Top UGC NET Books for Paper 1 & 2 – Expert Recommendations

Top UGC NET Books for Paper 1 & 2 – Expert Recommendations
January 30, 2025
Teaching Exams . UGC NET

The UGC NET exam is divided into two papers: I) Paper 1 (General Paper), and  II) Paper 2 (Subject Paper). Paper 1 is designed as a general paper and is common for all candidates, whereas paper 2 is subject-specific. Candidates must choose their subject paper or paper 2 from the list provided by UGC during the application process. However, UGC has listed 85+ subjects in the NET exam.

Candidates who are preparing for the UGC NET exam face many hurdles during the time of preparation. Among them, the most challenging ones are to find syllabus-centric important books for preparation and structured preparation strategies or guidelines. Candidates often struggle to find the best book for UGC NET exam. There are many books available in the market for candidates to buy and not all books are worth their time. But aspirants spend their time in search of UGC NET Best books and they often get confused. To save valuable time for UGC NET aspirants this article is going to be very beneficial, as they will get to know about the subject-wise best books for UGC NET exam.

Best UGC NET Paper 1 Books

UGC NET Paper 1 exam also known as UGC NET General Paper is the qualifying paper of the UGC NET exam.  The UGC NET Paper 1 is designed to assess a candidate’s teaching and reasoning abilities, comprehension skills, divergent thinking, research aptitude, and general awareness. This section contains 50 questions, carrying a total of 100 marks. To succeed in the UGC NET exam, excelling in Paper 1 is crucial. Below is a list of some of the syllabus-wise paper 1 UGC NET paper 1 best books for preparing for UGC NET Paper 1:

UGC NET Best Books for Paper 1

Book Name

Author/ Publisher

UGC NET/JRF/SLET General Paper:

1 Teaching & Research Aptitude

Arihant Experts

Trueman’s UGC NET /SET General Paper 1

M. Gagan & Sajit Kumar

NTA UGC NET/SET/JRF Paper 1:

Teaching and Research Aptitude

KVS Madan

Best UGC NET Books for Paper 2

UGC NET Paper 2 is a subject-specific paper that tests a candidate’s knowledge in their chosen discipline. Unlike Paper 1, which is general, Paper 2 focuses on an in-depth understanding of the subject area chosen by the candidate. This paper consists of 100 questions for 200 marks and is important for clearing the UGC NET exam. To get a good score in Paper 2, it is essential to prepare thoroughly with the right resources. Below is a list of some of the best books for preparation for UGC NET Paper 2, based on various subjects:

UGC NET Best Books for History

Here is the list of UGC NET History syllabus-centric best books. Candidates who are appearing for the exam can go through these UGC NET History books for better clarity in the subject matter. 

Topic

Books

Author’s Name

Ancient India

India’s Ancient Past

R.S. Sharma

Medieval India

Medieval India Vol. 1 & Vol. 2

Satish Chandra

Modern India

i) India’s Struggle for Independence


ii) From Plassy to Partition and After

i) Bipan Chandra

ii) Shekhar Bandopadhyay

UGC NET Best Books for Philosophy

Here is the list of UGC NET philosophy syllabus-related best books. Candidates who are appearing for the exam can go through these UGC NET Philosophy books for better clarity in the subject matter. 

UGC NET Best Books for Philosophy

Books

Author/Publisher


NTA UGC (NET/JRF/SET) A Philosophy

Arihant Experts

UGC-NET (Paper-II) Philosophy Exam Guide

Divya Prakash Pathak & RPH Editorial Board

A History Of Philosophy

Frank Thilly

An Introduction to Indian Philosophy

Satishchandra Chatterjee

A Companion to Philosophy

 ---

The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy

---

UGC NET Best Book for Bengali

Here is a list of the most helpful guidebooks to clear the UGC NET Bengali exam with flying colors. This book list is Bengali syllabus specific:

UGC NET Best Books for Bengali

Book

Author/ Publisher

Bangla Sahityer Sampurna Itivritta

Dr. Asit Kumar Bandopadhyay (Modern Book Agency)

NTA-NET WB-SET Bangla Dwitiya Patra VOL-I, II, III

Dr Santosh Kumar Mandal (Uddalak Publishing House)

Model Practice set Bengali UGC NET

 Uddalak Publication House

Bengali NTA NET & WB SET (VOL- I, II,III)

Balaram Byapari

Best Books for UGC NET Sanskrit

 Here is the list containing important UGC NET Sanskrit books. the book list provided here is Sanskrit syllabus-oriented

UGC NET Best Books for Sanskrit

Books

Author/Publisher

Sanskrit Safalyam

Durgamohan Mandal

Chaukhmba Sanskrit Partispardha

Deepak Kumar, Sanjay Dutta

Sanskrit

Mithilesh Pandey

Sanskrit Practice Book

Usharani Jain

Sanskrit PYQs

---

UGC NET Education Books

Here is a short list of UGC NET Education Books. Candidates who are preparing for the NET Education exam can look into these syllabus-specific Education best books to gain more concise knowledge.

Best Books for UGC NET Education

Books

Author/Publisher

Trueman’s UGC NET/SET Education

Gagan Manocha

Educational Research

John W. Creswell

An Introduction to Indian Philosophy

Satish Chandra Chatterjee & Dhirendra Mohan Dutta

Education and Social Change

S.P. Ruhela

UGC NET English Books

Below are a few important books for UGC NET English, that candidates can check out before starting their preparation. These UGC NET English books mentioned here are related to UGC NET English syllabus.

Best Books for UGC NET English

Books

Authors

The Short Oxford History of English Literature

Andrew Sanders

A History of Indian Literature

M. K. Naik (Sahitya Academy Ed)

A Short History of American Literature

Krishnasen & Ashok Sengupta

World Literature Vol 2

Prendergast & Penclergast
Indian Literature (Ed)

A History of Indian English Literature

M. K. Naik

The Penguin Dictionary of Literary terms and Literary theor

M. H. Abrams

Elements at English Rhetoric & Prosody

Bose & Sterling

Contemporary Literary and Cultural Theory: From Structuralism to Ecocriticism

Pramod K. Nayyar (Pearson)

The Sage Dictionary of Cultural Studies

Chris Barker

English Social & Cultural History

Bibhar Chowdhury

UGC NET Geography Books

Here we have mentioned some important books to thoroughly prepare for UGC NET Geography exams. These books mentioned here are UGC NET Geography syllabus specified

UGC NET Best Books for Geography

Books 

Author/ Publisher

Principles of Geomorphology

W D Thornbury

Fundamentals of Geomorphology

R J Huggett

Essentials of Oceanography

Tom Garrison and Robert Ellis

Introduction to Settlement Geography

S Ghosh

Human Geography

Majid Husain

 

Preparation Tips for UGC NET Exam

The UGC NET papers might appear to be difficult for innumerable aspirants. Here are a few tips to score well in the exam. candidates should follow a structured UGC NET Exam strategy to succeed in upcoming UGC NET exams.

  1. Practice Previous Year’s Questions: Candidates should practice the previous year’s question paper to gain confidence.
  2. Learn About the Syllabus: Aspirants should get an overview of the syllabus, and subsequently prepare topic-wise notes for the important topics.
  3. Read Study Materials: Study materials can be anything, it can be original texts, notes, or other reliable reference books, Candidates need to read them thoroughly because they provide a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of various topics.
  4. Manage Your Time Wisely: It is advisable to keep adequate time for revision while planning as the vastness of the subject paper requires revision more than once. 
  5. Attempt Mock Tests: If you practice mock tests regularly, you will be one step ahead in your journey towards success. Mock tests help you understand your position in your preparation journey. Attempting mock tests will provide clarity, and an idea of time management and grow your knowledge of the subject.

Hope this article will help you in your journey towards success.

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