What is JEST Exam?
Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST) is a national-level entrance examination conducted for admission to a PhD/Integrated PhD programme in Physics or Theoretical Computer Science or Neuroscience or Computational Biology in one of the participating institutes. The statutory body established through an Act of Parliament, Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB) recognises the JEST as a National Eligibility Test (NET).
JEST Participating Institutes
JEST Eligibility Criteria
To appear for the Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST) conducted by the Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB), candidates should meet all the prerequisites set by the participating institutes, which 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.
Candidates are advised to visit the official websites/advertisements of the participating institutes for the detailed eligibility criteria. For admission to PhD programme in Physics, candidates should possess M.Sc. in Physics from any of the participating institutes. Some institutes even accept BE/B.Tech/M.Sc/ME/MTech in disciplines of Applied Physics and Mathematics. Click here to know more about the JEST eligibility criteria.
JEST Exam Pattern
Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST) is a pen and paper based test and conducted in a single session. The official website has released the sample paper for Physics, which is divided into three parts. The distribution of questions will be 15, 10 and 25 for Part A, B and C, respectively. The maximum number of marks is 100.
Candidates are also advised to be aware of the marking scheme prior to JEST preparation. The JEST exam is conducted at 36 test locations spread across the country.
JEST Application Procedure
The registrations for the JEST 2019 will take place between November 10 and December 15. Aspirants have to start filling up and submitting applications for JEST 2019 via online mode only. One should create an account using a valid email-id and the same email-id should be used to apply online.
Candidates have to submit the application form through the created account. After submission, a unique submission number will be sent to the email-id. Use the same number to register for the JEST examination. Once the online application form is submitted, no further changes will be accepted.
JEST Application Fee
Candidates should pay an application fee of INR 300. The application fee for SC/ ST/ female applicants is INR 150. However, the application fee is waived for female applicants belonging to SC/ST. One should pay the application fee using debit/credit cards and net-banking.
JEST Admit Card
Candidates who registered for the Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST) 2019 can download their admit card from January 22, 2019. Candidates can download the admit card by providing the details such as email ID, username and password.
JEST Question Papers
Candidates should start their preparation by exploring the sample papers available on the official website. We have published the sample papers for both Physics and Theoretical Computer Science (TCS). The sample question papers will assist aspirants in familiarising with the test format besides knowing the weightage of the topics.
JEST 2019 Result
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram, the organising institution for JEST 2019, is responsible for releasing the JEST 2019 result. The organising body will release the JEST 2019 result after three to four weeks from the date of examination. Candidates who have appeared for the JEST entrance exam, which is conducted for admission to PhD and Integrated PhD programme at various participating institutions spread across the country, can check their result on the official website.