Updated on Jul 10, 2025 21:40 IST
The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), JEST 2025 exam dates for admission to PhD and Int PhD programmes are available on the official site. The JEST exam was conducted on Sunday, June 22, 2025, from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Read this Shiksha article to know all the participating Institutes for the JEST 2025 Exam.

The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), JEST 2025 exam dates for admission to PhD and Int PhD programmes are available on the official site. The JEST exam was conducted on Sunday, June 22, 2025, from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Read this Shiksha article to know all the participating Institutes for the JEST 2025 Exam.

Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST) is a great opportunity for those candidates who wish to seek admission in PhD or Integrated PhD programmes in science streams or disciplines such as Physics/ Theoretical Computer Science/ Neuroscience/ Computational Biology.

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The Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram, recognises JEST as a National Eligibility Test (NET). IIST, the examination conducting body, conducted the JEST 2025 Exam on June 22, 2025, from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm at 38 exam centres across India. The Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST) is an entrance examination conducted in India for admission to PhD and Integrated PhD. programs in various fields of physics, theoretical computer science, and neuroscience. The JEST 2025 result will be out soon on the official website. 

Q:   What is the minimum mark or rank required in JEE Main to get a seat in the BSc department of IISc Bangalore?
A:

IISc Bangalore cutoff 2024 has been released for BSc (Research) in Physics in the form of opening and closing ranks. IISc Bangalore had released its last-round for the candidates seeking admission through JEE Main scores. The minimum rank for B.Sc. (Research) in Physics based on last-round cutoff was 903 for the students belonging to the General All India Quota. 

Further, for the OBC AI category, the required rank stood at 1665. Check out more cutoffs related to different AI categories in the table given below:

CourseGeneralOBCSCSTPWDEWS
BSc (Research) in Physics903166558131441214
Q:   Can I get admission at IISC Bangalore with IISER Aptitude Test (IAT) cutoff?
A:

IISER Aptitude Test was introduced as a new mode of entry for IISC BSc admissions for the Academic Year 2023-24. Candidates seeking admission through IAT must apply separately at both the IISc Bangalore admission portal and IISER admissions 2023 portal. Going as per IISC Bangalore cutoff 2023, candidates belonging to General category must apply have an overall score of 17 in order to be eligible for further round of admissions. Also, tabulated below are IISC Bangalore IISER cutoff for all categories: 

CategoryIISER Cutoff 2023
GN17
GN (F)41
EWS54
EWS (F)189
OBC-NCL420
OBC-NCL (F)515
SC1236
SC (F)2127
ST4897
ST (F)5500
PwD1500
KM1000
Q:   What is the minimum cutoff for BSc at IISER Bhopal 2023?
A:

The cutoff for IISER Bhopal depends on the exam taken to get admission. The overall cutoff for IISER is 5155 rank. The JEE-Advanced cutoff for General Category is 6554 - 8839 rank. The IISER Bhopal BS cutoff for JEE Advanced 2023 is:

IISER Bhopal, IISER Cutoff 2023

IISER Bhopal, IISER Cutoff 2023 for General Category is listed below:
                    Courses
2023
Cutoff By Rank
2021
Cutoff By Rank
BS Engineering Science1477707
BS Chemical Engineering188-
BS Data Science and Engineering188-
BS Electrical Engineering and Computer Science188-
BS + MS Earth and Environmental Engineering1888442

IISER Bhopal, JEE-Advanced Cutoff 2021

IISER Bhopal, JEE-Advanced Cutoff 2021 for General Category cutoff below:

Courses
2021
Cutoff By Rank
BS Engineering Science6554
BS Economics7566
BS + MS Chemistry8839
BS + MS Physics8839
BS + MS Mathematics8839
Table of contents
  • JEST Exam 2025: Important Dates Table
  • JEST 2025 Marking Scheme
  • Academic programmes offered by JEST 2025
  • JEST 2025: List of Colleges & Courses for Admission

JEST Exam 2025: Important Dates Table

Below is the table mentioning all the important exam events and their announced dates:

Events Dates (Tentative)
JEST 2025 Application Form Start Date May 19 2025
JEST 2025 Application Form Last Date June 1, 2025
JEST 2025 Admit Card Fourth Week of June
JEST 2025 Exam June 22, 2025 (2:00 pm to 5:00 pm)
JEST 2025 Answer Key will be out soon
JEST 2025 Results will be out soon 

Before preparing for the exam, aspirants should carefully review the exam pattern and prepare their strategy accordingly. As per the exam pattern for JEST 2025, the paper will consist of 50 questions. The test paper comprises multiple-choice questions, and the paper will be divided into three parts. In the JEST exam, candidates are evaluated out of 100 marks. Candidates can expect the same exam pattern for the year 2025.

Section No. of Questions
Part A 15
Part B 10
Part C 25
Total 50

JEST 2025 Marking Scheme

There is a differential marking scheme in the JEST exam, which means that the marking scheme will vary in each section. The following table brings the detailed new marking scheme for the JEST 2025 exam.

Section Marks for Each Correct Answer Marks for Each Incorrect Answer
Part A +3 -1
Part B +9 -3
Maximum Marks 300 

Academic programmes offered by JEST 2025

Admission will be made to the following programmes in 2025–25.

  • PhD / Integrated PhD Programme in Physics
  • Theoretical Computer Science
  • Neuroscience or Computational Biology

JEST 2025: List of Colleges & Courses for Admission

Candidates are informed that to secure admission in courses offered at JEST participating colleges, they need to clear the eligibility criteria as fixed by each college. Colleges that accept JEST 2025 scores for admission are as mentioned below:

Q:   What is IISC CAT cutoff other than General Category?
A:

At the PG level, IISC Bangalore offers Master of Management Programme through CAT. The aforementioned course is offered through the Management Department. Tabulated below are the IISC Bangalore CAT cutoff other than General Category: 

Category CAT Cutoff 2025
OBC98.9
SC85
ST50
EWS96
PH90
KM 90

Participating Institute

Courses/Subject Areas Offered

Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital

Astronomy and Astrophysics, and Atmospheric Physics

Bose Institute, Kolkata

Atmospheric sciences, Biophysics, Complex systems and networks, Condensed matter physics and materials science, High energy physics and astroparticle physics, Quantum physics and quantum information, Nuclear and radiation physics

Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Mumbai

PhD & Integrated PhD (refer official website for more details)

Harish-Chandra Research Institute (HRI), Allahabad

Theoretical Physics, Astrophysics

International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS)-TIFR, Bangalore

Astrophysical Relativity, Data Assimilation and Dynamical Systems, Statistical Physics and Turbulence, and String Theory and Quantum Gravity

Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam

Solid State Phase transformations, Superconductivity, Structure and dynamics of soft condensed matter, Band structure studies, Accelerators based Irradiation induced phenomena, Low-dimensional systems, Physics of interfaces, Nano-materials, Thin films technology and Theoretical physics

Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bangalore

Astronomy and Astrophysics, Astronomical Instrumentation, Optics, and Atomic Physics

Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore

Condensed Matter Physics (Experiments and Theory), Astronomy and Astrophysics (Theoretical), Atomic and Optical Physics (Experimental), Biocrystallography and Bio-informatics, and High Energy Physics (Theoretical)

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Bhopal

Condensed Matter Physics (Theory and Experiment), Soft Matter Physics (Theory), Biophysics, Laser Plasma Interactions, Ultrafast Physics (Experiment), Astrophysics and Cosmology, High Energy Physics (Theory, Phenomenology and Experiment), Non-linear Optics

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata

Condensed Matter Physics, Field Theory, Classical & Quantum Gravity, Cosmology, Solar Science, High Energy Physics, Non-linear dynamics, Statistical Physics, Soft Matter, Optics & Spectroscopy, Atomic physics, Biophotonics, Spintronics, Nanoscience, NMR, Quantum Information

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali

Quantum Theory, Quantum Information Processing, NMR-Methodology, Optics, Statistical Mechanics, Quantum Thermodynamics, Non-linear Dynamics, String Theory, Ultrafast Physics, and Low Temperature Mesoscopic Physics

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune

Field Theory, Theoretical Particle Physics, Condensed Matter Physics, Non-linear Dynamics, Complex Systems and Networks, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Quantum Information Processing, Radio Astrophysics, Atomic Physics and Quantum Optics, Energy Studies, Solar and Plasma Physics, Nanosciences, Scanning Probe Techniques, and Semiconductor Physics and Devices

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Thiruvananthapuram

Experimental Condensed Matter: Magnetic and Superconducting materials, Nanoscience and Energy materials, Photonics, Soft Condensed Matter, Semiconductor Physics and Devices

Surface Sciences and Nano-scale Plasmonics, Terahertz and Ultrafast Spectroscopy

 

Theory: Cosmology, Classical and Quantum Gravity, Gravitational Wave Physics, Quantum Information Theory, Quantum Field Theory, and Statistical Physics.

Indian Institute of Space Science  and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram

Astronomy and Astrophysics, Atmospheric Sciences, Applied and Adaptive Optics, Atomic and Molecular Physics, Condensed Matter Physics, Nanotechnology, Nonlinear Dynamics, Photonics, Quantum Information and Statistical Physics

The Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc), Chennai

 Theoretical Physics, Theoretical Computer Science, and Computational Biology

Institute of Physics (IOP), Bhubaneswar

Physics (Condensed Matter, Nuclear and High Energy Physics) and Accelerator-based Research

Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), Gandhinagar

Physics (Experimental and Theoretical)

Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune

Physics, Astronomy and Astrophysics

Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore

Experimental and Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics, Statistical Mechanics, and Materials Science

National Brain Research Centre (NBRC), Manesar

Molecular, Computaional and Systems Neuroscience. Sensory & motor systems, learning & memory, language & speech processing, functional neuroimaging: EEG, MEG, fMRI, MRS, stem cells, developmental neurobiology, neurogenetics, neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders, cancer signaling & glial tumor biology

National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA)-TIFR, Pune

Astronomy and Astrophysics

National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar

Theoretical High Energy Physics and Lattice QCD, Experimental High Energy Physics, Condensed Matter Physics (Theory and Experiment), Optics and Metamaterials

Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad

Theoretical Physics, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Solar Physics, Space and Atmospheric Sciences, Planetary Science and Geo-Sciences

Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), Indore

Lasers and their Applications, Laser Plasma Interaction, Cold Atom Physics, Condensed Matter Physics (Superconductivity and Magnetism, Crystals and Thin Films), Nanomaterials and Applications, Non-linear and Ultrafast Optical Studies, Beam Physics, and Free Electron Laser

Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bangalore

Astronomy and Astrophysics, Light and Matter Physics, Soft Condensed Matter Physics (Liquid Crystals, Physics in Biology), and Theoretical Physics

Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP), Kolkata

Condensed Matter Physics (Theory and Experiments), Nuclear Physics (Theory and Experiments), High Energy Physics (Theory and Experiments), Astroparticle Physics, Quantum Gravity, String Theory, Mathematical Physics, and Materials Science (Surface Science and Plasma Physics)

Satyendra Nath Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS), Kolkata

Astrophysics and Cosmology, Chemical and Biological Physics, Condensed Matter Physics and Material Science, High Energy Physics and Quantum Field Theory, Mathematical Physics, Nanosciences, Quantum Optics and Quantum Information, Statistical Physics, and Complex Systems

TIFR Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences (TCIS), Hyderabad

Condensed Matter Physics & Materials Science of Nonequilibrium, Soft & Living matter, Fluid Dynamics, Intense Laser-matter interactions, Computational Physics, Statistical physics, NMR of Biophysical & other systems

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai

Astronomy and Astrophysics, Condensed Matter Physics and Material Science, High Energy Physics, Nuclear and Atomic Physics, Theoretical Physics

UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientific Research (UGC-DAE CSR), Indore

 Surfaces, Interfaces, Thin Films and Nanomaterials, Physics at Low Temperatures and High Magnetic Fields, X-ray, Optical and Electron Spectroscopic Studies Using Synchrotron and Laboratory Sources; Electrical, Magnetic and Thermal Properties of Condensed Matter; Condensed Matter studies using Magnetic Neutron Diffraction, Nuclear Technique Based Condensed Matter Physics-Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy, Mossbauer Spectroscopy, Experimental Nuclear Physics, Gamma Ray Spectroscopy of Nuclear High Spin States, and Nuclear Reactions

Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC), Kolkata

Accelerator Physics, Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science, Nuclear Physics (Experiments and Theory), Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions (Experiments, Theory, QCD and QGP), and Physics of Neutrinos (Experiments)

TIFR Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences (TIFR-TCIS), Hyderabad

Condensed Matter Physics & Materials Science of Nonequilibrium, Soft & Living matter, Fluid Dynamics, Intense Laser-matter interactions, Computational Physics, Statistical physics, NMR of Biophysical & other systems

Candidates who are going to appear for this year's JEST Entrance Exam must go through this entire article to understand the programmes offered by JEST, the JEST Marking scheme, and important dates related to the upcoming events in detail. This will help them understand the overall information needed to prepare for the JEST Exam. Also, the list of all the participating institutes of the JEST Exam will help candidates choose their preferred course and college wisely. 

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Student Forum

chatAnything you would want to ask experts?
Write here...

Answered 2 months ago

You will have to upload your photograph (passport size photo) and your signature (on a white background) during the JEST 2026 registration.

R

Rakshit Prabhakar

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

JEST is conducted once a year usually in the month of February, but the exam month of each year changes.

R

Rakshit Prabhakar

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

JEST 2026 eligibility criteria depends on the specific programme and participating institute, but generally require a master's or bachelor's degree in relevant Science or engineering field.

R

Rakshit Prabhakar

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

JEST 2026 Eligibility criteria depends on the specific programme and participating institute, but generally require a bachlor's or master's degree in relevant Science or engineering field.

R

Rakshit Prabhakar

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

There are many important documents for JEST 2026 but a photograph (a clear, recent passport size photo) and a signature (on a white background).

R

Rakshit Prabhakar

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

The application fee for JEST 2026 is given below. Students are advised to go through these details:

General Category: INR 950

Non SC/ST female: INR 475

SC/ST (male), EWS, and differently abled: INR 475

SC/ST female: Fully Waived

R

Rakshit Prabhakar

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

Here is the list of some JEST participating colleges 2026 students shall know about:

Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore

  • Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bangalore
  • Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER)
  • Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR

...Read more

R

Rakshit Prabhakar

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

Previous year students who appeared for the JEST exam found that the exam is moderate to difficult. And therefore, JEST 2026 is assumed to be moderate to difficult. Candidates are advised to study hard for their exam.

R

Rakshit Prabhakar

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

Create a study plan, priotitise important topics and study according to it, go through syllabus. Solve previous year question paper. Also you can practice mock test to practice to track your progress. And make sure to revise regularly and learn time management during your preparation period.

R

Rakshit Prabhakar

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

Part A: 1 mark correct answer & -1/3 incorrect answer

Part B: 3 marks correct answer & -1 incorrect answer

Part C: 3 marks correct answer &  no negative marking HERE

R

Rakshit Prabhakar

Contributor-Level 10