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What aspirants read for CSIR-UGC NET Life Sciences, unit by unit, and what each title is for.
What qualifying gets you. A rank in the Junior Research Fellowship list gives you a CSIR fellowship you can carry to almost any recognised university, national laboratory or research institute in India, tenable for two years as JRF and then three more as Senior Research Fellow after review, which is what funds most of a five-year PhD. A rank in the Assistant Professor list makes you eligible for lecturer and assistant professor posts in colleges and universities. From the recent cycles CSIR-UGC NET also carries a third, separate category qualifying you for PhD admission alone, without a fellowship attached. The score is additionally used as a direct entry route or an entrance-test exemption by AcSIR, the IITs, IISc, the IISERs, central universities and most state universities, so one good result opens several doors at once.
Almost every serious CSIR-NET aspirant in India builds preparation around the same short shelf of Western textbooks, read unit by unit against the thirteen-unit syllabus rather than cover to cover. Lehninger, Alberts and Kuby carry Units A to F between them; Taiz, Odum and Gilbert cover the plant, ecology and development units that candidates from a medical or biotech background usually find weakest. The Pathfinder volumes are the revision layer on top - they compress the same syllabus into two books and supply the unit-wise MCQ practice that the textbooks do not. In the last eight weeks most candidates stop reading the big texts and work only from the Indian guide plus previous-year papers.
Titles are tagged core reading — the ones scholars work right through — or reference, the ones they look things up in. Editions are given where the current edition is what you want to buy.
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| Unit | What it covers |
|---|---|
| 1. Molecules and their Interaction Relevant to Biology | Structure of atoms, molecules and chemical bonds; composition, structure and function of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids and vitamins; stabilising interactions such as Van der Waals, electrostatic, hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction; principles of biophysical chemistry including pH, buffers, reaction kinetics, thermodynamics and colligative properties; bioenergetics, glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, coupled reactions and group transfer; enzyme kinetics, mechanisms of catalysis and regulation; conformation of proteins with Ramachandran plot and domains, and conformation of nucleic acids and polysaccharides. |
| 2. Cellular Organization | Membrane structure and function including transport across membranes, ion channels, pumps and mechanisms of sorting and regulation; structural organisation and function of intracellular organelles — nucleus, mitochondria, Golgi, lysosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, peroxisomes, plastids and vacuoles; organisation of genes and chromosomes with operon, interrupted genes, transposons, unique and repetitive DNA, heterochromatin and euchromatin; cell division and cell cycle, mitosis, meiosis, steps and regulation; and microbial physiology covering growth curves, aerobic and anaerobic respiration and stress response. |
| 3. Fundamental Processes | DNA replication, repair and recombination — unit of replication, enzymes, replication origin and fork, fidelity, extrachromosomal replicons, DNA damage and repair mechanisms, homologous and site-specific recombination; RNA synthesis and processing including transcription factors, RNA polymerases, capping, elongation and termination, splicing, editing, polyadenylation and RNA transport; protein synthesis and processing covering the ribosome, formation of the initiation complex, elongation, termination, aminoacyl tRNA synthetase, translational proof-reading and inhibitors, post-translational modification; and control of gene expression at transcription and translation level. |
| 4. Cell Communication and Cell Signaling | Host-parasite interaction including recognition and entry processes of viruses, bacteria and protozoan parasites into animal and plant host cells, alteration of host cell behaviour, virus-induced cell transformation and pathogen-induced disease in plants and animals; cell signalling covering hormones and their receptors, cell surface receptors, signalling through G-protein-coupled receptors, signal transduction pathways, second messengers, regulation of signalling pathways and bacterial and plant two-component systems; cellular communication, quorum sensing, general principles of cell communication, cell adhesion and roles of different adhesion molecules, gap junctions, extracellular matrix, neurotransmission; cancer — genetic rearrangements in progenitor cells, oncogenes, tumour suppressor genes, cancer and the cell cycle, virus-induced cancer, metastasis and interaction of cancer cells with normal cells; and innate and adaptive immune system, cells and molecules involved in innate and adaptive immunity, antigens, antigen presentation and processing, major histocompatibility complex, T-cell and B-cell activation and proliferation, complement, primary and secondary immune modulation and the hypersensitivity response. |
| 5. Developmental Biology | Basic concepts of development including potency, commitment, specification, induction, competence, determination and differentiation, morphogenetic gradients, cell fate and cell lineages, stem cells, genomic equivalence and the cytoplasmic determinants, imprinting and mutants and transgenics in analysis of development; gametogenesis, fertilisation and early development covering production of gametes, cell surface molecules in sperm-egg recognition, embryo sac development and double fertilisation in plants, zygote formation, cleavage, blastula formation, embryonic fields, gastrulation and formation of germ layers in animals, and embryogenesis and establishment of symmetry in plants; morphogenesis and organogenesis in animals — cell aggregation and differentiation in Dictyostelium, axes and pattern formation in Drosophila, amphibia and chick, organogenesis of the vertebrate eye and limb, differentiation of neurons, post-embryonic development, larval formation, metamorphosis, environmental regulation of normal development and sex determination; morphogenesis and organogenesis in plants — organisation of the shoot and root apical meristem, shoot and root development, leaf development and phyllotaxy, transition to flowering, floral meristems and floral development in Arabidopsis and Antirrhinum; and programmed cell death, ageing and senescence. |
| 6. System Physiology — Plant | Photosynthesis — light harvesting complexes, mechanisms of electron transport, photoprotective mechanisms, CO2 fixation, C3, C4 and CAM pathways; respiration and photorespiration covering citric acid cycle, plant mitochondrial electron transport and ATP synthesis, alternate oxidase and photorespiratory pathway; nitrogen metabolism including nitrate and ammonium assimilation and amino acid biosynthesis; plant hormones — biosynthesis, storage, breakdown and transport, physiological effects and mechanisms of action; sensory photobiology covering the structure, function and mechanisms of action of phytochromes, cryptochromes and phototropins, stomatal movement, photoperiodism and biological clocks; solute transport and photoassimilate translocation including uptake, transport and translocation of water, ions, solutes and macromolecules from soil, through cells, across membranes, through xylem and phloem, transpiration and mechanisms of loading and unloading of photoassimilates; secondary metabolites — biosynthesis of terpenes, phenols and nitrogenous compounds and their roles; and stress physiology covering responses of plants to biotic and abiotic stresses of temperature, water, light, salinity and heavy metals. |
| 7. System Physiology — Animal | Blood and circulation — blood corpuscles, haemopoiesis and formed elements, plasma function, blood volume and blood volume regulation, blood groups, haemoglobin, immunity, haemostasis; the cardiovascular system covering comparative anatomy of the heart structure, myogenic heart, specialised tissue, ECG and its principle and significance, cardiac cycle, heart as a pump, blood pressure, neural and chemical regulation of all above; the respiratory system including comparison of respiration in different species, anatomical considerations, transport of gases, exchange of gases, waste elimination and neural and chemical regulation of respiration; the nervous system covering neurons, action potential, gross neuroanatomy of the brain and spinal cord, central and peripheral nervous system, neural control of muscle tone and posture; sense organs covering vision, hearing and tactile response; excretory system with comparative physiology of excretion, kidney, urine formation, urine concentration, waste elimination, micturition, regulation of water balance, blood volume, blood pressure, electrolyte balance and acid-base balance; thermoregulation covering comfort zone, body temperature, physical, chemical and neural regulation, acclimatisation; stress and adaptation; digestive system including digestion, absorption and energy balance; and endocrinology and reproduction covering endocrine glands, basic mechanism of hormone action, hormones and diseases, reproductive processes, gametogenesis, ovulation, neuroendocrine regulation. |
| 8. Inheritance Biology | Mendelian principles of dominance, segregation and independent assortment; the concept of the gene covering allele, multiple alleles, pseudoallele and complementation tests; extensions of Mendelian principles including codominance, incomplete dominance, gene interaction, pleiotropy, genomic imprinting, penetrance and expressivity, phenocopy, linkage and crossing over, sex linkage, sex limited and sex influenced characters; gene mapping methods — linkage maps, tetrad analysis, mapping with molecular markers, mapping by using somatic cell hybrids, development of mapping populations in plants; extra-chromosomal inheritance covering inheritance of mitochondrial and chloroplast genes, maternal inheritance; microbial genetics with methods of genetic transfers such as transformation, conjugation, transduction and sex-duction, mapping genes by interrupted mating, fine structure analysis of genes; human genetics covering pedigree analysis, lod score for linkage testing, karyotypes and genetic disorders; quantitative genetics with polygenic inheritance, heritability and its measurements, QTL mapping; mutation covering types, causes and detection, mutant types, lethal, conditional, biochemical, loss of function, gain of function, germinal versus somatic mutants, insertional mutagenesis; and structural and numerical alterations of chromosomes such as deletion, duplication, inversion, translocation, ploidy and their genetic implications. |
| 9. Diversity of Life Forms | Principles and methods of taxonomy including concepts of species and hierarchical taxa, biological nomenclature, classical and quantitative methods of taxonomy of plants, animals and microorganisms; levels of structural organisation covering unicellular, colonial and multicellular forms, levels of organisation of tissues, organs and systems, comparative anatomy, adaptive radiation and adaptive modifications; outline classification of plants, animals and microorganisms with the salient features and classification of viruses, bacteria and fungi, major groups of plants and animals and the classification of plants and animals; natural history of Indian subcontinent covering major habitat types of the subcontinent, geographic origins and migrations of species, common Indian mammals and birds and seasonality and phenology of the subcontinent; and organisms of health and agricultural importance and organisms of conservation concern with the principles of conservation, major dynamics and current status of major botanical and zoological gardens and imperilled species. |
| 10. Ecological Principles | The environment — physical environment, biotic environment, biotic and abiotic interactions; habitat and niche including niche concept and niche width, resource partitioning, character displacement; population ecology covering characteristics of a population, population growth curves, population regulation, life history strategies of r and K selection, concept of metapopulation with demes, dispersal, interdemic extinctions, age-structured populations; species interactions of mutualism, symbiosis, commensalism, competition, predation, herbivory and parasitism; community ecology covering nature of communities, community structure and attributes, levels of species diversity and its measurement, edges and ecotones; ecological succession with types, mechanisms, changes involved in succession, concept of climax; ecosystem covering structure and function, energy flow and mineral cycling of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, primary production and decomposition, structure and function of some Indian ecosystems of terrestrial forest and grassland and aquatic freshwater and marine types including estuary; biogeography with major terrestrial biomes, theory of island biogeography, biogeographical zones of India; applied ecology covering environmental pollution, global environmental change, biodiversity status, monitoring and documentation, major drivers of biodiversity change, biodiversity management approaches; and conservation biology with principles of conservation and major approaches to management, and Indian case studies on conservation and management. |
| 11. Evolution and Behaviour | Emergence of evolutionary thoughts — Lamarck, Darwin with the concepts of variation, adaptation, struggle, fitness and natural selection, Mendelism, spontaneity of mutations, the evolutionary synthesis; origin of cells and unicellular evolution covering origin of basic biological molecules, abiotic synthesis of organic monomers and polymers, concept of Oparin and Haldane, experiment of Miller in 1953, the first cell, evolution of prokaryotes, origin of eukaryotic cells, evolution of unicellular eukaryotes, anaerobic metabolism, photosynthesis and aerobic metabolism; paleontology and evolutionary history covering the evolutionary time scale, eras, periods and epoch, major events in the evolutionary time scale, origins of unicellular and multicellular organisms, major groups of plants and animals, stages in primate evolution including Homo; molecular evolution covering concepts of neutral evolution, molecular divergence and molecular clocks, molecular tools in phylogeny, classification and identification, protein and nucleotide sequence analysis, origin of new genes and proteins, gene duplication and divergence; the mechanisms of evolutionary change covering population genetics, Hardy-Weinberg law, the role of mutation, migration and random genetic drift, natural selection and units of selection; brain, behaviour and evolution covering approaches and methods in the study of behaviour, proximate and ultimate causation, altruism and evolution, group selection, kin selection, reciprocal altruism, neural basis of learning, memory, cognition, sleep and arousal, biological clocks, development of behaviour, social communication, social dominance, use of space and territoriality, mating systems, parental investment and reproductive success, parental care, aggressive behaviour, habitat selection and optimality in foraging, migration, orientation and navigation, and domestication and behavioural changes. |
| 12. Applied Biology | Microbial fermentation and production of small and macro molecules; application of immunological principles in vaccines, diagnostics and tissue and graft rejection; transgenic animals and plants and molecular approaches to diagnosis and strain identification; genomics and its application to health and agriculture, including gene therapy; bioresource and uses of biodiversity; breeding in plants and animals, including marker-assisted selection; bioremediation and phytoremediation; biosensors; and the application of biotechnology in industry, agriculture and medicine. |
| 13. Methods in Biology | Molecular biology and recombinant DNA methods covering isolation and purification of RNA, DNA and proteins, analysis of RNA, DNA and proteins by one- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, isoelectric focusing gels, molecular cloning of DNA or RNA fragments in bacterial and eukaryotic systems, expression of recombinant proteins using bacterial, animal and plant vectors, isolation of specific nucleic acid sequences, generation of genomic and cDNA libraries in plasmid, phage, cosmid, BAC and YAC vectors, in vitro mutagenesis and deletion techniques, gene knock-out in bacterial and eukaryotic organisms, protein sequencing methods, detection of post-translational modification of proteins, DNA sequencing methods and strategies for genome sequencing, methods for analysis of gene expression at RNA and protein level including large-scale expression, analysis of the transcriptome and metabolome, isolation, separation and analysis of carbohydrate and lipid molecules, and RFLP, RAPD and AFLP techniques; histochemical and immunotechniques covering antibody generation, detection of molecules using ELISA, RIA, western blot, immunoprecipitation, flow cytometry and immunofluorescence microscopy, detection of molecules in living cells, in situ localisation by techniques such as FISH and GISH; biophysical methods covering the analysis of biomolecules using UV, visible, fluorescence, circular dichroism, NMR and ESR spectroscopy, structure determination using X-ray diffraction and NMR, analysis using light-scattering, different types of mass spectrometry and surface plasmon resonance methods; statistical methods covering measures of central tendency and dispersal, probability distributions of binomial, Poisson and normal type, sampling distribution, difference between parametric and non-parametric statistics, confidence interval, errors, levels of significance, regression and correlation, t-test, analysis of variance, X2 test, basic introduction to Muetrovariate statistics; radiolabelling techniques covering the properties of different types of radioisotopes normally used in biology, their detection and measurement, incorporation of radioisotopes in biological tissues and cells, molecular imaging of radioactive material, safety guidelines; microscopic techniques covering the visualisation of cells and sub-cellular components by light microscopy, resolving powers of different microscopes, microscopy of living cells, scanning and transmission microscopes, different fixation and staining techniques for EM, freeze-etch and freeze-fracture methods for EM, image processing methods in microscopy; electrophysiological methods covering single neuron recording, patch-clamp recording, ECG, brain activity recording, lesion and stimulation of brain, pharmacological testing, PET, MRI and fMRI, CAT; and methods in field biology covering methods of estimating population density of animals and plants, ranging patterns through direct, indirect and remote observations, sampling methods in the study of behaviour, habitat characterisation with ground and remote sensing methods. |
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Send your PDFThe 12 titles on this page, of which 7 are worked right through and the rest are kept as references. Most aspirants own three or four and borrow the rest.
A single computer-based paper of 200 marks, divided into three parts and attempted in one three-hour sitting. Part A carries 20 general aptitude questions of which any 15 are to be answered at 2 marks each, giving 30 marks, and covers general science, quantitative reasoning and analysis, and research aptitude. Part B carries 50 subject multiple-choice questions of which any 35 are to be answered at 2 marks each, giving 70 marks. Part C carries 75 higher-order analytical questions that test the application of scientific concepts, of which any 25 are to be answered at 4 marks each, giving 100 marks. Part C is where the paper is actually won or lost, and the question stems there routinely combine two or three units.
M.Sc. or an equivalent degree — including integrated BS-MS, four-year BS, BE, B.Tech, B.Pharm, MBBS, BDS and B.V.Sc. — with at least 55% marks, relaxed to 50% for SC, ST, PwD and third-gender candidates. Candidates in the final year of the qualifying degree may appear under the Result Awaited category and must complete the degree within the stipulated window. For the Junior Research Fellowship the upper age limit is 28 years on the notified cut-off date, with five years relaxation for SC, ST, PwD and women candidates and three years for OBC-NCL. Candidates of any age may sit for the Assistant Professor category and for the PhD-admission-only category.
Twice a year, in the June and December cycles, at computer-based test centres across the country including Pune.
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