UGC NET June 2026 History Topper Interview: How Yash Bansal Secured 99.66 Percentile and JRF with PW

Preparing for UGC NET while managing other competitive exams can be challenging. Yash Bansal’s journey shows how strong subject knowledge, regular revision and the right study resources can help aspirants improve their performance.

Yash secured 99.66 percentile and JRF in UGC NET June 2026 History. This was his second attempt, and he had already qualified for JRF in his first attempt as well.

During his interview with Physics Wallah, Yash discussed his preparation strategy, note-making approach, use of PYQs, Paper 1 preparation and how he managed UGC NET along with other competitive examinations.

Yash Qualified JRF in His First Attempt Too

Yash had already qualified for JRF in his December 2025 attempt. At the same time, he was preparing for other examinations, including SSC CGL and IB.

“December wale attempt mein maine first attempt mein hi JRF qualify kar liya tha. Us time main SSC ka exam bhi de raha tha aur IB ke liye bhi prepare kar raha tha. Toh teen exams ko ek saath handle karna tha.”

Since History was already a strong subject for him, he focused mainly on revision rather than starting everything from scratch.

He revised his existing History notes and used online lectures to revise important concepts. For Paper 1, he studied the topics separately and later created short notes for quick revision.

How Yash Made His History Notes

History has a large syllabus, which often makes students confused about what to include in their notes. Yash followed a simple approach: he created handwritten notes while watching lectures and later converted important information into very short micro notes.

“Maine koi books refer nahi kari. Main mostly YouTube pe jo free videos available hain, unko dekhta tha aur uske through apne notes banata tha.”

His handwritten notes covered different areas of History, but they were not always organized in a traditional notebook format. Before the exam, he created micro notes containing only the information he needed for quick revision.

“Last mein maine micro notes banaye the, jo bas main last mein padh loon aur sab mug up karke revise kar loon. Bahut chhota-chhota likha tha.”

This approach helped him revise large amounts of information quickly before the examination.

Yash Focused on PYQs and Multiple Revisions

Yash gave significant importance to previous-year questions. He followed around 10 years of PYQs and used them to identify recurring topics and question patterns.

“PYQs maine bahut achhe se follow kiye hain, jo bhi 10 saal mein PYQs aaye the. Aur apne notes ko multiple times revise karta raha.”

He also highlighted some History topics that he considered particularly important, such as Buddhism, Jainism, Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal period.

Instead of simply solving questions, he revised the related concepts from his notes whenever a topic appeared repeatedly in PYQs. This helped him build familiarity with the type of questions asked in UGC NET History.

PW Lectures Helped Yash With Paper 1 and Revision

Yash also used PW’s free YouTube resources during his preparation. He particularly mentioned One Shot and marathon sessions for revision.

“Aapke channel ke through bahut saari cheezein ki hain. Last month mein jo marathon sessions aaye the, six-hour ke, main bas unko dekh ke chala gaya.”

According to Yash, these revision sessions helped him remember facts and chronology that he had not included in his own notes.

He also used PW resources for Paper 1. Since he had limited time, he focused on understanding the question pattern and then practiced through PYQs.

“20 days ke span mein maine Paper 1 complete kiya aur uske baad revise kiya. PYQ se mujhe ek pattern samajh aa gaya ki UGC NET kis type ke questions poochta hai.”

PW UGC NET June 2026 Toppers

Yash Did Not Follow a Fixed 8-10 Hour Timetable

Unlike many aspirants, Yash did not follow a strict daily timetable. He said that he often created an ideal 8-10 hour timetable, but it was not always possible to follow it.

“Ideal timetable jo hota hai 8-10 hours ka, but nahi hoti thi meri padhai. Kabhi 10 ghante ho jaati thi, kabhi 12 ghante jab exam paas aate the, aur kabhi ek-do ghante hi padhai ho pati thi.”

He believes circumstances can affect preparation and students should not feel guilty when they cannot follow a perfect schedule every day.

For Yash, the important thing was to make the most of the available time and revise his notes whenever possible.

How Yash Stayed Motivated While Waiting for the Result

The delay in the UGC NET June 2026 result was another challenge for aspirants. Yash, however, tried to remain relaxed during the waiting period.

“Main khud ko bahut chill rakhta tha. Jo hoga dekha jayega. Thoda gussa aaya NTA pe, but main phir bhi chill raha.”

He continued spending time with his family and friends instead of completely isolating himself for studies.

“Main ek balance maintain karta tha. Family ko bhi time deta tha, friends ko bhi time deta tha aur padhai ko bhi time deta tha.”

His approach was to stay focused without allowing the delayed result to take over his routine.

Yash’s Advice for UGC NET History Aspirants

Yash shared three important suggestions for students preparing for upcoming UGC NET examinations.

First, he advised students to complete the syllabus properly.

“Pehle apna syllabus complete karo. Jo bhi 10 units hain, 10 ke 10 units ko maintain karo.”

Second, he recommended solving PYQs regularly and paying attention to repeated topics.

“PYQs bahut important hain. Jo questions repeat hote hain, jo concepts baar-baar aa rahe hain, unpe attention do.”

Finally, he emphasized continuous revision, especially for History.

“Notes jo banaye hain unko continuously revise karna hai, kyunki History mein humari tendency hoti hai ki cheezein bhool jaate hain. Multiple-time revision bahut important hai.”

Yash also advised students not to completely ignore Paper 1. His own preparation included Paper 1 revision along with History, helping him manage both sections effectively.

Yash Bansal’s 99.66 percentile and JRF qualification in UGC NET June 2026 History reflect the importance of consistent revision, PYQ practice and focused preparation. His journey also shows that students do not always need a rigid timetable or a large number of books to prepare effectively.

For History aspirants, his strategy offers a simple takeaway: complete the syllabus, make useful notes, solve PYQs, identify recurring topics and revise multiple times. Most importantly, maintain a balance between preparation and personal life while staying consistent with your goal.