CSIR and UGC NET are national-level recruitment exams but completely different from each other. Every year, lakhs of candidates apply for the National Eligibility Test (NET) conducted to determine the eligibility of aspirants for recruiting lecturers in college and university. Additionally, they also obtain a Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) for pursuing their Ph.D. or research. It is to be noted that the purpose of the exam shall be the same; however, the selection process may differ. Here we have discussed some major differences between CSIR NET and UGC NET.

What is CSIR NET?

Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) UGC NET is a national level exam conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). It is conducted for short listing candidates for the award of Lectureship or JRF. The exam is conducted for five science subjects which are - Chemical Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physical Sciences, Earth, Atmospheric, Ocean and Planetary Sciences.

What is UGC NET?

The National Eligibility Test or as it is popularly known as UGC NET is conducted for short listing candidates for assistant professor post and awarding JRF in various Indian universities and colleges. Till the year 2018, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) used to conduct the UGC NET exam but now it has been taken by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

Jobs for CSIR UGC NET or NTA UGC NET

Qualifying NET is a huge pride for the candidates. There are various scopes for the candidates after qualifying for the National Eligibility Test. Hence, you can find the same below -

Career Opportunities for CSIR UGC NET

1. PhD
2. Research Fellow jobs in Laboratories.
3. Laboratory Technician or Support Executive.
4. Lecturer or Assistant Professor.
5. Scientific Officer.
6. Jobs in PSUs.

Career Opportunities for UGC NET

1. PSUs can use the score for UGC NET to recruit candidates for the posts of executives in various disciplines like science, management, etc.
2. Junior Research Fellow (JRF)
3. Project Assistant / Associate / Manager
4. Assistant Professor

Number of Test Takers in UGC NET and CSIR NET

The number of aspirants applying for UGC NET is much greater than those applying and appearing for CSIR NET. For example, in the year 2019, for UGC NET a total of 10,34,872 candidates registered and about 7,93,813 candidates appeared for the exam. Whereas for CSIR NET, around 2,82,117 registered and 2,28,411 aspirants appeared for the examination.

UGC NET v/s CSIR NET: Salary

There are various career options for the candidates after qualifying for the exam. The salary for the same varies due to many factors like geography, accommodation, etc. In the table below, we have provided the salary for career options after UGC NET and CSIR UGC NET.

Author's Bio: 

John Smith is a Digital Marketing Consultant with more than 8 years of experience in SEO, SEM, SMO, blogging, etc having wide knowledge base into content marketing.