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JEST stands for Joint Entrance Screening Test, which is a screening test conducted for taking admission in PhD and Integrated PhD programs of 33 reputed research institutes of India like IISc, IISER, NISER, TIFR and others. This exam is recognised as National Eligibility Test (NET) by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a statutory body under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. The streams in which we can take admission for doing PhD and Integrated PhD by qualifying for the JEST exam are as follows:
- Physics
- Computational Biology
- Neuroscience
- Theoretical Computer Science
In this article, we are going to discuss the eligibility criteria, syllabus, application and admission process for the JEST exam.
Eligibility Criteria
A. Age:
There is no age limit to appear in this exam.
B. Courses:
Candidates must fulfil the following eligibility to take admission to the following programme. The candidate must have one of the following qualifications:
1. PhD Programme in Physics:
- MSc in Physics (all participating institutes).
- In addition, some institutes accept BE / BTech / MSc / ME / MTech in the disciplines of Applied Physics and Mathematics, as listed below.
- MSc in Mathematics / Applied Physics / Applied Mathematics / Optics and Photonics / Instrumentation / Electronics will also be considered in IIA.
- 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 and NCRA-TIFR.
- 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 in SNBNCBS.
- BTech Engineering in Physics will be considered in TIFR and NCRA-TIFR.
- ME/ MTech in Applied Physics will be considered in NISER.
- MSc in Astronomy/Optics/Photonics/Biophysics will also be considered at RRI.
- MSc in Physics, Chemistry and Biophysics will be considered in SNBNCBS.
2. PhD Programme in Neuroscience at NBRC
- MSc (Physics/ Mathematics), BE/ BTech/ MCA in Computer Science
3. PhD Programme 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.
4. 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.
5. Integrated MSc / MTech - PhD Programme (Physics)
- BSc in Physics (Major/Hons), or in Physics and Mathematics (Physics cannot be an allied/subsidiary/minor subject) 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.
- BSc (Physics / Mathematics) / BE / BTech will be considered for Integrated MSc - PhD at Bose Institute.
- BSc (Physics / Mathematics/Computer Science/Electronics) / BE / BTech will be considered for Integrated MSc - PhD at Bose Institute.
6. 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.
7. Integrated MTech - PhD Programme at IIA
- MSc (Physics / Applied Physics) / Post-BSc (Hons) in Optics and Optoelectronics / Radio Physics and Electronics.
8. Integrated PhD. Programme at IISER Kolkata and IISER. Thiruvananthapuram
- BSc (Physics) or BE / BTech in any discipline.
9. M Sc Programme at HRI
- B Sc (Physics) or BE/BTech degree in any discipline
10. Joint SPPU-IUCAA MSc Physics (Astrophysics) programme
- B Sc (Physics and Mathematics) or BE / B Tech in any branch of engineering, with a minimum of 55% marks.
Participating Institutes and their offered Disciplines
The institutes participating in this JEST exam and their offered subjects based on their exam score are listed below.
| Institute Name | Short Form | Disciplines |
|---|---|---|
| Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, Nainital | ARIES | Astronomy and Astrophysics, and Atmospheric Physics. |
| Bose Institute, Kolkata | Bose Institute | 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, Mumbai | HBNI | |
| Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad | HRI | Theoretical Physics, Astrophysics |
| International centre for theoretical sciences (TIFR), Bangalore | ICTS | Astrophysical Relativity, Data Assimilation and Dynamical Systems, Statistical Physics and Turbulence, and String theory and Quantum Gravity. |
| Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam | IGCAR | 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, Bangalore | IIA | Astronomy and Astrophysics, Astronomical Instrumentation, Optics, and Atomic Physics. |
| Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore | IISc | 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 Bhopal | 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, Berhampur | IISER BERHAMPUR | Condensed matter physics (Theory and Experiment), Electronic Materials & Devices, High energy physics (Theory, Phenomenology,Experiment), Nuclear Structure, Photonics, Quantum Theory,Quantum Information |
| Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata | 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, Mohali | IISER MOHALI | Quantum Information (Experiment and Theory), Complex systems & Networks, Theoretical Astrophysics & Cosmology, Particle Physics and Field Theory, Statistical physics, Quantum thermodynamics, Condensed Matter (Theory and Experiment), NMR-Methodology, Ultra-fast Physics, low temperature physics. |
| Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune | 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, Thiruvananthapuram | IISER THIRUVANANTHAPURAM | Experimental: Magnetism, Superconductivity, Nanoscience, Photonics, Semiconductor physics, Surface sciences, Nanoscale plasmonics, Ultrafast spectroscopy, Nonlinear Optics. Theory: Cosmology, Quantum information, Statistical physics, Condensed matter, String theory & Nonlinear dynamics. |
| Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Tirupathi | IISER TIRUPATHI | Theoretical Astrophysics, Observational Astronomy, Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics, Soft Matter Physics, Nonlinear Physics, Experimental High Energy Physics, Atomic and Molecular Physics |
| Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram | IIST | 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, Chennai | IMSc | Theoretical Physics, Theoretical Computer Science, and Computational Biology |
| Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar | IOP | Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar: Physics (Condensed Matter, Nuclear and High Energy Physics) and Accelerator-based Research. |
| Institute for Plasma Research, Gandhinagar | IPR | Physics (Experimental and Theoretical). |
| Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune | IUCAA | Physics, Astronomy and Astrophysics. |
| Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore | JNCASR | Experimental and Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics, Statistical Mechanics, and Materials Science. |
| National Brain Research Centre, Manesar | NBRC | 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, TIFR, Pune | NCRA-TIFR | Astronomy and Astrophysics. |
| National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar | NISER | Theoretical High Energy Physics and Lattice QCD, Experimental High Energy Physics, Condensed Matter Physics (Theory and Experiment), Optics and Metamaterials. |
| Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad | PRL | Theoretical Physics, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Solar Physics, Space and Atmospheric Sciences, Planetary Science and Geo-Sciences. |
| Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore | RRCAT | 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, Bangalore | RRI | Astronomy & Astrophysics, Light & Matter Physics, Soft Condensed Matter and Theoretical Physics. Radio & X-ray Astronomy, Signal Processing, Imaging and Instrumentation. Ultrafast phenomena, Liquid Crystals, Soft Materials & Active Systems, Physics in Biology, Classical and Quantum Gravity, Statistical Physics and Stochastic Processes. |
| Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata | SINP | 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, Kolkata | SNBNCBS | 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, Hyderabad | TIFR-TCIS | 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, Mumbai | TIFR | Astronomy and Astrophysics, Condensed Matter Physics and Material Science, High Energy Physics, Nuclear and Atomic Physics, Theoretical Physics |
| UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientific Research, Indore | UGC-DAE CSR | 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, Kolkata | VECC | Accelerator physics, Condensed matter physics & materials science, Nuclear physics (Experiment and Theory), Relativistic heavy ion collisions & QCD Phase transition (Experiment and Theory) |
Among these institutes, the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai is the only institute which offers PhD program in Theoretical Computer Science.
Exam Pattern
A common examination is conducted for both PhD and Integrated PhD programmes. This exam is conducted once a year in the month of February in offline (pen-paper) mode. The JEST exam score is valid for 1 year to take admission to any participating institute.
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Exam Mode | Offline ((Pen-paper mode) |
| Language of Question Paper | English |
| Exam Duration | 3 Hours (180 minutes) |
| Total Number of Questions | 50 |
| Total Number of Marks | 100 |
Marking Scheme
The marking scheme of the JEST exam is given below.
| Section | Number of Questions | Marks Awarded For correct answer | Marks Deducted for incorrect answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section A | 15 (Options given) | +3 | -1 |
| Section B | 10 (No Options given) | +3 | Nil |
| Section C | 25 (Options given) | +1 | -⅓ |
| Total | 50 | 100 | - |
Exam Syllabus
The Syllabus of the different Disciplines of JEST exam is given below.
| 1 | Mathematical methods |
|---|---|
| Vector algebra and vector calculus, tensors, curvilinear coordinate systems, linear algebra; | |
| Linear differential equations, elements of Sturm–Liouville theory; | |
| Special functions; | |
| Complex analysis; | |
| Fourier series and Fourier transforms, Laplace transforms; | |
| Elementary properties of discrete groups; | |
| Elements of probability theory, error analysis. |
| 2 | Classical Mechanics |
|---|---|
| Newton’s laws, conservation of energy and momentum, collisions; | |
| Generalized coordinates, principle of least action, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations of mechanics; | |
| Symmetry and conservation laws; central force problem, Kepler problem; | |
| Small oscillations and normal modes; special relativity in classical mechanics. |
| 3 | Electromagnetism and Optics |
|---|---|
| Electrostatics and magnetostatics, boundary value problems, multipole expansion; | |
| Fields in conducting, dielectric, diamagnetic and paramagnetic media; | |
| Maxwell’s equations; energy and momentum of electromagnetic fields; | |
| Electromagnetic waves in dispersive and conducting media; diffraction, interference, polarization. |
| 4 | Quantum Mechanics |
|---|---|
| Uncertainty principle; Schrodinger equation; central potentials, hydrogen atom; | |
| Orbital and spin angular momenta, addition of angular momenta; | |
| Matrix formulation of quantum theory, unitary transformations, Hermitian operators; | |
| Variational principle, time independent perturbation theory, time dependent perturbation theory. |
| 5 | Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics |
|---|---|
| Laws of thermodynamics, work and heat, thermodynamic potentials; | |
| Elements of kinetic theory; | |
| Maxwell’s relations; | |
| Statistical ensembles; | |
| partition function; | |
| classical ideal gas, harmonic oscillators; | |
| Classical and quantum statistics; | |
| Fermi and Bose gases; | |
| black body radiation; | |
| statistics of paramagnetism |
| 6 | Electronics |
|---|---|
| Basics of semiconductor; | |
| p-n junctions, diodes, transistors; | |
| LCR circuits, rectifiers, amplifiers, active filters and oscillators; | |
| basics of OPAMPs and their applications; basics of digital electronics. |
Application Process
The application can be submitted in online mode only. Candidates can fill up the application form by going to the official website of the JEST Exam i.e., https://www.jest.org.in/. It is advised to check the eligibility criteria before filling out the application form.
Application fee
| Candidates | Fees (in Rupees) |
|---|---|
| General and OBC | 800 |
| SC/ST Category and all Female | 400 |
Step 1: Application Registration
A candidate can successfully apply for the JEST exam after reading this information bulletin. The steps for submission of the online application form are:
- Register yourself before you login. It is assumed that you already have an email-id.
- To register, the candidate has to click on the “Create new Account” link in the Homepage. You will receive an email with your account information after registering with a valid email-id. Follow the instructions given in the email for resetting your password and further login.
Step 2: Fill the complete application form
- Login to the JEST homepage with your username (your email-id) and password. Fill the form and save it, or, modify an already saved form. Press the “Submit Application” button ONLY when you have inserted and checked all the mandatory entries.
- Upload jpg files of your Passport size photo and scanned signature.
- Pay the application fee online using SBI Epay. Please check the FAQ for details of the payment process.
- After online submission of the application form and successful e-payment of the application fee, your submission procedure will be considered complete. NO modification will be allowed after this.
- Please take the printout of the application form for future reference.
Issuance of Admit Card and Exam
- An e-admit card will be issued provisionally to the candidates through the JEST website, subject to fulfillment of the eligibility conditions.
- For this, candidates will have to visit JEST website by providing details about:
(i) registration number
(ii) password and
(iii) date of birth - Candidates must affix a recent recognisable photograph on the printed admit card.
Appearing in JEST Exam
- The candidates will be required to appear at the examination centre with
(i) an admit card,
(ii) Any one of the authorised photo ID (Original, valid and non-expired) – School Identity Card / Passport / Aadhar Card (with photo) / E-Aadhaar with photo / Ration Card with photo / Bank Passbook along with photographs,
(iii) a simple transparent blue/black ballpoint pen. - A candidate will have to appear for the examination on the date given in the respective admit card at his/her own risk and expense.
- Candidates will have to report themselves at the examination venue before the commencement time of the examination as mentioned on the admit card for various formalities such as frisking, biometric registration/record of manual attendance by the invigilator, document verification/admission Cross-checking of admit card, Signature, and Photo matching (to be completed by the Inspector), etc.
- Candidates reporting late after the reporting time specified on the admit card for the examination or unable to produce the physical admit card will not be allowed to take the examination.
- Candidates are advised to keep their admit cards safe and in good condition for future reference after appearing in the examination.
Result declaration and admission process
- The scores of the JEST exam will be made live on the JEST website after the successful completion of the evaluation of response sheets of candidates.
- No re-evaluation/re-checking of candidates’ response sheets will be entertained or entertained in any respect.
- Candidates fulfilling the eligibility will get admission to the Institution of their choice.