NET jointly conducted by UGC and CSIR is very important examination for those like to go for higher courses in all kinds of Sciences. Achieving JRF in this exam is a tough task provided the standard of the question papers. Getting through CSIR – NET JRF shall offer you a Ph.D. seat in most reputed Laboratories in the country working under the purview of CSIR, DBT, ICMR etc. You will also eligible to receive good stipend from MHRD along with SRF and RA positions. Candidates have to prepare in a highly systematic manner to crack this examination. Following are some useful tips and insights into this coveted test.
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1. Strength in basics is highly required. 10th and 12th standard should be good. Student should be very good in fundamentals of Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Statistics and Biology. It is not for only CSIR it is for their whole life, as after clearing the exams they will go for research and if they lack in fundamental knowledge they will good for nothing. So clear and proper fundamental understanding with a hunger of more knowledge should be the main driving force for the candidate.
2. Time factor: It depends from student to student and also on their level of previous knowledge. But on an average, 6 month hard work is required at least. During preparation proportion of the subjects based on the students own strength should taken care off.
3. One cannot be master in all the subjects, so it’s better to concentrate on the strength of the student. If someone is good in subject A, he/ she should put stress more on that. Definitely the other portions cannot be overlooked but he/ she should not miss even a single question in their area. The competition is too tough, so missing a single question in your own area may leave you far behind.
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4. You will have doubt with regard to where to start and end preparation for different subjects? There are no such specifications, but one should be very strong in basics till 12th standard. If they feel that there are loop holes in their basics then they should take care of that first. Once they are comfortable with the basics then slowly they can consolidate their degree subjects. Out of three, good hold in any 2 of this is enough to crack the exam.
5. Coming to the standard and nature of questions in this exam, major focus is on the basic understanding. There are sections where advanced topics are covered but answering those require proper understanding and little bit research experiences helps in those sections. For a student who just passed his Masters is bit difficult to handle this section as it changes with the advent of the technologies and time. So it’s better to concentrate on the basic level more.
6. What kind of practice is required before appearing for the exam?: There is no specific method but practicing with proper timing like other competitive exams will help the aspirants to manage the timings during the examination. Clear vision, grip over the subject, time management are the key factors.
7. What type of books and material to follow?: Students can take up any standard available books, except very cheap series which does not convey the proper understanding. In the mean time they should go too much deep in a particular paper as time management and finishing the overall syllabus itself is a challenging task for a student. So there should be a balance during preparation: how much to read, what to read. Good book does not mean they have go through the whole book. Most important is extracting the best described chapters from different books as per the requirement and finishing them all in time with proper understanding. To maintain this they can even take help from the coaching institutes if they feel that there is a need.
8. Depending on the self assessment of student’s capability, one can decide on whether he may or may not go for a coaching. If the basics of the student is strong and he can do well in the present situation and manage time for preparing all the portions then there is no need of coaching. But if he feels that he is having problems with any of these then he can go for a coaching institute provided he has the details of the very institute. The ultimate goal is to crack the exam whatever way it is possible, the student have to look for it. There should not be any inhibition with the preparation and exam because final judgment depends on your preparation and you have to justify it whatever way it is possible.
9. Many of CSIR successful students are from rural areas. Some are too good who don’t need any external support to get through the exam. On the contrary the average student who may crack the test with the help of their hard work suffers a lot or ultimately fails to get through due to language barrier. To overcome the language barrier one must read Standard English daily news papers and get acquainted with the language. Moreover they have to write in English during the test. If they are week in the language and if they somehow cross the 1st paper, then they face problems in writing the 2nd paper as it is of descriptive type. Language efficiency somewhere plays a crucial role. Its nothing to do much with the subject knowledge which students gain from their local language written books but definitely with their proper written expression and understanding of the terminologies.
10. CSIR exam is highly competitive and prestigious one and is the dream of most of the students. I suggest all the science PG students to go for CSIR exam with sincere commitment, dedication and hard work to achieve goal. Once student clears the exam it is his/her choice to select the university/ R&D Lab and guide. Many of the R and D labs are running short of scientists in this country. At this stage one can take up CSIR exam, complete it successfully PhD program then go for Post Doc, publish good papers come back to India where opportunities are unlimited with good remuneration. Good Luck to CSIR Aspirants