How To Join DRDO?

The DRDO Stands for Defense Research & Development Organisation. DRDO is a prestigious organization in India that is responsible for military research and development as well as the advancement of technology in the service. Check out this article to find out how to join DRDO, the eligibility criteria, the selection process, and other relevant information. 

Must Read: How to become a Scientist at ISRO?

What is DRDO?

The acronym DRDO stands for “Defense Research and Development Organization,” and it is a government of India entity. Its headquarters are in Delhi. It is concerned with military research and development in order to implement new technologies or weapons to help the country have a stronger defensive system to protect its people.

• In India, the DRDO operates 52 laboratories and employs approximately 5000 scientists. 
• In addition, there are 25,000 technicians and support staff. 
• It covers various fields like armaments, aeronautics, land combat engineering, materials, life sciences, missiles,  electronics, and naval systems.

Must Read: How to become a Space Scientist at ISRO?

DRDO Eligibility Criteria 2023

To be eligible to operate at the DRDO, you must meet certain qualifications or specifications.

• Applicants who reside in India are eligible.
• Applicants who are reside aboard aren’t eligible.
• Applicant’s up to the age of 28 are eligible.
• Applicants must have completed their first-year bachelor’s degree in engineering or technology from a recognized university.

There are four tiers of posts available in scientists, for which you can apply based on your qualifications. They are as follows: 

• Scientist ‘B’ post
• Scientist ‘C’ post
• Scientist ‘D’ post
• Scientist ‘E’ post

Must Read: How to Become an Astronaut in India?

How to Join DRDO as Senior Technical Assistant under DRDO Technical Cadre

Candidates must have a Bachelor’s Degree in Science or a three-year diploma in Engineering/Technology/Computer Science/allied subjects in the required discipline from a recognized institute. Candidates in their final year of a degree in any field are now able to qualify for DRDO 2023. Candidates should ensure that they meet all of the DRDO Eligibility Criteria.

How To Join DRDO as Technician ‘A’ under DRDO Technical Cadre

Candidates must have a class 10th diploma or its equivalent from a recognized Board/Institute. In addition, he or she should have a degree from a recognized Industrial Training Institute (ITI).  

If an ITI does not offer the course, an applicant must at least one of the following:

• A 1-year course certificate from a recognized institute 
• A National Trade Certificate in the appropriate discipline  
• A National Apprenticeship Certificate in the required discipline.

Upper Age Limit: Candidates above the age of 28 (as of May 31, 2018) are ineligible for the DRDO test.

Age limit Relaxation:

• SC/ST candidates:  For Scientist ‘B’ Post – 33 Years (5 Years of Relaxation). 
• OBC (non-creamy layer): For Scientist ‘B’ Post – 31 Years (3 Years of Relaxation). 
• The age limit is also relaxed for candidates who are from Armed Forces as per rules.
• Scientist “D”/ “E” –  45 years.
• Scientist “C” – 35 years.

DRDO 2023 Exam Dates

Candidates will find all of the essential dates for DRDO recruitment through GATE 2023 below:

Event	Date
DRDO 2023 Project Scientist Application Form	May 27 – Jun 16, 2023
DRDO 2023 ARDE Apprentice Application Form	May 20 – May 30, 2023
DRDO 2023 Research Associate (RA) Walk-in-Interview	Apr 5, 2023
DRDO 2023 JRF (Electronics) Walk-in-Interview	Apr 6, 2023
DRDO 2023 JRF Application Form	21 Days from the Release of the advertisement

DRDO Application Process 2023

Step 1: Before filling out the application form, you must first enroll. You would be required to input information such as your name, email address, and phone number, among other things.

Step 2: After registering, you can log in again to enter additional information such as demographic information, education qualifications, and contact information.

Step 3: After entering all of your information, you must upload records such as self-assisted certificates, dates of birth, passport-size photos, and so on. Students in their final year would be able to upload their interim or degree certificates at a later date.

DRDO Fees 2023

Candidates from the General/OBC group would be required to pay Rs 100 online. Fees are waived for SC/ST, PWD, and female applicants.

DRDO Exam (SET Exam)

Name of exam	Scientist Entry Test (SET)
Mode of exam	Offline Mode
Frequency	Once in a year
Eligibility	Bachelor’/ Master’s Degree or Final Year Students or GATE Score of 2016/ 2017/ 2018
No. of Sections	Section A and Section B
Duration	3 hours i.e. 180 minutes
Age Limit	18-27 Years

How to Apply for the SET Exam 

Follow the steps mentioned below to apply for the Exam

• Step 1: Apply online through the official website of DRDO. (https://www.drdo.gov.in/)
• Step 2: Click on the Advertisement Tab, To fill the DRDO online application form 
• Step 3: Enter your Email Id and Password.
• Step 4: Click on the recruitment JRP tab.
• Step 5: You will be directed to the DRDO application form tab.
• Step 6: After reaching the page, 
  • Enter your personal details (your name, date of birth. Gender, nationality, etc
  • Enter your Educational Qualification details (University’s name, year of passing, etc.
  • Enter your contact details (your address, mobile number, etc.) the following details carefully (Make sure you don’t make any  spelling errors in the application form)
• Step 7: Upload all scanned documents required (Educational qualification, mark sheets, etc.) 
• Step 8: Review all the details carefully.
• Step 9: The application fee of INR 100/- (for General and OBC (Male) candidates) is payable only online. Candidates who are SC/ST/Women/PWD are excluded from paying processing fees.
• Step 10: After successfully submitting the application form, candidates must print the application form and mail it to the following address: (To the Director, DRDO, Ministry of Defense, Center for Airborne Systems (CABS), Belur, Yemlur Post, Bengaluru-560037)
• Step 11: Even after completing the online application process, candidates should keep a copy of the online recruitment application (pdf format) and the acknowledgement slip provided for future reference.

Exam Pattern

The exam pattern for DRDO SET Exam is given below- 

Section	Subjects	No. of Questions	No. of Marks
1	Subject Specific Questions	100	400
2	Logical Relations,Spatial Reasoning, Concept Formation, Numerical Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning	50	100
Total		150	500

Syllabus

Understanding the syllabus is an important part of how to join DRDO. The SET Exam syllabus contains topics like subject-specific questions from optional topics like chemical engineering, electronics and communications engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and instrumental engineering. The second section of the exam includes topics like logical relations, spatial reasoning, concept formation, numerical and abstract reasoning.

Chemical Engineering

• Process Calculations and Thermodynamics
• Fluid Mechanics and Mechanical Operations
• Heat Transfer
• Mass Transfer
• Chemical Reaction Engineering
• Instrumentation and Process Control
• Plant Design and Economics
• Chemical Technology
• DRDO SET Exam Syllabus For Computer Science and Engineering (CS):
• Theory of Computation
• Digital Logic
• Computer Organization and Architecture
• Programming and Data Structures Algorithms
• Compiler Design
• Databases
• Computer Networks

Electronics and Communication Engineering 

• Networks
• Electronic Devices
• Analog Circuits
• Digital Circuits
• Signals and Systems
• Control Systems
• Communications
• Electromagnetics

Electrical Engineering

• Electric Circuits and Fields
• Signals and Systems
• Electrical Machines
• Power Systems
• Control Systems
• Electrical and Electronic Measurements
• Power Electronics and Drives

Mechanical Engineering

• Engineering Mechanics
• Strength of Materials
• Theory of Machines
• Vibrations
• Design
• Fluid Mechanics
• Heat-Transfer
• Thermodynamics
• Applications
• Engineering Materials
• Metal Casting
• Forming
• Joining
• Machining and Machine Tool Operations
• Metrology and Inspection
• Computer Integrated Manufacturing
• Production Planning and Control: Inventory Control
• Operations Research

Instrumental Engineering 

• Basics of Circuits and Measurement Systems
• Transducers, Mechanical Measurement and Industrial Instrumentation
• Analog Electronics
• Digital Electronics
• Signals, Systems and Communications
• Electrical and Electronic Measurements
• Control Systems and Process Control
• Analytical, Optical and Biomedical Instrumentation

How To Join DRDO after 12th?

Yes, you can work at DRDO after the 12th as a shop assistant or administrative assistant. You may also enter DRDO as a technician in the desired discipline if you have an ITI credential. You enter as a group-D employee known as a technician.

(Note: After the 12th grade, you can sit for the store and administrative assistant assessment, which is a two-tiered exam followed by a typing examination. Since the applicant is not a graduate, no professional positions would be open to him or her)

How to Join DRDO after Engineering?

In order to join DRDO after engineering the minimum eligibility criteria for joining DRDO is BSc in Science or BE or BTech in Engineering/Technology/Computer science and other specialisations like Mechanical Engineering, Electrical, Instrumental, Chemical and Electronics and Communications with first division with NET/GATE qualification OR ME or MTech in Engineering in the first division in both graduate and postgraduate level.

Salaries of DRDO Employees

Grade	Level in Pay Matrix	Initial Pay
Scientist ‘B’	Level 10	56,100/-
Scientist ‘C’	Level 11	67,700/-
Scientist ‘D’	Level 12	78,800/-
Scientist ‘E’	Level 13	1,23,100/-
Scientist ‘F’	Level 13 A	1,31,100/-
Scientist ‘G’	Level 14	1,44,200/-
Scientist ‘H’ (Outstanding Scientist)	Level 15	1,82,200/-
Distinguished Scientist (DS)	Level 16	2,05,400/-
Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman, DRDO	Level 17	2,25,000/-

Also Read: DRDO Scholarship Scheme for Girls

How to get an internship at DRDO?

Also Read: ISRO Regional Academic Center for Space at IIT-BHU

Famous DRDO Scientists

DRDO is one of the most prestigious scientific research organisations in India. Various world-renowned scientists are associated with this organisation. Here are a few that have revolutionised the landscape for scientific and defence research in India-

• Tessy Thomas
• G Satheesh Reddy
• Vijay Kumar Saraswat
• S Christopher
• Vasudev Kalkunte Aatre
• A Sivathanu Pillai 
• Ipsita Biswas  

FAQs

DRDO is one of India’s most respected agencies, serving the region. Most young people dream of working here. However, there are several positions available, such as physicists, technicians, assistant technicians, and support personnel. In this blog, we discussed how to join DRDO. Hope this blog on How to join DRDO was helpful to you. For more educational content, contact Leverage Edu.