Richa Chaudhary shares her success story of clearing UGC NET 2018 Psychology for Assistant Professor
University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test 2025 ( UGC NET )
Registration - 7 Oct '25 - 7 Nov '25
Richa Chaudhary
A dedicated student, Richa has always topped during her graduation and post-graduation days. She scored 65% (first position in college) during her BA, 79.6% during her MA (second position in the university), and 80% (first position in university) in her BEd first year. The girl was also the General Secretary of DDU Gorakhpur University’s student union.
Clearing UGC NET was always Richa’s first preference. The only daughter in her home, Richa’s parents always motivated her to do the best. In her free time, Richa likes cooking, dancing, and listening to music.
In a candid interview with Shiksha, Richa shares her exam prep strategy, future plans and more. Read the complete interview below:
Q. Did you expect to qualify UGC NET for Assistant Professor?
Yes, of course. Clearing UGC NET was my target on which I focused completely and gave away my sleep and peace.
Q. Could you tell us your preparation strategy that helped you crack UGC NET exam?
I believe in doing smart work rather than hard work. I used to follow a day-wise schedule instead of studying for 10 hours or more. I focused on clearing my basics for each topic and thereafter, attempted a series of practice sets.
Q. Did you take any coaching for this exam?
Yes, I did. But I used to skip that coaching a lot and focused more on self-study, which eventually helped me in cracking the exam.
Q. Which books did you read to prepare for the exam?
I cleared my basics on Psychology from NCERT books. Some of the books that I chose to prepare for UGC NET 2018 apart from NCERT are:
|
Book |
Author/ Publisher |
|
Psychology: From Science to Practice |
Robert A Baron |
|
Social Psychology |
Arun Kumar Singh |
|
Upkar’s UGC NET/ JRF/ SET Psychology |
- |
|
Psychology |
Saundra K Ciccarelli |
|
UGC NET/ SET (JRF & LS): Psychology Paper II & III |
Arihant Publications |
Q. How did you deal with your strengths and your weaknesses while preparing for the exam?
Feeling de-motivated is the most frequent problem that arises with students while preparing for such competitive exams. In my case, I always tried to remain positive and confident. I just focused on my goal and converted my weaknesses into strengths.
Q. What as per you are the mistakes one should avoid while preparing for the exam?
Do not panic if you are unable to solve questions and never get affected by external stimulus as there will be times when people will be judgmental and will try to decrease your motivational level. So avoid getting affected by these things.
Q. Any things that students should keep in mind to perform well on the day of the exam?
Always remind yourself that there is nothing to lose or gain in the exam. You should just focus on giving your best during the exam.
Q. Any tips for students who are planning to take the exam next year?
Be focused, be positive, manage your time well, know UGC NET paper pattern well, and always do justice with your studies.
Remember that last 20 days before the exam are always crucial because at that time you have lots of things in mind. You have to manage the pressure of the exam and at the same time read and revise lots of stuff. So never get panic. Instead always maintain your calm and be mentally prepared for the exam.
Q. What are your future plans?
My aim is to pursue research in the field of Positive Psychology. With the “UGC NET qualified” status that I have recently attained, I have finally got the wings to pursue my dreams.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 10 hours ago
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 10 hours ago
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 10 hours ago
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 11 hours ago
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 11 hours ago
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 Yesterday
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
UGC NET Notifications
How to download the UGC NET question papers?