JEST 2023: Exam Date (Feb 19), Application Form, Eligibility, Syllabus, Pattern, Results

JEST 2023 examination is tentatively scheduled to be held on Sunday, February 19, 2023. SERB (The Science & Engineering Research Board), the JEST examination conducting body recognises JEST as a National Eligibility Test (NET). The official link for JEST 2023 examination has been generated. The application portal and the other exam details will be announced soon by SERB. Applicants seeking admission in PhD / Integrated PhD Programme in Physics or Theoretical Computer Science or Neuroscience or Computational Biology in one of the Participating Institutes may appear for JEST-2023 at one of the Exam Centers.

Participating Institutes have their own eligibility criteria for admission in PhD / Integrated PhD programs. Applicants who are expecting to complete their final examinations of their ongoing course by August 2023 are also eligible to appear for the JEST-2023.

Candidates must apply online. A non-refundable application fee of Rs.800 (Rs.400 for SC/ST Male applicants and Non-SC/ST Female applicants) is required to be paid online in order to complete the application. Application Fee is waived for female applicants belonging to SC/ST category.

What is JEST?

Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST) is conducted jointly by several premier institutes such as IISc, IISERs, NISER, etc. JEST is a screening test for admission to PhD and Int. PhD programme of different participating institutes (see the list from JEST home page) in Physics or Theoretical Computer Science, Neuroscience or Computational Biology. The JEST examination is conducted for two subjects only, namely, physics and theoretical computer science.  However, the qualifications for admission to the PhD and Int. PhD programme in various participating institutes are different.

JEST 2023 Exam Highlights

The following table brings the features and information regarding the JEST exam.

JEST 2023 Application Process

The official link for JEST 2023 examination has been generated- https://www.jest.org.in/joint-entrance-screening-test. Candidates have to fill JEST 2023 application form online once the forms are out. After filling the application form they needed to pay the application fee which can be done online using a credit/debit card or net banking. Application fee payment was accepted online only. The first step of JEST 2023 application form was to register by entering the basic personal and contact details. After that, candidates had to log in through the registration credentials and then fill up the application form with educational details, preference of exam cities, courses and colleges and uploading documents, photograph and signature. The last step is to pay the application fee.

JEST 2023 Eligibility Criteria

Listed below are general JEST 2023 eligibility criteria for MSc, PhD and Integrated/MSc/MTech - PhD programmes. To view detailed eligibility criteria for admission in programmes offered at colleges accepting JEST scores for admission, candidates are advised to visit the official website of the respective colleges/institutes.

JEST 2023 Eligibility Criteria for PhD programme in Physics

The eligibility criteria to take the JEST exam for the PhD course in Physics varies from college to college.

• MSc in Physics (in all participating Institutes).
• MSc in Mathematics / Applied Physics / Applied Mathematics / Optics and Photonics / Instrumentation / Electronics will also be considered at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore.
• BE or BTech will be considered at IISc, IMSc, ICTS-TIFR, IUCAA, JNCASR, NCRA-TIFR, TIFR-TCIS, RRI, IISER Mohali, IISER Pune, IISER Thiruvananthapuram.
• MSc in Physics / Electronics / Astronomy / Applied Mathematics will be considered at IUCAA.
• MSc in Physics, Engineering Physics or Applied Physics will also be considered at IPR.
• MSc in Physics, Chemistry, Applied Mathematics, Biophysics or Biochemistry will be considered at SNBNCBS.
• BTech Eng Phys will be considered at TIFR.
• ME/MTech in Applied Physics will be considered at NISER.

JEST 2023 Eligibility Criteria for PhD programme in Theoretical Computer Science at IMSc

• MSc/ME/MTech.in Computer Science and related disciplines, and should be interested in the mathematical aspects of computer science.

JEST 2023 Eligibility Criteria for PhD in Neuroscience at NBRC

• MSc (Physics/ Mathematics), BE/BTech/MCA in Computer Science

JEST 2023 Eligibility Criteria for PhD in Computational Biology at IMSc

• MSc/ME/MTech?/MCA in any engineering or science discipline, with good mathematical skills and a strong interest in biological problems.

JEST 2023 Eligibility Criteria for Integrated MSc/MTech - PhD Programme (Physics)

• BSc (Physics/Mathematics) will be considered at SNBNCBS.
• BSc (Physics) will be considered at IMSc.
• BSc (Physics/Mathematics/BE/BTech in Electrical/Instrumentation/Engineering Physics/Electronics and Communications/Computer Science and Engineering/Optics and Photonics will be considered in IIA.
• BSc (Physics) or BE/BTech in Engineering Physics, with a minimum of first-class marks, will be considered at NISER.
• BSc (Physics) will be considered at IISER-Pune, ICTS-TIFR, NCRA-TIFR, and TIFR-TCIS.

JEST 2023 Eligibility Criteria for Integrated PhD Programme in Theoretical Computer Science at IMSc

• BSc/BE/BTech/MCA in Computer Science or related disciplines and should be interested in the mathematical aspects of computer science.

JEST 2023 Eligibility Criteria for Integrated MTech - PhD Programme at IIA

• MSc (Physics/Applied Physics/Post-BSc (Hons) in Optics and Optoelectronics / Radio Physics and Electronics.

JEST 2023 Eligibility Criteria for Integrated PhD Programme at IISER Thiruvananthapuram

• BSc (Physics) or BE/BTech in any discipline.

JEST 2023 Eligibility Criteria for MSc Programme at HRI

• BSc (Physics) or BE/BTech degree in any discipline.
• HRI has started a new MSc programme in Physics in 2021. The Integrated PhD programme in Physics at HRI was discontinued in 2021.

Age Limit: There is no age restriction for appearing in the JEST exam.

JEST 2023 Exam Centres

JEST 2023 test centres cities list will be released by SERB along with the notification and information brochure. JEST will be conducted across 38 test cities in the country. Candidates can go through JEST exam centres in the table below:

JEST 2023 Syllabus

The JEST 2023 syllabus was released by the exam authorities. Candidates are tested on the basis of subjects such as Mathematical Methods, Classical Methods, Electromagnetism & Optics, Quantum Mechanics, Thermodynamics & Statistical Physics and Electronics. The syllabus has remained the same as in previous years. 

JEST 2023 Exam Pattern

Exam pattern of JEST have a paper-pencil based test conducted for a duration of three hours. A total of 50 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) carrying 100 marks are asked in the exam. There is a differential marking scheme. The JEST 2023 exam structure is given in the table below.

JEST 2023 Courses Offered

Courses in which aspirants can secure admission based on their JEST result are as mentioned below:

JEST Preparation Tips

The JEST preparation must be done in a systematic and disciplined manner. The preparation process for JEST requires at least six to eight months. Since JEST is a PhD level exam, candidates must have acquired in-depth subject knowledge. Some of the JEST 2023 preparation are given below:

• Candidates must focus on clearing the concepts.
• They must refer to the right preparation books and keep it limited to a few otherwise excess knowledge cramming may lead to further confusion. 
• Aspirants should take as many mock tests as possible along with solving previous years' question papers. 
• While solving mock tests candidates should develop a solid exam taking strategy which would help them attempt the question paper in a seamless manner. 

Candidates can go through some last-minute preparation tips for JEST below:

• Revise daily: In the final days before the exam, there is no point in starting any fresh topic now. Revise all the topics daily that you have covered so far.

• Practice previous year's question papers of JEST: Revision holds the key to success while practising previous year's question papers helps boost confidence level.

• Work on weak areas: As you revise and solve question papers, you may come across doubts and questions that are difficult to solve. Practice all such questions over and over until you master them.

JEST 2023 Mock Test

JEST 2023 mock test or demo test will be released by the exam authorities after the online applications are filled out, along with the admit card. The official mock test carries a total of nine questions, three questions each in three sections. The official JEST mock test is meant to get exposure to the exam format and navigation system. To get an understanding of the types of questions to expect, they have to solve the sample papers released by the exam officials. Practicing the JEST 2023 mock test was one of the important aspects of exam preparation. Candidates are advised to take mock tests offered by unofficial sources such as coaching institutes. Aspirants can also solve the JEST sample papers which are available here on this page. JEST mock tests will give students an overview of the types of questions, topics, difficulty level, etc. After solving and analysing the JEST 2023 mock tests, candidates will also gain an idea of their strengths and weaknesses, areas of improvement and develop an exam-taking strategy based on this. 

JEST 2022 Admit Card

Candidates could download JEST 2023 admit card in the first week of February. The admit card of JEST 2023 has to be downloaded from the official website by entering their registration number and password. Admit card or the hall ticket is a mandatory document to be carried to the JEST 2023 exam centre. It would carry information such as candidates' name, roll number, contact details, photograph and signature, exam date and time, exam centre address and exam day instructions. 

JEST 2023 Exam Analysis

JEST 2023 exam is yet conduct, for reference candidates can go through JEST 2022 exam analysis. According to the experts and test-takers, the overall difficulty level of JEST 2022 was easy to moderate. Some of the questions were straightforward in nature, which is unlikely of the exam. In terms of the sections, Part A and Part B were easier as compared to that of Part C. Some of the topics include Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT), Hamiltonian, Operational Amplifier, to name a few. 

JEST 2023 Question Paper

Since JEST is a paper-pencil based test (PBT), the Question Paper will be released by the exam authorities on the day of the exam. After the exam is over, candidates will be allowed to bring the JEST question paper out of the test centre. Aspirants planning to appear for the JEST exam next year can collect previous years' question papers from those who have appeared for the exam earlier, or the participating institutes' students for practice purposes. Solving previous years' question papers is important for succeeding in the exam. 

JEST 2022 Answer Key

After the conduct of the test, the exam authorities released the JEST 2023 answer key within a week of conducting the test. Candidates can go through the official JEST answer key 2023 and calculate their estimated scores. Candidates have to download the answer keys of JEST 2023 by logging in to the official website by entering their registration credentials. . 

JEST 2023 Result

The date of declaring the JEST 2023 result has not been announced yet. It is expected that the result will be declared in the first week of April. The JEST result 2023 will be declared online in the form of scorecards. Candidates can check their JEST 2023 result by filling in details, such as their roll number and date of birth on the official website of the exam. The result or scorecard of JEST 2023 will carry information such as section-wise and overall scores and the All India Rank (AIR) of candidates.  

JEST 2023 Cutoff

The JEST 2023 cutoff refers to the minimum marks one has to score in order to qualify for the further rounds of the admission process. The following table brings the programme-wise JEST cutoff scores for last year. It is expected that the JEST 2023 cutoff will remain on the same lines.

JEST 2023 Counselling

The JEST 2023 Counselling process will be conducted by the participating institutes separately. Each JEST 2023 participating institute will release their shortlist of candidates for interview based on the cutoff marks and then they will have to appear for the interview rounds. The participating institutes will release the interview dates and venue along with the shortlist of candidates and communicate the details via email and SMS. In the interview rounds, the institute authorities will analyse candidates' subject knowledge, academic rigour and aspirations.

JEST 2023: List of Colleges accepting Scores

JEST exam is a means through which aspirants can secure admission in PhD and integrated PhD programmes. Go through the list of JEST participating colleges below.

Also Read: List of colleges & courses for JEST admission.