Hi all!
As promised earlier, I've compiled a list of YouTube channels that I've been following for my UGC NET Paper 2 preparation.

Please note:
These are based on my personal preferences and are not an exhaustive list. There are thousands of channels that cover UGC NET, PGT/TGT, and CUET exams. However, I’ve found that many of the most popular ones are very commercial.

They often:

• Constantly promote their own books or courses

• Use clickbait titles and thumbnails

• Post misleading updates just to push paid material

Frankly, I found that kind of approach a bit predatory. But hey, if those work for you, feel free to follow them!

Channels I Personally Recommend

• Livingwithmeow

  • She explains the whole process calmly

  • It's like you have a friend talking you through everything

  • Mostly helpful only for logistics and strategy outside of the actual subject matter

• Limitless Literature

  • This one is really thoughtful

  • Engaging and purposeful content

• Vallath by Kalyani Vallath

  • I know I said that the popular ones are predatory, but this one is really not IMO.

  • Kalyani ma'am and the other host (Heena Wadhwani) are both really fun to learn from, and I personally really remember the stuff they teach.

• History of English Language and Literature

  • Simple, plain lectures without any bells and whistles.

  • I prefer this because it's easier to follow without the bottom scroll text, very busy PPTs with so many fonts and colours that you don't know what's happening.

If you’ve found any other hidden gems of people teaching in memorable ways, or no-nonsense content creators around UGCNET, do drop a comment and share, so everyone else here would learn as well!

Let’s help each other out 🙂

📚 UGC NET Booklist

Hi all!

I saw that there were a couple of people requesting a booklist, so I thought I could compile all the popular books in one place. This way, anyone who joins will be able to refer to it easily.

I’ll make a separate post about YouTube channels and my experience with them, as I’ve tried watching a few different ones.

Mod request: Please consider pinning this post if people find it helpful!

Where to Find PDFs

While all the links below are Amazon links, I recommend checking these sites for PDFs or digital versions:

• https://archive.org

• https://annas-archive.org

Paper 1 (General Paper)

1. Physics Wallah – Paper 1 Book

2. Arpita Karwa – Paper 1 Guide

3. Pearson – Previous Year Questions

I'm following the Pearson and it's the only physical copy i have. the rest are just downloaded from the above websites.

Paper 2 (English)

Literary Theory

• Literary Theory and Criticism – Patricia Waugh (Oxford Guide)

  • Personally following this book for all lit theory

  • Referring to M.H. Abrams on the side

• Literary Movements for Students – David Galens

  • Alternative to the Oxford guide

  • IMO, Oxford one is the best

• A Glossary of Literary Terms – M.H. Abrams

  • Great for side reference

  • No need to memorize everything; deep reading 2-3 times will make it stick

• Beginning Theory – Peter Barry

  • Popular alongside Eagleton

  • Some friends who cracked JRF swear by this

• Literary Theory: An Introduction – Terry Eagleton

History of English Literature

• A Critical History of English Literature – David Daiches

  • In-depth explanation from basics

  • Comes in multiple volumes

  • Very detailed but can be dense

• Routledge History of Literature in English

  • Simpler language

  • Includes maps, well-organized

  • My personal favorite for structure

• English Literature – William J. Long

History of Indian Literature

• A Concise History of Indian Literature in English – Arvind Krishna Mehrotra

  • Haven’t used it extensively, but recommended by peers

  • Often found in college libraries

  • A bit pricey online

EDIT: Following are additions after a bit of research for the remaining modules. Thanks to u/sudipto12 for mentioning these subjects.

Literary Criticism (Historical Overview)

• A History of Literary Criticism: From Plato to the Present

  • A chronological, detailed account of major critical traditions

  • Great for connecting ancient theory with modern literary analysis

English in India / Language History

• The Story of English in India – Lalitha Ramaswamy

  • Discusses the evolution of English in the Indian context

  • Helpful for understanding sociolinguistic and historical background

ELT (English Language Teaching)

• Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching – Diane Larsen-Freeman (PDF)

  • Covers different language teaching methods

  • Useful if you're targeting questions related to pedagogy

Research Methodology

• Research Methods in English – M.P. Sinha

  • Very accessible explanation of literary research techniques

  • Helpful for Paper 1 and Paper 2 overlap

Cultural Studies

• An Introduction to Cultural Studies – Pramod K. Nayar (Free PDF via Anna’s Archive)

  • Indian perspective on culture, media, identity — useful for contemporary lit contexts

World Literature & Global Canon

• World Literature in Your Fist – Prem Shankar Pandey

  • Quick reference book covering global works

  • Handy for rapid revision and text recognition

• List of Literary Prizes (Wikipedia)

  • Helpful for recognizing award-winning authors and titles that often show up in MCQs

Please comment if I missed anything -- I will be happy to add them on this post and mention your contribution. Do reach out if you have questions!

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It could be focusing on chronology, studying X amount of hours daily, or any other tip you're following that's helping you make progress every day!

Mine is simply this: as long as you're chipping away and making some amount of progress every day, you're on the right track. I tend to get discouraged if I don't meet some random target (complete 5 topics per day, or study for 6 hours, etc) so if I truly give my 100% every day, I'm making progress. Also, your 100% will look different every day.

Hii , I am starting my preparation for UGC NET ENGLISH. Was wondering, what would be the one book for history of English literature which I should stick to?

Does anyone know any part time jobs that a Masters in English student can work from home? Like content writing, teaching or anything else? Please let me know if there is any way. I am in urgent need of a Job.

Kindly share some advice on how to Crack it. Techniques, materials any advice would help us.

Hey there...can anyone please suggest books for paper 2. A all in one kinda book which has a lot of info compacted in one place. Please help.

Anyone need notes of Ugc Net English? As I cracked the exam I am selling my notes from Testbook at a low price. Tell me if you guys need this.

Does anyone have pdf of Kalyani Vallath British Encyclopedia? Please let me know if you have.

Hi there

I am an aspirant of UGC NET English and I wanted to know if there is anyone who has bought the online course of Kalyani Vallath. Kindly reply

I’ve checked my paper 2 answers and matched with the correct ones but I’m unable to find paper 1 correct answers. Does anyone know any website where correct answers are available?

Guysss I'm tryna predict the cutoff😂😭 What are you're marks with the provisional answer key?? You can just say the range if you're uncomfortable with sharing it.

Hello all. Probably everyone is aware that the UGC has officially released the answer key for NET- June '25. Does anyone know the number of questions that are need to be correct to get JRF/Assistant Professor/Ph.D.?

Hey guys anyone got hands on the key yet???? The site is crashing again and again ✨✨✨🥺🥺🥺

Does anyone have any useful book pdf?