ICMR JRF Social Science: Preparation Strategy, Syllabus & Pattern, Important Books!!

To pursue a Ph.D. or research program in Social Science offered by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), candidates must take the ICMR Junior Research Fellowship Exam (JRF). The board, along with the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, conducts the entrance exam annually to award scholars based on merit. Success applicants’ awards will depend on their placements at a medical school/ hospital/ university/ national laboratory/ higher education and research institution. In addition, candidates selected through the ICMR JRF Merit will receive ICMR scholarships to complete their Ph.D. / Research program. Now, without wasting a minute, let’s check the social science eligibility criteria for the ICMR JRF exam. After that, we will check the exam pattern, syllabus, reference books, and preparation strategy for the Social Science aspirants.

ICMR JRF Social Science Eligibility

Check the criteria according to the ICMR JRF Eligibility guidelines for the Junior Research Fellowship Program mentioned below:

• Applicant must have completed an M.Sc/MA with at least 55% (General/ EWS/ OBC) from a recognized university or equivalent.
• Candidates in the SC/ST/PwD category must secure a minimum score of 50% in the master’s degree.
• Candidates awaiting the M.Sc/MA result can apply for the ICMR JRF.
• The age limit for the JRF ICMR entrance exam is 28 years old.
• The 3-year exemption in age criteria will be granted to applicants in the OBC category.
• The 5-year relaxation will be awarded to candidates in the SC/ST/PwD category.

ICMR JRF Social Science Exam Pattern

ICMR JRF exam will have a single exam paper consisting of three sections. Section A includes questions related to General Aptitude, General Knowledge, and Natural Phenomena. Section A is mandatory for all candidates, while section C will consist of questions related to Social Science. We will discuss the exam pattern for Part A, which is common, and for Part C, i.e., Social Science. Check the ICMR JRF exam pattern for social science mentioned below:

General Aptitude Exam Pattern

• Section A will contain a total of 50 questions.
• All 50 questions are compulsory to be attempted for the candidates.
• For each correct answer, 1 mark will be awarded.
• 0.25 marks will be deducted for each wrong answer from the final score
• This section contains questions related to General Aptitude, General Knowledge, logical reasoning, graphical analysis, analytical and numerical ability, natural phenomena, etc.

Social Science Exam Pattern

• This is an optional section for students who have chosen Social Science as their subject.
• This section includes questions related to social studies.
• There will be 100 objective-type questions in part “C.”
• Candidates must answer 75 questions out of 100 questions.
• If a student answers more than 75 questions, only the first 75 answers will be evaluated.
• 1 mark will be awarded for each correct answer.
• An incorrect answer will result in a negative score of 0.25 points.

Note: 

• 2 hours have been set for the completion of the exam.
• Questions will be asked in the form of multiple-choice types of questions.
• The total exam paper carries 125 marks.
• The exam will be online only as a computer-based test (CBT).

ICMR JRF Social Science Syllabus

The syllabus plays an important role in exam preparation because it gives an idea about the questions they will be asked in the exam. Many units are not relevant to the exam. If candidates begin their preparation without knowing the specific syllabus, they may waste time. Knowing the syllabus will allow you to cover the important topics within the allotted time, and applicants will improve their scores. Therefore, it is essential to understand the syllabus and strictly adhere to it. Let’s check the syllabus for both Part A and C mentioned below:

General Aptitude Syllabus

Check the syllabus for General Aptitude – Part A section mentioned below:

Topics	Syllabus
Common Statistics	Experiments and sampling
	Hypothesis test and confidence intervals
	Linear regression and correlation
	Description and displaying data
	Probability
General Knowledge	Synthetic material
	Nuclear science
	Measurements
Scientific Phenomenon	Hurricane
	Greenhouse effect
	Wind
	Tsunami
	Tornado
	Volcano
	Rain
	Snow
	Earthquake
	Erosion

Social Science Syllabus

Check the syllabus for the Social Science section mentioned below:

Subject	Syllabus
Social Science	Psychology
	Public health/health economics (agriculture economics will not be considered)
	Social work
	Statistics Anthropology
	Home Science
	Sociology

ICMR JRF Social Science Reference Books

One of the most important steps in preparing for competition is identifying the correct study material. Therefore, we have provided the best reference ICMR JRF Books for Part A and C in tabular form below. You can check online websites to purchase these books.

General Aptitude Reference Books

Check all the best and recommended books for the preparation of General Aptitude in the ICMR JRF 2022 exam mentioned below:

Section	Book Name
SECTION – A (General Aptitude)	Quantitative Aptitude and Numerical Ability for all Competitive Examinations by Kiran Prakashan
	GATE General Aptitude: Numerical & Verbal Ability by ACE Engineering Academy
	Numerical Ability and mathematical Aptitude by Aditham Rao
	IQ and Aptitude Tests: Assess Your Verbal, Numerical & Spatial Reasoning Skills by Philip Carter
	A New Approach to Numerical Ability by Navratan Singh
	Analytical Reasoning by M.K Pandey
	A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning by Aggarwal

Social Science Reference Books

Check the recommended books for Part C, i.e., Social Science, mentioned below:

Section	Book Name
SECTION – C (Social Sciences)	An Introduction to Agricultural Social Sciences by Subhash Chandra
	Essential Sociology by Seema and Nitin Sangwan
	UGC NET: Sociology Exam Guide by RPH Editorial
	Trueman’s UGC NET Sociology by S. Hussain
	Sociological Theory by George Ritzer
	Sociology: Themes and Perspectives by Haralambos
	Elementary Economic Theory by K.K. Dwett
	Advance Economic Theory by H.L. Ahuja

ICMR JRF Social Science Preparation Tips

Candidates must check the preparation tips for the ICMR JRF social science exam. The experts curate this strategy to help candidates outperform in the exam.

• Go through the full ICMR JRF Syllabus: Stay up to date with the latest full syllabus with exam pattern. We have mentioned the exam pattern and syllabus above.
• First, create an effective study plan to easily identify the topics of your choice and try to code them by color. However, you can tag each topic with a different color code instead of just naming and choosing them by name.
• Set a daily goal and try to complete it within a certain period. Add some time for ICMR reference books in this study plan.
• Try to get a resolution for your doubts with the teachers of your subject. The first thumb rule to clear up your doubts is not to feel shy or uncomfortable. Instead, talk to your teacher whenever you have a question while studying any topic and let him know your question.
• Solve the previous year’s ICMR JRF question papers as much as possible. Then, once you have thoroughly studied the entire syllabus, you should cover the ICMR JRF previous year’s papers.
• You should start solving the mock tests once a day, which will give you a good understanding of the type of questions asked during the exam and evaluate your speed and accuracy for each question.