CSIR ASO Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility

Current route (E-I/RC/2026/2): no written exam

Computer Proficiency Test

100 marks, 1 hour, practical: typing a passage or other word processing, preparing a spreadsheet, and preparing a PowerPoint presentation, plus related everyday office tasks.

PwBD candidates get Government of India and SSC rules on the CPT. It's held in Delhi, tentatively, though CSIR may use more cities; the date is sent to shortlisted candidates.

CASE route (E-I/RC/2023/1)

• 0.33 marks deducted per wrong answer in the objective papers, not the usual 0.25: three wrong answers cancel one right one.
• A threshold in aggregate out of 350 (Papers I and II) took candidates to Paper-III and the CPT.
• The ASO total is 500 marks, excluding the CPT, whose marks don't count.
• No interview for ASO; Section Officer has a 100-mark interview.
• Papers are in English and Hindi except the English part of Paper-I. Paper-III can be written in either.
• Thresholds and the scheduling of papers are set by the Competent Authority; the advertisement calls the process suggestive.

The current route has no written exam and no academic syllabus, just the Computer Proficiency Test (word processing, spreadsheets, slides). The syllabus below is for CASE, CSIR's own exam route, from the CASE-2023 advertisement.

Paper-I: General Awareness and English, 150 marks, 2 hours

Paper-II: General Intelligence, Reasoning and Mental Ability, 200 marks, 2 hours 30 minutes

Despite the title, only the first two blocks are reasoning and arithmetic; 150 of the 200 marks are general studies, ethics, decision making and management.

Paper-III: Descriptive, English or Hindi, 150 marks, 2 hours

Detailed syllabus

The advertisement's indicative syllabus runs to many pages. History goes from the sources and the Harappan civilisation through the Mauryan, Vedic, post-Mauryan and Gupta periods, medieval India, the Sultanate, Mughals and Marathas, the British economic impact, reform movements, the Revolt of 1857 and the national movement to the start of the Gandhian era. The Constitution block closely follows UPSC General Studies Paper-II: basic structure, federalism, separation of powers, legislatures, constitutional and statutory bodies, executive and judiciary, welfare schemes, social sector, NGOs and SHGs, governance, transparency, e-governance and citizens' charters, and poverty and hunger.

Who can apply this cycle

Only University degree holders who are non-recommended CSE-2024 candidates listed on UPSC's Pratibha Setu Portal. Nobody else.

Qualification

A University degree, in both routes. No stream is specified, even for Finance and Accounts or Stores and Purchase.

Age

Not over 33 on the closing date, in both routes.

PwBD

Of the 100 posts, 7, including 2 backlog, are reserved for Persons with Benchmark Disability (at least 40 per cent):

• Under the MSJE OM of 7 September 2022, Spinal Deformity and Spinal Injury without neurological or limb dysfunction is a sub-category of locomotor disability, and every post is suitable for it.
• Functional requirements: sitting, bending, manipulation with fingers, reading and writing, seeing, communication, standing, walking and hearing.
• "Likely to improve" (temporary) conditions get no reservation. "Progressive", "non-progressive" and "not likely to improve" conditions get age relaxation (DEPwD OM No. 18-25/2024-Policy of 17 December 2025).

Vacancies by category

In Finance and Accounts, one of the two ST posts and two of the six OBC posts are backlog.

Current route

1. Screening: shortlist for the CPT at at least 1:5, five times the ASO vacancies in each category (minimum five), on CSE-2024 Mains plus Personality Test marks from your UPSC mark sheet.
2. Computer Proficiency Test: qualifying, but you must pass it.
3. Final selection on the same CSE-2024 total, subject to passing the CPT.
4. Cadre allocation from a single merit list on merit and the choice in your form. Final and unchangeable.

Ties: higher CSE-2024 Mains marks, then the older candidate, then whoever got the degree earlier, then alphabetical order of first names.

CASE route

1. Paper-I (150) and Paper-II (200); a threshold out of 350 to go on.
2. Paper-III (150) and the CPT. CPT marks don't count.
3. Select and wait lists on the 500-mark total, subject to thresholds and the CPT.

For ASO under CASE, the first tie-breaker was fewer negative marks.

The waiting list gets used

CSIR operated the CASE-2023 waiting list at least eight times: the 4th in July 2025 for ten ASO posts, the 5th in December 2025 for six, the 6th in December 2025, and the 7th and 8th in January 2026, against vacancies left by resignations. Notices are on the CASE Recruitments and Results page.

The pay is the same under CASE-2023 and the 2026 advertisement. For comparison, a central JE is Level 6 at ₹35,400; this post is Level 7 on a degree alone. DA, HRA and transport allowance are added to ₹44,900 basic; NPS and health scheme contributions are deducted.

CSIR was set up in 1942 and has 37 national laboratories across India. The three cadres split the current posts 61 General, 21 Stores and Purchase, 18 Finance and Accounts. They're different careers, and the cadre you're given is permanent.

Online only at csir.res.in or recruitment.csir.res.in, preferably in Chrome. Help desk: ra.helpdesk@csir.res.in.

Paid online through SBI Collect. Women pay nothing whatever their category.

Uploads

• Photograph: JPG, under 50 KB, 200 pixels high by 150 wide, recent, colour, light background, facing the camera, no caps, hats or dark glasses (religious headwear allowed if the face is visible).
• Signature: JPG, under 50 KB, 50 by 150 pixels, black ink on white paper, your own.
• Documents: PDF, 1 MB each at most: date of birth proof, qualifications from Class 10 onwards (one per qualification), employment certificate, caste and disability certificates if applicable.

There's a "Help me Upload and Resize" tool in the form.

• Your email can't be changed during the whole process, and everything comes by email. Check spam.
• Your signature at document verification must match the upload, or you may be disqualified.
• Spell your name and your parents' or husband's names exactly as on your certificates.
• Choose your cadre preference with care; the allotment is final.

One employer: the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, founded in 1942, an autonomous body under the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science and Technology, with 37 national laboratories. CSIR Headquarters runs the recruitment itself. ASOs staff the administration across that network.

All three cadres need the same degree; the specialisation comes after allocation.

Section Officer

CASE also recruits Section Officers (76 posts in 2023) on the same papers, plus a 100-mark interview, for a total of 600 against ASO's 500. Candidates rank the two posts as well as the cadres.

Pratibha Setu

UPSC's Pratibha Setu lists candidates who reached the final stages of a UPSC exam without being recommended, so other employers can recruit from them. This advertisement does exactly that for CSE-2024.

This cycle's only test, the CPT, is held in DELHI, tentatively; CSIR may add cities. The date is emailed to shortlisted candidates. It's practical computer work, not an objective paper.

CASE-2023 used two sets of exam cities, one for Papers I and II and another for Paper-III and the CPT, listed in the advertisement.

At document verification, your signature on the attendance sheet must match your upload, and you produce the originals of everything you uploaded.

The fee deadline is the same as the application deadline.

CASE-2023

Notices appear on the CSIR recruitment page and the CASE Recruitments and Results page.

Everything comes by email, to an address that can't be changed during the process. The CPT date and venue are sent to shortlisted candidates; notices also go up on csir.res.in and recruitment.csir.res.in. Help desk: ra.helpdesk@csir.res.in.

PwBD candidates get scribe and compensatory time under Government of India and SSC rules. Sign at verification exactly as you did for the upload.

In the current route your position is fixed by the marks UPSC already gave you; the CPT only decides whether you stay in. Results go up on the CSIR recruitment page and come by email.

For CASE-2023, CSIR published the marks of every candidate empanelled for ASO and Section Officer in March 2026, and the waiting-list operations, on the CASE Recruitments and Results page:

Separate notices of ASO vacancies from resignations appeared in December 2025. CASE vacancy numbers were provisional and could go up or down.

This cycle, the effective cut-off is your UPSC CSE-2024 Mains plus Personality Test total. About 500 candidates (1:5 against 100 vacancies) go to the CPT, which is pass or fail at the thresholds in the exam pattern.

For CASE-2023, CSIR published the marks of all empanelled ASO and Section Officer candidates in March 2026 on the CASE Recruitments and Results page. That's the real cut-off evidence. Thresholds were set by the Competent Authority and not announced in advance, and repeated waiting-list operations pulled the effective cut-off lower over time.

• Check which route you're on. If you're a non-recommended CSE-2024 candidate on Pratibha Setu, your rank is already fixed. Prepare only for the CPT.
• Take the CPT seriously. It's the only thing that can lose you the post. Practise typing, spreadsheets and slides on CSIR's three published past CPT papers.
• For a future CASE cycle, read Paper-II properly. Only 50 of its 200 marks are reasoning and arithmetic. The rest is general science, development and environment, ethics, decision making, management principles and geography. Management Principles in particular needs its own reading.
• Don't guess in CASE. The 0.33 penalty is harsh, and fewer negative marks breaks ties for ASO.
• Treat Paper-I General Awareness as civil services GS: history and the national movement, polity and governance, current events.
• Time your essays. Two essays, a precis and a letter in two hours leaves under 45 minutes per essay.
• Pick your cadre deliberately before filling the form.
• Use an email you'll keep and sign consistently.

CSIR publishes previous years' Computer Proficiency Test papers (three files) on its CASE Recruitments and Results page. For the current route, they're all the practice material there is.

No CASE written papers have been released. The CASE-2023 advertisement (38 pages) carries the full indicative syllabus, and the March 2026 marks list shows what selected candidates scored.

• Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and its Recruitment section
• CSIR Recruitment Portal, for applications and status
• CASE Recruitments and Results: CASE-2023 documents, empanelled marks, panel operations and past CPT papers
• Advertisement No. E-I/RC/2026/2 (current)
• CASE-2023, Advertisement No. E-I/RC/2023/1
• UPSC, for the Pratibha Setu Portal
• Help desk: ra.helpdesk@csir.res.in

Is there a written exam for CSIR ASO?

Not this cycle. Selection is on CSE-2024 Mains plus Personality Test marks and a qualifying CPT.

Can I apply if I didn't sit UPSC CSE-2024?

No. Only non-recommended CSE-2024 candidates on the Pratibha Setu Portal can apply.

What is the pay?

Level 7, ₹44,900 to ₹1,42,400, Group B Non-Gazetted.

What is the age limit?

33 on the closing date, with the usual SC, ST, OBC, PwBD and ex-servicemen relaxations and 5 years for CSIR departmental candidates.

What qualification do I need?

A University degree, any stream.

What is in the CPT?

Word processing, spreadsheets and slides: 100 marks, one hour, qualifying.

What marks do I need in the CPT?

40 per cent UR, 37 EWS and OBC, 35 SC and ST, 30 PwBD.

How many are shortlisted for the CPT?

At least five per vacancy in each category: about 500.

Can I change my cadre later?

No. The cadre allotted is final and unchangeable.

What was the CASE exam like?

Three papers, 500 marks, 0.33 negative marking, a qualifying CPT, and no interview for ASO.

What is the fee?

₹500; nil for women, SC, ST, PwBD and ex-servicemen.

Can I change my email after applying?

No.

Is a wait-list place worth anything?

Yes. The CASE-2023 list was operated eight times, last in January 2026.