IIT JAM vs JEST: Which Exam is Better for Pursuing a Career in Research?
IIT JAM vs JEST: Aspirants have to decide between both exams as there are great colleges for research in both. Learn about the subjects, eligibility, and exam pattern of these two exams to know what’s best for you.
Dr. Kumar24 Aug, 2024
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IIT JAM vs JEST: IIT JAM and JEST are exams that have many reputed colleges under them that offer amazing options for a person to pursue a master's and PhD in various science and technological fields as per what is offered by each exam. The IIT JAM allows you to get admission in top IITs, NITs, and IISc while JEST gets you admission in some of India’s prestigious institutions. Both exams are conducted at the national-level. After the Exam, an Interview is crucial for admission to JEST Participating Colleges. IIT JAM gets you admission to the M.Sc. (2 years), Joint M.Sc - Ph.D. ,M.Sc.-Ph.D. Dual Degree, and other Postgraduate Degrees at IITs and integrated Ph.D. at IISc. whereas, JEST gets you admission to PhD or Integrated PhD programs in participating institutes. Candidates are advised to go through all the details important for both exams in terms of subjects offered, courses offered, eligibility, and exam pattern to know which is better for them to make a career in research.
IIT JAM vs JEST: Exam Overview
IIT JAM and JEST are the most preferred exams to get admission into colleges for pursuing various Master's programs and PhD programs in premier institutes. Here is a brief overview of both exams for candidates to analyze and decide what is suitable for them .| IIT JAM vs JEST Exam Overview | ||
| Criteria | IIT JAM | JEST |
| Full Form | Joint Admission Test for M.Sc. | Joint Entrance Screening Test |
| Conducting Body | One of the IITs every year | Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) |
| Mode of Exam | Computer Based test | Offline |
| Duration | 3 hours | 3 hours |
| Total Marks | 100 marks | 100 marks |
| Exam Fees | Rs. 1800- General/OBC Rs. 900- SC/ST/Female/PwD | Rs. 800-General male category Rs. 400- SC/ST/Female |
| Marking Scheme | +1,+2 for a correct answer based on section & -0.33, -0.66 for a wrong answer based on section | +1 & +3 for correct answer & -0.33 & -1 for wrong answer |
| Number of questions | 60 | 50 |
| Frequency | Annually | Annually |
| Difficulty level | Easy to Moderate | Moderate to Difficult |
| Medium of language | English | English |
| Official Website | To be announced | Click Here |
IIT JAM vs JEST: Subject Comparison
IIT JAM Subjects
IIT JAM consists of subjects that are in the common interest of candidates from engineering, technology, and science fields. It has a comparatively more basic subject layout and more options to offer compared to JEST.| IIT JAM Subjects | |
| Subject Code | Subjects |
| BT | Biotechnology |
| MA | Mathematics |
| MS | Mathematical Statistics |
| CY | Chemistry |
| PH | Physics |
| EN | Economics |
| GG | Geology |
JEST Exam Subjects
JEST exam focuses on specific subject variations based on the interest of candidates in maths or computers along with science as a whole. It has fewer options to offer but is equally amazing, if not more, than IIT JAM subjects.| JEST Exam Subjects |
| Physics |
| Theoretical Computer Science |
| Neuroscience |
| Computational Biology |
IIT JAM vs JEST: Exam Pattern
The Exam patterns for IIT JAM and JEST are similar when it comes to the number of sections and marks but differ in the number of questions, type of questions, and marking scheme. Candidates should go through this to be familiar with the pattern they will have to deal with.| IIT JAM vs JEST: Exam Pattern | ||
| Criteria | IIT JAM | JEST |
| Sections | 3 sections | 3 sections |
| Total Questions | 60 questions (30+10+20) | 50 questions (15+10+25) |
| Marking scheme | +1,-2 marks for correct answers, -0.33,-0.66 for every wrong answer | +1 & +3 for correct answer & -0.33 & -1 for wrong answer |
| Total marks | 100 | 100 |
| Type of Questions |
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IIT JAM vs JEST: Eligibility Criteria
The eligibility criteria for any exam are crucial for aspirants to know what will make them eligible to appear in the exam. Both exams don't have any restrictions on the number of attempts one can give which offers a fair chance to everyone. IIT JAM and JEST have similar eligibility criteria and are briefed for you in the table below:| IIT JAM vs JEST: Eligibility Criteria | ||
| Criteria | IIT JAM | JEST |
| Age Limit | No age limit | No age limit |
| Educational Qualification | Passed Bachelors Degree with 55% for unreserved and 50% for reserved Or final year students | Passed degree in M.Sc./M.E./M.Tech./ M.C.A. depending on the course. |
| Nationality | Anyone | Indian |
IIT JAM vs JEST: Participating Institutes
IIT JAM Participating Colleges
- IIT Bombay
- IIT Bhubaneswar
- IIT Delhi
- IIT Guwahati
- IIT Madras
- IIT Kanpur
- IIT Roorkee
- IIT Kharagpur
JEST Participating Institutions
- IISc Bangalore (Indian institute of science)
- ARIES (Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, Nainital)
- HBNI (Homi Bhabha National Institute), Mumbai
- IGCAR (Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research)
- IISER, Pune (Indian Institute of Education and Research)
- National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, TIFR, Pune
- IISER, Bhopal
- IISER, Mohali
- IMSc, Chennai
- IIST,Thiruvananthapuram
IIT JAM vs JEST: Preparation Tips
Candidates who go for IIT JAM or JEST hold main knowledge of Scientific or Technological field. Candidates can try preparing for both exams to maximize their chances of getting admission into the participating institutes. This will reduce the chances of failure as well and offer candidates a range of options. The following Tips can be followed to prepare for both exams: Identify Common Topics: you can try giving more attention to the overlapping topics for both fields and this way you won't have a lot of burden on the individual topics and can cover them with ease. Create a Study Plan: creating a study plan can help you a long way in covering both exams with utmost ease. Consistent Practice Questions and Give Tests: Practicing quality questions and Taking practice tests for both IIT JAM and JEST can help you adapt to both exams and will make them both easy for you. Healthy Lifestyle: Maintaining a healthy lifestyle with adequate diet and exercises will help induce a positive impact which will help in preparation process.| Related Blogs | |
| IIT JAM vs GATE | IIT JAM vs CUET PG |
| IIT JAM vs DBT GAT B | IIT JAM vs JEST |
| IIT JAM vs TIFR GS | IIT JAM vs CSIR UGC NET |
| CUET PG vs JEST | CUET PG vs TIFR GS |
IIT JAM vs JEST FAQs
Is there any limit to the number of times one can apply for the JEST or IIT JAM exams?
No, there is no such restriction on how many times you can apply for both IIT JAM and JEST.
What is the difference between IIT JAM and JEST?
IIT JAM gets you admission on masters level as well as PhD level in some institutes but JEST is solely for PhD level. The Courses offered also vary due to this.
Which is better, JEST or IIT JAM?
IIT JAM is rather easier as it is set on a B.Sc level as compared to JEST which is set on an M.Sc level and hence has more to study in it.
Does IIT accept a JEST score?
The JEST score can be considered as an eligibility criterion but it's not accepted in the IITs.
Does Age matter for IIT JAM or JEST?
No, the Age limit is not set for IIT JAM or JEST. Anyone with the required Educational Qualification can appear for it.
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