JEST 2025: Exam Date, Registrations, Admit Card & Syllabus

Joint Entrance Screening Test 2024 ( JEST )

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Result: 26 Mar '25

Updated on Nov 13, 2024 12:41 IST

The JEST 2025 Registration Process will start in the first week of January 2025, tentatively. The registration process will go on till the last week of January 2025 and the Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST) Application process will also start with the registration process. The exam conducting body for JEST is the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), previously the exam was conducted by the Science & Engineering Research Board (SEBS). 

The correction window for the JEST 2025 will remain open for the first week of February 2025. The JEST Exam is conducted for those candidates who wish to study a PhD/Integrated PhD Programme in Physics or Neuroscience Theoretical Computer Science or Computational Biology in one of the participating Institutes. The JEST 2025 date for the exam is tentative for the first week of March 2025. The number of candidates who appeared for the previous year's JEST Exam was around 8278 and out of these numbers only 919 candidates passed the JEST Examination. Candidates need to fill in their email ID and password to get access to their scorecard. The highest score for a PhD course in the previous years was 73.6667 and for Int. PhD the score was 72 marks. 

Also Read: PhD in Engineering Colleges in India

The previous year JEST exam was conducted across the country in 38 JEST exam centres. Once, the JEST 2025 Exam is conducted successfully students can go through the JEST exam analysis that helps them understand the exam difficulty level. 

 

What is JEST?

Various renowned institutes like IISERs, NISER, IISc and more conduct the Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST). Those who wish to pursue PhD and Int. PhD programmes need to clear the JEST screening test and seek admission to various participating institutes in different subjects such as Neuroscience or Computational Biology, Physics and Theoretical Computer Science. The JEST examination is conducted for two subjects, theoretical computer science, and physics. Also, the qualifications for admission to the PhD and Int. PhD programmes in different for all the participating institutes.

 

 

JEST 2025 Exam Dates & Schedule

Take a look at the table below for the complete schedule of JEST 2024 exam

DatesUpcoming Exam Dates

Jan '25

JEST 2024 Application Window

TENTATIVE

Jan '25

JEST 2024 Registration Fee End Date

TENTATIVE

Feb '25

JEST 2024 Correction Window

TENTATIVE

Feb '25 - Mar '25

JEST 2024

TENTATIVE

Feb '25 - Mar '25

JEST 2024 Admit Card

TENTATIVE

Mar '25

JEST 2024 Exam Date

TENTATIVE

Mar '25

JEST 2024 Provisional Answer Key

TENTATIVE

JEST 2025 Exam Highlights

Go through the information related to the JEST Exam 2025.

Particulars

Details

Exam Name

Joint Engineering Screening Test

Conducting Body

IIST

Exam Level

PhD level

Exam Frequency

Once a Year

Mode of Exam

Paper-pencil Based Test (PBT) or Offline

Total Number of Test Takers

To be notified

Courses Offered

Integrated MSc / MTech- PhD/ PhD

Exam Fees

INR 800 - General category male candidates.

INR 400 - SC/ST/Female candidates.

Exam Duration

180 minutes

Sections and Marks

Three sections with a total of 100 marks

Total Number of Questions

50

Marking Scheme

+1 for each correct answer (Part A)

+3 for each correct answer (Part B)

-1/3 for each incorrect answer (Part A)

-1 for each incorrect answer (Part B)

Language/Mode of Exam

English

Colleges Accepting JEST score

33 institutes in India

Number of Test Cities

38 cities in India

Official Website 

https://www.jest.org.in/ 

Contact Details info.jest2024@iist.ac.in

JEST 2025 Candidate Statics

Number of Students Applied for the JEST Exam 

Students who want to prepare for JEST 2025, must go through these statistics related to JEST Exam 2024 to know the difficulty level of JEST and to prepare themselves accordingly. 

 

Applied

Attended

 

Female

Male

Others

Total

Female

Male

Total

PhD

2897

3985

0

6882

1966

3033

4999

Int. PhD

1564

2717

1

4282

1141

2138

3279

Total

4461

6702

1

11164

3107

5171

8278

JEST Exam 2024 Cutoff

 

Marks

Percentile

Rank Total

Qualified

PhD

36

90.08

496

517 (109 F + 408 M)

Int. PhD

30.33

88.17

388

402 (74 F + 328 M)

JEST Exam 2024 Top Scores

Course Name

Percentile

PhD

73.6667

Int. PhD

72

JEST 2025 Exam Analysis

In comparison to the previous year, students who appeared for the previous year's JEST Exam found the difficulty level of the exam from moderate to difficult. Most of the questions that came in the JEST Examination were from the postgraduation and master's levels. Most of the questions were asked from the postgraduation and master's level. 

Some questions were based on the wave optics and quantum mechanics topics and then there were topics that came from Hamiltonian air perturbation matrix, flux, electric field, magnetic field, and lagrangian concept, and virtual ground concept related to some direct questions were also asked in the JEST Exam. 

 

JEST 2025 Answer Key

The JEST answer key will be out in the third week of March 2025, tentatively. Once, the JEST Final Answer key is published it can not be modified or changed under any conditions. Candidates who want to calculate their estimated JEST Scores with the help of the Answer Key need to first visit the official website to download the PDF file. In case, a candidate wants to challenge the provisional answer key, they need to visit the official site and then pay a objection fee along with the proof that support their objection. If the proof s valid for the objection then the exam conducting authority will approve the objection and then the Final Answer will be released. 

 

JEST 2025 Question Paper

The JEST Question Paper will be out by the exam conducting authority and the JEST Exam is a paper-based Test (PBT). Once, the exam is over students are allowed to bring the JEST Question paper out of the exam centre. Those who wish to appear for the JEST 2025 Exam must get the previous year's question papers from the exam takers to prepare for the JEST Exam for the academic session 2025. The previous year's question paper will be helpful for those who are preparing for the JEST Exam 2025. 

JEST 2025 Result

The JEST Result 2025 will be out on the official site in the third week of March 2025 by the IIST, the exam conducting authority. Those who appeared for the JEST Exam need to download their scorecard from the official website which includes important information such as section-wise scores, and the candidate's All India Rank (AIR). The selected candidates need to apply to the participating institutes to gain admission.

JEST 2025 Cutoff

With the declaration of the JEST Result the exam conducting authorities will also release the JEST cutoff. After filling out the login credentials candidates can get access to their scorecard. The previous year's cutoff mentioned in the table below refers to the minimum scores a candidate needs to score to qualify for the JEST Exam's first round of the admission process. 

Programme JEST Cutoff JEST Cutoff Percentile
PhD 36 90.08
Integrated MSc-PhD 30.33 88.17

 

JEST 2204 Exam Centres

The list of JEST Exam 2025 is still not out on the official website however, the list of exam centres from previous years is mentioned in the below table. The information brochure, notification and exam centres list will be released by the exam conducting authority. 

 

List of JEST Exam Centres 

 

Ahmedabad

Aligarh

Allahabad

Amritsar

Bangalore

Bardhaman

Bhopal

Bhubaneswar

Kozhikode

Chandigarh

Chennai

Delhi

Goa

Guwahati

Hyderabad

Indore

Jaipur

Kanpur

Kharagpur

Kochi

Kolkata

Madurai

Mangalore

Mumbai

Nagpur

Nainital

Patna

Pune

Raipur

Roorkee

Sambalpur

Silchar

Siliguri

Srinagar

Trivandrum

Udaipur

 Vishakhapatnam

Vijayawada (subject to availability)

--

 

JEST Preparation Tips

Candidates preparing for the JEST Exam must know that it can take six to eight months to prepare for the JEST Exam to pursue PhD courses in their preferred subjects and preferred university. Read some of the helpful tips mentioned below to prepare well for the JEST Exam.

  • Candidates need to work on their basics and must clear their concepts. 
  • Selecting the right preparation material is also crucial for the preparation process and therefore candidates must choose the right books and avoid getting too much unnecessary study material to avoid confusion and clutter. 
  • One of the most effective ways to prepare for competitive exams is to practise mock tests because mock tests will help candidates gain confidence in their strong areas and get a grip over the weak areas. This preparation method also helps gain speed and the correct way of answering a question within a limited period to get maximum marks. 

Candidates must read the last-minute preparation tips before they appear for the JEST Exam:

  • Revise Daily: Daily revision is one of the most crucial steps for candidates to prepare effectively, or else they will forget whatever they are reading daily. To remember things for a long period it is better to revise daily or on alternative days. Reading new topics without remembering the previous one is of no use. 
  • Previous Year Question Papers: It is a great way to prepare for any exam because knowing what is important and what was asked in the previous year's question paper is a smart way of preparation.
  • Work on weak topics: It is good to focus on the weak topics along with the topics you are good at. This will help candidates to prepare well for the JEST Exam and they will feel confident on the day of the exam. 

JEST 2025 Exam Pattern

There are a total of 50 questions in the Exam pattern for the JEST. The test paper consists of MCQs and the paper is sectioned in two parts. In the JEST exam, students are evaluated out of 100 scores.

No. of Sections Total Questions
Part A 25
Part B 15
Part C 10
Total 50

JEST New Marking Scheme

Part

Total Questions

Marks for Correct answer

Marks for the wrong answer

Part A

25

1

1/3

Part B

15

3

1

Part C 10 3 0

JEST 2025 Courses Offered

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

Course Name

Courses offered 

PhD in Physics

Integrated PhD in Physics

PhD in Theoretical Computer Science

Integrated PhD in Theoretical Computer Science

PhD in Neuroscience

Integrated PhD in Neuroscience

PhD in Computational Biology

Integrated PhD in Computational Biology

 

JEST 2025 Admit Card

The JEST 2025 Hall Ticket will be out at least 10 days before the commencement of the exam on the official website. The JEST 2025 Admit Card will be made available on the official website for the exam takers before the exam date and candidates can get access to their Hall Tickey by filling in their login credentials like password and registration number. All the exam takers must carry their JEST Admit Card on the day of the exam. The admit card consists of some of the important details such as exam centre address, exam time, exam date, candidate name, roll number, contact number, signature, photograph, and important instructions related to the exam day. 

 

JEST 2025 Syllabus

The JEST 2025 syllabus will be released along with the official notification in January 2025, tentatively, by the exam authorities. The exam takers are examined based on various subjects such as Classical Methods, Quantum Mechanics, Thermodynamics & Statistical Physics and Electronics, Electromagnetism & Optics, and Mathematical Methods. The JEST syllabus has not changed in the previous years. 

JEST 2025 Mock Test

JEST 2025 mock test or demo test is released along with the admit card by the exam conducting authorities once the online applications are filled. There are a total of nine questions and there are a total of three questions in each section based on the official mock test. The navigation system and the JEST 2025 exam format help candidates get exposure, understanding and clarity regarding the exam. Candidates must also solve and practise the sample papers available on the official website 

JEST 2025 Counselling

The participating institutes conduct the JEST 2025 Counselling process separately. The list of shortlisted candidates by each JEST participating institute is released based on the cutoff marks that follow the interview rounds The venue and interview dates along with the selected candidates are released via email and SMS by the participating institutes. 

JEST 2025: List of Colleges Accepting Scores (Expected)

JEST exam is conducted to examine candidates whether they are deserving to secure admission in PhD and integrated PhD programmes or not. Check out the list of JEST participating colleges mentioned below. 

Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital

Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bangalore

Bose Institute, Kolkata

Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore

Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Mumbai

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Bhopal

Harish-Chandra Research Institute (HRI), Allahabad

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata

International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS)-TIFR, Bangalore

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali

Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune

Indian Institute of Space Science  and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Thiruvananthapuram

The Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc), Chennai

National Brain Research Centre (NBRC), Manesar

Institute of Physics (IOP), Bhubaneswar

National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA)-TIFR, Pune

Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), Gandhinagar

National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar

Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune

Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad

Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore

Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), Indore

Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bangalore

TIFR Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences (TCIS), Hyderabad

Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP), Kolkata

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai

Satyendra Nath Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS), Kolkata

UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientific Research (UGC-DAE CSR), Indore

Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC), Kolkata

TIFR Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences (TIFR-TCIS), Hyderabad

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

JEST 2025 Application Process

Candidates need to visit the official website to fill in the JEST 2025 Application Form online. Students need to submit their personal information while filling out the application form such as educational details, uploading documents, signature and photographs, exam centre preference, and college and course details as well. Once, the Application Form is filled they need to submit the JEST 2025 Application fee via debit card, credit card or net banking.

 

 

FAQs Regarding JEST Exam 2025

Read some of the most frequently asked questions listed for the JEST 2025 Examination.

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13 Institutes accepting JEST

Ph.D. in Biology
  • Total Fees: ₹ 75,000
  • |
  • 3 years
  • |
  • Full Time
Ph.D. in Physics
  • 4.4

    Placements

    4.0

    Infrastructure

    5.0

    Faculty & Course Curriculum

    4.0

    Crowd & Campus Life

    5.0

    Value for Money

    4.0

    Learning Experience

    0.0

    Course Support

    0.0
    (1)
  • |
  • Total Fees: ₹ 48,550
  • |
  • 3 years
  • |
  • Full Time
Ph.D. in Physics
  • Total Fees: ₹ 45,000
  • |
  • 3 years
  • |
  • Full Time
Ph.D. in Physics
  • Total Fees: ₹ 15,000
  • |
  • 3 years
  • |
  • Full Time

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