Overview
About JEST
The Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST) screens candidates for research admissions in Physics and in Theoretical Computer Science. It runs once a year, and each candidate sits a single paper in one of the two subjects. The questions are set at the level of an MSc in the field.
A JEST score is a route in, not an admission on its own. Participating institutes read the score against their own eligibility rules to shortlist candidates for PhD, Integrated PhD and MSc programmes in Physics; PhD and Integrated PhD programmes in Theoretical Computer Science; and PhD in Computational Biology. More than 25 research institutions take part, among them the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), the IISERs and the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc) Chennai.
The test is run by the consortium of participating institutes, with a designated host institute coordinating each cycle. It is a screening test held at examination centres across the country, and the mode is set per cycle. Qualifying does not secure a seat: shortlisted candidates apply to individual institutes and are usually selected through a separate interview.
Sources: Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST) - official site · JEST - Eligibility (official) · Joint Entrance Screening Test - Wikipedia
At a glance
JEST highlights
Every figure traces to an official source.
| Full name | Joint Entrance Screening Test |
| Conducting body | Participating institutes consortium (a designated host institute coordinates each year) |
| Level | PG |
| Mode of exam | Pen-and-paper / computer-based screening test (mode revised per cycle; at examination centres across India) |
| Frequency | 1 (annual) per year |
| Scope | National |
| Sections | Physics and Theoretical Computer Science (candidates take the paper relevant to their subject); also screens for Computational Biology PhD |
| Marking scheme | Objective-type screening test at the level of an MSc or advanced BSc; exact marking/question pattern revised per cycle |
Deep dives
Everything you need to know
Eligibility
- ·Varies by program and institute: typically a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Physics, Computer Science, or related disciplines (BSc/BE/BTech/MSc/ME/MTech/MCA) for PhD, Integrated PhD, or MSc admission.
Exam pattern
- ·Sections: Physics and Theoretical Computer Science (candidates take the paper relevant to their subject); also screens for Computational Biology PhD
- ·180 minutes
- ·Marking: Objective-type screening test at the level of an MSc or advanced BSc; exact marking/question pattern revised per cycle
Syllabus
- ·Physics: MSc/advanced-BSc-level classical mechanics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, thermodynamics and statistical physics, mathematical methods, and electronics. Theoretical Computer Science: discrete mathematics, algorithms, logic.
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