Table of Contents
CSIR NET Syllabus 2026 covers five subjects – Chemical Sciences, Earth Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, and Physical Sciences. The exam is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) on behalf of CSIR to select candidates for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Lectureship. The question paper has three parts: Part A, Part B, and Part C. Knowing the syllabus and exam pattern helps candidates plan their preparation in the right direction.
CSIR NET Syllabus 2026
The CSIR NET 2026 syllabus is divided subject-wise and covers core and advanced topics in each science discipline. Part A is common for all subjects and tests general science, quantitative reasoning, and research aptitude. Parts B and C are subject-specific and test conceptual and application-based knowledge. Candidates must go through the complete syllabus before starting preparation.
CSIR NET 2026: Overview
Below is the overview table of the summarised information about the CSIR NET 2026:
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Exam Name | Joint CSIR UGC NET June 2026 |
| Conducting Body | National Testing Agency (NTA) |
| Purpose | JRF, Assistant Professor, Ph.D. Admission |
| Mode | Computer Based Test (CBT) |
| Application Start Date | 27th May 2026 |
| Application Last Date | 19th June 2026 |
| Date of Examination | 17th & 18th July 2026 |
| Duration | 180 Minutes (3 Hours) |
| Medium of Paper | English and Hindi |
| Maximum Marks | 200 |
| Question Type | Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) |
| Official Website | csirnet.nta.nic.in |
CSIR NET Subjects
CSIR NET 2026 is conducted for five science subjects. Candidates can apply for one subject based on their educational qualification. The five subjects are:
- Chemical Sciences
- Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean and Planetary Sciences
- Life Sciences
- Mathematical Sciences
- Physical Sciences
CSIR NET Subject-Wise Syllabus
Each subject has a separate syllabus covering basic and advanced topics. The depth of coverage increases from Part B to Part C. The table below gives a quick overview of the key areas for each subject of CSIR NET:
| Subject | Key Areas |
|---|---|
| Chemical Sciences | Inorganic, Organic, Physical Chemistry, Interdisciplinary Topics |
| Earth Sciences | Geology, Geophysics, Meteorology, Ocean Sciences, Physical Geography |
| Life Sciences | Cell Biology, Genetics, Ecology, Biotechnology, Physiology |
| Mathematical Sciences | Analysis, Algebra, Differential Equations, Statistics |
| Physical Sciences | Classical Mechanics, Quantum Mechanics, Electronics, Nuclear Physics |
CSIR NET Subject Exam Pattern
All five subjects follow a three-part MCQ-based exam with a total of 200 marks in 3 hours. Part A is common across subjects while Parts B and C differ in number of questions, marks per question, and negative marking rules. The table below gives a combined view of CSIR NET Subject Exam Pattern:
| Subject | Part A (Q/Attempt) | Part B (Q/Attempt) | Part C (Q/Attempt) | Total Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical Sciences | 20/15 | 40/35 | 60/25 | 200 |
| Earth Sciences | 20/15 | 50/35 | 80/25 | 200 |
| Life Sciences | 20/15 | 50/35 | 75/25 | 200 |
| Mathematical Sciences | 20/15 | 40/25 | 60/20 | 200 |
| Physical Sciences | 20/15 | 25/20 | 30/20 | 200 |
CSIR NET Chemical Science Exam Pattern
The CSIR Chemical Sciences paper tests candidates on inorganic, Organic, and Physical Chemistry, along with interdisciplinary topics.
| Part | Total Questions | Questions to Attempt | Marks per Question | Total Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part A | 20 | 15 | 2 | 30 |
| Part B | 40 | 35 | 2 | 70 |
| Part C | 60 | 25 | 4 | 100 |
| Total | 200 |
CSIR NET Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean and Planetary Sciences Exam Pattern
The CSIR Earth Sciences paper covers Geology, Geophysics, Meteorology, Ocean Sciences, and Physical Geography. Part C carries 33% negative marking, which is stricter than other subjects. Parts A and B carry the standard 25% negative marking.
| Part | Total Questions | Questions to Attempt | Marks per Question | Total Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part A | 20 | 15 | 2 | 30 |
| Part B | 50 | 35 | 2 | 70 |
| Part C | 80 | 25 | 4 | 100 |
| Total | 200 |
CSIR NET Life Sciences Exam Pattern
The Life Sciences paper now follows the merged CSIR-DBT NET syllabus covering both biology and biotechnology topics. Part C has 75 questions out of which candidates attempt 25. Negative marking is 25% for all three parts.
| Part | Total Questions | Questions to Attempt | Marks per Question | Total Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part A | 20 | 15 | 2 | 30 |
| Part B | 50 | 35 | 2 | 70 |
| Part C | 75 | 25 | 4 | 100 |
| Total | 200 |
CSIR NET Mathematical Sciences Exam Pattern
CSIR NET Mathematical Sciences has a unique marking scheme. Part B carries 3 marks per question and Part C carries 4.75 marks per question. Part C has no negative marking but requires all correct options to be selected for full credit – no partial credit is given.
| Part | Total Questions | Questions to Attempt | Marks per Question | Total Marks | Negative Marking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part A | 20 | 15 | 2 | 30 | 25% |
| Part B | 40 | 25 | 3 | 75 | 25% |
| Part C | 60 | 20 | 4.75 | 95 | None |
| Total | 200 |
CSIR NET Physical Sciences Exam Pattern
CSIR NET Physical Sciences Part B covers core topics and each question carries 3.5 marks. Part C covers advanced topics and each question carries 5 marks. Negative marking is 25% for wrong answers across all three parts.
| Part | Total Questions | Questions to Attempt | Marks per Question | Total Marks | Negative Marking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part A | 20 | 15 | 2 | 30 | 25% |
| Part B | 25 | 20 | 3.5 | 70 | 25% |
| Part C | 30 | 20 | 5 | 100 | None |
| Total | 200 |
CSIR NET Syllabus 2026 For Chemical Science
The Chemical Sciences syllabus has three main sections – Inorganic, Physical, and Organic Chemistry – along with interdisciplinary topics. Below are the key topics under each section:
Inorganic Chemistry:
- Chemical periodicity; structure and bonding (VSEPR Theory); Hard-Soft acid-base concept
- Main group elements: allotropy, synthesis, structure, bonding
- Transition elements, coordination compounds: spectral and magnetic properties, reaction mechanisms
- Inner transition elements: redox chemistry, analytical applications
- Organometallic compounds and homogeneous catalysis; cages and metal clusters
- Bioinorganic chemistry: porphyrins, metalloenzymes, nitrogen fixation, oxygen transport
- Analytical chemistry: separation, spectroscopic, electro- and thermoanalytical methods
- Characterisation by IR, Raman, NMR, EPR, Mössbauer, UV-vis, MS
- Nuclear chemistry: fission, fusion, radio-analytical techniques
Physical Chemistry:
- Quantum mechanics: particle-in-a-box, harmonic oscillator, hydrogen atom, variational principle, perturbation theory
- Atomic structure, spectroscopy, term symbols, MO and VB theories, Huckel theory
- Group theory: symmetry elements, point groups, selection rules
- Molecular spectroscopy: rotational, vibrational, electronic spectra; IR, Raman; NMR basics
- Chemical thermodynamics: laws, Maxwell’s relations, phase equilibria, Le Chatelier principle
- Statistical thermodynamics: Boltzmann distribution, partition functions
- Electrochemistry: Nernst equation, Kohlrausch’s law, Debye-Huckel theory
- Chemical kinetics: rate laws, steady state approximation, transition state theory, enzyme kinetics
- Colloids, surfaces, solid state, polymer chemistry, data analysis
Organic Chemistry:
- IUPAC nomenclature; stereochemistry: configurational and conformational isomerism
- Aromaticity; reactive intermediates: carbocations, carbanions, free radicals, carbenes
- Reaction mechanisms: addition, elimination, substitution; named reactions and rearrangements
- Retrosynthesis, disconnection, synthons, protecting groups
- Asymmetric synthesis: chiral auxiliaries, enantioselective methods
- Pericyclic reactions; heterocyclic compounds with O, N, S
- Natural products: carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids, terpenes, steroids, alkaloids
- Structure determination by IR, UV-Vis, NMR, Mass spectrometry
Interdisciplinary Topics:
- Nanoscience and technology; catalysis and green chemistry
- Medicinal chemistry; supramolecular chemistry; environmental chemistry
CSIR NET Syllabus 2026 For Earth Sciences
The Earth Sciences syllabus is the broadest among all CSIR NET subjects and is divided into a general Paper I and five specialised sub-disciplines in Paper II.
Paper I – General Topics (Part B):
- Earth and Solar System: Kepler’s laws, geological time scale, radioactive isotopes, meteorites
- Earth materials and surface processes: minerals, rocks, weathering, erosion, river basins of India
- Interior of the Earth: seismology, stress and strain, folds, faults, plate tectonics
- Oceans and Atmosphere: ocean currents, thermohaline circulation, ENSO, Indian monsoon, greenhouse gases
- Environmental Earth Sciences: hydrological cycle, water resources, natural hazards, remote sensing
Paper II – Sub-disciplines (Part C):
- Geology: Mineralogy and petrology; structural geology and geotectonics; paleontology; sedimentology and stratigraphy; marine geology; geochemistry; economic geology; Precambrian geology; Quaternary geology; applied geology (remote sensing, hydrogeology, engineering geology, mineral exploration)
- Physical Geography: Geomorphology; climatology; bio-geography; environmental geography; geography of India
- Geophysics: Signal processing; gravity and magnetic methods; electrical and electromagnetic methods; seismic methods; seismology; plate tectonics and geodynamics; well logging; numerical analysis
- Meteorology: Physical meteorology; cloud physics; dynamic meteorology; numerical weather prediction; general circulation modelling; synoptic meteorology; satellite meteorology; aviation meteorology
- Ocean Sciences: Physical oceanography (water masses, waves, tides, Ekman theory, ocean gyres, El Niño); chemical oceanography (seawater chemistry, carbon system, biological pump); biological oceanography (marine organisms, food webs, coral reefs)
CSIR NET Syllabus 2026 For Life Science
The Life Sciences syllabus follows the merged CSIR-DBT NET format with 14 units covering both core biology and biotechnology. Below is a brief topic list for each unit:
| Unit | Topics |
|---|---|
| 1. Structure and Function of Biomolecules | Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids; enzyme kinetics; metabolism; bioenergetics |
| 2. Cellular Organization | Cell membrane, organelles, chromosomes, cell cycle, microbial physiology, AMR |
| 3. Fundamental Processes | DNA replication, repair, recombination; transcription; translation; gene expression control |
| 4. Cell Communication and Cell Signaling | Signal transduction, G-protein receptors, innate and adaptive immunity, cancer, host-pathogen interaction |
| 5. Developmental Biology | Gametogenesis, fertilization, morphogenesis in animals and plants, stem cells, programmed cell death |
| 6. System Physiology – Plant | Photosynthesis, respiration, nitrogen metabolism, plant hormones, stress physiology |
| 7. System Physiology – Animal | Cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, excretory, endocrine systems; gut microbiome; metabolic health |
| 8. Inheritance Biology | Mendelian genetics, mutations, linkage mapping, human genetics, quantitative genetics |
| 9. Evolution and Diversity | Origin of life, natural selection, speciation, taxonomy, microbial, plant, and animal diversity |
| 10. Ecology and Behavioural Biology | Population, community, ecosystem ecology; biodiversity conservation; Biodiversity Act 2002; animal behaviour |
| 11. Bioinformatics and Computational Biology | BLAST, FASTA, sequence alignment, molecular modelling, AlphaFold, drug design, systems biology |
| 12. Biochemical Engineering and Industrial Biotechnology | Bioprocess engineering, bioreactors, fermentation technology, downstream processing, metabolic engineering |
| 13. Advances in Biotechnology | Recombinant DNA, CRISPR, genome editing, medical and agricultural biotechnology, organoids, environmental biotech |
| 14. Methods in Biology | Molecular techniques, spectroscopy, genomics, immunotechniques, microscopy, electrophysiology, bioethics, statistics |
CSIR NET Syllabus 2026 For Mathematical Science
The Mathematical Sciences syllabus has four units. Unit 1 is compulsory for all candidates. Mathematics students must attempt Units 2 and 3 additionally, while Statistics students must attempt Unit 4 additionally.
| Unit | Topics |
|---|---|
| Unit 1 (All candidates) | Real analysis, sequences and series, continuity, differentiability, Riemann and Lebesgue integrals, metric spaces; linear algebra: vector spaces, matrices, eigenvalues, canonical forms, quadratic forms |
| Unit 2 (Mathematics) | Complex analysis: Cauchy’s theorem, residues, conformal mappings; algebra: groups, rings, fields, Galois theory; topology: basis, separation axioms, compactness |
| Unit 3 (Mathematics) | ODEs, PDEs (Laplace, Heat, Wave equations); numerical analysis: Newton-Raphson, Runge-Kutta, interpolation; calculus of variations; linear integral equations; classical mechanics |
| Unit 4 (Statistics) | Probability theory, Markov chains, standard distributions; estimation, hypothesis testing; regression, ANOVA; multivariate analysis; sampling methods; experimental designs; linear programming; queuing models |
CSIR NET Syllabus 2026 For Physical Sciences
The Physical Sciences syllabus is split into Part A (Core) tested in Part B of the exam, and Part B (Advanced) tested in Part C of the exam.
Part A -Core Topics:
| Topic | Key Areas |
|---|---|
| Mathematical Methods | Vector calculus, linear algebra, special functions, Fourier and Laplace transforms, complex analysis, probability |
| Classical Mechanics | Newton’s laws, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics, rigid body dynamics, special relativity |
| Electromagnetic Theory | Electrostatics, magnetostatics, Maxwell’s equations, electromagnetic waves, interference, diffraction |
| Quantum Mechanics | Schrödinger equation, eigenvalue problems, uncertainty principle, angular momentum, perturbation theory |
| Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics | Laws of thermodynamics, ensembles, partition functions, quantum statistics, Planck’s law |
| Electronics and Experimental Methods | Semiconductor devices, op-amps, digital electronics, A/D and D/A converters, error analysis |
Part B – Advanced Topics:
| Topic | Key Areas |
|---|---|
| Mathematical Methods | Green’s function, PDEs in 2D/3D, tensors, group theory SU(2) and O(3) |
| Classical Mechanics | Poisson brackets, canonical transformations, Noether’s theorem, Hamilton-Jacobi theory |
| Electromagnetic Theory | Plasma dispersion, transmission lines, radiation from moving charges, retarded potentials |
| Quantum Mechanics | Spin-orbit coupling, WKB approximation, Born approximation, Dirac and Klein-Gordon equations |
| Thermodynamics | Phase transitions, ferromagnetism, Ising model, Bose-Einstein condensation, Brownian motion |
| Atomic and Molecular Physics | Helium spectrum, LS and JJ couplings, Zeeman and Stark effects, NMR, laser physics |
| Condensed Matter Physics | Bravais lattices, band theory, superconductivity, liquid crystals, quasicrystals |
| Nuclear and Particle Physics | Nuclear properties, liquid drop model, shell model, radioactive decays, quark model, particle symmetries |
CSIR NET Syllabus 2026 Subject-Wise PDF
Check out the CSIR NET Syllabus 2026 PDF given in the following table. All the CSIR NET 2026 Syllabus PDFs for subjects are given in a tabular format.
| Subject | Link |
| CSIR NET General Aptitude Syllabus | Download PDF |
| Chemical Science | Click Here |
| Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean & Planetary Science | Click Here |
| Life Science | Click Here |
| Mathematical Sciences | Click Here |
| Physical Sciences | Click Here |
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