The best way to solve previous
question papers is not just to check the answer keys, but research the
aspects related to the right answer choice as well as other choices. For
example:
Q. The mode of communication that
involves a single source transmitting information to a large number of
receivers simultaneously, is called
(A) Group Communication
(B) Mass Communication
(C) Intrapersonal Communication
(D) Interpersonal Communication
The right answer is B here. Now, you
must study other terms also. Research about Intrapersonal Communication,
Interpersonal Communication and Group Communication. There definitely are
questions where right answer is from any of these 3 terms.
Point #2.
Give very much importance
to Paper I. Some candidates think that Paper
II and Paper III are more demanding and need more time to prepare. It's true
that one needs very good preparation for subject papers, but if you give enough
time and attention to paper I, it will prove to be a deciding factor in
clearing the exam. Let me tell you how it may work for you:
One must target to score at least
80% in paper I and it is very much easy. I have myself scored 80%+ score
thrice.
Why it is important? As you know, only
top 15% candidates are declared qualified. Subject-wise cut-off is different,
but for all subjects, paper I is common. In my observation, most of candidates
fail to score even 50% marks in paper III. If you fall under unreserved
category, it becomes very crucial to pass all papers as well as rise above the
high cut-off percentage. Further, those candidates who pass all papers, very few candidates score 60% or above in paper III.
As I said, if you score around 80% in paper I, you will be on safe side and can
hope to score marks near or above the cut-off.
Now, how to plan your efforts to
target 80% marks in paper I? You get 60 questions and are required to solve 50
only. There are 10 topics and you will be given 6 questions from each topic.
That means, you are supposed to solve only 66% questions (40 correct answers).
You must solve all 50 required questions. There is no negative marking, and who
knows, some of your guesses also turn out as correct :-) !!! Anyways, if your
10 answers are wrong, you will still get 80% marks. Isn't it good?
Check the list of topics from which
you will be asked questions:-
Topic 1. Teaching Aptitude-> Most of the questions are based on common sense and
you can prepare this topic very well by solving different MCQs from books and
previous NET papers.
Topic 2: Reading Comprehension-> Answers to all 6 questions are hidden in
the passage itself. Read the passage at least twice and re-read the
lines from which question is asked, and you are done!
Topic 3. Information and Communicating Technology (ICT)-> Being and IT person, these questions are peace of cake
for me and people like me. But for others, one must focus on the theory of
those topics which are mostly asked in NET. (In a later post, I will post about
important topics for computer questions).
Topic 4. Data Interpretation->
This is one of the easiest topic. You are given a tabular data and are asked
questions which mostly require little bit of statistical analysis. For example,
there is a data of salary figures of 5 different years for different age
groups. You are asked to find the age-group which had the higher income than
the others for 3 years. To solve this question, find the average of each age
group for given 3 years. You then can find the age group.
With a little calculation and
concentration, you can get full 12 marks (6x2) for this topic.
Topic 5. Logical Reasoning-> If
you have been preparing for different competition exams, then you will find the
level of questions very easy here. Otherwise you will need to practice
questions on reasoning topics. Example: blood relation, direction, jumbled
words, analogies, Venn diagrams, argument & reasoning, types of reasoning.
etc. are common topics.
Topic 6. Mathematical Reasoning->
It covers number & letter series, classification etc. This topic too is
easy if you solve a lot of practice questions.
Topic 7. Communication: If you
are not a student of mass communication like me, then you may follow the
approach I follow. I have a habit of reading news paper and find that answers
to many questions of communication stem because of this habit. For example, I
found answer to questions like "what is grapevine?" "What is
yellow journalism?" from the articles I read in newspapers. Rest of
questions are asked from class-room communication. Follow tips in Point #1 to
handle this topic.
Topic 8. Research Aptitude-> This
topic cover research methodologies, types, steps to research, research ethics.
Topic 9. People and Environment->
I find this particular topic a bit tough. It may not apply to you if you have
good understanding of it. Since your target is to score 40 questions and if you
are short of time, then you should decide to leave one particular topic; it
might be "People and Environment" on any other. If you need to study
this topic, focus more on questions on natural hazards, pollution agents and
gases.
Topic 10. Higher Education
System : Governance Polity And Administration->
To cover this topic, gather facts from different education related websites of
different governing bodies like NCTE, AICTE, UGC.AC.IN, MHRD etc. But before
that, analyse the type of questions from previous papers and accordingly target
your fact finding.
Since one cannot be expert in all
topics, it is wise to leave one or two topics you find hard and focus only on
8-9 topics you can study.
Point # 3
Have faith in your abilities. It does not matter if you are appearing for the exam for
the first time or it is tenth time. If you doubt yourself, you will doubt your
answer and get confused while solving the questions. Since there is not much of
time to think, you must make yourself mentally prepared also before exam day.
In a later post, we will discuss about mental preparation. Here, I will make
only one point-stay confident, focused and relaxed.
Point #4
Don't waste time and energy on tough
questions: There need to be a strategy before
you start solving your papers. While attempting the questions, sometimes,
we try to solve every question. Since there is no negative marking, you may not
like to leave any question unanswered. But at the same time, it does not mean
that you devote good amount of time to every question. Make it a rule to first
answer only those questions for which you know the answer well. Then, devote
the rest of time for other questions.
Point #5
Don't forget to carry your wrist
watch with you. Since you will not be allowed
to carry your mobile, you should carry a wrist watch with you to check the
available time. I hear many a times that candidates failed to answer all
questions (especially in paper I and paper II) because of no time left.
I hope this post will help you to
score well and clear the NET exam. Best of luck!!
