NTA UGC NET Paper 1 2020-21 – Exams, Syllabus & Preparation Tips
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NTA UGC NET Paper 1 is the general paper, which is common among all NET subjects exams. Let’s explore the exam pattern, syllabus, question papers and more here.
General NET Paper 1 carries more than 30 percent of the total marks and questions.
That means, your chance to crack NET and also qualify for JRF (Junior Research Fellowship) General NET Paper 1 has a crucial and strategic role to play.
It is quite common, many aspirants miss their NET or JRF by only a few marks only.
Often aspirants fail to prepare properly in a targeted manner for NET Paper 1.
Many times, aspirants ignore the paper altogether as no proper guidance is available.
Let me tell you a secret, scoring high marks in General NET Paper 1 is not difficult.
All you need targeted study and expert guidance to score well.
You can buy targeted General NET Paper 1 study notes or join an online preparation course in NET paper 1.
In this post, we bring you all important information about NET Paper 1 paper.
At any point, you need help or want to ask a question then feel free to use the comment box below.
I would love to answer your queries.
NET Paper 1 Introduction
National Testing Agency from December 2018 onward started conducting National Eligibility Test (NET) for Assistant Professorship and JRF on behalf of UGC (University Grants Commission).
The NET 2020 exam consists of two papers. The first paper is General Paper 1, and the other is subject paper (often referred as Paper 2).
There are around 100 subjects in Paper 2 to choose.
Aspirants, who have scored 55% or more in Masters of a particular subject they are eligible to choose the respect subject in paper 2.
The Paper 1, which is the common paper for all aspirants appearing for NET, covers a variety of topics.
Each year twice, in the June-July month and December month, NTA conducts UGC NET exam.
The NET paper 2 exam carries 150 marks and 200 questions. And both the papers are MCQs based (multiple choice questions).
NET Paper 1 Exam Pattern 2020-21
Following is the exam pattern of NET General Paper 1 for 2020-21 exam:
| Paper | NET General Paper 1 |
| No. of Questions | 50 |
| Total Marks | 100 |
| Duration | 1 hour |
| All questions are compulsory | no negative marking for incorrect answer | |
Following is the exam pattern of NET Subject Paper 2 for 2020-21 exam:
| Paper | NET Subject Paper 2 |
| No. of Questions | 100 |
| Total Marks | 200 |
| Duration | 2 hours |
| All questions are compulsory | no negative marking for incorrect answer | |
There are no breaks between the Paper 1 and Paper 2 exam. And both exams are Computer Based Test (CBT) and MCQs based.
Syllabus of NET Paper 1
The latest syllabus for NET Paper 1 2020 is divided into 10 units. Following is the syllabus structure of NET Paper 1 2020-21 exam:
| Teaching Aptitude | Concept, objectives, learning and learner, teaching methods, support systems, and evaluation |
| Research Aptitude | Definitions and meaning, types, characteristics, research methods, research steps, thesis and article writing, research ICT, and ethics |
| Comprehension | Unseen passages |
| Communication | Definitions and meaning, characteristics, verbal and non-verbal, barriers, mass-media and society |
| Mathematical Reasoning and Aptitude | Reasoning types, series, codes and relationships, mathematical aptitude, |
| Logical Reasoning | Structure of arguments, deductive and inductive reasoning, analogies, venn diagram, logic, pramanas, and anumana |
| Data Interpretation | Data sources, acquisition and classification, quantitative and qualitative, graphs, interpretation, data and governance |
| Information and Communication Technology | ICT, basics, digital initiatives in higher education, ICT and governance |
| People, Development and Environment | Environment and development, human and environment, environmental issues, pollutants, natural and natural energy resources, natural hazards and disasters, and environmental protection act |
| Higher Education System | Higher education in India, evolution of higher learning in India, oriental, conventional and non-conventional learning programmes, professional, skill and technical based learning, value based education, environment, and NIRF list |
It has been noticed that there could be 1-3 questions on current affairs in one of the topics given above. Therefore, it is recommended for students to prepare accordingly.
NET Paper 1 Syllabus Analysis 2020-21
Following table gives you idea about the difficulty level and the number of questions in each topic appearing the NET Paper 1 exam:
| Topic | No. of Questions Expected | Difficulty Level |
| Teaching Aptitude | 4-5 | Medium to High |
| Research Aptitude | 5-6 | Medium |
| Comprehension | 5 | Easy to Medium |
| Communication | 3-4 | Medium |
| Mathematical Reasoning and Aptitude | 3-4 | Medium to High |
| Logical Reasoning | 5 | Medium to High |
| Data Interpretation | 5 | Medium |
| Information and Communication Technology | 4-5 | Medium |
| People, Development and Environment | 3-4 | Medium to High |
| Higher Education System | 3-4 | Easy to Medium |
Download PDF of NET Paper 1 Updated Syllabus 2020-21
NET Paper 1 Previous Year Question Papers
NET Paper 1 Preparation Tips for 2020 and 2021 Exams
In June 2019, NET syllabus was updated, but the changes were minor.
There were few additions in higher education, ICT, logical reasoning, communication and teaching topics.
Your preparation should be guided accordingly.
I have shared important preparation tips that you can employ in your preparation strategy.
Following are the preparation tips for NET Paper 1:
Study previous year question papers
However, the rest of the syllabus remains the same, which means that you should study previous year question papers for preparations.
Compile the notes in targeted manner
As there are various topics covered in the syllabus that forces you to study in a targeted manner. Therefore, you could compile the notes accordingly or purchase our targeted NET Paper 1 study notes online.
Practice mock tests
NTA conducts mock tests for NET Paper 1 that any aspirant can appear. You could also opt for the online NET Paper 1 course that also includes mock tests online.
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