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CSIR Life Sciences

What is CSIR NET Life Sciences?

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR) is one of the largest publicly funded Research and Development organizations that conducts a critical and renowned national-level examination to select driven candidates for the Junior Research Fellowship(JRF). 

Those candidates who prove their merit become eligible for teaching professors and assistant professors in Indian universities under the Faculty of Science & Technology as the exam tests not only subject knowledge but also candidates’ aptitude for scientific analysis.

CSIR Life Sciences is one of five subjects that can be chosen for the CSIR NET exam. The others being: Chemical Science, Earth Science, Mathematical Science, and Physical Science. 

The examination holds great value as it influences future lecturer positions, but with a driven mind for success and the will for hard work and strategy, aspirants can be sure to fly and lead. 

CSIR Life Sciences Eligibility

The eligibility criteria for the examination are set by the National Testing Agency(NTA). All candidates hoping to apply for the examination need to fulfill these requirements. The criteria are based on age group and education qualification. 

  • The candidates need to possess an M.Sc or equivalent degree/Integrated BS-MS/BS-4 years/BE/B Tech/B. Pharma /MBBS.
  • The General category candidates need to have at least 55% marks in the above-mentioned degrees to be eligible for the examination, and an SC/ ST/ OBC category candidate must have at least 50%.
  • A CSIR Life Sciences candidate must have pursued any above-mentioned academic qualification in Lifesciences only.
  • The maximum age limit for the award of Joint Research Fellowship is 28 years for the General category and 33 years for the SC/ST category.
  • The candidate must be an Indian citizen. 

Facts about the CSIR NET Life Sciences paper

  • Candidates who clear the examination get to be eligible for the post of lecturers/ professors in all Indian teaching institutions, be it private colleges or government colleges. 
  • The CSIR NET Life Sciences is meant for all candidates and so includes all of the subjects rather than just the one subject candidates’ study in their master’s degree.
  • Qualified candidates also get involved in a series of research and development projects.
  • CSIR Life Sciences is a Single Paper Test. 
  • It consists of 145 Multiple Choice Questions, out of which a candidate needs to attend 75 in total. Attempting more questions does not add to the score.
  • The total marks of the examination are 200, and the duration of the examination lasts 3 hours. 

CSIR NET Life Science Syllabus

There are about 13 important topics under the CSIR NET Life Science syllabus that candidates need to be prepared for. These 13 topics themselves contain many sub-topics that candidates are expected to have knowledge of, and so they should make sure to read the detailed syllabus from the official website’s PDF. 

  • Molecules and their Interaction
  • Cellular Organization
  • Fundamental Processes
  • Cell Communication and Cell Signaling
  • Development Biology
  • System Physiology-Plant
  • System Physiology-Animals
  • Inheritance Biology
  • Diversity of Life Forms
  • Ecological Principles

Paper Pattern for CSIR NET Life Sciences

  • The question paper is divided into three parts with a different number of questions and negative marking each.
  • Part A consists of 20 questions of 2 marks each, which amounts to 30 marks of the whole paper and carries a negative marking of 0.5 marks for every wrong answer.
  • Part B consists of 50 questions, out of which a candidate is expected to answer any 35 questions of their liking. Every question of this section is also valued at 2 marks with a negative marking of 0.5. This section accounts for 70 marks out of the total of 200.
  • Part C contains 75 questions of analytical nature, and the candidate needs to attempt 25 questions that carry 4 marks, each with a negative marking of 1. This section accounts for 100 marks of the total.
  • There are no section-wise cutoffs, so only overall scores count. 

CSIR NET Life Sciences qualifying strategies:

Following are a few tips and strategies that can help candidates steer closer to qualification.

  • Understand and strategize what kind of questions come in particular sections. How long it will take you to solve it and how much it should be taking. You can set your pace by solving the previous year question papers. Moreover, having a daily study planner will also help in the exam preparation.
  • Choose the easy questions wisely and attempt them. 
  • Move on if a question is taking too much of your time.
  • Don’t waste time attempting extra questions in sections. Only attempt the number of questions that are required. 
  • Research and strategize what subjects and topics to pick first for individual preparation and try to clear the subjects that are easier first. 

Conclusion

CSIR NET Life Sciences is a national level test that is conducted to test the knowledge and aptitude of prospective researchers and professors, so it naturally takes a planned, persistent, and hard-working effort to qualify. Teachmint has a large repository of learning materials to ease your exam preparation journey. Get started with out lms platform for education for better exam preparations.

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