Students who have completed or expect to complete their M.Sc./ Integrated M.Sc. in Physics/ Astronomy/ Applied Mathematics or B.E./ B.Tech./ M.E./ M.Tech. in any branch by September 2021 with a minimum of 55% marks are eligible to apply for INAT-2021.
In addition, talented final-year B.Sc., 1st year M.Sc., 3rd/ 4th year Integrated M.Sc. and 2nd/ 3rd year B.E./ B.Tech. students may also apply to be pre-selected for the Ph.D. programme at IUCAA.
Selection Procedure:
IUCAA is looking for highly motivated students with a consistently good academic record. While students from engineering backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply for INAT - 2021, we emphasize that we are looking for students who are interested in carrying out doctoral research in Physics, or Astronomy and Astrophysics. Prospective candidates are hence expected to have a good understanding of basic Physics.
Based on the applications and referee assessments, a subset of the candidates will be short-listed and invited to take the written test, to be held online on Friday, September 10, 2021. The final selection to the research scholarship will be based on the results of the written test (on Friday, September 10, 2021) and two interviews (on September 27 - 29, 2021), all to be held online. Note that the selection through INAT is in addition to the selection through the Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST).
Nature of the Written Test:
The test will be of TWO hours duration. The question paper will be in English. The questions will be from basic Physics, Mathematics, Electronics/ Engineering to advanced areas of the same subjects and consists of three parts:
Part - A: Basic Physics, Mathematics, and Engineering
Part - B: Advanced Physics, Mathematics and Engineering
Part - C: Both basic and advanced areas of Physics, Mathematics and Engineering
| Question paper | Type | # of questions | marks for each question | Negative marking | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part-A | Objective | 17 | 3 | Yes (-1) | Total of two hours |
| Part-B | Objective | 17 | 3 | Yes (-1) | |
| Part-C | Integer type (all answers are in integers of 3 digits) | 6 | 3 | No |
- Only one out of four choices is correct in Part-A and Part-B - Candidates must answer Part-C questions by filling in the appropriate squares in the Answer Sheet.Based on their performance in the written test, a limited number of candidates will be invited for two online interviews, which will be conducted online on September 27 - 29, 2021. The final selection will be based on the scores in the written test and interviews. Selected candidates are expected to join in October 2021 (except for pre-selected candidates), after satisfactory completion of their qualifying examination. Pre-selected candidates will need to complete their qualifying degree (M. Sc./ B.E./ B. Tech.) from any institute and join the Ph.D. programme only after that.