Joint CSIR UGC NET June 2026 Syllabus, Exam Pattern & Preparation Tips | projobalert.in

Selection Process

• Phase 1: Written Examination (CBT) – Single paper with Part A (General Aptitude), Part B (Subject MCQs), and Part C (Higher-Order Application Questions)
• Phase 2: Merit List Declaration – Candidates are placed in three categories: (i) JRF + Assistant Professor, (ii) Assistant Professor + PhD Admission, (iii) PhD Admission only, based on scores and cutoffs
• Phase 3: Document Verification & Award – Selected JRF candidates are admitted to PhD programmes via university interview; Lectureship-qualified candidates are eligible for appointment as Assistant Professor in Indian universities and colleges

• Part A is common to all five subjects and tests General Aptitude — logical reasoning, graphical analysis, analytical and numerical ability, series formation, quantitative comparison, and puzzles.
• Part B contains conventional subject-specific MCQs covering the standard syllabus topics. Each question has exactly ONE correct option.
• Part C contains higher-order analytical questions testing application of scientific knowledge. In Mathematical Sciences Part C, questions may have ONE or MORE correct options — full credit is awarded only when ALL correct options are identified.
• No separate cutoff for individual parts — the cumulative marks of all three parts are used for the merit list. The minimum benchmark is 33% for General/EWS/OBC and 25% for SC/ST/PwD categories.
• If more questions are attempted than the allowed maximum, only the first N responses (as per allowed limit) will be evaluated.
• The exam is conducted in bilingual mode (Hindi & English). In case of any ambiguity, the English version is treated as final.
• The JRF stipend for selected candidates is ₹37,000/month for first two years, upgraded to ₹42,000/month (SRF) after two years on satisfactory assessment.

Part A – General Aptitude (Common to All Subjects)

• Logical Reasoning: Series completion (number, letter, mixed), analogies, classification, coding-decoding, blood relations, direction sense, ranking and arrangement
• Numerical Ability: Number systems, LCM & HCF, simplification, ratio and proportion, percentage, profit and loss, simple & compound interest, time-speed-distance, time and work
• Graphical Analysis & Data Interpretation: Bar graphs, line graphs, pie charts, tabular data, mixed graphs, data sufficiency
• Quantitative Comparison: Comparison of quantities, column-based problems
• Research Aptitude & General Science: Scientific method, basic science concepts at 10+2 level, general awareness in science

Subject 701 – Chemical Sciences

• Inorganic Chemistry: Atomic structure & periodicity, chemical bonding (VBT, MOT, VSEPR), coordination chemistry (Crystal Field Theory, ligand field theory, magnetic properties, spectra of transition metal complexes), organometallic chemistry, main group element chemistry (s, p-block), lanthanides and actinides, bioinorganic chemistry, solid state chemistry (crystal structures, defects, semiconductors), nuclear chemistry
• Physical Chemistry: Thermodynamics (laws, Gibbs free energy, chemical potential, phase rule, phase diagrams), electrochemistry (galvanic cells, electrode potentials, Nernst equation, electrolysis, conductance), chemical kinetics (rate laws, Arrhenius equation, mechanisms, chain reactions, enzyme kinetics, photochemistry), quantum chemistry (Schrödinger equation, particle in a box, harmonic oscillator, hydrogen atom, angular momentum), molecular spectroscopy (rotational, vibrational, electronic, NMR, ESR), statistical thermodynamics, surface chemistry, colloids
• Organic Chemistry: IUPAC nomenclature, stereochemistry (chirality, E/Z isomerism, conformational analysis), reaction mechanisms (substitution, elimination, addition, rearrangements), aromatic chemistry, reactions of functional groups (alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, amines, halides), named reactions (Grignard, Aldol, Claisen, Diels-Alder, Wittig, Beckmann, Baeyer-Villiger), natural products (alkaloids, terpenes, steroids, carbohydrates, amino acids, nucleic acids), spectroscopic identification (UV, IR, MS, NMR — 1H and 13C)
• Analytical Chemistry: Principles of quantitative analysis, titrimetry, gravimetry, chromatography (TLC, GC, HPLC, ion exchange), spectrophotometry, atomic absorption spectroscopy, electroanalytical methods (potentiometry, polarography), error analysis and statistics

Subject 702 – Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean & Planetary Sciences

• Geology: Earth structure and composition, mineralogy (crystal systems, silicate structures, optical properties), igneous petrology (magma types, Bowen's reaction series, classification of igneous rocks), sedimentary petrology (diagenesis, facies, provenance), metamorphic petrology (metamorphic zones, P-T paths, granulite and eclogite facies), structural geology (stress-strain, faults, folds, foliations), stratigraphy and Indian geological time scale, palaeontology (evolution of life, index fossils), economic geology (ore deposits, mineral resources, coal and petroleum geology), remote sensing and GIS in geology
• Geophysics: Gravity and magnetic methods, seismology (body waves, surface waves, earthquake seismology, seismic tomography), electrical and electromagnetic methods, well-log analysis, geochronology, heat flow, geodynamics and plate tectonics
• Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences: Composition and structure of atmosphere, radiation balance, general circulation, synoptic meteorology (cyclones, anticyclones, fronts), tropical meteorology, clouds and precipitation, monsoon dynamics, climate change and global warming
• Oceanography: Physical oceanography (ocean circulation, thermohaline circulation, ENSO), chemical oceanography (seawater composition, marine sediments), marine biology basics, coastal processes and erosion
• Planetary Sciences: Solar system origin, planetary interiors, lunar geology, impact cratering, comparative planetology, astrobiology basics

Subject 703 – Life Sciences

• Molecules and their Interaction Relevant to Biology: Structure of atoms, molecules and chemical bonds; thermodynamics; biophysical chemistry (spectroscopy, ultracentrifugation, electrophoresis); cell structure, organization, function; transport across membranes
• Cellular Organisation: Membrane structure and function, organelles (mitochondria, chloroplast, ER, Golgi, lysosome), cytoskeleton, cell signaling (second messengers, signal transduction pathways, G-proteins), cell cycle and mitosis/meiosis
• Fundamental Processes: DNA structure (B, Z-DNA), replication (prokaryotic and eukaryotic), repair mechanisms (NER, BER, MMR), transcription (prokaryotic and eukaryotic RNA polymerases, promoters, enhancers, splicing), translation (genetic code, ribosomes, protein synthesis, post-translational modifications), gene regulation (lac operon, trp operon, eukaryotic gene regulation)
• Cell Communication and Cell Signaling: Hormones and receptors, MAPK pathway, PI3K-Akt pathway, JAK-STAT pathway, apoptosis pathways (intrinsic and extrinsic), cell–cell interactions, extracellular matrix
• Developmental Biology: Fertilization, early embryogenesis (cleavage, gastrulation, neurulation), fate maps, homeotic genes, morphogenesis, stem cells, regeneration
• System Physiology – Plant: Plant hormones and their mechanisms, photosynthesis (light and dark reactions, C3, C4, CAM plants), photorespiration, mineral nutrition, water relations (osmosis, plasmolysis, transpiration), stress responses
• System Physiology – Animal: Blood and immune system, nervous system (neural transmission, neurotransmitters), muscle physiology, digestive system, endocrine glands, kidney physiology, reproductive physiology
• Inheritance Biology: Mendelian genetics, extensions of Mendelism (codominance, incomplete dominance, epistasis, multiple alleles), chromosome theory, sex determination and linkage, gene mapping, mutations (types and mechanisms), genetic diseases in humans
• Diversity of Life Forms: Classification of living organisms (5-kingdom system), viruses, bacteria, archaea, protists, fungi, bryophytes, pteridophytes, gymnosperms, angiosperms, invertebrates, vertebrates — key features and evolutionary significance
• Ecological Principles: Ecosystem structure and function, energy flow, biogeochemical cycles (C, N, P, S), population ecology (growth models, competition, predation, symbiosis), community ecology, succession, biomes and biodiversity, conservation biology
• Evolution and Behaviour: Theories of evolution (Darwinism, Neo-Darwinism), molecular evolution, phylogenetics (cladistics, molecular phylogeny), Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, speciation, animal behaviour (ethology, altruism, sociobiology)
• Applied Biology: Recombinant DNA technology (restriction enzymes, cloning vectors, PCR, gel electrophoresis, Southern/Northern/Western blotting), genomics (sequencing methods, genome projects), proteomics, CRISPR-Cas9, transgenics, applications in medicine, agriculture, and industry
• Methods in Biology: Microscopy (light, electron, confocal), cell culture techniques, flow cytometry, FACS, immunological techniques (ELISA, Western blot, immunoprecipitation), isotope labelling, model organisms (E. coli, yeast, Drosophila, C. elegans, zebrafish, mouse)

Subject 704 – Mathematical Sciences

• Analysis: Real number system, sequences and series, limits and continuity, differentiation, Riemann integration, improper integrals, uniform convergence, functions of several variables (partial derivatives, maxima-minima, Lagrange multipliers), metric spaces, Lebesgue measure and integration (basics)
• Linear Algebra: Vector spaces, linear transformations, matrices (rank, determinant, eigenvalues, eigenvectors), diagonalisation, inner product spaces, spectral theorem, Jordan canonical form, bilinear forms
• Complex Analysis: Analytic functions, Cauchy-Riemann equations, contour integration, Cauchy's theorem and Cauchy's integral formula, Taylor and Laurent series, poles and residues, conformal mappings
• Algebra: Groups (subgroups, quotient groups, homomorphisms, Sylow theorems), rings (ideals, quotient rings, polynomial rings, UFD, PID), fields (field extensions, Galois theory basics)
• Ordinary Differential Equations: First-order ODEs, linear ODEs with constant coefficients, systems of ODEs, power series solutions, Frobenius method, Sturm-Liouville problems, existence and uniqueness theorems
• Partial Differential Equations: Classification (elliptic, parabolic, hyperbolic), heat equation, wave equation, Laplace equation, method of characteristics, separation of variables, Fourier series
• Numerical Analysis: Error analysis, interpolation (Newton, Lagrange), numerical integration (Trapezoidal, Simpson's rule), numerical solutions of ODEs (Euler, Runge-Kutta), solution of linear systems (Gaussian elimination, LU decomposition, iterative methods)
• Calculus of Variations and Integral Equations: Euler-Lagrange equations, Fredholm and Volterra integral equations, Neumann series
• Classical Mechanics: Generalized coordinates, Lagrangian mechanics, Hamiltonian mechanics, canonical transformations, rigid body dynamics
• Descriptive Statistics, Exploratory Data Analysis: Moments, measures of dispersion and skewness, regression and correlation, analysis of variance
• Probability: Probability axioms, conditional probability, independence, random variables (discrete and continuous), distributions (Binomial, Poisson, Normal, Exponential, Gamma), expectation, variance, moment generating functions, law of large numbers, Central Limit Theorem
• Mathematical Statistics: Sampling distributions (chi-square, t, F), estimation (unbiasedness, consistency, MLE, UMVUE, Cramer-Rao bound), testing of hypotheses (Neyman-Pearson lemma, UMP tests, likelihood ratio test), non-parametric tests

Subject 705 – Physical Sciences

• Mathematical Methods of Physics: Vector algebra and calculus, linear algebra, matrices (Cayley-Hamilton theorem, eigenvalue problems), ordinary and partial differential equations, Fourier series and transforms, Laplace transforms, complex analysis (contour integration, residue theorem), probability and statistics
• Classical Mechanics: D'Alembert's principle, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations, conservation laws, central force problem (Kepler's laws, orbits), rigid body dynamics (Euler's equations, moment of inertia tensor), small oscillations, special theory of relativity (Lorentz transformation, four-vectors, relativistic kinematics)
• Electromagnetic Theory: Maxwell's equations, electromagnetic waves (propagation, reflection, refraction, polarisation), waveguides, radiation (electric dipole, Larmor formula), electrostatics (boundary value problems, multipole expansion), magnetostatics
• Quantum Mechanics: Schrödinger equation, Dirac notation, operators and observables, harmonic oscillator, hydrogen atom (energy levels, wave functions), angular momentum (orbital and spin), perturbation theory (time-independent and time-dependent), WKB approximation, variational principle, identical particles, Dirac equation (basics)
• Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics: Laws of thermodynamics, thermodynamic potentials (Helmholtz, Gibbs free energy), Maxwell relations, phase transitions, statistical ensembles (microcanonical, canonical, grand canonical), partition function, ideal and non-ideal gases, quantum statistics (Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein distributions), applications (blackbody radiation, specific heat of solids)
• Atomic and Molecular Physics: Hydrogen spectrum, quantum numbers, selection rules, fine structure and hyperfine structure, Zeeman and Stark effects, lasers (stimulated emission, population inversion), molecular spectra (rotational, vibrational, Raman spectroscopy)
• Condensed Matter Physics: Crystal structures and symmetry (Bravais lattices, Miller indices, diffraction), lattice vibrations (phonons, Debye and Einstein models), free electron theory, energy bands (Kronig-Penney model), semiconductors, superconductivity (BCS theory, Meissner effect, London equations), magnetism (dia, para, ferro, antiferro)
• Nuclear and Particle Physics: Nuclear properties (size, mass, binding energy, spin), nuclear models (liquid drop, shell model), radioactive decay (alpha, beta, gamma), nuclear reactions and cross sections, fission and fusion, elementary particles (quarks, leptons, hadrons), conservation laws, particle accelerators and detectors
• Electronics: Semiconductor diodes and transistors (BJT, FET), operational amplifiers (applications — inverting, non-inverting, differentiator, integrator), digital logic gates (Boolean algebra, combinational and sequential circuits, flip-flops), A/D and D/A converters
• Experimental Design and Error Analysis: Precision and accuracy, systematic and random errors, propagation of errors, statistical analysis of data, signal-to-noise ratio, common experimental techniques in physics

• Understand the Exam Pattern First: Know exactly how many questions to attempt, marks per question, and negative marking for your specific subject. Strategic selection of questions is as important as knowledge.
• Master the Official Syllabus: Download the subject-specific syllabus PDF from csirhrdg.res.in. Mark topics as high-weightage (appearing frequently in PYQs) and low-weightage. Do not skip any unit entirely — Part B often surprises with breadth.
• Prioritise Part A: Part A contributes 30 marks and is scoring for all streams. Aim for 13–15 correct answers in Part A. Practise numerical aptitude and reasoning through daily 20-minute sessions.
• Use Previous Year Question Papers (PYQs): Solve at least the last 10 years of CSIR NET PYQs for your subject. PYQs reveal the actual difficulty level, question framing style, and high-frequency topics. Analyse your mistakes after each paper.
• Build Conceptual Depth for Part C: Part C carries 100 out of 200 marks. These are application-based questions requiring deeper understanding. For Life Sciences, understand mechanisms; for Physical/Chemical Sciences, solve derivation-level problems; for Mathematical Sciences, practise theorem-based questions.
• Subject-Specific Strategy – Life Sciences: Use standard textbooks for each unit; focus on molecular biology, cell biology, and genetics as they contribute heavily to both Part B and Part C.
• Subject-Specific Strategy – Physical Sciences: Solve numerical problems from Quantum Mechanics, Classical Mechanics, and Electrodynamics daily. IIT JAM and GATE Physics papers are good supplementary practice.
• Subject-Specific Strategy – Mathematical Sciences: Focus heavily on Real Analysis, Linear Algebra, and Abstract Algebra. For Part C, practise multi-select questions since all correct options must be identified for full marks — partial answers get zero.
• Subject-Specific Strategy – Chemical Sciences: Organic reaction mechanisms and spectroscopy are the highest-scoring areas. For Physical Chemistry, numerical problems on thermodynamics and kinetics must be practised daily.
• Subject-Specific Strategy – Earth Sciences: Focus on Geology (mineralogy, petrology, structural geology) and Meteorology/Oceanography together. Use maps, diagrams, and flowcharts to remember complex processes.
• Time Management During Exam: Allocate 20–25 minutes to Part A, 50–60 minutes to Part B, and the remaining time to Part C. Read all Part C questions first, then attempt those you are most confident about.
• Avoid Negative Marking Traps: Do not guess in Part A and Part B unless you can eliminate at least 2 options. In Part C of Mathematical Sciences, attempt only questions where you are very confident of ALL correct options.
• Mock Tests and Time-Bound Practice: Take at least 2 full-length mock tests per week in the final 2 months. Use NTA's official mock test portal for CBT interface familiarity.
• Revision Cycles: Create concise short notes for each chapter. Plan at least two complete syllabus revisions before the exam. The final week should be reserved for light revision only — no new topics.