Applicants seeking admission for a Ph.D / Integrated Ph.D Programme in Physics or Theoretical Computer Science or Neuroscience or Computational Biology in one of the Participating Institutes may appear for the Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST).

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The Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB) (statutory body established through an Act of Parliament) recognises JEST as a National Eligibility Test (NET). Fellows working in SERB programmes and qualified in NET are eligible to get enhanced fellowship.

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Participating Institutes have their own eligibility criteria. Applicants who are expected to complete their final examinations by August of each year are also eligible to appear for the JEST exam of that year.

JEST Schedule

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JEST is conducted once in a year, i.e., in the months of February. The notifications announcing the JEST published in the months of October in the weekly journal of nation-wide circulation (Employment News).

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Eligibility

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Ph.D. Programme Physics

M.Sc in Physics, Applied Physics, Optics and Photonics Instrumentation, Electronics, Astronomy, Applied Mathematics, Engineering Physics, Chemistry, Applied Mathematics, Biophysics or Biochemistry.

B.E./ B.Tech. / M.E. / M.Tech./MCA in all discipline.

Integrated M.Sc. / M.Tech - Ph.D Programme (Physics)

B.Sc. (Physics / Mathematics) / B.E. / B.Tech. in Electrical / Instrumentation / Engineering Physics / Electronics and Communications / Computer Science and Engineering / Optics and Photonics.

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Scheme of JEST Test

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• Part A contains 15 questions, and carry 3 (three) marks each for correct answer, and -1 (negative one) mark for incorrect answer.

• Part B contains 10 questions and each carries 3 (three marks). These questions must be answered by integers of 4 digits each. Answer these questions on the OMR by filling in bubbles in the OMR sheet. There are NO NEGATIVE MARKS for these questions.

• Part C contains 25 questions, and each carries 1 (one) mark for the correct answer, and -1/3 (negative one third) mark for incorrect answer. Multiple choice questions have only one correct answer.