JEST (Joint Entrance Screening Test) is a very renowned National Eligibility Test (NET) conducted by the Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB). JEST is organized at the national level every year. Those candidates who are seeking admission to the courses like Ph.D. and Integrated Ph.D. programs from various JEST participating institutes then must apply for JEST 2023 online. Those candidates who successfully qualify JEST will be offered admission into various participating institutions such as NISER, IIST, IISER, IISc, Bose Institute, etc. In this article,
JEST 2023 Overview
| Name of the Exam | JEST |
| Full-Form | Joint Entrance Screening Test |
| Level of Exam | National level |
| Conducting Body | SERB- Science & Engineering Research Board |
| Courses offered | Ph.D/ Integrated Ph.D programme in Physics / Theoretical Computer Science/ Computational Biology/ Neuroscience |
| Application Mode | Online |
| Mode of the Exam | Offline (Pen and Paper mode) |
| Date of the Exam | April 2023 |
| Official Website | www.jest.org.in. |
JEST 2023 Important Dates
| Events | Dates (tentative) |
| Online registration begins | 1st week of January 2023 |
| Last date to register | 2nd week of February 2023 |
| Last date to apply with late fee | 3rd week of February 2023 |
| Admit card release date | 3rd week of March 2023 |
| Entrance exam date | 2nd week of April 2023 |
| Release of Answer key | 3rd week of April 2023 |
| Declaration of result | Last week of April 2023 |
| Interview process | 1st week of May 2023 |
Eligibility Requirements
- Ph.D. (Physics): Applicant should clear M.Sc (Physics) from any recognized institute.
However, there are some institutes that accept B.Tech/ M.Tech/ M.E/ M.Sc/ in applied Mathematics and Physics. - Ph.D. in Theoretical Computer Science at IMSc: Students who have passed M.Tech/ M.Sc. / MCA/ M.E in science are eligible. Along with this candidates with good mathematical skills and having an interest in biological problems will be given first preference.
- Ph.D. in Neuroscience at NBRC: Candidates need to have a computer science degree in B.Tech/ B.E. / BCA.
- Integrated Ph.D. course in theoretical computer science at IMSc: Candidates who have completed have B.E/ B.Sc. / MCA/ B.Tech in computer science or equivalent disciplines can apply for JEST.
- Ph.D in Computational Biology at IMSc: A degree of MCA/ M.Tech/ M.Sc. / M.E. with good mathematical skills and a strong interest in biological problems is required.
- Integrated M.Tech Ph.D. at IIA: M.Sc (Physics/ Applied Physics) or Post B.Sc (Hons.) in electronics and radio physic/ optics and optoelectronics is needed.
JEST 2023 Application Form
- Those candidates who are planning to apply for the examination are required to fill the second week of February 2023.
- It is mandatory for the candidate to possess with a correct email address so that registration can be completed soon.
- Participants have to fill the application form and upload scanned photos as well as a signature in .jpg format and other mentioned specifications.
- Pay the application charges to complete the application process.
- Once the application form submission task gets over, the candidate will receive the confirmation on their registered email id.
Application Fee
Candidates can make payment of the application fee via debit card/credit card and Net banking.
| Category | Application fee |
| General candidates | Rs. 300/- |
| OBC candidates | Rs. 300/- |
| SC/ ST candidates | Rs. 150/- |
Exam Pattern
- Duration of the Exam: 3 hours
- Sections of Paper: Three sections- Part A, Part B, and Part C.
- Medium of Exam: English language
- Question paper Type: Objective Based Questions
- Marking Scheme: Part A (3 marks each), Part B (3 marks each), and Part C (1 mark each).
- Negative Marking: Part A (- 1 mark), Part B (no negative marking), and Part C (- 1/3 marks).
| Parts | No. of Questions | Total Marks | Marking Scheme | Negative Marking |
| Part A | 15 | 45 marks | +3 | -1 |
| Part B | 10 | 30 marks | +3 | No negative marking |
| Part C | 25 | 25 marks | +1 | -1/3 |
JEST 2023 Merit List
The official authorities of JEST i.e. SERB will be preparing the JEST Merit List for the participants who had appeared for the entrance exam. The merit list will be prepared on the basis of the Exam Results. SERB will consider the marks of the candidate’s marks secured in the JEST to prepare the merit list.
The applicants who will be finalized for the JEST can check the merit list online mode on the official website of JEST. The shortlisted will get admission in JEST participating institutes. For further details, applicants can check the official website of JEST.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Question: What is the official web portal to apply for the JEST Exam 2023?
Ans. The authorized web portal to apply for JEST Exam 2023 is www.jest.org.in.
Question: Who will conduct the Joint Entrance Screening Test?
Ans. SERB (Science & Engineering Research Board) will organize Joint Entrance Screening Test.
Question: When will JEST 2023 be organized?
Ans. The entrance test is scheduled to be held in the 2nd week of April 2023.