CSIR NET

Overview

The Joint CSIR-UGC National Eligibility Test (CSIR NET) is for Indian nationals in the sciences. The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducts it on behalf of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Your result can make you eligible for one of three outcomes:

NTA registers candidates and runs the exam. CSIR prepares the list of qualified candidates, and NTA has no role in awarding fellowships.

The latest cycle on the official website is June 2025. The facts below come from that cycle's information bulletin. Check the website for the next notification.

Who can apply

Academic eligibility (June 2025):

• You need a Master's degree or equivalent with at least 55% marks. For OBC (non-creamy layer), SC, ST, PwD and third gender candidates, the minimum is 50%. Marks are not rounded off.

• You can also apply if you are still studying for your Master's or waiting for your result. Your eligibility is then provisional. To keep a JRF or Assistant Professor result, you must finish the degree with the required marks within two years of the NET result. To keep a PhD-only result, you have one year.

• You can apply with a four-year (eight-semester) bachelor's degree if you scored at least 75%. Reserved categories may get a 5% relaxation under UGC rules. Candidates in the final year of such a degree can apply provisionally. If you qualify through a four-year degree, you can get the JRF and PhD admission but not Assistant Professor eligibility.

• If you hold a postgraduate diploma or a foreign degree, check with the Association of Indian Universities that it is equivalent to an Indian Master's degree.

Upper age limit (June 2025):

• JRF: 30 years, counted on the first day of the month in which the exam ends. OBC (non-creamy layer), SC, ST, PwD and third gender candidates, and women, get up to 5 extra years. You can also get relaxation for research experience or service in the armed forces. The total relaxation cannot exceed 5 years.

• Assistant Professor and PhD admission: no upper age limit.

NTA does not check your eligibility when you apply. If you are found ineligible at any stage, your candidature is cancelled.

Exam pattern

The test is a computer-based, three-hour exam of objective multiple choice questions. It has three parts, Part A, Part B and Part C, with no break between them. The paper is in both Hindi and English, and the English version counts if the two differ. Every subject paper carries 200 marks. You answer only a set number of questions in each part. If you answer more, only the first ones up to the limit are marked.

Syllabus

• Part A is the same for every subject. It tests general aptitude: logical reasoning, reading graphs, numerical and analytical ability, quantitative comparison, number series and puzzles.

• Part B has standard subject questions based on the syllabus.

• Part C has harder questions that ask you to apply scientific concepts to solve problems.

The detailed syllabus for each of the five subjects is published on the CSIR HRDG website (csirhrdg.res.in).

Passing criteria and results

• Parts A, B and C do not have separate cut-offs. Your merit is based on your total marks across all three parts.

• There is a minimum benchmark for both the fellowship and Assistant Professor lists: 33% for General, EWS and OBC candidates, and 25% for SC, ST and PwD candidates. A results committee decides how many candidates qualify in each category.

• If a subject is held across more than one shift, marks are normalised. Results are declared as a percentile along with your marks or normalised marks.

• Before results, you can challenge the provisional answer key by paying a fee.

Validity

• Qualifying for Assistant Professor stays valid for life.

• For PhD admission under categories 2 and 3, your NET marks are valid for one year from the date of the result. Universities weight NET marks at 70% and the interview at 30% for these candidates.

• JRF-qualified candidates are admitted to PhD programmes through an interview under the UGC PhD regulations of 2022.

Fees

For the June 2025 cycle:

Bank or payment gateway charges are extra. Fees are not refunded.

Important dates

For the June 2025 cycle, applications were open from 3 to 23 June 2025, and the exam was scheduled for 26, 27 and 28 July 2025. NTA has since published the score cards, final answer key and e-certificates for that cycle. Dates for later cycles will be announced on the official website.

How to apply

1. Register on csirnet.nta.ac.in with your own email address and mobile number.

2. Fill in the application form and upload your photograph and signature. Also upload the verified result-awaited form and your category or PwD certificate, if they apply to you.

3. Pay the fee online by net banking, debit card, credit card or UPI.

4. Download and keep the confirmation page. You can submit only one application.

Preparation tips

• Download the syllabus for your subject from the CSIR HRDG website and plan around Parts B and C, which carry most of the marks.

• Practise Part A puzzles and data questions regularly, because Part A is common to all subjects.

• Every subject except Mathematical Sciences Part C deducts marks for wrong answers. Attempt only as many questions as the limit allows, and avoid blind guesses.

• Solve papers under a three-hour limit to practise choosing which questions to attempt.

FAQs