I had this question throughout my NET Preparation.
And I finally have the answer now.
[To buy the book click here]
Welcome back fam, today I bring to you the most requested post.. " Is Pathfinder enough?"
I started my NET preparation in the last semester of my MSc, all thanks to the motivation of one of my professors and our state government, for organising weekend coaching classes. Without them, the thought of NET being impossible to crack, would have still reigned in my head.
I had always been one of those, who keep themselves busy with different tasks at the same time. And, so, I never had the time to prepare well, from different standard books.
And we all know how great, we study for class tests and SEA's. I wasn't one of the scholars, and preferred practicals or projects over theory, and thus, my basics weren't good either !!
But yes, I have an incredible ability of finding a way out of every situation, maybe you could relate to me. We can find out "WHY's?" and "HOW's?" better than "WHAT".
And I did the same for my NET Preparation, more than studies, I focused on the sources of information, which brought me to this wonderful series of books "Pathfinder: Life Sciences", and I knew exactly what I could gain from them.
I have spent more time planning and selecting topics than the actual study.😁
So, let me tell you, what Pathfinder is all about...
1. What are Pathfinder books?
Pathfinder books are similar to your textbooks which contain the entire syllabus for the exam. The strength of this book is that it only contains the topics which are included in the Lifesciences, CSIR- NET syllabus, and only some of the biology concepts and experiments.
Looking at the content pages of this book, you can interpret a nice flow in the syllabus. And yes, a storyline is a must to get yourself interested in something.
You will own something only if you like it. So, throw up a positive attitude and like the subject and the process of studying.. If it's a burden, back off, this exam is not for you.
Now, let's get to the book,
Pathfinder Publication is a unit of Pathfinder Academy related to publishing scientific books and educational materials for graduate and postgraduate students and lifelong learners (as stated on their website). It is written in an easy language to help you out.
2. Why choose Pathfinder over other books?
CSIR NET aspirants fall in either of the two categories,
First category, those who have completed the entire syllabus, and just need to revise. Pathfinder offers a concise stream of topics, which the aspirants can go through very fast.
Second category, those who are running out of time, and have a lot to study. Since they already have less time and cannot afford reading standard books, Pathfinder is the best option.
Even though its ultimate aim, is to be concise it doesn't get rid of the diagrams. The concept is explained followed by the diagram with its description again. And the description is enough to understand the topic.
It is the first choice of most of the students, professors and tutors, not only for competitive exam preparations but also to prepare short concise notes.
It is an all-in-one book which has been in the market for a long time due to its success. You can check out its reviews on the shopping sites to confirm.
3. Is it reliable?
Yes, of course. The information is accurate, except for a few mistakes, which are mostly rectified in the latest edition.
Don't worry, they were minor mistakes, which won't affect your result.
Many of the Net Rankers including me, have used it and cleared this exam.
4. Is it enough?
If you thoroughly study the book, YES, it is enough..
But, certain units like, Developmental Biology and techniques are not included in the book, which should be studied without fail.
So, you do have to refer to other books for these two-three units.
Now, you may say, "can't we just skip these units which aren't in the book?"
NO, Why?
Because, in this strategy, of studying thoroughly only one book, you are losing the chance of understanding the concepts. So you have to make up for this loss by learning maximum units, such that you can always answer another question if you skip one.
5. If everyone is going to use it, won't they know it all too? How will I rank higher?
Everyone is not you.
This exam is all about thinking calmly, relating concepts, memorizing details and predicting outcomes.
Unfortunately, there are many aspirants who study really hard, know all the basics and concepts, yet fail to clear. Because during those 3 hours of the exam, you have to be able to think calmly and answer.
You have to be quick in deciding whether you will try to answer a particular question or not. You cannot waste time reading every question on the screen.
So, these factors can highly affect ones result, and it does not depend merely on your studies.
6. Where can I buy this book?
You can buy the book here
My take on this book?
MUST READ:
Yes, I believe Pathfinder is enough, but it is your only solution, when you have less time. If you have many months to prepare, read the standard books for each subject.
Pathfinder only displays facts.
It could not afford to be concise if it contained all the juicy stories of failed experiments and scenarios which you will miss out.
Standard books are delightful to read and make the topics interesting.
That's all for today, any more questions? List them in the comments.
#Studytip: If you aren't able to study the entire book, do go through all the diagrams. You will understand it faster and questions asked in the NET exam are mostly from the diagrammatically explained topics.
All the best !!
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Do you have this book? Or Are you planning on buying it?
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Have you found any mistakes?
Share your views now.. It will surely help someone...
Stay blessed !!
