Gourab Debnath has secured 99.88 percentile in CSIR NET June 2026 Life Sciences. He had appeared for the exam earlier but could not qualify for JRF. This time, he improved his preparation with regular mock tests, question practice, and focused revision.
Gourabโs preparation journey with PW started during his IIT JAM preparation. He first explored PW lectures on YouTube and later enrolled in a PW batch. After completing his MSc, he prepared for CSIR NET through self-study and used PW mock tests for practice.
His experience highlights how regular mock tests, revision and smart question selection can improve performance in a competitive exam.
Gourab first came across PW while looking for IIT JAM Biotechnology preparation resources on YouTube. After watching Vaishali Maโamโs lectures, he decided to join a PW batch.
He recalled:
โMaโam actually mera maine matlab IIT JAM bhi exam diya tha. To pehle mujhe itna nahi pata tha ki matlab kaise kya karna hai. To maine YouTube mein aise hi search kiya tha ki Life Science ke liye IIT JAM Biotechnology ke liye videos, to udhar mujhe Vaishali Maโam ka lecture dikha tha. To maine Vaishali Maโam ke lectures dekhne ke baad hi maine PW se CSIR NET ka batch liya tha.โ
His IIT JAM preparation also gave him a foundation for his later competitive exam preparation.
โPhir maine IIT JAM exam diya to usmein bhi matlab theek-thaak rank raha. 700 ke aas-paas tha.โ
After his JAM attempt, Gourab continued his association with PW and later used PW mock tests while preparing for CSIR NET.
After completing his MSc, Gourab prepared for CSIR NET through self-study. He specifically used PW mock tests to increase his question-solving practice and understand his preparation level.
He explained:
โTo uske baad maine phir self-study ki CSIR NET ke liye aur PW se Mock Test liya tha to usse hi phir practice karte hue and mock test dete hue abhi rank aa matlab marks aa gaye itna.โ
Mock tests became an important part of his preparation, especially because he realised that simply completing the syllabus was not enough.
โMera yahi fault tha ki main matlab padh leta tha. Pura syllabus padh leta tha. Lekin mock test mein matlab pichhle jo exams hai usmein maine itne nahi diye hain. Lekin is baar maine kam se kam 20 plus mock test diye hain.โ
This change in his approach helped him move from only studying the syllabus to regularly practising questions under exam-like conditions.
Gourab had appeared for CSIR NET earlier but could not qualify for JRF. This experience helped him identify the areas that needed improvement before his next attempt.
Talking about his previous result, he said:
โMaโam matlab bahut achha feel ho raha hai kyunki maine pichhle baar bhi diya tha lekin mera JRF nahi hua. To is baar ho gaya to abhi bahut achha lag raha hai.โ
He realised that mock-test practice was one of the major gaps in his earlier preparation. For the June 2026 attempt, he increased his mock-test practice significantly and also worked on question solving.
โLekin is baar maine kam se kam 20 plus mock test diye hain. And matlab question practice vagairah sab kiya hai.โ
His experience shows the importance of identifying gaps after an attempt and making specific changes instead of repeating the same preparation strategy.
Gourab completed his MSc in the same year as the CSIR NET examination. He got around one month specifically for focused revision before the exam.
He shared:
โAur matlab MSc mera isi saal complete hua hai. Just CSIR ke ek mahine pehle to mujhe ek mahina achhe se mila tha. To maine us time revision kiya tha matlab pura syllabus sahi se, to usse hi mujhe help hua hai.โ
His final-month strategy focused on revising the complete syllabus instead of trying to cover large amounts of new content. Along with revision, he continued practising questions and mock tests.
This combination helped him assess his preparation and improve his approach before the final examination.
Gourab did not prepare with a low target in mind. Since he expected the cutoff to be higher because of the competition, he aimed for at least 150 marks.
He explained:
โHaan maโam bilkul maine is baar matlab aisa hi tha ki kyunki is baar bahut saare exams hue hain aur sabke cutoff bahut zyada aayi hai. To har baar teachers bolte hain 120, to maine socha tha ki 120 se is baar kuch nahi hone wala. Maine preparation is hisaab se kiya tha ki at least 150 aa jaaye.โ
His total score was 151.5 marks, which was above the target he had set for himself.
โMaโam mere marks total 151.5 hai.โ
Setting a clear score target gave Gourab a measurable goal and helped him push his preparation beyond his previous level.
Gourab also focused on how to approach the questions during the examination. He realised that spending too much time on difficult questions could prevent him from attempting questions that he could solve.
He explained his approach:
โMaine dekha ki matlab mujhe Part C ke question matlab aise nahi ki mujhe solve karna hi hai. Usko nahi aa raha hai to theek hai, 75 question hai usko hata do next day ko. To usmein time bhi nahi jaayega aur tumhare 25 question ho jaate hain.โ
He also advised students to read the question carefully and attempt calculations when they seem manageable. If a question continues to consume time without giving a clear answer, he suggested moving ahead.
โJust maโam ek baar read karo question. Aapne agar padha hai to aapko aa jaayega aur agar lag raha hai ki calculation type hai to ek baar karke dekho. Hota hai to theek hai, agar galat hota hai ek baar analyse kar lo ki matlab aise hi koi error hai ki nahi. Agar nahi milta error to usko skip karo.โ
This strategy helped him avoid getting stuck on individual questions and allowed him to use his exam time more effectively.
Gourabโs improved preparation resulted in a strong performance in CSIR NET June 2026 Life Sciences. He secured 99.88 percentile and qualified for JRF.
His preparation included 20+ mock tests, regular question practice and a focused revision phase before the examination.
The improvement was especially meaningful for Gourab because he had appeared for the exam earlier but could not secure JRF.
โMaโam matlab bahut achha feel ho raha hai kyunki maine pichhle baar bhi diya tha lekin mera JRF nahi hua. To is baar ho gaya to abhi bahut achha lag raha hai.โ
His result came after making a specific change in his preparation by giving much greater importance to mock tests and exam-oriented practice.
Gourab has had an interest in studying at an IIT since childhood. His earlier IIT JAM attempt did not lead to admission to an IIT, but he continued working towards the same goal through his CSIR NET preparation.
He shared:
โMera bachpan se hi matlab ye tha ki mujhe IITs matlab bahut achhe lagte hain.โ
He now hopes that his CSIR NET JRF qualification will help him move closer to his goal of pursuing research at an IIT.
โTo abhi CSIR diya hai to most probably ho jaaye.โ
His next step is to explore opportunities that can take him towards research and an institute of his choice.
Gourab believes that students should not only study the syllabus but also use questions to identify what they know and what they still need to learn.
He advised:
โPreparation to matlab jo teachers karate ho karo and agar tumhein lagta hai ki koi cheez tumhein jaanna hai, exam agar tum question solve karoge to tumhein pata lag jaayega ki koi bhi cheez agar tumne nahi seekha hai aur wo exam mein aa raha hai to usko dekho.โ
He also stressed the importance of mock tests and learning how to leave questions that are consuming too much time.
His experience shows that completing the syllabus is only one part of preparation. Regular mock tests can help aspirants understand their mistakes, improve time management and develop better question-selection skills.
Gourab Debnathโs CSIR NET journey reflects how a previous setback can help a student identify gaps and approach the next attempt differently. After missing JRF in his earlier attempt, he made changes to his exam preparation and continued working towards his goal.
His association with PW, which began during his IIT JAM preparation, later extended to CSIR NET mock-test practice. With JRF now secured, Gourab hopes to take the next step towards his long-term goal of pursuing research at an IIT.