KVPY 2020-21 Answer Key (Out), Result, Cut Off & Selection Process

What is KVPY Fellowship?

Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) is a national-level fellowship programme in the field of Basic Sciences. The KVPY Aptitude Test is conducted by the Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc), Bangalore every year.

Funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, the fellowship programme was launched in the year 1999. It aims to encourage students to take up research careers in Science. Under the programme, all the eligible students are offered scholarships and contingency grants until the pre-PhD level. KVPY examination 2020 has been conducted on January 31, 2021. IISc Bangalore has released the tentative KVPY Answer Key 2020 on February 5, 2021. 
The KVPY applications were released on September 6. The last date to apply for KVPY 2020 was extended till October 30, 2020. 

Owing to circumstances due to COVID-19, the KVPY Fellowship 2020 will be awarded solely based on the aptitude test. No interviews will be conducted this year.

KVPY eligibility has also been revised due to the prevailing circumstances due to coronavirus. The detailed eligibility requirements, as per the revised advertisement released on the official website of KVPY, have been mentioned below.

KVPY Admit Card 2020 has been released on January 4, 2021, on the official KVPY website.

Also Read: KVPY Selection Procedure 2020

The KVPY Aptitude Test 2019 was held on November 3 in the computer-based test (CBT) mode. The final KVPY result 2019 was released on March 20 on the official website. The result was released in the form of a merit list for all three streams. 

Download here official KVPY 2020 notification

Latest Updates

• February 15, 2021: KVPY Answer Key 2020: Last day to raise objections today. Read Here

• February 5, 2021: KVPY Answer Key 2021 released, check here
• January 31, 2021: KVPY 2020 exam concluded; know cut off, result date here
• January 4, 2021: KVPY Admit Card 2020 released, download here

• December 7, 2020: KVPY Mock Test 2020 released. Read here
• October 14, 2020: KVPY 2020 Eligibility Criteria revised due to the ongoing pandemic situation. Read here
• October 1, 2020: KVPY 2020-21 registrations extended again, apply till October 30, read more
• October 5, 2020: IISERs releases SAF counselling dates for KVPY applicants! Check Details Here
• October 1, 2020: KVPY registrations extended till October 19
• September 11, 2020: KVPY 2020-21: No interviews to be conducted this year, know more here
• September 6, 2020: KVPY applications begin, apply before October 5, know all details here
• August 13, 2020: KVPY 2020-21: Applications, Dates, Eligibility, Syllabus, know all here

The official website of KVPY states that the programme aims to assist the students in realising their potential while ensuring that the best scientific talent is groomed for research and development in the country. "Generous fellowship and contingency grants are provided to the selected KVPY Fellows up to the pre PhD level or 5 years, whichever is earlier. Besides, summer camps for the KVPY Fellows are organized in prestigious research and educational institutions in the country," it further reads.

Also Read: KVPY 2020: Advantages of the scholarship programme

Selection of the students is made from those studying in XI standard to 1^st year of any undergraduate Programme in Basic Sciences namely BSc/BS/BStat/BMath/Int. MSc/MS in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology having an aptitude for scientific research. Special groups / Committees are set up at IISc, Bangalore to screen the applications and conduct an aptitude test at various centres in the country. Based on the performance in the aptitude test, shortlisted students are called for an interview which is the final stage of the selection procedure. For receiving a fellowship, both aptitude test and interview marks are considered.

Empowerment initiative in the KVPY Fellowship Program

• A certain number of additional fellowships exclusively are awarded to students belonging to SC/ST community under the various streams as stated above.
• A certain number of fellowships under various streams as stated above will be operated exclusively for students under the category of Persons With Disability (Physically and Visually Challenged).

The KVPY exam has three streams:

• SA: Students pursuing Science and currently in Class 11^th
• SX: Students pursuing Science and currently in Class 12^th
• SB: Students pursuing a programme in Basic Science and currently in the first year of graduation.

KVPY Important Dates 2020

KVPY Eligibility Criteria 2020

The KVPY Fellowships are offered to Indian Nationals who are willing to continue their higher education in India. The students intending to pursue/ those who are pursuing an undergraduate programme under the Distance Education scheme/correspondence course of any university are not eligible to apply.

As a one-time measure, the KVPY eligibility criteria has been revised in view of the prevailing situation due to COVID-19.

Given below are the revised eligibility requirements that the students need to fulfil in order to apply for KVPY 2020:

KVPY Stream SA for Class 11

Due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation, as a one-time measure, students who have passed Class 10 Board Examination and eligible to enroll in Class 11 (Science Subjects) during the academic year 2020-21, are eligible to appear for the aptitude test. The student should produce a study certificate of Class 11 once they are selected as a provisional KVPY fellow. Moreover, the fellowship of the students selected under this stream will be activated only if they join for an undergraduate course in Basic Science (BSc/BS/BStat/BMath/ Int MSc/ Int MS ) in the academic year 2022-23 after having secured a minimum of 60% (50% for SC/ST & PWD) marks in aggregate in Science Subjects in the XII Standard /(+2) Board Examination. During the interim period of one year, they will be invited to the National Science Camp (Vijyoshi) and their travel expenses and local hospitality will be met by KVPY. 

KVPY Stream SX for Class 12

Students enrolled in Class 12 / (+2) (Science Subjects) during the academic year 2020–21 and aspiring to join undergraduate program in Basic Sciences (BSc/BS/BStat/B Math/ Int MSc/ Int. MS) for the session 2021–22 during the academic year having secured a minimum of 75% (65% for SC/ST & PWD) marks in aggregate in Mathematics and Science subjects in Class 10 Board Examination are eligible to appear for the aptitude test. The Fellowship of the students selected under this stream will be activated only if they join for an undergraduate course in Basic Science (BSc/BS/BStat/BMath/ Int MSc/ Int MS) in the academic year 2021-22 after having secured a minimum of 60% (50% for SC/ST & PWD) marks in aggregate in Science subjects in Class 12/(+2) Board Examination. 

KVPY Stream SB for UG (Undergraduate)

Due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation, as a one-time measure, students who have passed Class 12 Board Examination and eligible to enroll in the 1st year of BSc./BS/BStat/BMath/ Int. M.Sc./ Int. M.S. during the academic year 2020–21 are eligible to appear for the aptitude test. The student should produce a study certificate of 1st year BSc/BS/BStat./BMath/ Int. MSc/ Int. MS once they are selected as a provisional KVPY fellow. Moreover, the fellowship of the students selected under this stream will be activated only if they join or have joined for an undergraduate course in Basic Science (BSc/BS/BStat/BMath/ Int MSc/ Int MS) in the academic year 2020-21 after having secured a minimum of 60% (50% for SC/ST & PWD) marks in aggregate in Science Subjects in 1st year of BSc/BS/BStat/B Math/Int MSc/Int MS.

KVPY 2020 Application Form

KVPY 2020 registration has concluded. The application forms were released on the official website of KVPY on September 6, 2020. The last date to apply for KVPY examination was October 30, 2020. The KVPY application process comprises 4 major steps as mentioned below:

1. KVPY 2020 registration
2. Filling KVPY 2020 application form
3. Upload photo and signature
4. Application fees payment

KVPY Selection 2020

KVPY fellowship follows a two-stage selection process:

• Stage 1: Aptitude Test
• Stage 2: Personal Interview

Aptitude Test

All the candidates who meet the eligibility requirements are called to appear for the KVPY Aptitude Test which is conducted in both Hindi and English languages at different exam centres across the country. The KVPY aptitude test contains questions from Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Last year, the KVPY Aptitude Test was conducted successfully on November 3.

Interview

Basis the candidate's performance in the aptitude test, all the shortlisted candidates are called to appear for a round of interview which is the final stage of the selection process.

The combined performance of the KVPY aptitude test along with the interview will form the basis of the scholarship grant. But, due to COVID-19 outbreak, this year, no interviews will be conducted and the scholarship will solely be based on the aptitude test.

Candidates must know the KVPY exam pattern to get an insight into the marking scheme, difficulty level of exam, duration, among other things. They must go through the complete KVPY syllabus which varies with the stream of the exam. Students appearing for SA stream must go through their books covered till class 11, those appearing for SX stream need to cover the CBSE syllabus till class 12 while students applying for SB stream have to finish preparing from books till their first year of undergraduate course. Students can go through the KVPY preparation tips to strategise their studies. Solving and analysing KVPY previous years' question papers is very important to know the type of questions asked in the exam. Those who successfully manage to clear the two stages are awarded the prestigious fellowship. Candidates studying in Class 11^th to the 1^st year of any undergraduate programme in Basic Sciences can apply for KVPY exam, provided they meet the eligibility requirements.

KVPY Fellowships

Each KVPY Fellow will be issued an Identity Card for access to National Laboratories/ Universities who have agreed to extend special privileges such as the library, laboratory facilities, etc. to KVPY Fellows on the production of the ID card.

KVPY Exam Centres

KVPY Aptitude Test 2020-21 will be held online in the following cities across India:

Provided below is the KVPY Exam Centres' list 2020 in the eastern and north-eastern zones:

Given below is the KVPY Exam Centres list for the West and Central Zones:

The KVPY Aptitude Test 2020 will be conducted in the following areas in the southern zone:

The KVPY Aptitude Test 2020 will be conducted in the following areas in the northern zone:

KVPY Syllabus 2020

IISc Bangalore does not prescribe any specific KVPY syllabus. KVPY exam is held to test the analytical ability and understanding of candidates rather than their factual knowledge. So students must cover all topics of Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology of class 10, 12 and 1st year of B.Sc., B.S., B.Stat., B.Math., Int. M.Sc. or M.S., depending on the stream they have applied for.

KVPY Exam Pattern 2020

Students must go through the KVPY exam pattern to get an idea about the number of questions asked, marking scheme, total marks, the medium of paper, duration, among other things.

KVPY Result 2020

The Indian Institute of Science Bangalore (IISc) will release the KVPY Result in the last week of February 2021, tentatively. The KVPY Result will be released on the official website of the institute and also the KVPY website.

KVPY 2019 Student Reaction

We at Shiksha interviewed the students to know the difficulty level of the KVPY 2019 exam and their preparation strategy. Below is the excerpt from one of the students who had appeared for the fellowship programme last year. Jasraj Juneja from Vishwa Bharati Public School, Noida, presently studying in Class 12^th with Physics, Chemistry and Biology, told us about his preparation strategy and what kept him motivated during the preparations for the KVPY exam. Read more below.

Q. Tell us something about yourself.

A. Hi, I am Jasraj Juneja of Vishwa Bharati Public School, Noida. I'm currently studying in class 12^th with PCM stream.

Q. How was the exam overall- easy, moderate or difficult?

A. I would say, the level of difficulty of the exam was between moderate to difficult. A few questions were direct while most of them were asked in a twisted way.

Q. How did you come to know about KVPY? What made you apply for it?

A. I came to know about the exam from my cousin who asked me to register for it. I thought of it as a practice (competitive) exam that would help me with JEE in the future.

Q. Did you manage to attempt all the questions?

A. No, I couldn't attempt all the questions because of negative marking. Also, I couldn't do it as there was time constraint.

Q. Did you take up any kind of coaching for the exam? If yes, how much did that help you?

A. I didn't take any kind of coaching for KVPY. All I did was self-study.

Q. When did you start preparing for KVPY and what kept you motivated throughout the preparation?

A. I started my preparation about two weeks prior to the exam and the only thing that kept me motivated was the fact that I'd gain at least some experience in competitive examinations.

Q. Would you like to share some tips with the aspirants of KVPY who will be appearing next year?

A. For aspirants who will be appearing for KVPY next year, I'd only say that they must practise sample papers that are available online. They would help a lot in understanding the type of questions asked while interlinking things together to be able to solve them accurately.

Q. How many marks are you expecting in KVPY this year? 

A. My paper didn't go 'great' but I'm expecting marks between 50 and 60, which are considered decent.

Q. Tell us something about your preparation strategy and daily routine for KVPY?

A. I tried to solve as many questions as I could, which ranged from JEE Mains to JEE Advanced as well as some KVPY papers that were available online.

Q. Which books did you refer for your preparation?

A. For my preparation, I referred to some FIITJEE and VMC modules, workbooks, guides etc. along with some solved papers online.

Q. Have you appeared for any other competitive exams?

A. This was my first time appearing in a competitive exam but I'm going to be appearing for JEE Mains (and maybe JEE Advanced) soon.

Q. How are you preparing for the next round of KVPY- interview?

A. As of now, I'm not able to focus a lot towards the Interview as I have my pre-boards in school but I intend to take some lessons online for the same.

KVPY Aptitude Test: Frequently Asked Questions