CSIR NET syllabus

Eligibility test for Junior Research Fellowship, Assistant Professor and Ph.D. admission in five science subjects. One 3-hour computer-based paper of three parts, 200 marks, with negative marking that differs by part.

Chemical Sciences, Part A: General Aptitude

15 questions to be evaluated, out of 20 set; 30 marks · Within the shared 180 minutes

Common to all five subjects. Chemical Sciences sets 20 questions of 2 marks. At most 15 are evaluated. A wrong answer takes away 0.5 mark. This site's timed paper contains those 15, not the extra 5.

  • Logical reasoning
  • Graphical analysis and quantitative comparison
  • Numerical ability
  • Series
  • Puzzles

Chemical Sciences, Part B

35 questions to be evaluated, out of 40 set; 70 marks · Within the shared 180 minutes

Subject questions, 2 marks each. At most 35 of the 40 set are evaluated. A wrong answer takes away 0.5 mark. The bulletin names the specialisations and does not print how many questions come from each.

  • Inorganic chemistry
  • Organic chemistry
  • Physical chemistry
  • Analytical chemistry

Chemical Sciences, Part C

25 questions to be evaluated, out of 60 set; 100 marks · Within the shared 180 minutes

Higher-order questions, 4 marks each. At most 25 of the 60 set are evaluated. A wrong answer takes away 1 mark. This site's timed paper contains those 25.

  • Application of inorganic, organic, physical and analytical concepts
  • Multi-step numerical and structural problems

Life Sciences and Bio-Technology, Part A: General Aptitude

15 questions to be evaluated, out of 20 set; 30 marks · Within the shared 180 minutes, on the Life Sciences paper instead of Chemical Sciences

A candidate sits one subject. Part A on the Life Sciences paper is the same kind of aptitude, 2 marks, and a wrong answer takes away 0.5. It is not a second Part A inside the Chemical Sciences sitting.

  • The same general aptitude as every other subject

Life Sciences and Bio-Technology, Part B

35 questions to be evaluated, out of 50 set; 70 marks · Within the shared 180 minutes, on the Life Sciences paper

2 marks each, and a wrong answer takes away 0.5. The set is 50 questions, larger than Chemical Sciences Part B. On this site these are samples in the untimed pool, not 35 questions of a full paper.

  • Biochemistry
  • Cell biology and genetics
  • Physiology
  • Ecology, evolution and diversity

Life Sciences and Bio-Technology, Part C

25 questions to be evaluated, out of 75 set; 100 marks · Within the shared 180 minutes, on the Life Sciences paper

4 marks each, and a wrong answer takes away 1 mark. The set is 75 questions. This site does not build those 25 evaluated questions as a full Part C.

  • Higher-order questions in life sciences and biotechnology