Hello friends,
The greatest dilemma one has before giving an exam is always, where to start with our preparation for the examination. The JNV – PGT & TGT written exam is scheduled and the syllabus looks very wide. As expected, it isn’t an easy task. So, let’s go step wise to know how to start our preparation.
Section A – Reading Comprehension. It is the ability to comprehend, analyse and interpret unseen texts. This part can’t be completed in a week’s days or a month’s days. It requires great concentration, presence of mind. Reading shouldn’t be done quickly or in a hurry. In any exam skimming the passage for specific information, kills time. Don’t read the text several times, instead read the passage in the first time with reasonable speed and underline the new expressions or the expressions which are striking. It is usually preferrable to attempt the reading comprehension at the end of the exam at your pace. Run your fingers through the passage while reading, it improves the concentration and dismisses the mind from being wavered.
Section B – Just like reading comprehension, writing too requires practice. Give more importance to the format of the writing skills, key words and expressions. As Bacon says “Reading maketh a full man”. Such important skill needs a lot of concentration and application. Understanding the content and applying the knowledge needs focus and years of practice.
Section C- Grammar and Usage. It is obvious that functional grammar is very helpful than the structural grammar. As one prepares for the exam in English, one reads several novels and stories. Biographies and texts usually give practical knowledge, even then having understanding about the Parts of Speech, Figures of Speech, structures and syntax is a must. In the written exam for TGT (subjective) in the year 2012, there was a question as,
Identify the parts of the speech of the underlined words in the sentences given below.
- The child is fast asleep.
- The train runs very fast.
- Sita is in fasting today.
- Fasting and Feasting is a novel by Anita Desai.
Although the question paper isn’t subjective, there is every possibility for such questions to be seen. Thorough knowledge of grammar is a must when a candidate applies for the position of English PGT/TGT.
Section D – The most crucial section which decides the destiny is the literature section. The syllabus is vast, there are many things to remember. In reading and writing skills the application part takes the prominent position but in Literature, it is the identification of the characters. There isn’t much to understand. For example, you read all the novels of RK Narayan and understood every story and enjoyed the literature (this is the prime moto of any story) but the questions in the exam checks your identification. “Who is the speaker in the above lines” is the question, one must remember the characters of the stories. Is it Ramani, in ‘The Dark Room’ or Krishna in ‘The English Teacher’, if the candidates fails to recall the protagonists or the characters then years of reading the novels turns to be of no use. So, presence of mind and careful analysis is important in deciphering the answers.
It is said that half preparation is done the very day when one acquires the study material. Instead of preparing the content with the help of practice papers, one must first know the contents of the literature, then practice with the test papers. Different publication books on UGC-NET/SET/JRF English Literature are handy in the preparation for PGT/TGT. Many different publications are available in the market, like ‘Toppers Notes, Bookhive, Barron’s Study Keys and so on. I personally prefer Trueman’s Specific Series, (we have number of books and editions available in the market) as it has vivid description of different ages, writers, content followed by several practice papers.
Finally, I conclude this with a suggestion that whatever one does before the exam, it must be done with positive attitude. Don’t be carried away by the figures and statistics as, none of us are in need of more than one position. Instead of looking for short-cuts, take a straight route.
“ALL THE BEST”
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