What are the Top 5 Science Entrance Exam Apart From CUET PG?
Call 8585951111Got Doubts?
After completing graduation from science streams students look for career options in science streams. In this article, the Top 5 Science Entrance Exams Apart from CUET PG are discussed on various parameters such as eligibility criteria, exam pattern, duration of exam, marking scheme, and number of candidates who appeared in the exam.
Students who pass the graduation from a science background often search for the top 5 science entrance exams apart from the CUET PG exam. Science courses are in much demand among applicants. Students who wish to pursue their higher education in Science streams can check for the top 5 Science entrance exams apart from CUET PG. IIT JAM, GATE, NEST, JEST, and ICAR AICE JRF/SRF exams are some of the popular competitive exams one must be aware of if they are planning to prepare for one.
Applicants can check about the top entrance exams and their eligibility, course fees, duration, number of applicants who appeared in the exam, etc. Read the complete article about the top 5 Science entrance exams apart from the CUET PG exam.
- Top 5 Science Entrance Exam apart from CUET PG: Eligibility Criteria
- Top 5 Science Entrance Exam apart from CUET PG: Duration
- Top 5 Science Entrance Exam apart from CUET PG: Exam Pattern
- Top 5 Science Entrance Exam apart from CUET PG: Number of Candidates
- Top 5 Science Entrance Exam apart from CUET PG FAQs
Top 5 Science Entrance Exam apart from CUET PG: Eligibility Criteria
The top 5 science entrance exams, apart from CUET PG, offer different specialisations for the students to pursue their careers. Hence, the eligibility criteria vary from one course to another. By knowing the educational as well as age-wise eligibility criteria, applicants can prepare in advance and eliminate the chances of rejection of their application form.
| Exam |
Eligibility Criteria (By Age) |
Eligibility Criteria (By Education) |
|---|---|---|
| IIT JAM |
No age limit |
A Minimum of 55 per cent aggregate marks in graduation for Gen/OBC/EWS and 50 per cent marks for SC and ST candidates. |
| NEST |
General and OBC category candidates born on or after August 01, 2004 |
Pass the 12th standard board exam in the science stream in the year 2025 or 2026 or appear in 2026 from any recognised Higher Secondary Education Board in India And Secure at least 60per cent in aggregate marks in the 12th standard board examination. For SC/ST/Divyangjan candidates, it is 55 per cent. |
| JEST |
No age limit |
Participating institutes have different eligibility criteria; hence, applicants need to check them before applying for the exam. |
| No age limit |
Must have UG degree in BE/BTech, BPharma, BArch, BSc (Research)/BS, Professional Society Examination (equivalent to BE/BTech/BArch), MSc/MA/MCA or equivalent, Integrated ME/MTech, Integrated MSc/Integrated BS-MS, Integrated ME/MTech or Dual Degree (after Diploma or 10+2) |
|
| ICAR AICE JRF/SRF |
For JRF - 19 years For SRF - Age should not exceed 30 years |
For JRF - 60 per cent marks for the General category For SRF - 55 per cent marks for the General category |
Also Read:
Commonly asked questions
For each section, "20% of the average of the best 100 scores in that section" will be considered as the section–wise Minimum Admissible Score (SMAS).
For example, if the average of the best 100 scores in the Chemistry section is 43 out of 50, then SMAS for the Chemistry section would be 43*0.20 = 8.6 marks. It will be same for other section too.
SMAS for the two sessions, for any particular section, can be of different numerical values. The value of SMAS will be different for different category students i.e if it 100 for General candidates then it will be 90 for OBC and 50 for SC/ST and Divyangjan applicants.
Since there is a change in the exam pattern of the CUET PG exam. Now the total marks for which the exam will be conducted has 300 marks as the total number of questions will be 75.
A score above 75 is considered a good score. 75 marks will help to obtain a rank between 1 and 80. This mark will help to get admission to IIT JAM participating institutes.
For each Test Paper All India merit list is prepared based on AIR. The number of candidates included in the All India Merit List is based on the total number of seats available in each category (GEN/ OBC-NCL/ EWS/ SC/ ST/ PwD) in a given subject.
Top 5 Science Entrance Exam apart from CUET PG: Duration
Apart from CUET PG, the exam time can differ from one course to another. If the students know about the exam timing for the top exam, they can make a better preparation strategy to qualify for the exam. The duration of the top 5 science entrance exams is mentioned below.
| Exam |
Exam Duration |
|---|---|
| IIT JAM |
3 hours or 180 minutes |
| NEST |
3:30 hours or 210 minutes |
| JEST |
3 hours or 180 minutes |
| GATE |
3 hours or 180 minutes |
| ICAR AICE JRF/SRF |
2 hours 30 minutes or 150 minutes |
Top 5 Science Entrance Exam apart from CUET PG: Exam Pattern
Students should be aware of the exam pattern & marking scheme of different exams if they are planning to appear in any of the top 5 science entrance exams apart from the CUET PG 2026 exam. Students can achieve their goals faster than others if they are well-versed with the marking scheme & exam pattern.
| Exam |
Exam Mode |
Exam Pattern |
Marking Scheme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online |
60 Questions of 100 Marks 7 Test Papers of JAM will be of a fully objective type, with three different patterns of questions (i) Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), (ii) Multiple Select Questions (MSQs), and (iii) Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions. Section A - 30 questions, Section B - 10 questions, and Section C - 20 questions |
Section A: One-third weightage of the total marks will be deducted for each wrong answer Section B & C: There is no negative marking in this section |
|
| Online |
68 Questions of 200 Marks Questions will be of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) Multiple Selection Questions (MSQs) type |
For MCQs- 2.5 for each correct answer, -1 for each incorrect answer For MSQs- 4 for each correct answer and no negative marking for incorrect answer |
|
| Offline |
50 Objective-type MCQs of 300 Marks Part A and Part B each section has 25 questions in the exam. |
Section A: +3 and -1 for correct and incorrect answer Section B: +9 and -3 for correct and incorrect answers |
|
| GATE |
Online |
65 Questions for 100 marks The distribution of different questions is different, hence marks allocation varies accordingly |
one-third weightage of total marks, negative marking is applicable |
| Online |
For JRF - 120 Questions for 480 marks |
For JRF - 4 marks for correct and -1 for incorrect answer For SRF - |
Also Read: MBA After BSc: Eligibility, Specialisations, Syllabus, Salary, Career Options, Admission, Fees
Commonly asked questions
Students can check the experience of previous year students who gave IIT JAM exam:
Khushi: IIT JAM Biotechnology exam difficulty level was moderate. In Biology questions from Immunology, Genetics, Recombinant DNA Technology topics were asked. In sections, i.e., NAT, both from physics and mathematics questions were asked. Section A and B was comparatively easy than Section C.
Sudarshan: IIT JAM Economics subject exam difficulty level was easier than last year. Some direct questions were asked from liquidity preference money supply and few were asked from consumer and supplier chain product.
Candidates can go through IT JAM preparation tips mentioned below in order to formulate a strategy to crack the JAM exam paper for Physics.
Know the exam pattern
The first and foremost thing that candidates need to be well acquainted with is to know IIT JAM exam pattern. IIT JAM 2026 for Physics consists of three sections wherein candidates need to attempt – MCQs, MSQs and NAT questions.
Section | Type of Questions | No of Question |
|---|---|---|
A | Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) | 30 |
B | Multiple Select Questions (MSQs) | 10 |
C | Numerical Answer Type (NAT) | 20 |
Total | 60 | |
Know the marking scheme
The next step for exam prep is to know the marking scheme for IIT JAM. This is important as by knowing the marking scheme, aspirants can have a plan of action in place to avoid negative marking wherever possible in the exam.
Section | No of Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
A | 10 MCQs | 1 mark each |
20 MCQs | 2 marks each | |
B | 10 MSQs | 2 marks each |
C | 10 NAT Questions | 1 mark each |
10 NAT Questions | 2 marks each |
In IIT JAM for Physics, there is a negative marking in Section A only. There is no negative marking in Section B and Section C of the exam.
Know the syllabus
Next, aspirants need to be thorough with IIT JAM syllabus. Here, candidates need to be well acquainted with the topics that they need to ace to score well in the science entrance exam. The topics that form a part of IIT JAM syllabus include:
Mathematical Methods | Mechanics and General Properties of Matter |
Electricity and Magnetism | |
Kinetic theory, Thermodynamics | Modern Physics |
Solid State Physics, Devices and Electronics | |
Prepare a timetable
Candidates should prepare a timetable for how they want to complete and revise the syllabus for the Physics paper in the IIT JAM exam. Also, while preparing the timetable candidates need to include adequate time to solve practice papers and thereafter revise important topics for IIT JAM preparation.
Know important formulas
While preparing different topics for the IIT JAM Physics paper, candidates should ensure that they keep jotting down the important formulae for each topic. This will prove extremely helpful at the time of revision as students would have a consolidated list of all the important formulae for IIT JAM Physics preparation which they can easily refer to before taking the exam.
Read important books
Aspirants should make a list of important books to read for IIT JAM physics exam preparation. Here, candidates should go through one or two important books and thereafter prepare well for each section of this Science exam.
The difficulty level of IIT JAM is moderate to tough. The difficulty level for subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics is tougher as compared to the IIT JAM subjects of Economics, Biotechnology and Geology.
If we compare the difficulty level of IIT JAM examination with CUET PG exam, ISI Admission test, NEST exam, IISER Entrance examination, then it will be found that IIT JAM examination is comparetively tougher than the other top colleges/ universities entrance examination.
Explore colleges based on CUET-PG
Want better recommendations?
There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.
- Chat with our counselor
- Get your personalised list of colleges & exams matching your preferences
Explore more Science exams with upcoming dates
12 Jun '26
13 Jun '26
16 Jun '26 - 20 Jun '26
4 Jul '26
1 Aug '26
3 Jul '26
Top 5 Science Entrance Exam apart from CUET PG: Number of Candidates
GATE: Around 5 to 6 Lakhs appeared last year
IIT JAM: Around 55000 appeared last year
ICAR AICE JRF/SRF: A total of 33828 students appeared for the tests, including 24948 for PG and 8,880 for PhD exams last year.
NEST: Around 39000 appeared last year
JEST: No of candidates appearing in this exam is around 25 to 30k.
It can be tough to choose one out of many entrance exams in India. To make a better decision, it is good to measure various aspects of it like eligibility criteria, fees, course duration, career opportunities in future and syllabus. Knowing about these things helps students make a well-planned decision based on their requirements. Students who are preparing for some of the top science entrance exam apart from CUET PG should go through all the aspects before they plan to get admission. The science entrance exams, apart from cuet pg is a way to endless opportunities for those students who look forward to an excellent academic journey to securely kickstart their professional journey.
Also Read:
- Government Competitive Exams After 12th Science
- Top BSc/MSc Entrance Exams in India
- How to prepare for top MSc entrance exams?
Top 5 Science Entrance Exam apart from CUET PG FAQs
Which science entrance exam is best after graduation?
Many entrance exams for science streams can help applicants to make a better career some of them are IIT JAM, GATE, NEST, and JEST. All the courses have different eligibility, specialisations, fees, and duration, and accordingly, applicants can make their career in the field in which they have taken specialisations.
What are the three toughest exams of Science in India for PG candidates?
The top 3 toughest exams from the Science category for PG applicants are GATE, IIT JAM, and NEST. Applicants who want to appear in any of these exams are advised to check eligibility first and then appear by checking the previous year's question papers.
What exams should I apply for, if I want to pursue Science at a higher level?
There are many exams for applicants who want to pursue Science at a higher academic level. Some of them are IIT JAM, GATE, NEST, ICAR AICE JRF/SRF, and JEST, etc. You can read about eligibility, duration of exam, specialisations, type of exam, and previous year's question paper before applying for it.
I've always been an inquisitive person who wants to know about things around the world. This was one of the reasons I started working as a content writer, as my quest to know more suited my professional goals very w
Read Full Bio