🏡 ARS

About the Exam

• The Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB) will hold an examination for AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE (ARS) of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)

Eligibility

Age

• A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years but not have attained the age of 35 years as on 01.01.2023. Age relaxation is admissible as per different categories.
• In-service candidates of ICAR less than 45 years in age as on 01.01.2023 will also be eligible to appear subject to possession of prescribed qualifications.
• In-service candidates of the Agricultural Universities less than 38 years of age as on 01.01.2023 will be eligible to appear for ARS subject to possession of prescribed qualifications.
• The upper age limit prescribed above will also be relaxable:-
  • Upto a maximum of five years if a candidate belongs to SC or ST.
  • Upto a maximum of 3 years in the case of candidates belonging to Other Backward
  • Classes, who are eligible to avail of reservation applicable to such candidates, i.e. Non-creamy layer.
  • For PwBD candidates, the upper age limit will be relaxable upto a maximum of 10 years.

Educational Qualifications

• Candidate must hold a PhD Degree in the relevant subject completed on or before 30.09.2023.
• Candidates who are pursuing PhD degree, the possession of which would render them eligible to appear in ARS Examination, but have not undergone Viva-voce may also apply for admission to ARS Examination. Such candidates must complete their PhD degree on or before 30.09.2023. Such candidates will be admitted to the ARS Examination, if otherwise eligible but their admission would be purely provisional.
• Candidates who are pursuing PhD degree, the possession of which would render them eligible to appear in ARS Examination, but have not undergone Viva-voce may also apply for admission to ARS Examination. Such candidates must complete their PhD degree on or before 30.09.2023. Such candidates will be admitted to the ARS Examination, if otherwise eligible but their admission would be purely provisional.
• All candidates who shall qualify in ARS Written Examination are required to submit self-attested copies of the documents/ certificates in support of their candidature by the cut-off date to be announced at the time of declaration of result of Written Examination, failing which they would not be allowed to appear in the Personal Interview.
• The candidates having PhD degree from a foreign University must attach a certificate of equivalence and recognition of that degree issued by the University Grants Commission/ Government of India / any other concerned Department or Agency of Government of India.
• Candidates already in the Service of Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Central/State Government/Scientific Institutions/Universities, whether in a permanent or a temporary capacity or as a work charged employee, other than a casual or daily rated employee, must obtain permission/NOC to his/her applying for ARS-2023 Examination conducted by ASRB from his present employer and keep it safe for future requirement at the time of submission of documents.

Exam Pattern

• It is conducted in conventional pen/paper mode at 19 Centres (2023) across India.
• The questions of the examination in the Test Booklet (Question Paper cum Answer Booklet) will be available in bilingual form i.e. in Hindi and English medium. Therefore applicants are advised to indicate their medium of Examination in the online application form carefully.

ARS-2023 (Written) Examination Paper

• ARS-2023 (Written) Examination Paper will have only one paper of 300 marks in the respective disciplines, to be attempted in 3 hours duration. Answers are required to be written in the space provided below the question. In no case extra sheets will be provided.
• The candidates who obtain such minimum qualifying marks in the Written Examination as may be decided by the Board in its discretion, shall be called for Personal Interview in the ratio of 1:3 (category-wise) for each post. However, the Board reserves the right to revise this ratio at its discretion.
• 25 Questions of 5 Marks each (Answer in about 50 words each)
• 10 Questions of 10 Marks each (Answer in about 100 words each)
• 5 Questions of 15 Marks each (Answer in about 150 words each)
• Things to remeber for written examination:
  • If a candidate’s handwriting is not easily legible, a deduction will be made on this account from the total marks otherwise accruing to him.
  • Marks will not be allotted for mere superficial knowledge.
  • Credit will be given for orderly, effective and exact expression combined with due economy of words in all subjects of the examination.

Evaluation of Research Accomplishments

Research accomplishments will be evaluated on following three aspects:

1. Research Publications
2. Patent Granted
3. Copyright/Design/Trademark

ARS-2023 - Personal Interview

• The candidates will be interviewed by a Board of competent and unbiased experts in the respective disciplines, who will have before them a record of his/her career. The object of the Personal Interview is to assess his/her suitability for the Service for which he/she has competed.
• The Personal Interview is intended to supplement the written examination for testing the general and specialized knowledge and abilities of the candidate. The candidate will be expected to have taken an intelligent interest not only in his/her own state or country, but also in modern current of thought and in new discoveries, which should rouse the curiosity of well-educated youth.
• The technique of the Personal Interview is not that of strict cross-examination, but of a natural, though directed and purposive conversation intended to reveal the candidate’s mental qualities and his/her grasp of problems. The Board will pay special attention to assessing the intellectual curiosity, critical powers of assimilation, balance of judgment and alertness of mind, the ability for social cohesion, integrity of character, initiative and capacity for leadership and scientific research.

Exam Dates*

** Subject to change

Exam Centers

1. Anand/Vadodara, Gujarat
2. Bengaluru, Karnataka
3. Barrackpore/Kolkata, West Bengal
4. Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
5. Bhubaneswar, Odisha
6. Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
7. Dehradun, Uttarakhand
8. Delhi, Delhi
9. Guwahati, Assam
10. Hyderabad, Telangana
11. Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir
12. Jodhpur, Rajasthan
13. Ludhiana, Punjab
14. Mumbai, Maharashtra
15. Nagpur, Maharashtra
16. Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
17. Patna, Bihar
18. Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir
19. Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Fee

• Transaction charges for Debit Card/Credit Card/Net Banking/ UPI payment, as the case =may be, have to be borne by the candidate.
• The fee must be paid through Bharatkosh (bharatkosh.gov.in) as per instruction given in Annexure-I as well as the online application form available on the website: http://www.asrb.org.in only. Mere payment of fees in Bharatkosh without successful submission of application form (till the last date and time for submission of online application form) will not be considered at any cost. Neither such fee would be refunded nor kept in reserve for any other examination/ purpose.

Number of Attempts

• The number of attempts for appearing in the Agricultural Research Service Examination will be limited to SIX for Unreserved category and EWS category candidates including the in-service candidates of I.C.A.R. However, this restriction will not apply to SC and ST candidates who are otherwise eligible. The number of attempts for Other Backward Classes category and PwBD (belonging to General/OBC category) candidates will be NINE.
• The number of attempts made by the candidates prior to Agricultural Research Service examination 2023 will not be taken into account for counting the number of attempts made. Attempt means that the candidate must have appeared for the Examination.
• A candidate who has already qualified ARS examination (finally selected) in the earlier year will not be eligible to compete in the subsequent examinations conducted by ASRB for the same discipline in which he/she has earlier qualified. However, there is no bar to reappear for an ARS selected candidate in the subsequent ARS examination in a discipline different than the one in which he/she has already qualified.

Inerview

• The candidates will be at liberty to communicate in Hindi or English during the Interview.
• The candidates are not required to attach any certificates/ marksheets with the online application form. The candidates who qualify the written examination will be required to submit self-attested copies of documents/ certificates in support of their candidature before the cut-off dates which would be announced at the time of declaration of the result of ARS (Written) Examination, failing which they would not be allowed to appear in the Personal Interview.

Work Profile

1. Candidates selected for appointment to the Service will be appointed as Scientists in the Service on probation for a period of two years which may be extended, if necessary.
2. Candidates selected on the basis of the competitive examination shall be required to undergo an intensive course of study and training for a specified period.
3. On successful completion of the prescribed training, a candidate will be posted anywhere in India according to the Research priorities of the Council. He will be liable to serve at the initial place of posting at least for a period of five years for category A Stations and 3 years for category B Stations before seeking transfer on whatsoever ground from that place station.
4. Any trainee found to be guilty of unbecoming conduct will be liable to be discharged even before completion of the period of training. Such a trainee will be liable to refund full amount of the emoluments paid to him / her during training period.
5. If in the opinion of the ICAR, the work or conduct of the officer on probation is unsatisfactory or shows that he is unlikely to become efficient, the ICAR may discharge him forthwith. On completion of the period of probation or any extension, if it is found that a candidate is not fit for permanent appointment, he / she may be discharged.
6. The Service Conditions shall be as determined by the Council.
7. A Scientist is liable to serve anywhere in India or abroad.
8. In ARS, the scientist will be placed in the same discipline in which he/she has qualified the ARS Examination and no request for change of discipline will be entertained.

Salary

• Pay Band 3 of ₹ 15,600 - ₹ 39,100 with RGP of ₹6000/- (Revised Pay Level 10 - ₹ 57,700 - ₹ 1,82,400).

Disciplines (51)

Vacancy Notification for ARS-2023 Examination

**D&HH: Deaf & Hard of hearing **OH: locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy.

Suggested Readings

https://www.asrb.org.in/net-ars-and-sto-t-6-examination-2021

Reference

- https://www.asrb.org.in//