For National Eligibility Test: A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years as on 1st August. There is no upper age limit for the National Eligibility Test

Educational Qualification For ARS and NET: See Appendix - III.
A candidate for the Agricultural Research Service/National Eligibility Test must have a Master's degree or equivalent in the concerned subjects with specialization as defined in Apendix-III against each discipline, from any Indian University incorporated by an Act of Central or State Legislature in India or other educational institution established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed University under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 or-he must have qualification from a foreign University recognised as equivalent by the Government of India

Plan of Examination:

Eligibility:
Nationality: A candidate must be either: (i) a citizen of India or (ii) a citizen of Nepal or (iii) a citizen of Bhutan or (iv) a citizen of Tibetan refugee who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka and East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, (formerly Tanganyika and Zanzibar), Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethopia and Vietnam with the intention of permanently setting in India

Instructions:
(1) The candidates selected for appointment on the posts in Animal Science disciplines is entitled to Non Practicing Allowances as admissible under the rules of Indian Council of Agricultural research and subject fulfillment of the conditions of entitlement a prescribed by the Council. In order to facilitate candidates to decided their eligibility, the details of specific qualification re­quired for admission to ARS/NET examination in each disci­pline are given below.

(2) A candidate who has appeared at an examination the passing of which would render him eligible to appear at this examination but has not been informed of the result may apply for admission to the examination. Such candidates will be admitted if other­wise eligible, but the admission would be deemed to be provi­sional and subject to cancellation if they do not produce proof of having passed the examination by specified date.

(3) In exceptional cases, the Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board may treat a candidate who has not any of the foregoing qualifi­cations/ as a qualified candidate provided that he has passed examination conducted by other institutions, the standard of which in the opinion of the Board justified his admission to the examination

(4) In ARS the scientist is placed in the same discipline in which he/she has qualified the ARS examination and no request for change of discipline is entertained

Fee: The examination fee of Rs. 400 is required' to be paid by the candidates for all the categories of the examination. No fee is payable by SC/ST candidates. No fee examination is exempted for OBC candidates and they are required to pay full prescribed fee. Physically disabled persons are exempted from the payment of fee, provided they are otherwise eligible for appointment to the services/posts to be filled on the results of the examination on the basis of the standards of medical fitness for these services P9sts (including any concession specifically extended to the physically disabled

Number of attempts: The number of attempts for appearing in the Agricultural Research Service Examination is limited to four for all candidates (whether M.Sc / PhD.) including the in service candidates of ICAR. However, this restriction does not apply to SC/ST candidates who are otherwise eligible

General Information
(a) Question paper can be answered either in English or in Hindi.

(b) Candidates must write the papers in their own hand. In no circumstances  they are allowed the help of a scribe to write the answers for them.

(c) The Board nave discretion to fix qualifying marks in any or all the subjects of the examination

(d) If a candidate's handwriting is not easily eligible, a deduction is made on this account from the total marks otherwise accruing to him

(e) Marks are not allotted for mere superficial knowledge

(f) Credit is given for orderly, effective and exact expression com­bined with due economy of words in all subjects of the exami­nation

(g) The standard of papers in General Knowledge will be such as may be expected of a graduate of an Indian University. The standard of Papers in the Professional Subjects will be that of a Master's degree of an Indian University. The candidates will be expected to illustrate theory by facts, and to analyses problems with the help of theory. They will be expected to be particularly conversant with Indian problems in the relevant field of research

(h) Paper-I General:
General paper consists of two parts (Part "A" & Part "B"). Part "A" of the question paper is contain 60 objective type of questions (one mark each) with multiple choice on gen­eral knowledge and science including topics relating to agricul­ture, horticulture, agricultural engineering, animal science, fish­ery science, one science, agro forestry, environmental and social sciences etc. Part "B" of the question paper consists of 140 objec­tive type questions (one mark each) with multiple choice in the concerned professional subject. The total duration pf paper-I is of 3 hours
(i) Paper-II Professional:
Professional paper consists of 10 subjec­tive or descriptive type of questions, each carrying 20 marks. Among 10 questions minimum 50% questions  shall have an alternate questions as choice. All questions are compulsory. The duration of Paper-II is also of 3 hours. Paper-II is evaluated only for those candidates who secure minimum marks in Paper-I as follows

(j) Viva-Voce:
The candidates are interviewed by a Board of compe­tent and unbiased experts in the respective discipline, who have before them a record of his /her career. The object of the viva-voce is to assess his/her suitability for the Service for which he/ she has competed. The viva-voce is intended to supplement the written examination for testing the general and specilizated knowledge and abilities of the candidate. The candidates are expected to have taken an intelligent interest not only his/her own state or country, as well as in modern current of though and in new discoveries, which rose the curiosity of well-educated youth

The technique of the viva-voce is not that of strict cross-examination, but of natural, though directed and purposive conversation intend to reveal the candidates mental qualities and his/her grasp of problems. The Board will pay scale attention to assessing in the intellectual curiosity critical powers of assimilation, balance of judgement and alertness of mind, the ability for social cohesion, integrity of character, initiative and capacity for leadership and scientific research