CSIR NET Exam Analysis 2025: Subject-Wise Difficulty, Marking Scheme & Shift-Wise Review

The CSIR NET 2025 is a computer-based exam testing the students in following areas as Life Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Physical Sciences, Earth Sciences and Mathematical Sciences. The test consists of three parts: part A, B and C, where questions are multiple choice. Part A is usually of moderate difficulty, whereas parts B and C grow in difficulty as one continues with the exam. The test is done in two sessions 9 AM- 12 Noon and 3 PM- 6 PM, which is 3 hours.

Mark points are given to the various parts: +2, Part A, correct answers; +4, Part C, correct answers; and negative marking, incorrect answers. The level of difficulty depends on the subject of the test, with Life Sciences and Earth Sciences being intermediate, and Chemical and Physical Sciences being moderately hard. The CSIR NET exam takes advantage of a normalisation procedure to balance the scores of various shifts, making it just to all students, irrespective of the level of difficulty of the paper.

CSIR NET Exam Analysis Overview 2025

The CSIR NET 2025 exam is a computerised test that is administered by NTA to students of subjects such as Life Sciences, Chemical Sciences, among others. It is of two shifts, 3 hours in duration and based on multiple choice questions. All the significant information about the exam, such as dates and subjects, timing and the official site is indicated in the table below.

CSIR NET Subject Wise Analysis 2025

The CSIR NET 2025 subject-wise analysis indicates the difficulty of each section of the exam by subject. It was a three-part (A, B and C) exam. Certain topics were simpler, and others were more difficult and were covered in the later sections. Candidates can check out the subject-wise analysis for the CSIR NET exam, which took place on July 28, 2025:

Also Check: CSIR NET Result 2025 (Out): Download at csirnet.nta.ac.in, Answer Key PDF, Score Normalisation

CSIR NET Shift-wise Analysis 2025 (June Session)

According to candidates, the CSIR NET June 2025 exams varied in difficulty across subjects. Life Sciences was found to be moderate overall, with Part C being very tough. Physical Sciences was moderate but lengthy, and Part C was slightly challenging. Mathematics was moderate to difficult, while Chemical Sciences appeared difficult overall. The table below summarizes the subject-wise difficulty and key observations reported by students.

CSIR NET Marking Scheme 2025

CSIR NET 2025 exam has multiple-choice questions that assess the applicants in various fields, as part A, B, and C. There are marks of correct answers attached to each part of the questionnaire, and negative marking can be appropriate in certain parts of the questionnaire in case of incorrect answers. The correct answers and the negative marking of each part (A, B, C) of all CSIR NET 2025 subjects are as shown in the table below.

CSIR NET Previous Year Paper Analysis

The CSIR NET past year papers indicate that there is a mixed difficulty pattern in subjects. Life Science and Earth Science remained mostly moderate, and Chemical Science and Physical Science showed moderate to difficult trends. Part C of the subject was generally the most demanding section in virtually all subjects. The table below summarises the difficulty of year-wise CSIR NET paper per subject, the difficulty of Part A, Part B and Part C.

Also Check: CSIR NET Cutoff 2025 (Out): Subject & Category-wise Cutoff For June Exam, Minimum Qualifying Marks

CSIR NET Normalization procedure based on Percentile and Equi-percentile method

CSIR NET takes place in several shifts, and a separate question paper is issued to the students in each shift. Some papers are more difficult than others, and therefore, students in harder shifts may not score so well regardless of their preparedness. A committee chose to employ the Equi-percentile normalization procedure in order to make the scores in all shifts equitable and comparable.

• The CSIR NET uses normalization because different shifts get question papers of different difficulty levels, and raw scores from one shift cannot be directly compared with another.
• The Equi-percentile method is used, where each candidate’s raw marks are first converted into a percentile within their own shift, and then percentiles from all shifts are aligned on a common scale using interpolation.
• The final normalized score is calculated by taking the average of equivalent raw marks across shifts for each percentile, ensuring fair and comparable scores for all candidates.

CSIR NET Exam Analysis 2025 FAQs