JEST 2024: Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST) is a national level exam for admission in Ph.D. and Integrated Ph.D. courses in Physics/Theoretical Computer Science/Neuroscience/Computational Biology. Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) conducts this exam as a National Eligibility Test, once a year. The test is conducted in the month of February and the application form is available now, if you are looking for the important details for JEST 2024, check the details given below.
JEST 2024 Important Dates
| Online application form | 2nd week of December 2023 |
| Last date to submit the application form | 2nd week of January 2024 |
| Admit card Availability | 1st week of March 2024 |
| Exam date | 2ndweek of March 2024 |
| Answer Key Release | To be Updated |
| Last date to submit objection regarding answer key | To be Updated |
| Declaration of result | To be Updated |
| Interview starts | To be Updated |
JEST 2024 Important Links
| Official Notification | Check Here |
| Official Website | www.jest.org.in |
| JEST 2024 Online Form | Apply Here |
| Ph.D Admission Notification 2024 | Check Here |
Eligibility Criteria
For the Ph.D. program in Physics:
- Applicants should have a master’s degree in Physics or M.Sc./M.tech /M.E. in the related discipline.
- E. or B.Tech candidates will also be entertained at IISc, IMSc, ICTS-TIFR, IUCAA, JNCASR, NCRA-TIFR, TFIR-TCIS, RRI, IISER Mohali, IISER-Pune, IISER-Thiruvananthapuram, and SNBNCBS.
- Candidates having M.Sc in Mathematics/Applied Science/Applied mathematics/Optics and Photonics/Instrumentation/Electronics will also be entertained at IIA.
- Final year students of B.Sc. and First-year M.Sc. students in Physics/Electronics/Astronomy/Applied mathematics may also apply for a pre-selected research scholarship at IUCAA.
- Students having M.Sc. in Physics, Engineering Physics/ Applied Physics will also consider IPR.
For Theoretical Computer Science/Neuroscience/Computational Biology:
- Applicants must have M.sc/M.E./M.tech/MCA in computer science and related disciplines.
- Candidates having M.Sc./M.E./M.Tech/MCA in any Engineering and Science discipline with Biological understanding are also eligible for Ph.D. in Computational Biology.
For Integrated M.Sc. /M.Tech-Ph.D. Program:
- At HRI, IISER-Pune, ICTS-TIFR, SNBNCBS, NCRA-TIFR, TIFR-TCIS, applicants having bachelor’s degrees are also eligible for M.Sc./M.Tech-PhD program in Physics.
- At IMSc, Graduates in Science/Mathematics/Statistics/Computer Science/IT/Engineering are eligible for admission in Physics and Theoretical Computer Science.
For integrated M.Tech –Ph.D. program at IIA:
- Applicants should have M.Sc. (Physics/Applied Physics), Post-B.Sc. (Hons.) in Optics and Optoelectronics/Radio Physics and Electronics/BE/B.tech degree.
For the Integrated Ph.D. program at IISER, Thiruvananthapuram:
- Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in Physics/Technology/Engineering/ are eligible for the Integrated P.hD program.
For M.Sc. Program in HRI:
- B.Sc. (Physics)/B.E./B.Tech degree in any Discipline.
Age Limit – No age limit is applicable for JEST 2024.
JEST Application Form 2024
The mode of application for the JEST is online and it will start soon. It is advised to candidates that fill out the application carefully, no changes will be allowed after submission. Applicants have to upload scanned copies of signatures and Photographs, after that, they have to submit application fees for the successful submission of the Application form. Take a printout of the confirmation page after the final submission of the Application form.
Application Fee
- General category candidates – Rs.400/ – , SC and ST category candidates – Rs.200/ –
- Payment to be done by means of online mode from Debit or Credit cards and Net-banking methods.
JEST 2024 Exam Pattern
- The Exam will be conducted in Offline mode.
- The duration of the exam will be of 3 hours.
- The Question paper on Physics will be of three parts. I.e. Part A, Part B, Part C.
- The language of the paper will be English.
| Parts | Number of Questions | Marking Scheme | Negative Marking |
| Part A | 15 | +3 | -1 |
| Part B | 10 | +3 | No negative marking |
| Part C | 25 | +1 | -1/3 |
JEST 2024 Syllabus
- The syllabus of JSET is different for each program at all levels. The authority will set the syllabus on the basis of qualifying examination subjects’ level.
- The Question Paper for Physics will carry questions from topics such as Classical Mechanics, Mathematical Mechanics, Electromagnetism and Optics, Quantum Mechanics, Thermodynamics.
- For Theoretical Computer Science, the syllabus will cover topics such as Analytical Reasoning and Deduction, data algorithms and structure, Discrete Mathematics etcetera.
Participating Institute
| Sno | Participating Institutes |
| 1. | ARIES( AryabhattaReasearch Institute of Observational Sciences, Nainital) |
| 2. | HBNI(Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai) |
| 3. | HRI(Harish Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad) |
| 4. | ICTS(International Centre for Theoretical Science )Bangalore |
| 5. | IGCAR(Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalapakkam) |
| 6. | IIA(Indian Institute of Astrophysics, |
| 7. | IISc Bangalore |
| 8. | IISER Kolkata |
| 9. | IISER Pune |
| 10. | IISER Mohali |
| 11. | IISER Thiruvananthapuram |
| 12. | IMSc (The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai) |
| 13. | Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar |
| 14. | IPR(Institute for Plasma Research, Gandhinagar) |
| 15. | IIA (Indian Institute of Astrophysics) |
| 16. | IUCAA(Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics) |
| 17. | NBRC(National Botanical Research Institute, Manesar) |
| 18. | JNCASR, Bangalore |
| 19. | PRL(Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad |
| 20. | RRCAT(Raja Raman Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore |
| 21. | RRI (Raman Research Institute, Bangalore). |
| 22. | SINP(Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics) |
| 23. | VECC(Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre), Kolkata |
| 24. | TIFR(Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai) |
Note- Given schedule is tentative final dates will be updated after the release of the official notification for the Joint Entrance Screening Test. Check official details- Click here