Things you always wanted to know about CSIR NET

Are you thinking of pursuing a bright career in research and lectureship? Then the CSIR NET exam is a must for you. There are many important aspects of the exam that every aspirant must be aware of. Here we bring you the intricate details about the exam which you always wanted to know.

CSIR NET is a National-Level Examination held twice in a year, i.e., in June and December. The application form for the CSIR NET 2019 will be released by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) tentatively in the month of March.

The examination form is filled through online mode at the official website, i.e., csirhrdg.res.in. Candidates are provided with the option to apply for Lectureship (LS)/ Junior Research Fellowship (JRF)/ both LS-JRF. However, before proceeding with the application, it is recommended that the candidates check the eligibility criteria as stated by CSIR for the respective posts.

CSIR NET Application Form 2019

To appear in the exam, check eligibility criteria in terms of education and age. After meeting eligibility criteria you may choose a subject paper (Chemical Sciences/ Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean and Planetary Sciences/ Life Sciences/ Mathematical Science/ Physical Sciences) you wish to appear for. The important dates related to the Application Form are given below in the table:

Examination Fees

As per the last year’s data, the application fee for General, OBC, and SC/ST/PWD was Rs.1000/, 500/-, and 250/-, respectively. This would give a rough estimation of the probable examination fee for this year.

How to Apply for Exam

Following are the steps that need to be followed to fill the online application form:

Step 1- The candidates must visit the official website of CSIR, HRDG which is csirhrdg.res.in.

Step 2- After verifying the eligibility criteria, deposit the examination fee through Net banking or credit or debit card.

Step 3- Now fill the application form carefully by providing essential details.

Step 4- Before submitting the application form, candidates must check authenticity of the information. Reviewing the application form is a must step to correct any spelling or information.

Step 5- Now the candidate can submit the application form. Subsequently, a system-generated form number will be received by the candidate.

Step 6- The candidate should note their application form number and keep a printout of the same for future references.

Essential Requirements

• A scanned photograph (Dimension: 130 X 160 to 260 X 360; Size: less than 150KB).
• Scanned signature (JPEG/JPG format; Dimension: 90 X 25 to 225 X 100; Size: less than 150KB).

• Scanned qualifying degree certificate/ last semester mark sheet (Size: less than 400 KB; must show the percentage clearly).
• PWD Certificate must be in PDF format (Size: less than 400KB).
• Candidates who are applying under Result Awaited (RA) category should upload the attestation form duly attested by HOD of the concerned college. File size should be less than 400KB.
• To show that the candidate belongs to the particular category, they should upload scanned copy of their category certificate. File size should be less than 400KB.

CSIR NET Exam Pattern

• The test is divided into three parts A, B, and C as per syllabus designed by the authorities.
• Part A is common for all subjects. This part contains questions related to General Aptitude which includes logical reasoning, graphical analysis, numerical ability, series formation, puzzles etc.
• Part B contains MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions) of given topics in the syllabus
• Part C contains higher value questions to test student’s scientific concepts. It contains analytical questions to test candidate’s analytical skills.

• Detailed syllabus and scheme of the Exam can be found on CSIR official website.

Eligibility Required for the Exam

It is essential for General and OBC candidates to possess a M.Sc./equivalent degree/Integrated BS-MS degree/BS (4 years)/BE/B. Tech/B. Pharma/MBBS with minimum 55% aggregate. However, for SC/ST and PwD candidates the minimum eligibility aggregate is 50%.

For JRF applicants, the upper age limit is 28 years and relaxed up to 5 years for SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer)/ PwD/Visually handicapped and female candidates. There is no upper age limit for LS.

Validity of the Exam Scores

For availing the fellowship, the exam scores are valid for a duration of 2 years maximum.

Major differences between NTA NET and CSIR NET

There are two key differences between NTA NET and CSIR NET:

1. Subjects involved

NTA NET includes subjects belonging to humanities stream and other allied subjects. However, CSIR NET includes core Science subjects

2. The pattern of the examination

NTA NET comprise of 3 papers (1 general aptitude paper + 2 subject-based papers) conducted for a duration of 5 hours. Contrastingly, CSIR NET is based on a single paper conducted for a duration of 3 hours.

Selection Process

The selection process starts with the generation of 2 separate merit lists for JRF and LS candidates. The ones qualifying JRF are automatically eligible to apply for LS. The JRF-qualified candidates may use the exam scores to apply for research programmes and fellowship as per the UGC/CSIR norms and LS-qualified candidates can apply for lectureship in various educational institutes.

We hope that we could present you with the intricate details of the exam and everything else you always wanted to know.