Admissions test

Research Scholars admission test

This is to inform you that the HBCSE graduate admissions committee has decided to conduct the Ph.D. entrance examination on Sunday, December 10, 2023 between 2.30 PM to 5.30 PM.

Please note that it is a Computer based test.

The entrance test will be of three hours duration, and it will have two sections.

The first section will contain a total of 80 multiple choice questions distributed among several subjects as follows:

(a) 25 questions that test scientific literacy, technical comprehension, quantitative and logical reasoning.

(b) 15 questions on education, social sciences, and cognitive sciences. The subject content covered by the questions will be broadly based on topics like human cognition, external representations, conceptual changes, education policies, sociology of science, and educational philosophies. Some suggestive reading references and websites are listed below.

NCERT Class XII, Sociology, Indian Society, https://ncert.nic.in/textbook.php?lesy1=0-7
NCERT Class XII, Sociology, Social Change and Development, https://ncert.nic.in/textbook.php?lesy2=0-8
NCERT Class XI, Political science, Indian Constitution at Work, https://ncert.nic.in/textbook.php?keps2=2-10
Ministry of Education of Government of India website https://www.education.gov.in/
UNESCO website https://www.unesco.org/en/tags/science-education; https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000157001

(c) 10 questions each on biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics. The 10 questions in each subject will test the candidate's ability to apply concepts and reason with concepts in these subjects. The subject content covered by the questions will be up to the level of CBSE Std. XII.

The candidate is expected to answer a maximum of 50 questions from section one. There is no negative marking. However, in case more than 50 questions are attempted, the score obtained will be normalized (i.e., proportionally decreased) to a score corresponding to 50 questions.

The second section will have the following questions:

• Describe briefly (in 300 words or less) any research topic of your interest related to science, mathematics or design and technology education. Provide arguments for why that research is important, and outline the possible educational outcomes of the research you have described.

• Write short essays (about 250 words each) on any one of the three topics given. (Topics willbe given in the question paper.)

• Write short essays (about 250 words each) on any one of the three topics given. (Topics will be given in the question paper.)

Candidates who pass the entrance test will be required to appear for interview. The final selection will be based *only* on the performance in the interviews.

The pattern of the entrance test for PhD admission 2024 will be broadly similar to the tests conducted in the previous years (questions papers given below).

RS Question Set 2023 (click to download)

RS Question Set 2021 (click to download)

RS Question Set 2020 (click to download)

RS Question Set 2019 (click to download)

RS Question Set 2018 (click to download)

RS Question Set 2017 (click to download)

RS Question Set 2016 (click to download)

RS Question Set 2015 (click to download)

RS Question Set 2014 (click to download)

RS Question Set 2013 (click to download)

RS Question Set 2012 (click to download)

RS Question Set 2011 (click to download)

The solutions to multiple choice questions in the Question sets from 2014 onwards can be downloaded here.