CSIR NET EXAM

CSIR NET EXAM

What is the CSIR NET Exam?

The CSIR NET Exam stands for Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, the National Eligibility Test. CSIR NET is a national-level exam held by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for candidates to determine the eligibility of students for JRF(Junior Research Fellow) and Lectureship (LS)/Assistant Professorship in certain subject areas falling under the faculty of Science & Technology.

The exam has three parts: Part A, Part B and Part C, conducted for 3 hours. The maximum marks for the exam are 200, and there is a negative marking for every wrong answer. The exam is a computer-based test (CBT). 

The CSIR NET exam is conducted for multiple subjects, including Chemical Sciences, Earth Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, and Physical Sciences.

CSIR NET Exam Details 2023

The exam is conducted for 3 hours and includes 3 parts. Paper A will test candidates’ general aptitude, whereas Paper B will have subject-specific questions. Each section contains a different number of questions, and the number of questions that candidates must attempt differs for every subject. 

The CSIR NET syllabus is divided into several sections depending on the subject. For example, the Chemical Sciences syllabus is divided into Inorganic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry. It is important to go through the detailed syllabus for their respective subjects to understand the topics that need to be covered.

CSIR NET 2023 Exam Dates (June Session)

The CSIR NET exam for June 2023 is scheduled to be conducted jointly with the December 2022 session on June 6th, 7th, and 8th, 2023. The application form and official notification were released on 10th March 2023. The last date to submit the online application was 17th April 2023. And the application correction window will open from 19th April to 25th 2023.

CSIR NET Application Form Fill-up Process

Here are the steps to fill up the CSIR NET Application Form –

Step 1: Visit the CSIR NET official website, csirnet.nta.nic.in 

Step 2: Click on UGC NET 2023 registration link

Step 3: Register with your email ID and mobile number

Step 4: Fill in the CSIR NET application form and note down the system-generated application number

Step 5: Upload the required documents in the given format and pay the application fee

Step6: Download and save the CSIR NET application form for future reference

The application fees for General category candidates is INR 1000, INR 500 for OBC and EWS, INR 250 for SC/ST and no fee for PwD candidates.

CSIR NET 2023 Syllabus

The CSIR NET 2023 Syllabus is released by the National Testing Agency (NTA) online at csirnet.nta.nic.in. The syllabus contains five subjects: Life, Chemical, Physical, Earth, and Mathematical Science. Each subject consists of three papers.

The exam pattern for the Single Paper MCQ test is divided into three parts: 

  • Part A is common to all subjects and contains a maximum of 20 questions of General Aptitude. 
  • Part B contains subject-related conventional MCQs. 
  • Part C contains higher-value questions that may test the candidate’s knowledge of scientific concepts and application of scientific principles.

Eligibility Criteria for CSIR NET 2023

The eligibility criteria for CSIR NET 2023 are as follows –

  1. The candidates must have passed BS-MS/ BS-4 years/ BE/ B.Tech/ B.Pharma/ MBBS with a minimum of 55% marks for General/ OBC category candidates and 50% for SC/ ST/ PwD category candidates.
  2. The candidate must have Indian citizenship and should be a maximum of 28 years (33 years for SC/ ST/ PWD/ female candidates and 31 years for OBC (non-creamy layer) candidates)
  3. There is no age limit for candidates applying for lectureship
  4. The upper age limit for a junior research fellow (JRF) is 28 years
  5. The NET doesn’t ask the candidates to send their qualifications or additional documentation in support of their eligibility

CSIR NET 2023 Registration Fees

The registration fees for CSIR UGC NET 2023 vary depending on the category of the applicant –

  1. General category applicants must pay a registration fee of Rs 1100, while those belonging to the General-EWS/OBC (NCL) category will have to pay Rs 550. SC/ST candidates and third-gender applicants will need to pay a fee of Rs 275
  2. PwD candidates are exempted from the registration fee.

CSIR NET Question Paper

You can download previous years’ question papers with solutions from websites like Unacademy or access them on the official website of NTA. The National Testing Agency (NTA) also publishes the CSIR NET Questionnaire for the previous years on the web portal – csirhrdg.res.in. 

The CSIR UGC NET model question paper has been published in PDF format, so students who plan to take the CSIR NET exam can download the sample paper and access it offline. 

CSIR NET Admit Card 2023

The CSIR NET admit card for 2023 is expected to be released during the first week of May 2023. The candidates can download the hall ticket online from the NTA official website at www.csirnet.nta.nic.in. The CSIR NET exam date is from 6th June to 8th June 2023. 

You can download your admit card by following the steps

 Visit the official website of NTA at www.csirnet.nta.nic.in

  1. Click on the link for CSIR NET 2023 Admit Card
  2. Enter the application reference id and other information onto the website
  3. You can then view your admit card on the screen
  4. Download and take a printout of the admit card for future reference

CSIR NET Books

The CSIR NET exam is managed by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and covers five subjects, Chemical Science, Earth Sciences, Life Science, Mathematical Sciences, and Physical Science. 

There are many books available that can provide good preparation for the exam. Some of the best book references for CSIR NET Part-A are- CSIR-NET General Aptitude – A New Outlook CSIR-NET/JRF Part A Section by Christy Varghese and Jesse P Francis, General Aptitude Comprehensive Theory & Practice by Kailash Choudhary etc. 

Few of the best books for CSIR NET Life Science are- Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry by Nelson and Cox, Molecular Biology of the Cells by Bruce Alberts, Developmental Biology by Scott F. Gilbert etc. 

Some of the best books that can be referred for CSIR NET Earth Sciences are- Climatology by D S Lal, Fundamentals of Geophysics by William Lowrie, Essentials of Oceanography by Trujillo and Thurman etc

CSIR NET Age Limit

The maximum age limit for the CSIR NET JRF (Junior Research Fellowship) exam is 28 years. However, there are age relaxations for candidates belonging to certain categories such as SC/ST/PWD/Women/Transgender, etc. The maximum age limit for such candidates is 33 years. There is no further age limit for candidates applying for lectureship

CSIR NET Cut-off

The CSIR NET subject-wise cut-off is the minimum qualifying mark required to be eligible for JRF or Assistant Professor. The cut-off marks are based on the difficulty level of the exam and the number of applicants. NTA declares the cut-off for each subject separately after a few days of the exam. 

CSIR NET Vacancy

After clearing this entrance exam, candidates can become eligible for various posts with a stipend provided to them. The Junior Researchers of CSIR UGC NET Recruitment receive INR 31,000 HRA. The expected salary for Senior Research Fellows is INR 35,000 HRA, Assistant Professor is INR 45,000, Associate Professor is INR 80,000, and Professor is INR 82,000.

You could also work as a Scientific Officer offered by various institutes like BARC, NEERI, IMTECH, NBRI, ICAR, CSIR, IGCAR, and ISRO. The pay scale for Scientist B is Rs. 15600-39100 with a grade pay of 5400/-, for Scientist C is Rs. 15600-39100 with grade pay of 6600/-, for Scientist D is Rs. 15600-39100 with grade pay of 7600/-, for Scientist E is Rs. 37400-67000 with grade pay of 8700/-, for Scientist F is Rs. 37400-67000 with grade pay of 8900.

CSIR NET Syllabus

The exam is conducted for the Science stream in the following areas: Chemical Sciences, Earth Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, and Physical Sciences. The candidates can download the syllabus of different subjects from the links given below –

  • Chemical Science 

The CSIR NET Chemical Sciences syllabus has three sections: Inorganic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry. 

  •  Earth Science

Earth science is divided into other topics and studies, including the earth and solar system, mineralogy and petrology signal processing, climatology, etc.

  • Life Science

Life science studies the living organisation and may include Cellular Organization Molecules and their Interaction Relevant to Biology, Fundamental Processes, Developmental Biology, Cell Communication and Cell Signalling.

  • Mathematical science

Disciplines like Analysis, Linear, Algebra, Complex Analysis, Algebra, Numerical Analysis, Topology, Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs), Calculus of Variations, Linear Integral Equations, Classical Mechanics, etc.

  • Physical Science

Studies like Mathematical Methods of Physics, Thermodynamic and Statistical Physics Electronics and Experimental Methods, Classical Mechanics, Electromagnetic Theory etc, are part of physical science.

CSIR NET Answer Key

The National Testing Agency (NTA) releases the final answer key of the CSIR NET exam every year on the official website – at csirnet.nta.nic.in. Candidates can download the CSIR NET Answer Key from the official website of NTA. 

Candidates can also estimate their expected score through the answer key. It allows candidates to verify the correct responses to the questions asked in the exam and estimate their scores. This can help candidates to get an idea of their performance in the exam and prepare for the next steps accordingly. 

Additionally, the National Testing Agency (NTA) allows candidates to challenge the answer key released by the NTA. This means that if a candidate thinks a question has been marked wrong, they can submit an objection against it. This ensures that the final result is fair and accurate. Candidates must pay a fee of Rs 200/- per question if they think it needs to be marked correctly. 

Here are the steps to challenge the provisional CSIR NET Answer Key –

  1. Open the official website for CSIR NET, csirnet.nta.nic.in.
  2. Search for the link where ‘Challenge/s regarding answer key’ is written and open it.
  3. In the next window, enter a few pieces of information about the exam and the roll number. This information can be found on the admit card of the candidate. 
  4. Next up on selecting the question you want to raise an objection to and pay the requisite fees
  5. Wait for a few days for a response. You may be notified of your email filled while objecting.

FAQs:

After clearing the CSIR NET exam, candidates can apply for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) or lectureship/assistant professorship positions across universities and colleges in India

Yes, UGC NET and CSIR NET are two different exams. UGC NET is held by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on behalf of the University Grants Commission (UGC) to determine eligibility for lectureship/assistant professorship and Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in Indian universities and colleges for studies in humanities and allied studies. On the other hand, CSIR NET is conducted by NET for the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to determine eligibility for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and lectureship/assistant professorship in science subjects and studies.

The maximum age limit for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) is 28 years. There is no further age limit for applying for lectureship/assistant professorship

You cannot appear for the CSIR NET exam while pursuing a B.Sc degree. Candidates should be in the final year of their B.sc degree or equivalent degree or in the first year of their masterate.

The monthly stipend for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) through CSIR NET is Rs. 31,000/- plus HRA as per rules

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The CSIR is engaged in various schemes like research schemes, and grants, there are many others. It also provides various grants for the candidates, one of the major is partial financial assistance (PFA) that is applied and taken up by thousands of candidates every year.

CSIR also has its own knowledge centre, which consists of a group of its collection basically of the CSIR-HRDG’s technical, scientific, and administrative staff. Along with these services, CSIR conducts examinations for Joint CSIR-UGC NET in a computer-based mode via the National Testing Agency. This test is taken to select the candidates for the post of JRF, that is, Junior Research Fellowship and for the of LS, that is, Lectureship or assistant professor basically for Indian universities and colleges.

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