5 Things To Do 40 Days Before UGC-NET English Literature Exam

Many people quit one step before the finish line. The bad thing about success in the UGC-NET exam is that you cannot be certain unless you crack it.

It’s like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as the headlights beam. The rest of the journey is camouflaged in darkness. You have to keep driving unless you reach the destination.

Such is the journey of UGC-NET English Literature. Every day, you get up, study, write notes, revise and sleep without having a clear idea of the destination in your head. The same routine goes for months and even years.

As we discussed in our last blog how the days before exams are crucial and how you can beat the cats and dogs and compete for the horses of English Literature, let’s look at five simple things you can do in these 40 days to get closer to your dream of qualifying for UGC-NET in English Literature.

1) Study Complete Works of The Following Authors

In the last ten years, there were questions from the writers such as 

• Charles Dickens 
• Virginia Woolf 
• D.H. Lawrence
• Jane Austen 
• Ernest Hemingway
• Daniel Defoe
• T.S. Eliot
• R.K. Narayan
• Anita Desai
• Raja Rao
• Kazuo Ishiguro
• Harold Pinter
• Samuel Beckett, etc.

An interesting fact to mention here is that almost all of their works were asked in the previous year question paper. Therefore, it would be good if you complete works of the authors mentioned above.

Knowing plot and summary will not help. There’s more. We have seen the difficulty level of the questions from all these authors is from moderate to difficult. 

Therefore, it becomes crucial for you to study the text woven around the novels, such as research papers, spark-notes-detailed guides or chapter-vice summaries. 

Watching movies or reading the actual text/novel will prepare you well enough in picking the right option.

Charles Dickens used to write voluminous books. The reason being there was no television or newspaper in his time. So his books were favourite among the readers to enjoy their leisure hours and Dickens provided them with voluminous entertainement.

You can rather watch the movies based on Dickens’ work rather than reading the actual text.

2) Right Time To Study Paper 1: General Aptitude

After completing the authors, leave your preparation for English Literature and give attention to Paper 1: General Aptitude.

Without scoring at least 60/100 in Paper 1, you cannot crack the UGC-NET exam irrespective of how well you studied English Literature.

Starting with Research Aptitude and Higher education can be a good idea.

The rest of the subjects like ICT, Teaching Aptitude, Reading and Comprehension, Missing Numbers can be solved with guesswork as most students have the basic knowledge of all these subjects.

For instance, look at this question from Teaching Aptitude:

Such questions do not require you to study some topics. Out of 5 questions from Teaching Aptitude, you will find 3-4 questions that you can solve using basic knowledge of human behaviour.

Research Aptitude and Higher Education is something strange for new aspirants. There is a high chance that you will not be able to guess the correct option without studying the subject before the exam. 

Therefore, if you have planned to start your studies for Paper 1, begin with Research Aptitude and Higher Education. Logical reasoning, too, is one of the subjects that might require your time. 

3) Stop Making Notes

I have never been in favour of writing down the notes. The simple reason is that it consumes around 6-9 months of a student’s time that s/he could spend reading, revising, and completing the syllabus.

The simple reason coaching classes provide lectures is that they know students cannot cover the subject in six months by listening to the lectures, and they have to enrol again after the subscription expires.

If they provide you with the notes, there is no possibility that you will join them again, incurring a huge loss to their coaching. Therefore, many coaching encourages writing down notes.

You can save hundreds of hours and money by simply purchasing the notes and studying them regularly. ( In case, you want to look at the study material we are providing, click here)

That’s fine if you are alone on this journey and making notes. However, this is a time to revise. We cannot cover the syllabus of UGC-NET English. There will always be new topics, authors, subjects, theories, and concepts. In competitive exams, the time spent revising and retaining the information plays a bigger role than anything else.

4) Keep Tracking

Studying 4-6 hours every day for the next 40 days can be game-changing. While many of the students deal with uncertainties and fear of getting failed, you can charge forward with full force.

Sun Tzu, one of the influential figures and military strategists, stressed on an idea repeatedly: 

“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”

While other students are waiting for the examination day, you can choose to keep up with your studies.

5) Stay Away From Deception

The easiest way to earn money is to play with the fears of people. As now you are in your 20s, the feeling of insecurity and dissatisfaction is at the peak. It is easy for any experienced person to deceive you.

If you haven’t started your preparation, it’s impossible to crack the exam in 30 days. All these crash courses, live classes, 30 days this and that will empty your piggy bank.

If you have been preparing for the exam for the last three or four months continuously, there are chances you will qualify for the exams. 

I’m personally training and tracking dozens of students every day. Many of them have been studying exceptionally well for many months. Sometimes seven hours a day. Do you think a student who starts the preparation now can compete the students preparing for several weeks and months? No!

I know it’s discouraging. But most often, truths are bitter. 

At Last

All you can do right now is study the complete works I’ve mentioned above and a few subjects from Paper 1: General Aptitude such as Research Aptitude and Communication. 

How’s your preparation for this attempt? Have you studied the writers and works mentioned above? Let me know in the comments below.