Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Examination is conducted by the Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB) for selecting candidates as Scientist in ICAR or ARS. Selection Process is made through written test and viva voce. ARS examination is conducted in two stages, preliminary and mains.

Eligibility Criteria for ARS Examination

Master degree holders from any of the recognized Indian Universities are eligible to appear for ARS examination in the concerned subject. Those having obtained similar qualification from a foreign University recognized as equivalent by the Government of India can also apply. Age of the applicant must be between 21 and 32 years. Concession in age is applicable for reserved category candidates.

Pattern for ARS Examination

Written exam for ARS is conducted in two stages, preliminary and mains. Preliminary exam is conducted in objective model for 150 marks. Time allotted for answering this paper is 2 hours. This single paper test includes questions from the professional subject opted by the candidate. One third marks are deducted for every wrong answer.

Mains exam is conducted in descriptive model for 240 marks. Duration of the test is 3 hours. There will be three parts for the question paper, Part A, Part B, and Part C. In part A, there will be 40 questions, each carrying 2 marks. These questions must be answered as short answer type not exceeding 10 words each. In part B, there will be 20 questions of 5 marks each. Answers must be given in one or two paragraphs and with or with out graphic explanation. Essay model questions will be asked for Part C. Ten marks are given for each of the questions.

Candidates need to obtain a specific percentage of marks to qualify the written test. General / OBC category candidates need to have at least 60% and 55% marks in prelims and mains exam respectively. The SC/ST category candidates need to have a minimum of 50% marks in both this stages of written test.

Application Process for ARS Examination

Application form can be obtained from the website of ICAR or ASRB. Educational details, personnel information, address for communication, exam centers, etc must be mentioned in the application form. Exam centers must be selected from the following list.

• Varanasi
• Udaipur
• Tirupati
• Srinagar
• Ranchi
• Raipur
• Port-Blair
• Patna
• Palampur
• Nagpur
• Mumbai
• Ludhiana
• Lucknow
• Kolkata
• Karnal
• Junagadh
• Jammu
• Jabalpur
• Izatnagar
• Imphal
• Hyderabad
• Guwahati
• Dharwad
• Delhi
• Dehradun
• Coimbatore
• Cochin
• Chennai
• Bikaner
• Bhubaneswar
• Bhopal
• Bangaluru
• Anand

Final selection is made through a viva voce. Candidates who qualify the written test are often selected for viva voce.