In India, candidates are bound to come across certain examinations to get admission in India’s reputed institutes.
Through the entrance exams, candidates are offered graduation, post-graduation, PhD and other desired courses. Whereas the competitive exams are for those who are looking for job opportunities in various government & private sectors.
Here in this article, we will discuss on India’s two major tests i.e. GATE and CSIR NET.
The main objective of these two exams is to determine the ability of an aspirant in a specific programme of science stream. Both are the National Level Tests which are conducted for different purposes.
Read the complete blog and find the major differences between GATE and CSIR NET Exams.
Major Difference between GATE & NET Exams
How Different is GATE JRF from NET JRF?
Eligibility Criteria for GATE & CSIR NET Exams
Importance of GATE & CSIR NET Exam
Difference in Exam Pattern of GATE & CSIR NET
Which Exam is tougher, GATE or CSIR NET?
Is GATE Equivalent to NET?
It’s very important for an aspirant to know about the exam for which he/she going to appear.
A common question that always triggers in the mind of candidates that ‘Is GATE Equivalent to NET?’.
To clear this doubt, candidates are suggested to scroll down the article.
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE)
It is an all-India entrance examination that is jointly conducted by seven IITs (Indian Institute of Technology) and IISc (Indian Institute of Science).
The exam is conducted on the behalf of the National Coordination Board-GATE, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India.
The scorecard or rank of Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering qualified candidates can be used for admission to various master’s programs and direct Doctoral programs.
The exam is conducted for examining the ability of an aspirant in various undergraduate programs in Architecture/Engineering/Technology and providing admissions to post-graduate level programs in the same fields.
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – National Eligibility Test (CSIR NET)
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research conducts the National Eligibility Test CSIR NET for determining the eligibility of a science aspirant for a Lectureship and for the award of a Junior Research Fellowship.
Candidates, who complete their graduation or post-graduation from the science stream are eligible to appear in this exam.
This exam is conducted for subjects like Physical, Chemical, Mathematical, Earth, Life Sciences and their related subjects.
Now, let us move on to understand how GATE and CSIR NET Exam are different from each other.
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What are the Major Differences Between GATE & CSIR NET?
Agencies who conduct these exams have got their respective scenarios for organizing them. Characteristics which are the pillars of these two exams can be defined in the terms of Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility, etc.
So, here we are presenting some major differences between these two examinations, which will help you to clear all your doubts and confusion.
1. How Different is GATE JRF from NET JRF? Identify Here
Candidates, who qualify for any of these two exams can be eligible to avail Junior Research Fellowship. The Government provides financial assistance to the candidates in the form of fellowships to continue their work as researchers.
The fellowship amount provided to GATE & CSIR NET candidates is the same. Check below.
Junior Research Fellowship Through GATE & CSIR NET
The Junior Research Fellowship is offered through CSIR for both these examinations to all those candidates who qualify this exam.
Under this JRF scheme, the tenure of fellowship is initially for three years. After completion of these three years of fellowship, work of the fellows will be evaluated by the experts. If the experts found it satisfactory, the tenure will be extended for three more years as Senior Research Fellowship.
The stipend of a JRF-selected candidate will be INR 31,000 per month plus HRA continuously for two years.
Moreover, an annual contingent of INR 20,000 will also be granted to the fellows.
After the successful completion of three years of JRF, the upgraded fellowship to SRF will be increased to INR 35,000 per month.
Both these exams have their individual importance in their respective fields. So, let’s check out what are the benefits to qualify for these exams?
Download CSIR NET Syllabus PDF for Free
2. Eligibility Criteria for GATE & CSIR NET Exams
Eligibility Criteria for an exam ensure the aspirants that they can appear in the test. The organizations identify the eligibility of an aspirant based on a few general rules like educational qualification and the age limit to appear in the exam.
So, check out the eligibility and find a suitable exam for you.
GATE Eligibility –
Candidates from India or pursuing their qualifying degree from other countries than India are eligible to appear in Graduate Aptitude Test.
Bachelor’s degree holders in Technology/Engineering/Agriculture/Science from any stream are eligible for this exam.
Master’s degree holders in any branch of Science/ Mathematics/ Statistics/ Computer Applications or equivalent.
Post-BSc Integrated Master’s degree programs, Integrated Master’s degree, dual degree, Integrated B.S.-M.S. program.
Graduates from Professional Societies, recognized by MHRD/UPSC/AICTE are eligible to appear in this exam.
No minimum marks are required to appear in this Examination.
One of the top benefits for the aspirant, who wishes to appear in this exam is that there is no age limit to appear in the exam.
Moreover, the candidate can appear as many times as he/she wants.
CSIR NET Eligibility Criteria –
The candidate must have M.Sc. or equivalent degree/Integrated BS-MS/BS-4 years/BE/BTech/BPharma/MBBS with minimum 55% aggregate marks for General & OBC candidates and 50% aggregate marks for SC/ST/PwD
Aspirants, who have enrolled for M.Sc or completed 10+2+3 of the above-mentioned examination before the closing date of online submission of the registration form, are also eligible under the Result Awaited (RA) category.
B.Sc. or equivalent degree holders or the candidates who enrolled in Integrated MS-PhD program with at least 55% marks (General & OBC) and 50% aggregate marks for SC/ST/PwD candidates are also eligible to appear in CSIR NET Exam.
The maximum age limit for JRF is 28 years which may be relaxed up to 5 years for SC/SC/PwD/female candidates and 3 years in case of OBC candidates.
There is no upper age limit for the aspirant who will appear in CSIR NET Exam for Lectureship.
As per the CSIR NET Eligibility Criteria, Aspirants with bachelor’s degrees will only be eligible for Junior Research Fellowship after getting enrolled on PhD or Integrated PhD program within the validity period of two years.
3. Importance of GATE & CSIR NET Exam
Qualifying an entrance exam will definitely add some value to the growth of your career. If you appear in GATE Exam, the career prospects will be in the engineering field, in the same manner, qualifying in CSIR NET will lead you towards the career prospects like research, lectureship, and other related opportunities.
If you eagerly waiting to know more career prospects through one of these exams, then just scroll down the blog and find the best career opportunities.
Benefits of Qualifying for GATE Exam!
Graduate Aptitude is the only test to measure the ability of engineering aspirants. There are many candidates who misunderstand the GATE Exam and its importance.
Read the below-mentioned bullet points to know about the benefits of the GATE Exam –
Candidates who qualify Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering are eligible to get admission to top institutes in India for pursuing M.Tech/ME/MS.
PSUs started recruiting through GATE. Candidates who qualify for this exam can get stable jobs with fat packages while having a good living standard.
Candidates can enjoy the opportunity to get a job in top organizations like DRDO, BARC, ISRO, etc.
GATE-qualified candidates become eligible for the award of Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) in CSIR Research Laboratories.
If you want to get a job in a foreign company, the GATE score card is also considered in a foreign firm.
The best opportunities that an aspirant can get after qualifying for the GATE Exam have been discussed above. Now let’s talk about the benefits that can be grabbed by an aspirant, who is preparing for NET Examination.
Benefits of Qualifying CSIR NET Exam
Qualifying CSIR NET Examination will lead your career towards success and development.
Follwing are the benefits that an aspirant can get after qualifying this exam with a good score –
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research National Eligibility Test is a gateway for all those aspirants who wish to start their career as Lecturers in India’s reputed institutes and colleges.
Candidates who are interested in research work will get Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) after qualifying this exam.
Aspirants can go for Ph.D. programmes from any of the prestigious organization.
Various PSU jobs are also offered to the CSIR NET qualified candidates.
4. Difference in Exam Pattern of GATE & CSIR NET
The pattern of an exam defines a particular way of organizing or conducting the tests. Exam Patterns are prescribed by the authorities, who are responsible for organizing these two exams.
An exam pattern may include aspects like the number of questions, time duration, language etc.
Check the Exam Pattern from below –
GATE Exam Pattern –
As per the latest information brochure, the Exam Pattern of Graduate Aptitude Test can be defined with the help of the following points –
The examination will be conducted in 25 subjects or papers.
It will contain two different types of questions in all the papers i.e General Aptitude and Technical + Engineering Mathematics.
This is an Online Computer Based Test (CBT).
Candidates can apply only for one paper at a time in GATE.
A total of 65 questions carrying 100 marks will be asked in the exam.
There will be Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) and Numerical Answer Type (NAT) Questions in GATE Exam which will carry 1 or 2 marks.
If any wrong answer is chosen by the candidate in MCQ-type questions then, 1/3 will be deducted for the 1-mark question and 2/3 will be deducted for the 2-mark questions.
There will be no negative marking in NAT-type questions.
The maximum duration for completing the exam is 3 hours.
CSIR NET Exam Pattern –
Above we have mentioned the exam pattern for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering. Now, check the CSIR NET Exam Pattern from the below points and find out the major differences in both exams.
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research conducts the CSIR NET Exam in 5 major subjects as given below
There will be MCQ Type questions in CSIR NET Exam.
The paper is divided into three distinct parts – Part A, Part B & Part C.
This is a CBT-based examination.
In CSIR NET Exam, negative marking for the wrong answer will be decided as per the subject-wise scheme of the exam.
Which Exam is tougher, GATE or CSIR NET?
It is not an impossible task to qualify if you prepare well for these entrance exams. The difficulty level of an examination depends upon the type of questions that will be asked in it.
GATE is an examination that involves multiple conceptual questions that need to be solved in the right order. It’s a logical test that requires a complete understanding of the subject and skills for implementing the technical ability to solve the questions.
Whereas preparing for CSIR NET Exam needs conceptual brainstorming and a deep understanding of the subject for which the candidate is going to appear in this entrance exam. The exam will judge your analytical and research ability to solve the questions.
The number of candidates for the GATE Exam is also higher than that of the CSIR NET Examination.
The approach of a candidate will make the decision for the difficulty level of the exam.
So, these were some major Differences between GATE & CSIR NET that must be known by a candidate, who wishes to pursue for these two exams.
We hope that the aspirants who had read this blog will be able to clear all their doubts and queries.
If there is any query or suggestion in your mind, feel free to ask through the comments box.
You can also join India’s No.1 Learning Community for CSIR NET, where you will get doubt solution for all your exam related queries with the help of experts from all over India. To join the community, you can download the Eduncle App now.
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