CSIR - NET: A Positive Change.

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), is the highest funding organization in India and is being considered as the heaviest investor in Scientific research in Asia. It, along with UGC conducts a National Eligibility Test (NET), for candidature in PhD in different arenas of science, in India. The arenas include Geo-Science, Life Science, Physical Science, etc. I have had taken this examination to qualify for the better position and blend a better life style with research. It was never tough to crack the Lecturership position, but it was tough to crack the JRF-position. The pattern of examination, with respect to life science always had two papers. The first one was a general science knowledge paper while the second one was subjective, but in that too... it had all the life sciences inter mingled with it. It was hard for a Physiology graduate to cope up with details of Botany, Microbiology, zoology and environmental science, in the first go!

Now, from June 2011, a huge change have been inducted to the pattern. Primarily, you are allowed to take the question papers home and getting a look into the pattern, the following salient points can be put forward in favor of the students, who have trained their minds into research, only.

1) Instead of two papers, there was a single paper, of 3 hours.

2) Its divided into three subsections: group A (15/20), Group B(35/50), Group C(25/75). (Need to attempt/Total Available)

3) Group A had a parity with the previously stated Paper 1. General Science.

4) Group B was objective, relating to the variety of stuff in Life Science. This section bore parity with the second section  of the Paper 1, that previous examinations used to have.

5) Group C. The most appealing of all. Its a solid 100 marks dedicated to analysis. "Research based questions are placed, and the candidated will have to determine outcome of a particular technique or apply practical knowledge to approach the problem."

Not only students, who have a research oreinted mindset can over come the test, but the people who have already been into the research, awaiting their JRF from LS, would get the spring in the steps to approach this exam. Its no longer clumsy, as it used to be!

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