CSIR NET is a national-level examination which is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The main purpose of this examination is to select candidates for JRF (Junior Research Fellowship) and as Lecturers/Assistant Professors across various academic institutions, research labs, IITs, etc. It is considered one of the prestigious competitive exams for those who want to establish a career in Research or Academics. This blog will comprehensively take you through the CSIR NET exam and its related components.
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What is the CSIR NET Exam?
Known as the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR is a country level examination that is conducted by the NTA for students who are eligible to be awarded the JRF as well as appointing them as the lectures in universities. It is conducted twice a year.
Subject Codes:
CSIR NET Subjects | Codes |
| Chemical Sciences | 701 |
| Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean and Planetary Sciences | 702 |
| Life Sciences | 703 |
| Mathematical Sciences | 704 |
| Physical Sciences | 705 |
Highlights
| Exam Name | CSIR NET (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research- National Eligibility Test) |
| Conducting Body | National Testing Agency (NTA) |
| Exam Level | National |
| Exam Frequency | Twice a year |
| Exam Mode | Online only |
| Exam Duration | 180 minutes |
| Exam Purpose | Selection of candidates for the award of JRF or determining eligibility for appointment as lecturers |
| Exam Helpdesk No. | 0120-6895200 |
| Official Website | https://csirnet.nta.nic.in/webinfo/public/home.aspx |
Important Dates for 2021
| Application form | April, 2021 |
| Last date for submission of the application fee | May, 2021 |
| Application correction window | May, 2021 |
| Correction in choice of exam cities | May, 2021 |
| Admit card | June, 2021 |
| CSIR NET exam date | June, 2021 |
| Provisional answer key | July, 2021 |
| Final answer key | August, 2021 |
| Result | August, 2021 |
Eligibility Criteria
It is important to keep in mind the eligibility criteria before appearing for any examination. Failing to meet any requirements may result in rejection of the application. So, to know who can apply for CSIR NET exam, go through the following points.
Educational Qualification
In order to apply for CSIR NET examination, candidates must have one of the following degrees under their belt:
- MSc, Integrated BS-MS, BS-4 Years, BE/BTech, B-Pharma, MBBS Or an Equivalent Degree.
- For General and OBC candidates, 55% marks are required and for ST/SC/PWD candidates, a minimum of 50% marks are required.
Age Limit
For Junior Research Fellowship candidates, the maximum age should be 28 years as on 1st January 2020. 5 years age relaxation is given to SC/ST/OBC/ PwD/Female Applicants & 3 years in case of OBC (non-creamy layer). While as for lectureship posts through CSIR NET, there is no bar in terms of the age limit.
CSIR NET Examination Pattern
CSIR NET exam is conducted for 5 main subjects namely, Physical, Chemical, Mathematical, Earth, and Life Sciences. You have to select any one of them based on your expertise and choice. Furthermore, for every subject, there will be 3 parts-A, B, C. While Part A, which is the General Aptitude section, is common to all, Part B and C are subject-oriented. Here is the subject wise examination pattern of the CSIR NET exam.
Physical Science
| Sections | Number of Questions | Marks | Negative Marking | Duration |
| Part A | 20 | 30 | 0.5 | 3 Hours |
| Part B | 25 | 70 | 0.875 | 3 Hours |
| Part C | 30 | 100 | 1.25 | 3 Hours |
Chemical Science
| Sections | Number of Questions | Marks | Negative Marking | Duration |
| Part A | 30 | 30 | 0.5 | 3 Hours |
| Part B | 40 | 70 | 0.5 | 3 Hours |
| Part C | 60 | 100 | 1.0 | 3 Hours |
Life Science Paper
| Sections | Number of Questions | Marks | Negative Marking | Duration |
| Part A | 20 | 30 | 0.5 | 3 Hours |
| Part B | 50 | 70 | 0.5 | 3 Hours |
| Part C | 75 | 100 | 1.0 | 3 Hours |
For Mathematical Science
| Section | Number of Question | Marks | Negative Marking | Duration |
| Part A | 20 | 30 | 0.5 | 3 Hours |
| Part B | 40 | 75 | 0.75 | 3 Hours |
| Part C | 60 | 95 | 0 | 3 Hours |
Earth Sciences
| Section | Number of Questions | Marks | Negative Marking | Duration |
| Part A | 20 | 30 | 0.5 | 3 Hours |
| Part B | 50 | 70 | 0.5 | 3 Hours |
| Part C | 80 | 100 | 1.32 | 3 Hours |
CSIR NET Syllabus
Here is the detailed syllabus of the CSIR NET exam you need to take into consideration while preparing.
| CSIR NET Papers | Topics |
| General Aptitude | Logical Reasoning, Graphical Analysis, Analytical and Numerical Ability, Quantitative Comparisons, Series Formation. Puzzles, Mensuration, Series Completion, Time and distance, Series Formation & Coding-Decoding, Data Interpretation, |
| Life Sciences | Molecules and their Interaction Relevant to Biology, Cellular Organization, Fundamental Processes, Cell Communication and Cell Signaling, Developmental Biology, System Physiology – Plant, System Physiology – Animal, Inheritance Biology, Diversity of Life Forms, Ecological Principles, Evolution and Behavior, Applied Biology, Methods in Biology |
| Chemical Science | Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Interdisciplinary topics, Properties of individual atoms, Atoms forming chemical bonds to create chemical compounds, Main Group Elements, Transition Metals & Coordination Compounds, Organometallic Compounds, Quantum Chemistry, Chemical Kinetics, Thermodynamics & Thermochemistry, Molecular Spectroscopy. |
| Mathematics Science | Linear Algebra, Real Analysis, Ordinary and Partial differential equation, Modern Algebra, Complex Analysis. |
| Earth Sciences | Geology, Physical Geography, Geophysics, Meteorology, Ocean Sciences, Managing energy, mineral resources, and water, Mineralogy and Petrology, Structural Geology and Geotectonic, Paleontology and its applications, Sedimentology and Stratigraphy, Marine Geology and Paleoceanography, Geochemistry, Economic Geology, etc. |
| Physical Science | Mathematical Physics, Quantum Physics, Electromagnetic Theory, Classical Mechanics, Electronics, etc. |
Note: To check the syllabus in detail, you can visit the official website.
Important Books for CSIR NET Exam 2021
You can refer to the below mentioned books for the following subjects-
Chemical Science Books
- Physical Chemistry by Samuel Glasstone
- Infrared and Raman spectra of inorganic and coordination compounds by Nakamoto
- Physical Chemistry by Mortimer
- Biological inorganic chemistry: structure and reactivity by Ivano Bertini
- Pearson Guide to UGC-CSIR-Chemical Sciences by Sanjay Singh Rawal
- Chemistry of the Elements by N.N Greenwood and A. Earnshaw
- Inorganic Chemistry by Gary Wulfsberg
Physical Science Books
- CSIR-UGC NET/JRF/SET Physical Sciences by Dr. Surekha Tomar
- UGC CSIR JRF/NET Physical Sciences by Sunil Kushwaha
- UGC-CSIR NET (JRF & LS) Physical Science by W.Malemnganba Chenglei
- UGC CSIR JRF/NET Physical Sciences bu GKP
Mathematical Science
- Mathematical Sciences for UGC-CSIR Junior Research Fellowship & Eligibility for Lectureship by Prasad
- Mathematical Science Manual CSIR UGC/NET/SLET & Lectureship – Jupiter by Renu Sharma, Awadhesh Kumar Mishra
- NET Mathematical Sciences – Vol. 2 UGC CSIR by Satya Prakashan
- UGC-CSIR NET (JRF & LS) Mathematical Science by Pawan Sharma, Anshuman, Suraj Singh
- CSIR-UGC NET/JRF/SET MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES by Alok Kumar (Upkar)
CSIR NET Exam 2020: Exam Analysis
Cut Off and Result
The result for the December 2020 CSIR NET exam has been declared on 5th February 2021. As per it, below are the estimated cut offs-
Junior Research Fellowship
| Subject | Unreserved | EWS | OBC | SC | ST | PwD |
| Chemical Sciences | 50.50 % | 44.50 % | 43.25 % | 33.25 % | 25.50 % | 25.00 % |
| Earth Sciences | 59.86 % | 54.31 % | 52.79 % | 44.22 % | 40.90 % | 29.33 % |
| Life Sciences* | 98.94 % | 96.57 % | 96.04 % | 89.68 % | 83.10 % | 74.75 % |
| Mathematical Sciences | 57.00 % | 51.38 % | 50.75 % | 40.25 % | 30.88 % | 28.75 % |
| Physical Sciences | 46.25 % | 40.68 % | 39.68 % | 31.56 % | 26.87 % | 25.00 % |
Lectureship
| Subject | Unreserved | EWS | OBC | SC | ST | PwD |
| Chemical Sciences | 45.45 % | 40.05 % | 38.92 % | 29.92 % | 25.00 % | 25.00 % |
| Earth Sciences | 53.87 % | 48.87 % | 47.51 % | 39.79 % | 36.81 % | 26.39 % |
| Life Sciences* | 97.18 % | 94.00 % | 93.21 % | 85.38 % | 77.51 % | 74.75 % |
| Mathematical Sciences | 51.30 % | 46.23 % | 45.67 % | 36.22 % | 27.78 % | 25.87 % |
| Physical Sciences | 41.62 % | 36.61 % | 35.71 % | 28.40 % | 25.00 % | 25.00 % |
(*) The raw marks obtained have been normalized into NTA score/percentile and results have been declared based on percentile cut-off as indicated.
Difference between UGC NET and CSIR NET
When it comes to differentiating between UGC NET and CSIR NET, one must know that the former is conducted for a wide range of subjects like Public Administration, Economics, Forensic Science, Commerce, Indian Literature, Political Science, etc. On the contrary, CSIR NET is conducted only for subjects related to the Science stream. Furthermore, the UGC exam has 2 papers, whereas the CSIR National Eligibility Test only has 1 paper.
Hence, CSIR NET is a golden opportunity for those who want to establish a career in Research or Academics. Apprehensive about choosing the right career? Reach out to our experts at Leverage Edu through an E-meeting who will provide assistance in not only choosing a course that aligns with your professional goals but will also guide you throughout the admission process!
