also likes listening to news regularly.
In a candid interview with Shiksha, Deepak shares his prep strategy and study plan for the exam. The lad also gives some relevant prep tips to aspirants of UGC NET (December) 2018. Read the complete interview below:
Q. Did you expect to qualify UGC NET for Assistant Professor and JRF?
I did expect to qualify UGC NET for Assistant Professor and JRF as I am interested in further research on topics like Dalit and their internal conflicts. For this, I did a lot hardwork and studied consistently.
Q. Could you tell us your preparation strategy that helped you crack UGC NET exam?
I studied for 8-10 hours a day. During those hours I studied a book thoroughly especially by noting down all important facts so that I could memorise them easily. The most important point is that I never mugged up any facts, rather just tried to understand them and that helped me crack the exam.
Q. Did you take any coaching for this exam?
No, I have never been for any coaching. I believe self-study is the best means to achieve success.
Q. What study plan did you follow for this exam?
I adopted a step-by-step study plan mentioned below:
First, I studied the syllabus thoroughly.
Second, I studied all basic books to clear my concepts.
Third, I studied all important facts.
Last, I solved last 10 years’ question papers of UGC NET to mark my score and personally grade myself.
Q. Which books did you read to prepare for the exam?
The books that I referred to for UGC NET preparation are:
Paper |
Book |
Author/ Publication |
I |
UGC-NET/JRF/SET Teaching And Research Aptitude (General Paper - I) |
Upkar |
II |
Ancient India |
RS Sharma |
Medieval India (Volume 1 & 2) |
Satish Chandra |
|
A New Look at Modern Indian History: Form 1707 To The Modern Times |
BL Grover |
|
From Plassey to Partition: A History of Modern India |
Sekhar Bandyopadhyay |
|
Kiran UPSC Bhartiy Etihas (Indian History) |
Nagendra Pratap Singh |
Q. How did you deal with your strengths and weaknesses while preparing for the exam?
I had set my aim at JRF and to achieve that I focused on studying continuously. Yes, it was a little difficult to follow the routine regularly and it became difficult to clear some concepts so at that time I used to contact my friends to have a discussion on different topics. All those discussions with my friends helped me clear my doubts. And, at the end of all the obstacles I was able to achieve the result that I wanted.
Q. What as per you are the mistakes one should avoid while preparing for the exam?
One should be very clear on the books they are referring to for NET preparation as good books are the necessity to clear any exam. Secondly, candidates should avoid mugging up and concentrate on understanding the topic that they are studying.
At the end, regular study and positive attitude is all that is required to crack the exam.
Q. Any advice to manage time while giving the exam?
Time management depends on one's own self. It is important to make a plan a day before the exam especially for General paper (paper-I). For paper-II, not much planning is required.
Q. Which as per you was the most difficult part of the UGC NET exam?
Nothing is difficult or easy as it depends on the study one does and that makes one confident.
Q. Any things that students should keep in mind to perform well on the day of the exam?
Don't panic, keep calm and read each question carefully so that you answer it well. Self-confidence and passion is necessary to clear the exam.
Q. What other teaching entrance exams did you take?
I have cleared MPhil entrance exams of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Delhi University.
Q. Any tips for students who are planning to take the exam next year?
Study well and regularly. Don't panic. Don't overthink, just study.
Q. What are your future plans?
My future plan is to be a professor in a renowned university and to pursue PhD.
Also Read:
UGC NET 2018: Prep tips for Commerce by Ramesh Kumar
Richa Chaudhary shares her success story of clearing UGC NET 2018 Psychology for Assistant Professor
UGC NET 2018: Prep tips for Forensic Science by Snigdha Moitra
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Student Forum
Answered Yesterday
Candiates can check below the steps to download the UGC NET question papers:
- Visit at ugcnet.nta.nic.in.
- Click on the answer key & question paper link.
- Login using the required details.
- Download the question paper PDF
V
Contributor-Level 6
Answered Yesterday
To give mock test is important. It helps them to find out strengths and weaknesses. regular practice also improves speed, gain confidence, reduce the exam pressure, helps to understand the exam pattern, improves speed, etc.
G
Contributor-Level 6
Answered Yesterday
Analysis is crucial for a candidate in the NTA NET exam. It helps to strategize the preparation, understand the paper structure, difficulty level, topics asked or high weightage areas, expected cutoff, etc.
K
Contributor-Level 6
Answered Yesterday
No. Candidate must possess a Master's degree with a minimum of 55% grade score average from a UGC recognised university to apply for the NTA UGC NET exam. Also, if she or he is in the final year of their Master's programme or hold a four year bachelor's degree in specific subjects.
N
Contributor-Level 6
Answered Yesterday
There is no upper age limit to apply for the Assistant Professor positions. But for the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), the maximum age limit is 30 years as of June 1 of the exam year. There is also an ahe relaxation provided to the candidates from reserved categories including OBC, SC and ST
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 days ago
The Commission released the UGC NET 2025 December session examination dates on the official website ugcnet.nta.nic.in. The exam will be conducted from December 31 to January 7, 2025. The detailed schedule will be released later.
V
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 weeks ago
The Commission released the UGC NET notification 2025 for the December session in the form of PDF on October 7 at ugcnet.nta.nic.in. The registration also started for the December sesison along with the notification. The last date to apply is November 7, 2025.
N
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
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
V
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
K
Contributor-Level 6
How to download the UGC NET question papers?