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Being a prominent agrarian country, India has always focused on its agricultural sector which contributes massively to economic growth. Moreover, many students are also getting interested in agricultural courses to explore the varied opportunities this field has to offer! The Indian Council of Agricultural Research All India Entrance Examination (ICAR AIEEA) is a national-level examination for undergraduate students aiming to apply for agricultural and allied sciences programmes in India. National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts the ICAR AIEEA examination through online mode as a computer-based test, scheduled in the first week of June. This blog aims to elucidate the key details and features of the ICAR AIEEA exam.
This Blog Includes:
ICAR AIEE exam Highlights
| Exam Name | Central University Entrance Test |
| Conducting Body | National Testing Agency (NTA) |
| Exam Level | Undergraduate and Postgraduate |
| Exam Frequency | Once a year |
| Exam Mode | Online (Computer-Based Mode) |
| Courses offered through CUET | BSc, BA, B.Agri, BA LLB, BBA, BCom. |
| Exam Fees | INR 750 (General) INR 700 (OBC-NCL, EWS) INR 650 (SC, ST, PwD and Transgender) INR 3,750 (International centres) |
| Exam Duration | Slot I – 195 minutes Slot II – 225 minutes |
| Total Marks | Slot I – 700 Slot II – 400 |
| Total Number of Questions | Slot I – 175 (140 to be attempted) Slot II – 100 (80 to be attempted) |
| Marking Scheme | +5 for each correct answer -1 for each incorrect answer |
| Language of Exam | 13 languages – English, Hindi, Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Urdu |
| Exam Centre Cities | 500 cities in India and 14 cities abroad |
| Accepting Colleges | 86 Central, Private and Deemed to be Universities |
| Official Website | cuet.samarth.ac.in |
| Contact Details | 011-69227700, 011-40759000 |
Important Dates for ICAR AIEEA 2020
It is imperative for students seeking admission to Agricultural programs to familiarize themselves with key dates pertaining to the ICAR AIEEA examination. Take a look at the important dates mentioned in a tabulated form below:
| Events | Date |
| CUET (ICAR-UG) 2023 Application Process | 10 Feb 2023 – 30 Mar 2023 |
| CUET (ICAR- UG) 2023 Application Correction | 1 Apr 2023 – 3 Apr 2023 |
| Advance Intimation Slip for Exam City | 30 Apr 2023 |
| CUET (ICAR-UG) 2023 Admit Card Release (Tentative) | May 2023 |
| CUET (ICAR-UG) 2023 Exam | 21 May 2023 – 31 May 2023 |
| CUET (ICAR-UG) UG 2023 Reserved Exam Dates | 1 Jun 2023 – 7 Jun 2023 |
| CUET (ICAR- UG) 2023 Provisional Answer Key Release (Tentative) | Jun 2023 |
| CUET (ICAR-UG) 2023 Result | 20 Jun 2023 |
Eligibility Criteria
To appear for a competitive exam, it is important to qualify for all the prerequisites specified by the conducting authority. Here are the eligibility criteria for the ICAR AIEEA exam for various programs which you must know about:
UG Eligibility Criteria
Following is the list of criteria that a candidate should fulfil in order to appear for ICAR AIEAA meant for undergraduate courses:
- Age Limit: The candidate should not be less than 16 years of age.
- Nationality: The applicant should be of Indian origin.
- Educational Qualification: It is mandatory that candidates have finished their 10+2 education (with Physics and Chemistry plus any of the disciplines from Mathematics, Biology/Agriculture/Home Science) from CBSE or any other recognized board.
Must Read: How to Prepare for Competitive Exams?
PG Eligibility Criteria
Following are the eligibility criteria bifurcated under different parameters for ICAR AIEAA meant for postgraduate courses:
Academic Requirements
- Candidates must have completed a Bachelor’s Degree.
- The candidates must have completed a degree from a recognised university in the applicable fields under 10+2+4, 10+2+5 (B.V. Sc.&A.H.), 10+6 years degree (B.Sc.Ag.).
- Students who have completed a Bachelor’s Degree with a 10+2+3 degree programme can apply to only two ICAR-DUs (NDRI Karnal and IARI Pusa).
- Those who are looking forward to enrolling in M.V.Sc. the programme must hold B.V.Sc. & A.H. degree with an internship.
Nationality and Age Limit
- Candidates appearing in the AIEEA-PG 2021 exam must be 19 years old as on 31st August 2021.
- They should not have been born after 01.09.2002.
- The candidate should be an Indian Citizen.
Reservation of Policy
- Remote and Underprivileged States/ Union Territories (UPS): 2%
- Physically Challenged (PC): 5%
- Scheduled Tribe (ST): 7.5%
- Scheduled Caste (SC): 15%
PhD Eligibility Criteria
Following are the eligibility criteria bifurcated under different parameters for ICAR AIEAA meant for PhD program:
Nationality and Age
- The candidate must be a citizen of India.
- The candidate must be more than or equal to 20 years of age.
Educational Qualification
- Candidates must have completed a master’s degree in the particular subject or sub-subject they are applying for.
- Qualifying Courses Duration: Candidates must be qualified with 4/5 (BVSc & AH)/6 (10+6, BSc. Ag.) years UG degree and 2 years PG degree along with thesis work completed for PhD admission in AUs through AICE-JRF/SRF (PGS).
- Candidates with a Bachelor’s degree of 3 years, if already enrolled for a Masters’s degree may seek admission in PhD in respective ICAR-DU according to prescribed eligibility criteria.
- Qualifying CGPA/Percentage: Considering minimum OGPA (Overall Grade Point Average) in a Master’s degree.
- 6.50/10.00 in a ten-point scale(Gen, OBS, UPS) & 5.50/10.00 (SC/ST/Physically Challenged)
- 3.25/5.00 in a five-point scale(Gen, OBS, UPS) & 2.75/5.00 (SC/ST/Physically Challenged)
- 2.60/4.00 in a four-point scale(Gen, OBS, UPS) & 2.20/4.00 (SC/ST/Physically Challenged)
- Considering the minimum Percentage in the Master’s degree: 60% marks (Gen, OBS, UPS) & 50% marks (SC/ST/Physically Challenged)
ICAR AIEEA Exam Pattern
In order to clear the ICAR AIEEA examination with flying colours, you must be familiarized with its exam pattern. Take a look at the vital details pertaining to the paper pattern of this exam given below-
UG Exam
When it comes to cracking any competitive exam it is extremely important that a student is familiar with the exam pattern. The following table represents the entire exam format of the ICAR AIEE UG entrance examination:
| Mode of the Exam | Online Based |
| Duration | 2 & Half Hours |
| Total Number of Questions | 150 |
| Questions Type | Objective-Based |
| Mode of Language | Hindi & English |
| Maximum Marks | 600 |
| Marking Scheme | 1 mark deducted for a wrong answer and 4 marks for a correct one. |
PG Exam
Following is the exam pattern of the ICAR AIEE PG entrance examination:
| Total no. of questions | 150 MCQ and 10 Cross-matching questions |
| Type of questions | MCQ and Cross-matching Type questions |
| Correct answer (For MCQ) | +4 marks |
| Wrong answer (For MCQ) | -1 Mark |
| Correct answer (For Cross Matching Type Questions) | +5 marks |
| Wrong answer (For Cross Matching Type Questions) | -0.2 marks |
| Total marks | 650 marks |
Also Read: BSc Agriculture Subjects
PhD Exam
The table below represents the exam pattern of the ICAR AIEE PhD entrance examination:
| Mode of exam | Online (CBT) |
| Medium | English / Hindi |
| Duration | 2.5 hours (150 min) |
| Exam Timing | 9.30 AM to 12 PM |
| Question format | MCQ’s |
| Total Number of Questions | 150 |
| Total Marks | 600 |
| Negative Marking | – 0.25 marks for every wrong answer |
ICAR AIEEA Syllabus
The ICAR AIEEA exam mainly comprises objective-based questions from the five core disciplines, i.e. Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Agriculture, and Biology. The following table elaborates upon the key topics you need to cover for UG and PG exams-:
UG Syllabus
The following table represents the syllabus for the ICAR AIEE entrance examination for UG program:
| Subject | Topics |
| Agriculture | Agrometeorology, Genetics and Plant Breeding, Biochemistry and Microbiology, Livestock Production, Crop Production, Horticulture. |
| Mathematics | Sets and Functions, Algebra, Coordinate Geometry, Calculus, Vectors and Three-Dimensional Geometry, Linear Programming, Mathematical Reasoning, Statistics & Probability, Statics, Dynamics |
| Biology | he Living World, Unit of Life, Diversity of Life, Organisms and Environment, Multicellularity: Structure and Function – Plant Life & Animal Life, Continuity of Life, Origin and Evolution of Life, Application of Biology |
| Chemistry | Solid State, Solutions, Structure of Atom, Classification of Elements and Periodicity in Properties, Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure, States of Matter: Gases and Liquids, Thermodynamics, Equilibrium, Redox Reaction, Hydrogen, s-Block, Elements (Alkali and Alkaline earth metals), Preparation and properties of some important compounds, Some p-Block Elements, Group 14 elements, Organic Chemistry, Hydrocarbons, Electrochemistry, Chemical Kinetics, Coordination, Compounds, Haloalkanes and Haloarenes, Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers, Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids, Organic compounds containing Nitrogen, Biomolecules, Polymer, Environmental Chemistry, Chemistry in Everyday life |
| Physics | The motion of the System of Particles and Rigid Body, Gravitation, Properties of Bulk Matter, Thermodynamics, The behaviour of Perfect Gas and Kinetic Theory, Oscillations and Waves, Physical World and Measurement, Kinematics·, Laws of Motion, Work, Energy and Power, Electrostatics, Current Electricity, Magnetic Effects of Current and Magnetism, Electromagnetic Induction and Alternating Currents, Electromagnetic waves, Optics, Dual Nature of Matter and Radiation, Atoms & Nuclei, Electronic Devices, Communication Systems |
PG Syllabus
Following is the syllabus for the ICAR AIEE entrance examination for the PG program:
| Programs | Topics/Units |
| Plant Biotechnology | -Importance of agriculture in the national economy, Basic principles of crop production, Cultivation of rice, wheat, chickpea, pigeon-pea, sugarcane, groundnut, tomato and mango, Major soils of India, etc -Role of NPK and their deficiency symptoms, Importance of BIochemistry in agriculture, Acid-base concepts and buffers, Plant Physiology, Crop Physiology. |
| Entomology and Nematology | -Horticultural Entomology, Apiculture, Nematology, Sericulture, Plant protection |
| Physical Science | -Agricultural chemicals, Environmental Science, Agricultural Physics, Soil conservation and water management, SWC, Irrigation and water management, Soil science and agricultural chemistry. |
| Social Sciences | -Agricultural economics, Dairy extension education, Dairy economics, Agriculture extension, Extension Education, Communication |
| Agronomy | -Agronomy, Tea Husbandry and technology |
| Horticulture | -Horticulture, Vegetable Crops or Science, Post harvest technology of Horticultural crops, Olericulture, Fruit Science and Horticulture technology, Floriculture and landscaping, Plantation spices, Medicinal and aromatic cropsPormology. |
| Statistical Sciences | -Computer applications, Bioinformatics, Agricultural Statistics. |
| Plant Sciences | -Plant breeding and genetics, Plant pathology, Plant genetics resources, Seed Science and Technology, Microbiology, and Agricultural Microbiology. |
| Dairy Technology | -Dairy Technology, Dairy engineering |
PhD Syllabus
The table below represents the subjects on which the ICAR AIEE entrance exam for PhD program is going to be based:
| Subjects | Topics |
| Genetics and Plant Breeding | -Unit 1: General Genetics and Plant Breeding -Unit 2: Economics Botany and Plant Breeding Methods -Unit 3: Genome Organization and Cytogenetics of Crop Plants -Unit 4: Quantitative and Biometrical Genetics -Unit 5: Genetic Engineering and Biotechnological Tools in Plant Breeding -Unit 6: Plant Breeding for Stress Resistance and Nutritional Quality -Unit 7: Plant Genetic Resources and their Regulatory System; Varietal Release and Seed Production -Unit 8: Statistical Methods and Field Plot Techniques |
| Economic Botany & Plant Genetic Resources | -Unit 1: Biodiversity and Plant Genetic Resources -Unit 2: Exploration and Germplasm Collecting -Unit 3: Germplasm Exchange and Plant Quarantine -Unit 4: Principles and Methods of Germplasm Conservation -Unit 5: Principles and Practices of Germplasm Regeneration and Evaluation -Unit 6: Biotechnology in Plant Genetic Resource Management -Unit 7: Economic Botany -Unit 8: Information Management in Plant Genetic Resources -Unit 9: Plant Taxonomy -Unit 10: Plant Biosecurity -Unit 11: Fundamentals of Molecular Biology for PGR Management |
| Seed Science & Technology | -Unit 1: Seed Biology -Unit 2: Seed Production -Unit 3: Seed Processing -Unit 4: Seed Quality Control -Unit 5: Seed Storage -Unit 6: Seed Health -Unit 7: Seed Industry Development and Marketing -Unit 8: Protection of Plant Varieties |
| Plant Pathology | -Unit 1: History and Principles of Plant Pathology -Unit 2: Laboratory and Analytical Technique -Unit 3: Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology -Unit 4: Mycology -Unit 5: Plant Bacteriology -Unit 6: Plant Virology -Unit 7: Plant Disease Epidemiology -Unit 8: Phanerogamic Parasites and Non-parasitic Diseases -Unit 9: Fungal Diseases of Crop Plants -Unit 10: Bacterial and Viral Diseases of Crop Plant -Unit 11: Management of Plant diseases |
| Agricultural Entomology | -Unit 1: Systematics -Unit 2: Morphology -Unit 3: Embryology, Internal Anatomy, and Physiology -Unit 4: Ecology -Unit 5: Biological Control -Unit 6: Chemical Control and Toxicology -Unit 7: Host Plant Resistance -Unit 8: Novel Approaches in Pest Control -Unit 9: Integrated Pest Management -Unit 10: Pesticide Application Equipment -Unit 11: Pests of Field Crops and their Management -Unit 12: Pests of Horticultural Crops and their Management-Unit 13: Pests of Stored Products and their Management -Unit 14: Insect and mite vectors of Plant Diseases -Unit 15: Honey Bees and Bee-keeping -Unit 16: Silkworms and Sericulture -Unit 17: Lac Insect -Unit 18: Helpful and Useful Insects -Unit 19: Statistics and Computer Application |
| Agricultural Biotechnology | -Unit 1: Cell Structure and Function -Unit 2: Biomolecules and Metabolism -Unit 3: Enzymology -Unit 4: Molecular Genetics -Unit 5: Gene Expression -Unit 6: Molecular Biology Techniques -Unit 7: Gene Cloning -Unit 8: Molecular Biology -Unit 9: Plant Molecular Biology -Unit 10: Tissue Culture -Unit 11: Plant Genetic Engineering -Unit 12: Molecular Markers and Genomics |
Popular Courses
Candidates clearing the ICAR AIEEA examination with satisfactory marks can choose from more than 11 undergraduate courses such as B.Sc, Btech, etc. These courses are divided into two main streams, Mathematics and Agriculture/Biology. Take a look at the following table representing the specializations for the undergraduate courses in Agricultural Science and its related specializations:
| Mathematics | Agriculture/Biology |
| Agricultural Engineering | Agriculture |
| Dairy Technology | Horticulture |
| Agricultural Marketing & Co-operation | Fisheries/Fish Farming |
| Forestry | Forestry |
| Food Science | Home Science |
| Biotechnology | Sericulture Food Science Biotechnology |
Institutions Accepting ICAR AIEEA Scores
It is important to mention that India is home to about 71 agricultural universities & 102 ICAR institutes. A majority of these institutions accept ICAR AIEEA scores for their prospective programmes. The complete list of these educational institutions are:
- State Agricultural Universities
- ICAR-DUs Indian Agricultural Research Institute
- Indian Veterinary Research Institute
- National Dairy Research Institute
- Central Institute of Fisheries Education
- Central Agricultural University Imphal
- Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University Pusa
- Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University Jhansi
- Agriculture Banaras Hindu University
- Aligarh Muslim University
- Visva Bharati and Nagaland University
FAQs
The ICAR AIEEA is a national-level entrance examination which is conducted once a year to select students who are looking for admission to UG, PG and research programs in 75 agricultural universities located all over India.
500+ is considered to be a very good score in the ICAR exam whereas 400+ is also considered a good score.
ICAR exam is not as tough as other entrance exams conducted in India like NEET and JEE. Although, for being selected you must have ICAR rank below 500.
ICAR only happens to provide accreditation to the state government universities and accreditation is not mandatory. The field of Agriculture comes under state subject and permission to provide B.Sc Agriculture course, therefore, should only be given by the state government of that area.
Certainly, the field of Agricultural Science is emerging as a prominent discipline with an array of interesting courses and lucrative opportunities. We hope that this blog has helped you understand the essentials of the ICAR AIEEA exam. If you are planning to study a course in Agriculture Science but feel unsure about which one to pick, book an e-meeting with our experts at Leverage Edu and we will guide you in finding the right course and university that fits your interests and aspirations!
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