ICMR JRF 2023 exam notification will be released soon on the official website by the conducting authorities. ICMR JRF 2023 exam will be held at 20 designated centres nationwide in a single shift. ICMR JRF admit card 2023 will be released on the official website. Candidates are advised to carry their admit card without fail.
Candidates aspiring to pursue a PhD/Research Programme through the council's support, then take up ICMR JRF (Junior Research Fellowship) exam. ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) conducts an entrance examination to award the scholars based on merit.
Also Read: Top Ph.D Entrance Exams 2023
Table of Contents
- About ICMR JRF Entrance Exam
- ICMR JRF 2023 Exam Date
- ICMR JRF 2023 Eligibility Criteria
- ICMR JRF 2023 Application Form
- ICMR JRF 2023 Admit Card
- ICMR JRF 2023 Exam Centres
- ICMR JRF 2023 Exam Pattern
- ICMR JRF 2023 Syllabus
- ICMR JRF 2023 Reference Books
- ICMR JRF 2023 Result
- ICMR JRF 2023 Answer Key
- ICMR JRF 2023 Monitoring Mechanism
- ICMR JRF 2023 Emoluments
- ICMR Contact Details
About ICMR JRF Entrance Exam
ICMR JRF 2023 exam notification will be released soon on the official website by the conducting authorities. ICMR conducts a national level exam for Indian Candidates to award the Junior Research Fellowships. This award will purely be given based on merit. The award given to the eligible candidates will depend on the placements they find in a medical college/hospital/ university / national laboratory/institution of higher learning and research as applicable. The ICMR will give candidates selected through the ICMR JRF Exam grants to finish their PhD course.
Candidates willing to these grants must appear for the ICMR JRF Exam, and they have to qualify for it. The application for the ICMR JRF can be made online on the official website of the ICMR. Results will be declared on the ICMR website. Upon successful selection, candidates will receive the PhD course grants. Interested applicants may read below for more information regarding the ICMR JRF Exam.
The table below gives essential points about the ICMR JRF Exam.
| Exam Name | ICMR JRF |
| Full Form | Indian Council of Medical Research Junior Research Fellowship |
| Conduction Authority | Indian Council of Medical Research |
| ICMR JRF 2023 Programs Offered | Ph.D. / Research Programme |
| Exam Duration | 2 Hours |
| ICMR JRF 2023 Marking Scheme | Correct Response carries 1 MarkIncorrect Response has a penalty of 0.25 Marks |
| Language of the exam | English |
| Exam Mode | Computer-Based Test (CBT) i.e. Online Mode |
ICMR JRF List of Fellowships
On the whole, a total of 150 fellowships will be awarded. The fellowships are bifurcated based on the subject chosen. The bifurcation is presented below.
| Subjects for 120 Fellowships | The field of biomedical sciences emphasizes Life Sciences like Microbiology, Physiology, Molecular-Biology, Genetics, Human-Biology, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Biophysics, Immunology, Pharmacology, Zoology, Environment Science, Botany, Veterinary Sciences, Bioinformatics, etc. |
| Subjects for 30 Fellowships | Social sciences like Psychology, Sociology, Home Science, Statistics, Anthropology, Social Work, and Health Economics. |
ICMR JRF Process Followed
After the exam, two separate merit lists will be released. One list will have the names of candidates qualified for life sciences, and the other will have the names of candidates qualifying for social sciences. The list will be prepared based on their performance in the entrance test.
Candidates selected for the JRF program of ICMR can enroll for the PhD program of any University recognized by the UGC/MCI. However, the JRF program will not have any connection with the PhD program.
The fellowship awarded to candidates is valid for six months.
Furthermore, another 100 candidates would be selected, and they will be considered for positions of JRF under various research schemes of ICMR. However, it will be only subject to fulfilling the conditions for appointment under the schemes. Moreover, these selected JRFs would be permitted to complete a Ph.D. program while working, i.e., they can enroll in a PhD program.
SC/ST/OBC/Physically handicapped (PH) applicants will be given special concession as per the policy guidelines.
ICMR JRF 2023 Exam Dates
ICMR JRF 2023 Exam dates will be announced by ICMR on its official website. The tentative dates are provided here below for the events of the ICMR JRF 2023 exam.
| Events | Dates |
| ICMR JRF 2023 Application Form Release Date | Jul 29, 2023 |
| ICMR JRF 2023 Application Form Last Date | Aug 29, 2023 |
| ICMR JRF 2023 Admit Card Release Date | Sep 17, 2023 |
| ICMR JRF 2023 Exam Date | Sep 23, 2023 |
| ICMR JRF 2023 Result Date | To be announced |
ICMR JRF 2023 Eligibility Criteria
The minimum educational qualification is a Post Graduate Degree in Basic Science or Post Graduate Degree in a Professional Course.
Age Limit
The age limit to attempt the test is 28 years (upper age limit can be relaxed up to 5 years in case of candidates belonging to SC/ST, physically handicapped (PH) category). The upper age limit is relaxed up to 5 years even for female candidates.
The relaxation of the upper age limit for OBC candidates is three years.
Educational Qualification
A candidate must possess an MA or MSc degree from a recognized university. Mentioned below is the list of minimum marks/percentages needed in the qualifying exam to appear for ICMR JRF.
| Category | Percentage |
| SC/ST | 50% |
| General/OBC/EWS | 55% |
ICMR JRF Selection Criteria
The result will be based on the aggregate marks obtained. For General Category & OBC students, it is 55% of the aggregate, and for SC/ST and Physically Handicapped students, it will be 50% of the aggregate marks.
Read More: ICMR JRF Eligibility Criteria 2023
ICMR JRF 2023 Application Form
ICMR JRF 2023 application form will be released on the official website. People who qualify for the JRF entrance examination conducted by ICMR will be eligible to apply for the JRF benefits.
Students must make sure they fill the application form without leaving any data. Because incomplete applications will not be considered, and no further details will be sent to that applicant.
Below are the steps involved in filling the application form of PGIMER, including registration, candidate login, etc. The steps are mentioned below.
- Registration
- Candidate Login
- Payment of fee
Step 1: ICMR JRF 2023 Registration
As the first step, the candidates will need to register themselves online. The candidates will need to provide their contact details to receive communication from the authorities related to the exam. Below are the steps to follow to register for the ICMR JRF 2023 exam.
- Step 1: Go to the official website and click on the exam name for which the candidates need to fill the form.
- Step 2: Click on ‘New Registration’
- Step 3: Fill in the details like candidate’s name, D.O.B., gender, mobile number and email I.D.
- Step 4: Click on submit button.
- Step 5: The candidates will receive the user I.D. and password on their registered email I.D. and mobile number.
- Step 6: Use the user I.D. and password to proceed with the application form submission.
Step 2: ICMR JRF 2023 Application Form
Once the registration is successful, the candidate will need to proceed further to fill the application form. It is essential to know that any information filled in the application form if found incorrect or incomplete, will lead to the cancellation of the application form. Find below the steps to fill the application form.
- Step 1: Go to the official website.
- Step 2: Click on ‘Applicatnt Login’ and then click on the ‘Go to Application Form’ button.
- Step 3: Read the instructions carefully and move ahead.
- Step 4: Fill in the application form by filling in the personal details, qualification details and test centre details.
- Step 5: Click on the submit button.
Step 3: ICMR JRF 2023 Payment
Once the application form is submitted, the candidates will be redirected to the payment page. Candidates need to be careful while making the payment, as the application fee is non-refundable. Candidates can only make the payment through Netbanking/Credit card/Debit card. Payment made through UPI should be avoided once the payment is made; Print the application confirmation page for future reference.
How to Fill ICMR JRF 2023 Online Application Form?
It is advisable to understand the whole application process before applying for the ICMR JRF 2023 exam to avoid any discrepancy later. Below are the steps to follow while filling up the application form.
- Step 1: Go to the official website of ICMR JRF
- Step 2: Click on the 'new registration' tab
- Step 3: Read the instructions carefully, and make a new profile using your email id and phone number
- Step 4: Check your email for Id and Password
- Step 5: Use the newly generated password to log in
- Step 6: Fill in all the necessary details and upload documents
- Step 7: Review your application
- Step 9: Submit the application
- Step 10: Make the payment
- Step 11: Take a print of the receipt
ICMR JRF 2023 Application Form Fee
A candidate must pay the fee against the ICMR JRF 2023 application form through the official website only. No other mode of fee payment is accepted here.
Documents Required While ICMR JRF 2023 Registration
The candidates need to keep the below documents ready while registering for the ICMR 2023. The candidates will need to upload some of the documents. Please find below the document's specifications while uploading the.
- Email ID
- Valid mobile number
- Candidates' scanned photograph
- Candidates' scanned signatures
- Appearing certificate for the head of the institution
- Category certificate (if applicable)
ICMR JRF 2023 Admit Card
The ICMR JRF 2023 admit card will be released on the ICMRF official website. The candidates will receive an email notification regarding the release of the admit card. The ICMRF admit card will only be available online, and candidates will have to download it from the official website. To download the admit card, candidates will need to log in.
Steps to Download ICMR JRF 2023 Admit Card
Candidates can follow the steps mentioned below to download ICMR JRF 2023 admit card.
- Step 1: Go to the official website.
- Step 2: Click on the ICMR JRF 2023 admit card official link provided on the website.
- Step 3: Login via using the login credentials.
- Step 4: Click on the Print button to download the admit card.
- Step 5: Save the downloaded admit card.
Read More: ICMR JRF Admit Card 2023
ICMR JRF 2023 Exam Centres
The JRF test is conducted once a year. Twenty-one cities are chosen as exam centres. The list of ICMR JRF 2023 Exam centres is provided below. While filling up the application form, candidates must know if they have an exam centre located in their city or not. Those who do not have an ICMR exam centre in their city can choose the exam centre in the nearest city. The names of exam centres along with their codes are given below.
| City Names | Centre Code |
| Ahmedabad (Gujarat) | 1 |
| Bengaluru | 2 |
| Bhopal | 3 |
| Bhubaneswar | 4 |
| Chandigarh (Tricity) | 5 |
| Chennai | 6 |
| Dehradun | 7 |
| Delhi | 8 |
| Guwahati | 9 |
| Hyderabad | 10 |
| Jodhpur | 11 |
| Kolkata | 12 |
| Lucknow | 13 |
| Mumbai | 14 |
| Noida | 15 |
| Patna | 16 |
| Pune | 17 |
| Rajkot (Gujarat | 18 |
| Srinagar (J&K) | 19 |
| Thiruvananthapuram | 20 |
| Varanasi | 21 |
ICMR JRF 2023 Exam Pattern
The candidates must know the exam pattern before applying for the exam. Knowing the exam pattern will also come in handy while preparing for the exam. The exam will take place for a total duration of 2 hours. Section A is common and has 50 questions, each comprising one mark. The subjects in Section A are as follows,
- The scientific phenomenon in everyday life
- General knowledge in sciences
- Common statistics.
| Elements | Details |
| Exam Duration | 2 Hours |
| Mode of Exam | Online computer Based Test ( CBT) |
| Number of Shifts | 1 ( afternoon - 3PM shift) |
| Section A | 50 Questions |
| Section B/C | 100 Questions per section |
| Mark for each question | 1 Mark |
| Negative Marks | 0.25 Per Question |
| Language of the paper (Sections A, B, C) | English |
| Type of Questions | Objective Type |
Candidates can either attend section B or section C, they have to mention this choice in the application form. Each of the sections B & C will have 100 questions each and candidates can attempt 75 questions. Section B is Life Sciences and Section C is Social Sciences.
ICMR JRF 2023 Syllabus
The candidates need to prepare for the ICMR JRF 2023 exam as per the syllabus prescribed by the UGC. The candidates must cover all the topics of the syllabus in order to qualify for the exam. The subjects covered in the JRF question paper are given below.
- Aptitude Test (standard for all)
- Life Sciences
- Social Sciences
Life Sciences Syllabus
Subjects that come under Life Sciences include Microbiology, Physiology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Human Nutrition, Human Biology, Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Biophysics, Immunology, Pharmacology, Zoology, Environmental Sciences, Botany, Public Health Veterinary Science And Bio-informatics.
Social Sciences Syllabus
The following are the subjects that come under Social Sciences: Psychology, Sociology, Home Sciences, Statistics, Anthropology, Social work, and Health Economics.
Read More: ICMR JRF Syllabus 2023
ICMR JRF 2023 Reference Books
The candidates must start thier preparation for the ICMR JRF 2023 at least a few months before the exam. Candidates can refer to some specific for their preparation.
Please check the list mentioned below for reference books for ICMR JRF 2023 Exam:
- Biochemistry by Voet and Voet
- Cell and Molecular Biology by Gerald Karp
- Microbiology by Lansing M Prescott
- Molecular Biology of the Gene by Watson
- Molecular Cell Biology by Lodish
- Plant Physiology by Taiz and Zeiger
- Principles of Biochemistry by Lehninger
ICMR JRF 2023 Result
ICMR JRF 2023 Results will be declared on the website. Candidates who will pass the exam will get their names featured in the merit list. After the declaration of results, candidates will be required to go through the round of document verification. In which they have to produce a personal and academic document in original and xerox.
The candidates will have only six months to get admission into a PhD program. Please note that this PhD course will have no connection to the fellowship.
Steps to check ICMR JRF 2023 Result
- Step 1: Visit the ICMR JRF website
- Step 2: Go to the fellowship section
- Step 3: Click on the Result Link
- Step 4: Check your Results using your credentials
ICMR JRF 2023 Answer Key
ICMR JRF Candidates will get the official Answer Key from the website of ICMR. The official ICMR JRF Answer Key is uploaded three days after the successful completion of the entrance exam. Candidates can know in prior about their prospectus of getting the marks more than the cutoff. Answer Keys are used to evaluating the responses from the candidates. The ICMR JRF Answer Key released by the exam body initially will be a provisional answer key. ICMR JRF Candidates will be able to challenge it.
How to Download ICMR JRF Answer Key?
- Step 1: Go to the official website of ICMR
- Step 2: Check the notification section or click on the ICMR JRF tab.
- Step 3: You will find the ICMR JRF answer key link. Click on it, a PDF will open in a new window; review and download it.
How to Challenge the ICMR JRF Answer Key
The ICMR JRF final answer key will be released after consideration of all the challenges. Candidates will be allowed to challenge ICMR JRF Answer Key for 48 hours from the release of the Answer Key. Candidates will be required to email the professor-in-charge of the ICMR JRF 2023 Exam. In the mail, candidates must mention the incorrect question number with rectification.
ICMR JRF 2023 Monitoring Mechanism
The fellow has to submit annual reports for the first year and further annual reports as per the prescribed standard proforma. The first annual report must be submitted after ten months from the date of commencement of the fellowship. He or she must give complete factual details of the research work done.
Then the subsequent annual reports must be submitted through the guide two months before the completion of that fellowship year.
Guidelines for Joining ICMR JRF
- If a JRF candidate is leaving before completing one year, then he or she must refund the stipend received from the date of joining to the last date of leaving the fellowship.
- A fellow will not be allowed to transfer from one institution to another after completing one year as a JRF.
- However, in particular circumstances, with the prior approval of the DG, ICMR, one may be allowed to leave.
- The fellow is expected to submit the registration certificate for the PhD degree within one year from the date of joining.
Some other documents must be submitted. All those details are provided on the official ICMR JRF Guidelines PDF on the official website.
ICMR JRF 2023 Emoluments
Initially, the duration of the fellowship will be limited to a period of two years. The stipend paid is as follows.
ICMR Junior Research Fellow
The tenure for the JRF is generally two/three years. A candidate can be a JRF for two years. After successful assessment by Review Committee, JRF will be upgraded as SRF.
| First Year | INR 31000 |
| Second Year | INR 31000 |
| Third Year | INR 31000 |
The selected candidates are expected to join the fellowship within six months after the declaration of the final results. An annual contingent Grant up tp INR 20,000/- per annum is also provided. A fellowship can be terminated citing any particular reason. The fellowship will be terminated if the progress of work is not found to be positive.
ICMR Contact Details
The candidate must reach out to the authorities immediately in case of any doubt or discrepancy. Below are the contact details of IMRC is given below.
Address: V. Ramalingaswami Bhawan, P.O. Box No. 4911
Ansari Nagar, New Delhi - 110029, India
Fax: 91-11-26588662
Email: icmrhqds@sansad.nic.in
Website: main.icmr.nic.in
Phone Number: 91-11-26588895 / 91-11-26588980, 91-11-26589794 / 91-11-26589336, 91-11-26588707
FAQs
Who is the conducting authority for ICMR JRF?
ICMR JRF is conducted by the PGI Chandigarh in association with the ICMR.
Can the fellowship be transferred to another institution?
The transfer of fellowships among institutions is not allowed but if there is a special need that a candidate must transfer to another institution, this request will be considered. In such case, candidate will have to contact the authorities.
What are the sections that appear in the ICMR JRF exam paper?
There are three sections in the ICMR JRF question paper. Aptitude, Life Sciences, and Social Sciences.
Is there an offline mode of registration for ICMR JRF?
No, there is no facility for the offline mode of registration for the examination. Candidates can register through the online mode only. They can do so by going to the official website of the ICMR JRF.
What is the age limit to apply for ICMR JRF?
The age limit to apply for the examination is 28 years as of September 30 of the year the candidate is applying for the examination. Example: The candidate has to be 28 years as of September 30, 2020, if he/she planning to apply for ICMR JRF 2020.There is age relaxation for reserved category candidates, and it is as follows: 5 years - for candidates belonging to SC/ST, Physically Handicapped, Visually Handicapped, or female candidates. 3 years - for candidates belonging to OBC category.
Is there a negative marking scheme involved in the marking scheme for ICMR JRF?
Yes. There is penalty for wrong answers in the ICMR JRF Exam. For every incorrect answer the candidate will be losing 0.25 marks.
