National Testing Agency (NTA) is a national-level test that is conducted to determine the eligibility of Indian candidates for Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), appointment as Assistant Professor, or admission to various PhD programmes in Indian universities and colleges. The Joint CSIR-UGC NET December 2025 examination is scheduled for 18th December 2025. Check the complete CSIR NET Exam schedule from here.
CSIR UGC NET 2025 Notification Out
NTA has released the detailed CSIR NET December 2025 Notification on its website. The notification includes all important information such as how to apply, exam pattern, eligibility criteria, important dates, and more. Candidates can download the CSIR UGC NET Notification PDF from the official website or from the link attached below.
CSIR NET 2025 Notification PDF- Click to Download
CSIR NET 2025 Overview
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research National Eligibility Test (CSIR NET) is organized by the National Testing Agency twice every year in June and December. The CSIR NET December Notification has been released at https://csirnet.nta.ac.in/. Make sure you go through the highlights of the CSIR NET 2025 Exam from the tabulated data below to have a better understanding of the eligibility test.
| CSIR UGC NET 2025- Exam Summary | |
| Conducting Body | National Testing Agency (NTA) |
| Exam Name | CSIR UGC NET December 2025 |
| Full-Form | CSIR NET (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research National Eligibility Test) |
| Exam Level | National |
| Exam Frequency | Twice a year (June & December) |
| CSIR NET Exam Date 2025 | 18th December 2025 (Thursday) |
| Mode of Exam | Online - CBT (Computer Based Test) |
| Language/Medium of Exam | English and Hindi |
| No. of Test Cities | 225 |
| Official Website | https://csirnet.nta.ac.in/ https://nta.ac.in/ |
CSIR NET Exam Date 2025 Out
The exam date for the Joint CSIR NET December 2025 Exam has been announced for 18th December 2025 (Thursday). The exam will be held in two shifts from 9 am to 12 noon and from 3 pm to 6 pm. Further details regarding the exam venue, exam timing, exam centre etc will be released along with the admit card.
CSIR NET City Intimation Slip 2025 - Click to Check
CSIR NET 2025- Important Dates
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has released the complete schedule regarding the CSIR NET exam, along with the CSIR NET December Notification PDF. CSIR NET 2025 December exam will be held on 18th December 2025. Check important dates from the table below.
| Events | Dates |
| CSIR NET December Notification 2025 | 25th September 2025 |
| CSIR NET Application Form 2025 Starts | 25th September 2025 |
| Last Date to apply online | 27th October 2025 |
| Last Date to pay application fee | 28th October 2025 |
| CSIR NET Correction Dates | 30th October to 1st November 2025 |
| CSIR NET City Intimation Slip 2025 | 10th December 2025 |
| CSIR NET Admit Card 2025 | 14th December 2025 |
| CSIR NET Exam Date 2025 | 18th December 2025 |
CSIR NET 2025 Eligibility Criteria
Candidates must fulfill the following criteria to apply for CSIR NET 2025 December Session. Candidates applying for JRF must be 30 years or younger, while there is no age limit for those applying for Assistant Professor or Ph.D. admission through CSIR December NET.
| Parameters | Eligibility |
| Nationality | Indian citizen |
| Upper Age Limit (As of 1/10/2025) | JRF- 30 years Assistant Professor & Ph.D. Admission- No age limit |
| Education Qualification |
|
CSIR NET 2025 Application Fee
The applicants have to pay the CSIR NET application fee in online mode via debit card/credit card/internet banking. The category-wise application fee is as follows.
| Category | CSIR NET Application Fee |
| General | Rs. 1150/- |
| EWS/ OBC – Non-creamy layer | Rs. 600/- |
| SC/ST/PwD/Third Gender | Rs. 325/- |
| PwD | NIL |
Steps to Apply for CSIR NET December 2025
Candidates can apply for the CSIR Eligibility test for the December session by following these simple steps.
PART I: Registration
- Register on the official website to get your Application Number.
- Enter basic details as per your Class 10 certificate:
- Full Name (No prefixes like Mr./Ms..), Mother’s and Father’s Name, Date of Birth (Format: dd/mm/yyyy), Use your own mobile number and email ID (only one per application).
- Email and phone number can’t be changed later, so be careful.
PART II: Fill the Complete Application Form
- You can edit your form before final submission.
- The form can be filled in multiple steps, you can save it as a draft and complete it later before the last date.
- Upload documents, pay the fee, and print the Confirmation Page.
- Form is considered submitted only after fee payment is successful.
- OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) should refer to the central list on www.ncbc.nic.in
- Enter gender, address with PIN Code, subject of the exam, and preferred exam cities carefully these cannot be changed later.
PART III: Upload Documents
Make sure all files are clear, scanned, and in correct specifications
Photograph
- Clear face, no cap/goggles, white background, 80% face visible.
- JPG/JPEG format only, 10 kb to 200 kb.
- Spectacles allowed if worn regularly.
- No computer-generated or altered photos.
Signature
- Full signature in running handwriting.
- Use blue/black pen on white paper.
- JPG/JPEG format, 10 kb to 50 kb.
PART IV: Pay Exam Fee
- Pay via Net Banking / Credit Card / Debit Card / UPI.
- Save a copy of the payment receipt for future reference.
CSIR NET 2025 Exam Pattern
The CSIR UGC NET 2025 exam will be conducted in an online mode with objective-type multiple-choice questions being asked from the subject chosen by candidates. The examination will be conducted in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode in two shifts on 18 December 2025. Shift 1 will take place from 9 am to 12 noon, and Shift 2 will be held from 3 pm to 6 pm. The exam will cover five subjects, Chemical Sciences, Earth/Atmospheric/Ocean/Planetary Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, and Physical Sciences and will be conducted in English and Hindi. Have a look at the CSIR NET 2025 exam pattern overview from the table below.
| Particulars | Exam Pattern Highlights |
| Exam mode | Online (Computer Based Test) |
| Exam duration | 180 minutes (3 hours) |
| Number of sections/parts | 3 in each paper |
| No. of questions | Total Questions- 610 To be attempted- 310 |
| Type of questions | MCQs; 4 options with only 1 correct option |
| Total marks | 200 for each paper |
| Negative marking | Yes |
| Language of paper | English and Hindi |
For each subject, the test would consist of three parts, for which the detailed CSIR UGC NET Exam Scheme has been discussed below-
- Each exam will be conducted for a total of 200 marks.
- There will be three sections - Part A, Part B and Part C in each exam.
- The marking system for each exam differs. We have provided the exam pattern for each exam below.
| CSIR UGC NET Subject-wise Scheme | ||||
| Subjects | No. of Questions | To be attempted | Marking Scheme | Negative Marking |
| Chemical Sciences | 120 Part A- 20 Part B- 40 Part C- 60 | 75 Part A- 15 Part B- 35 Part C- 25 | 200 Part A- 2 Part B- 2 Part C- 4 | Part A- 0.5 Part B- 0.5 Part C- 1 |
| Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean and Planetary Sciences | 150 Part A- 20 Part B- 50 Part C- 80 | 75 Part A- 15 Part B- 35 Part C- 25 | 200 Part A- 2 Part B- 2 Part C- 4 | Part A- 0.5 Part B- 0.5 Part C- 1.32 |
| Life Sciences | 145 Part A- 20 Part B- 50 Part C- 75 | 45 Part A- 15 Part B- 35 Part C- 25 | 200 Part A- 2 Part B- 2 Part C- 4 | Part A- 0.5 Part B- 0.5 Part C- 1 |
| Mathematical Sciences | 120 Part A- 20 Part B- 40 Part C- 60 | 60 Part A- 15 Part B- 25 Part C- 20 | 200 Part A- 2 Part B- 3 Part C- 4.75 | Part A- 0.5 Part B- 0.75 Part C- 0 |
| Physical Sciences | 75 Part A- 20 Part B- 25 Part C- 30 | 55 Part A- 15 Part B- 20 Part C- 20 | 200 Part A- 2 Part B- 3.5 Part C- 5 | Part A- 0.5 Part B- 0.875 Part C- 1.25 |
CSIR NET Syllabus 2025 - Click to Check
CSIR NET Exam Pattern 2025- Click to Check
CSIR NET 2025 Answer Key
Once the exams are conducted, NTA will release the provisional answer key on its website. Candidates will get an opportunity to challenge this answer key. And to do so the candidate has to pay Rs. 1000 per challenged question. After reviewing these challenges, NTA will release the final answer key on its website. You cannot challenge this final CSIR NET Answer Key in any manner whatsoever.
CSIR NET 2025 Result
Candidates will be given a fellowship as per the CSIR merit list. Only those candidates who will obtain the cut-off will be eligible for the final merit list. NTA will publish two separate merit lists on its website for the result of JRF and Lectureship, respectively. Candidates who qualify in the JRF merit list will also be eligible for the Lectureship/Assistant Professor fellowship. As per the notification, there shall be no re-evaluation of the CSIR NET result.
CSIR UGC NET Cut Off 2025
CSIR NET Cut off 2025 will be released by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) along with the UGC NET Result. The cutoff marks have been released subject-wise and category-wise separately for the Joint CSIR UGC NET for each session separately. Have a look at the CSIR NET June 2025 Cut Off for Junior Research Fellowship and Lectureship/Assistant Professor from section below.
CSIR NET June 2025 JUNE Cut Off
| Subject | Junior Research Fellowship (NET) | |||||
| UR (%) | EWS (%) | OBC (%) | SC (%) | ST (%) | PWD (%) | |
| Chemical Science | 50.750 | 44.50 | 43.75 | 93.25 | 28.00 | 25.50 |
| Earth Science | 61.29 | 53.97 | 53.13 | 44.99 | 43,38 | 26.70 |
| Life Science* | 51.50 | 44.00 | 43.75 | 37.25 | 35.75 | 25.00 |
| Mathematical Science | 53.375 | 46.00 | 43.375 | 35.375 | 30.75 | 25.125 |
| Physical Science | 51.188 | 42.375 | 43.375 | 31.625 | 29.188 | 25.125 |
| Subject | Lectureship/Assistant professor (NET) | |||||
| UR (%) | EWS (%) | OBC (%) | SC (%) | ST (%) | PWD (%) | |
| Chemical Science | 45.675 | 40.05 | 39.375 | 29.925 | 25.200 | 25.000 |
| Earth Science | 55.161 | 48.573 | 47.817 | 40.491 | 39.042 | 25.000 |
| Life Science* | 46.250 | 39.60 | 39.375 | 33.525 | 32.175 | 25.000 |
| Mathematical Science | 48.038 | 41.40 | 39.038 | 31.838 | 27.675 | 25.000 |
| Physical Science | 46.069 | 38.138 | 39.038 | 28.463 | 26.269 | 25.000 |
CSIR NET 2025 Exam Centres
Candidates can check the list of exam cities available in each state and union territory where the CSIR NET 2025 exam will be conducted.
| State/UTs | City |
| Andaman & Nicobar Islands | Port Blair |
| Andhra Pradesh |
|
| Arunachal Pradesh | Itanagar/ Naharlagun |
| Assam |
|
| Bihar |
|
| Chandigarh (ut) | Chandigarh/Mohali |
| Chhattisgarh |
|
| Dadra & Nagar Haveli & Daman & Diu (UT) |
|
| Delhi | Delhi/New Delhi |
| Goa | Panaji/Madgaon |
| Gujarat |
|
| Haryana |
|
| Himachal Pradesh |
|
| Jammu & Kashmir |
|
| Jharkhand |
|
| Karnataka |
|
| Kerala |
|
| Ladakh | Leh |
| Lakshadweep (UT) | Kavaratti |
| Madhya Pradesh |
|
| Maharashtra |
|
| Manipur |
|
| Meghalaya | Shillong |
| Mizoram | Aizawl |
| Nagaland |
|
| Odisha |
|
| Puducherry | Puducherry/ Cuddalore |
| Punjab |
|
| Rajasthan |
|
| Sikkim | Gangtok |
| Tamil Nadu |
|
| Telangana |
|
| Tripura | Agartala |
| Uttar Pradesh |
|
| Uttarakhand |
|
| West Bengal |
|
