Candidates who aspire to crack CSIR NET Exam 2023 often enquire before starting their preparation if CSIR Net Exam 2023 is really tough to crack. They often wonder if the difficulty level of the CSIR NET Exam is hard to crack. To help the candidates understand the nature and difficulty level of the CSIR NET Exam 2023, we have explained in detail in the following article if the CSIR NET Exam is tough or not.
CSIR NET Exam Overview
CSIR NET Exam 2023 is a national-level eligibility exam for candidates aspiring for the Junior Research Fellowship and for a lectureship. The candidate must clear the CSIR NET Exam 2023 to become eligible for the post of Assistant Professor. Among the CSIR NET Qualified candidates, only the top 6-7% of candidates will be offered the Junior Research fellowship where they will get a stipend while completing their research work.
CSIR NET Exam Level
As mentioned above, the CSIR NET Exam is a national-level examination. Therefore, it is understandable that the competition will be high and the candidates need to prepare harder to crack the exam. There are 5 subjects for which the CSIR NET Exam is conducted every year. The subjects are Chemical Science, Earth Sciences, Life Science, Mathematical Sciences and Physical Science.
CSIR NET Exam Previous Year Trends
Every year lakhs of candidates appear for the CSIR NET Exam. However, only 15 to 20% of candidates clear the CSIR NET Exam. Therefore, the CSIR NET Exam is not a piece of cake and the candidates must grind hard to secure the CSIR NET Cut-Off Mark 2023. The merit list for JRF requires top-notch preparation by the candidates.
There are many factors that determine the Cut Off Marks for the JRF Final Merit List based on the CSIR NET Result such as the total number of candidates that appeared, the total number of seats available, difficulty level of the CSIR NET Exam, the number of shifts, the category selected by candidates and so on.
CSIR NET Exam Marking System
The marking system of the CSIR NET Exam is not so straightforward therefore, the candidates must check out the marking system for the CSIR NET Exam thoroughly. In fact, the marking system for each subject under the CSIR NET Exam is different from each other. Moreover, there is a negative marking of overall 25% for each paper, although the weightage of negative for each subject also differs significantly.
| Chemical Sciences | Part A | Part B | Part C | Total |
| Total Questions | 20 | 40 | 60 | 120 |
| Max No of Questions to attempt | 15 | 35 | 25 | 75 |
| Marks for each correct answer | 2 | 2 | 4 | 200 |
| Negative marking | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1 | – |
| Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean and Planetary Sciences |
Part A | Part B | Part C | Total |
| Total Questions | 20 | 50 | 80 | 150 |
| Max No of Questions to attempt | 15 | 35 | 25 | 75 |
| Marks for each correct answer | 2 | 2 | 4 | 200 |
| Negative marking | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.32 | – |
| Life Sciences | Part A | Part B | Part C | Total |
| Total Questions | 20 | 50 | 75 | 145 |
| Max No of Questions to attempt | 15 | 35 | 25 | 75 |
| Marks for each correct answer | 2 | 2 | 4 | 200 |
| Negative marking | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1 | – |
| Mathematical Sciences | Part A | Part B | Part C | Total |
| Total Questions | 20 | 40 | 60 | 120 |
| Max No of Questions to attempt | 15 | 25 | 20 | 60 |
| Marks for each correct answer | 2 | 3 | 4.75 | 200 |
| Negative marking | 0.5 | 0.75 | 0 | – |
| Physical Sciences | Part A | Part B | Part C | Total |
| Total Questions | 20 | 25 | 30 | 75 |
| Max No of Questions to attempt | 15 | 20 | 20 | 55 |
| Marks for each correct answer | 2 | 3.5 | 5 | 200 |
| Negative marking | 0.5 | 0.875 | 1.25 | – |
Is the CSIR NET Exam Tough?
The candidates should take the CSIR NET Exam very seriously and prepare for the exam accordingly. Yes, the CSIR NET Exam is tough. However, that does not imply that the CSIR NET Exam is impossible to crack. People have cracked the CSIR NET Exam on the first attempt as well.
Thus, the candidates must prepare for the CSIR NET Exam with diligence, dedication and perseverance. They should read and learn all the concepts thoroughly and complete the CSIR NET Syllabus in its entirety for better results.
As there is negative marking in the CSIR NET Exam, the candidates should not get adventurous while marking the answers and leave the questions they are not sure about.
The candidate should try to attempt the CSIR NET Exam while they are pursuing their Master’s Degree, this will help them a lot as mostly the CSIR NET Syllabus covers the subjects at the Master’s Level.
| CSIR NET Important Links | |
| CSIR NET Notification | CSIR NET Syllabus 2023 |
| CSIR NET Application Form | CSIR Previous Year Papers |
| CSIR NET Exam Date | CSIR NET Result |
