ICAR NET Cut-off: Qualifying Marks and How to Set Your Target

The ICAR NET cut-off works differently from most exams. NET is a qualifying test, so there is no rank list and no vacancy-based cut-off. You qualify by scoring at least the minimum marks fixed for your category, out of 150, in your discipline. This page explains those marks, what to expect from discipline-wise results and how to set a realistic target score.

Qualifying marks by category

The Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB) notified the following minimum marks in its 2021 combined notification. The notification also states that the Board may revise the standard in any or all disciplines, so treat these as the benchmark used in earlier cycles and confirm the current figures on the official website.

Some third-party pages list EWS with OBC. The 2021 notification placed EWS candidates at the unreserved standard, so check the current notification for your category.

Discipline-wise cut-offs

NET is held in about 60 disciplines, and qualifying results are prepared discipline by discipline. This means the effective score needed can differ from one discipline to another, and the Board may revise the standard in a discipline, as the notification reserves. We have not listed discipline-wise figures here because we could not verify them against an official ASRB document. Unofficial tables circulate online, so rely only on the result and cut-off notices published by ASRB at asrb.gov.in.

What affects the effective score you need

• Paper difficulty: A harder paper in your discipline lowers the scores most candidates reach, and the Board can adjust its standard accordingly.

• Negative marking: One-third mark is deducted per wrong answer, so a score of 75 needs both accuracy and sensible attempts.

• Category: Your category fixes the minimum, so work from your own row of the table.

• Discipline: Results are prepared by discipline, so compare yourself with candidates in your discipline, not the whole exam.

How to set your target score

Cut-offs change with difficulty and the standard the Board applies. Treat last cycle's figures as a benchmark only, and aim for a clear margin above them rather than a bare pass.

1. Start from your category minimum: For an unreserved candidate, that is 75 out of 150.

2. Add a safety margin: A target of about 15 to 20 marks above the minimum in mock tests gives room for a harder paper.

3. Plan attempts and accuracy together: For example, 110 attempts at 80 percent accuracy gives 88 correct and 22 wrong, a score of about 80.67.

4. Track the trend: Look at your last five full-length tests. A steady score above your target matters more than one high score.