
ICAR NET or ASRB NET is conducted to recruit Lecturers/ Assistant Professors in State Agricultural Universities and other Agricultural Universities. ASRB follows a particular pattern for ASRB NET 2025. Candidates who are going to appear for the exam, must have a clear understanding of ICAR or ASRB NET exam pattern. ASRB NET exam pattern is relatively simple compared to other NETs. This exam basically screens candidates on the basis of their knowledge and understanding of their chosen disciplines. On the basis of their performance in the written exam, they get a chance to apply for the vacancies released by different state agricultural universities or other universities.
The exam pattern for the Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board Indian Council Agricultural Research National Eligibility Test (ASRB ICAR NET) is provided along with the notification PDF. The exam pattern for ASRB ICAR NET is given below
- The exam involves only one paper
- The exam carries 150 objective-type multiple-choice questions (MCQs) of 150 marks
- Candidates are allotted two hours
- Each question carries one mark and there is a negative marking of 1/3rd marks
- There is no rounding off of fractions of marks
ASRB ICAR NETconducted by ASRB ICAR is an online exam. Candidates take the ICAR online test at the centres. The ICAR online test is conducted slot-wise. This slot-wise test ensures a level playing field across different agricultural sciences. Whether the ASRB conducts the ASRB ICAR NET online test once or twice a year depends on several factors. These factors include availability of jobs in the field of agriculture research, the requirement for qualified candidates in the agricultural research and education sector, and the availability of resources and administration aspects of the ASRB or ICAR.
The ASRB ICAR NET exam is conducted for a wide range of subjects to determine the eligibility of candidates for the posts of Assistant Professor/Lecturer in Agriculture Colleges across the country. Here are some of the subjects for which the exam is conducted
Agricultural Biotechnology
Economic Botany & Plant Genetic Resources
Nematology
Plant Biochemistry
Seed Science & Technology
Floriculture & Landscaping
Fruit Science
Spices, Plantation & Medicinal & Aromatic Plants
Vegetable Science
Animal Biochemistry
Dairy Chemistry
Livestock Product TechnologyVeterinary Medicine
Veterinary Microbiology
Aquaculture
Fisheries Resource Management
Agronomy
Environmental Science
Soil Sciences, etc.
- ASRB NET Exam Pattern
- ASRB NET Cutoff Marks
- ASRB NET Disciplines/Subjects
ASRB NET Exam Pattern
Candidates must be aware of the following parameters related to ASRB NET Exam Pattern:
| Parameters |
ASRB NET Pattern |
|---|---|
| Number of papers |
One |
| Mode of exam |
Online |
| Total marks |
150 |
| Total number of question |
150 |
| Type of questions |
Objective multiple-choice questions (MCQs) |
| Total duration of the exam |
Two hours |
| Source of the questions |
Respective disciplines |
| Negative marking |
Yes (1/3rd mark will be deducted for each wrong answer) |
| Rounding of fractional marks |
No |
| Language of the question paper |
Bilingual (English and Hindi) |
| Standard of paper |
Master’s degree level |
Commonly asked questions
The maximum number of attempts to sit for the examination is 5. But, it is not allowed for SC or ST candidates who are otherwise qualified and have unlimited attempt limit. The ASRB conducts the ICAR NET examination once or twice every year depending on factors such as vacancies, demand in agriculture research and education, and resources and administrative aspects of examination authority.
The ASRB NET has multiple-choice questions (MCQs). The type of questions asked in the ASRB NET Exam can be classified into two types.
- Conceptual Questions
- Agricultural Questions
The ASRB ICAR NET syllabus is vast. It covers subjects in the agricultural sciences. Each subject has its own topics. The main objective of the syllabus is to assess the candidate’s knowledge in his or her chosen field and his or her ability to apply this knowledge in the academic or research environment.
ASRB NET Cutoff Marks
Candidates appearing for ICAR NET 2025, need to score certain qualifying marks in their respective disciplines. ASRB has already specified the marks and percentage required to qualify for the exam. Qualifying marks are different for different categories. Let’s have a look for each category:
| Category of applicants |
Minimum qualifying marks |
Minimum qualifying percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Unreserved category (UR) |
75 |
50% |
| OBC (Non-Creamy layer) |
67.5 |
45% |
| SC/ST/Divyang |
60 |
60% |
Commonly asked questions
The ASRB ICAR NET exam duration is 2 hours. The ASRB NET exam has only one paper. However, candidates can choose the subject of the paper from the list of 60 subjects.
ASRB NET Disciplines/Subjects
ASRB NET conducts exams for 60 disciplines. Candidates having a Master’s degree or equivalent in any of these disciplines can apply for ASRB NET or ICAR NET. Candidates may find all disciplines with their respective codes below:
| Code of The Disciplines |
Name of The Disciplines |
|---|---|
| 1 |
Agricultural Biotechnology |
| 2 |
Agricultural Entomology |
| 3 |
Agricultural Microbiology |
| 4 |
Economic Botany & Plant Genetic Resources |
| 5 |
Genetics & Plant Breeding |
| 6 |
Nematology |
| 7 |
Plant Biochemistry |
| 8 |
Plant Pathology |
| 9 |
Plant Physiology |
| 10 |
Seed Science & Technology |
| 11 |
Floriculture & Landscaping |
| 12 |
Fruit Science |
| 13 |
Spices, Plantation & Medicinal & Aromatic Plants |
| 14 |
Vegetable Science |
| 15 |
Animal Biochemistry |
| 16 |
Animal Biotechnology |
| 17 |
Animal Genetics & Breeding |
| 18 |
Animal Nutrition |
| 19 |
Animal Physiology |
| 20 |
Animal Reproduction & Gynaecology |
| 21 |
Dairy Chemistry |
| 22 |
Dairy Microbiology |
| 23 |
Dairy Technology |
| 24 |
Livestock Product Technology |
| 25 |
Livestock Production Management |
| 26 |
Poultry Science |
| 27 |
Veterinary Medicine |
| 28 |
Veterinary Microbiology |
| 29 |
Veterinary Parasitology |
| 30 |
Veterinary Pathology |
| 31 |
Veterinary Pharmacology |
| 32 |
Veterinary Public Health |
| 33 |
Veterinary Surgery |
| 34 |
Aquaculture |
| 35 |
Fisheries Resource Management |
| 36 |
Fish Processing Technology |
| 37 |
Fish Nutrition |
| 38 |
Fish Health |
| 39 |
Fish Genetics & Breeding |
| 40 |
Agricultural Chemicals |
| 41 |
Agricultural Meteorology |
| 42 |
Agroforestry |
| 43 |
Agronomy |
| 44 |
Environmental Science |
| 45 |
Soil Sciences |
| 46 |
Agricultural Business Management |
| 47 |
Agricultural Economics |
| 48 |
Agricultural Extension |
| 49 |
Agricultural Statistics |
| 50 |
Home Science |
| 51 |
Farm Machinery & Power |
| 52 |
Computer Applications & IT |
| 53 |
Land & Water Management Engineering |
| 54 |
Bioinformatics |
| 55 |
Food Technology |
| 56 |
Agricultural Structure and Process Engineering |
| 57 |
Veterinary Anatomy (only for NET) |
Also Read: ASRB NET Syllabus
ASRB ICAR NET Exam