ICAR Syllabus for PG and PhD Entrance Exams

Which ICAR exam are you preparing for

Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board exams for scientist posts and ICAR institute jobs such as assistants and technicians follow their own notices and syllabi, so use the notice for that post. For the UG route, our CUET UG syllabus page is the right guide.

ICAR syllabus and exam pattern for PG and PhD

With four options and a one mark penalty, a blind guess gains you nothing on average. If you can drop even one option, a guess starts to pay, so ruling out options is the single most useful habit for this paper.

AIEEA PG syllabus by subject group

ICAR publishes one syllabus file covering every PG group, and each group lists units at bachelor's degree level. The groups include:

• Plant biotechnology: plant biochemistry, biotechnology and molecular biology, crop physiology.
• Plant sciences: plant breeding and genetics, plant pathology, agricultural microbiology, seed science and technology, plant genetic resources.
• Physical sciences: agro meteorology, soil science and agricultural chemistry, agricultural physics, agricultural chemicals, organic farming, environmental science.
• Entomology and nematology: entomology, nematology, sericulture.
• Agronomy.
• Social sciences: agricultural economics and agricultural extension education.
• Statistical sciences: agricultural statistics, computer application, bioinformatics.
• Horticulture: vegetable science, fruit science, post harvest management, floriculture and landscaping, plantation, spice, medicinal and aromatic crops.

The remaining groups cover fields such as animal and veterinary sciences, dairying, fisheries, agricultural engineering and community science. Find your group code in the official file first, because one group serves several master's subjects.

What the topic lists look like

Most crop side groups open with a common unit on the basics of crop production, then move into their own subject. A few examples from the PG file:

• Agronomy: crop ecology and agro meteorology, cultivation of field crops, weed management, irrigation water management, soil fertility and fertilisers, dryland farming, problem soils and sustainable land use.
• Plant sciences: cell biology and genetics, crop diseases and their pathogens, microbiology, seed testing and production, biological nitrogen fixation, composting and biogas.
• Physical sciences: soil physics and chemistry, soil colloids, plant nutrition, analytical and organic chemistry, pesticides, remote sensing and GIS, soil and water pollution.
• Social sciences: farm management, agricultural marketing and finance, production economics, extension methods, rural sociology and communication.
• Statistical sciences: probability and statistics, design of experiments, calculus, matrices and differential equations, and computer applications.

Read every unit heading of your group and tick off the matching course from your degree. Gaps usually show up in courses you took in the first year and never revisited.

PhD paper: Parts A, B and C

• Common section (20 questions, 80 marks): common to all candidates; the information bulletin describes it as general knowledge and reasoning. Check the ICAR syllabus file for the exact scope used in your cycle.
• Part B (50 questions, 200 marks): the core group in which your PhD subject falls, for example crop sciences, horticulture, natural resource management, agricultural economics or veterinary and animal sciences.
• Part C (50 questions, 200 marks): your specialised subject at master's level.

With 400 of 480 marks sitting in Parts B and C, your master's coursework is the backbone of preparation. Part A is short but common to everyone, which makes it a tie breaker in crowded subjects.

Who can apply

AIEEA PG: a graduate degree in an allied discipline, normally of four years or more; three year degrees are accepted only for some courses at certain ICAR deemed universities. Reports of the latest bulletin give a minimum of 60 percent, lowered to 50 for the SC, ST and PwBD categories, and a minimum age of 19 by 31 August of the admission year.

AICE JRF/SRF (PhD): a master's degree in a listed subject with an OGPA of at least 6.5 out of 10, or 5.5 for SC, ST, PwBD and third gender candidates, or 60 percent (50 percent) where marks are given. The minimum age is 20 as on 31 August, and it is not relaxed for any category.

A study plan built on the ICAR marking

1. Map the file: print your group's syllabus and mark each unit strong, average or weak.
2. Weeks 1 to 8: weak units first, using your degree notes and standard textbooks from your course.
3. Weeks 9 to 12: one unit test a day of 30 questions, scored with the minus one rule.
4. Final month: full 120 question mocks in 2 hours, and for PhD aspirants a daily set of Part A questions.

For other agriculture linked routes see the agriculture supervisor syllabus and the BSc syllabus page, and browse more tests under entrance exams.