CSIR NET Maths Cut-Off: Marks Needed and a Target-Score Worksheet

In the June 2026 session, the UR cut-off in Mathematical Sciences was 86 marks out of 200 for a JRF, 77.5 for Assistant Professor eligibility and 66 for PhD admission only. These are our conversions of the official percentages, 43%, 38.7% and 33%, at two marks per percentage point.

The conversion is simple, with one wrinkle. Scores come in steps of 0.25, so a percentage that does not land on a step needs rounding. 38.7% of 200 is 77.4, but no candidate can score 77.4, so the lowest reachable score is 77.5. We apply that rule throughout. The table gives the official percentage for each category, with the lowest reachable marks in brackets.

Marks are our conversion (percentage × 2), rounded up to the next 0.25 where the percentage does not land on one.

The minimum benchmark is 33% (66 marks) for UR, EWS and OBC candidates and 25% (50 marks) for SC, ST and PwD candidates. There is no separate cut-off for Part A, Part B or Part C. The merit list uses your cumulative marks across all three parts.

The UR JRF cut-off in Mathematical Sciences fell from 117.75 marks in June 2024 to 106.75 in June 2025, then to 84 in December 2025, before rising to 86 in June 2026. The table covers four of the five sessions from June 2024 to June 2026. It leaves out December 2024.

Marks are our conversion (percentage × 2), rounded up to the next 0.25 where the percentage does not land on one.

Our working on the movement:

• From June 2024 to June 2025 the JRF line fell 11 marks (117.75 − 106.75).
• From June 2025 to December 2025 it fell 22.75 marks (106.75 − 84). That is about 4.8 Part C answers (22.75 ÷ 4.75).
• From December 2025 to June 2026 it rose 2 marks.
• The June 2025 JRF level is 20.75 marks above the June 2026 level (106.75 − 86).

The PhD-only line was 38.375% (76.75 marks) in June 2025 and 33% (66 marks) in both December 2025 and June 2026.

The cut-off is published after each exam, so no earlier figure carries over. A candidate who prepared for 106.75 in mid-2025 and one who prepared for 84 a session later were aiming at very different lines. We plan against the whole range and then check the new list when it appears. To see which mistakes cost you marks in a mock, read what a CSIR-NET Mathematics mock analysis should reveal.

Add your Part A and Part B marks, subtract that from your target, divide by 4.75 and round up. The result is the number of Part C answers you must get fully correct. Part C has no negative marking, but credit is given only if every correct option is chosen.

The scheme of examination sets out the marking:

• Part A: answer 15 of 20 questions, +2 for a correct answer and −0.5 for a wrong one, maximum 30.
• Part B: answer 25 of 40 questions, +3 for a correct answer and −0.75 for a wrong one, maximum 75.
• Part C: answer 20 of 60 questions, +4.75 for a correct answer and no negative marking, maximum 95.

The three maximums sum to 200. Our worksheet model uses two formulas, with R for right answers and W for wrong ones:

• A+B marks = 2·R(A) − 0.5·W(A) + 3·R(B) − 0.75·W(B)
• Part C answers needed = (target − A+B marks) ÷ 4.75, rounded up

If the second formula gives more than 20, the target is out of reach on that Part A and Part B profile.

Here is a worked example. Say you get 13 right and 2 wrong in Part A, and 18 right and 3 wrong in Part B. Your A+B marks are 26 − 1 + 54 − 2.25 = 76.75. For the June 2026 JRF line of 86, you need (86 − 76.75) ÷ 4.75 = 1.95, so 2 Part C answers. For a target of 96 you need 4.05, so 5 answers. For 106.75, the June 2025 level, you need 6.3, so 7 answers.

The table applies the same formulas to four sample profiles. Each profile is right and wrong answers in Part A, then in Part B.

Reaching 106.75 takes two to three more Part C answers than reaching 96.

We recommend a target at least 10 marks above the latest cut-off, which is 96 against the June 2026 JRF line. That figure is our judgement from the session-to-session swings above, not an official number. To be safe against a repeat of June 2025, add about 21 marks and aim for 106.75.

Wrong answers in Parts A and B cost a quarter of the marks a right answer earns. A guess therefore pays only when your chance of being right is above 20% (2p − 0.5(1 − p) > 0 gives p > 0.2 in Part A, and the same threshold follows in Part B). How much Part C depth you need against syllabus breadth is covered in how to balance syllabus breadth and Part C depth.

Aim for a JRF if you want a fellowship, which needed 86 marks for UR candidates in June 2026. Assistant Professor eligibility needed 77.5 and PhD-only needed 66. The right target depends on whether you need funding, a lectureship or admission to a PhD programme.

The three outcomes are official categories:

• Category 1: JRF. These candidates are also eligible for Assistant Professor, subject to UGC criteria.
• Category 2: eligibility for Assistant Professor and for PhD admission.
• Category 3: eligibility for PhD admission only.

This table shows how the June 2026 UR cut-offs divide a score, in our conversion.

The PhD-only line gives eligibility for PhD admission but not the fellowship. The gap between the JRF and Assistant Professor lines was 8.5 marks in June 2026 (86 − 77.5), fewer than two Part C answers. In the four sessions in the table above, the gap between the two UR lines ranged from 8.4 to 11.8 marks. A score of 80 would have cleared the Assistant Professor line in both June 2026 (77.5) and December 2025 (75.75), but not the JRF line in either (86 and 84).

We teach CSIR NET Mathematics in two forms: a Live Batch for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) and CSIR NET June 2027 at ₹15,999, and a Recorded Batch for CSIR NET June 2027 at ₹9,999. Prices are as of October 2026. We sell these batches, so weigh this section accordingly.

The Live Batch includes daily live classes with recordings, handwritten notes and chapter-wise assignments. It also has previous-year question (PYQ) discussions, full-length mock tests with performance analysis, weekly doubt sessions and personal mentorship. You can pay in 4 instalments of ₹3,999.75.

The Recorded Batch includes recorded video lectures, PDF notes, and topic-wise previous-year questions with explanations. You can pay in 3 instalments of ₹3,333.

Each batch has a ₹999 15-day demo plan. We also offer free demo classes and free notes in Real Analysis, Linear Algebra, Complex Analysis and Topology, plus free previous-year questions. Use them with the worksheet above to test your Part A, Part B and Part C profile before you commit. Dates for the next session are on our CSIR NET exam date page. To pick a batch, start on our course store.