The National Testing Agency (NTA) will conduct the CSIR NET Life Sciences exam tomorrow, dated, February 17, 2022 in two shifts. Shift 1 will be conducted in the morning session from 9 am to 12 pm and Shift 2 will be held from 3 pm to 6 pm across various centers allotted for the examination. The admit cards for the Phase 2 examination were released on February 13 on the official website of NTA csirnet.nta.nic.in. The examination is conducted twice a year to select eligible candidates for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and Lectureship/ Assistant Professor in various science subjects at different universities across the country.
Exam Timing
The Life Sciences exam is the only exam being conducted in two shifts due to the large number of students who have applied for the same. The exam is of a duration of 3 hours without any break in between. Candidates must report at the venue of the examination 2 hours prior to the starting time. Candidates will not be allowed entry into the examination center after 8 am in the morning shift and 2 pm in the evening shift.No one will be allowed to leave the examination hall until the examination concludes.
Exam Pattern
The exam is conducted in a Computer Based Test (CBT) mode with Multiple Choice Questions divided into three sections. Part A is a General Aptitude paper that is common for all subjects. This contains questions from Logical Reasoning, Graphical analysis, Analytical and Numerical Ability, Quantitative comparison, Series formation, Puzzles, etc. Part B contains subject-related questions in accordance with the prescribed syllabus. Part C includes questions that test the candidates’ understanding of scientific concepts and their application. The detailed pattern is given in the table below:
| Life Sciences | Part A | Part B | Part C | Total |
| Questions | 20 | 50 | 75 | 145 |
| Max. number of questions to attempt | 15 | 35 | 25 | 75 |
| Marks for each correct answer | 2 | 2 | 4 | 200 |
| Marks for each incorrect answer | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1 | – |
In case more than the required number of questions are attempted, the first attempted questions will be taken into consideration for marking.
Revision Strategy
A thorough understanding of the exam pattern and syllabus is very important while appearing for the CSIR NET exam. Clarity of concepts will help the students ace the examination. What is also important is to go through the previous year question papers and mock tests before appearing for the examination. This will help the students in understanding the type of questions asked as well as the important topics to be covered. There might also be repeated questions each year and going through these papers will help score those easy marks. Setting the time and doing the papers will also help in managing time effectively during the examination. Identification of one’s strong and weak areas and dedicating the last few hours to what requires attention is essential in cracking the examination.
