BET 2026: Biotechnology Eligibility Test (BET) 2026

Biotechnology Eligibility Test

Biotechnology Eligibility Test (BET) 2026

BET 2026
[Biotechnology Eligibility Test 2026]
administered by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and conducted by the Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB)
To select candidates for the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) to pursue Ph.D. Research in Biotechnology and Life Sciences, 2026

Graduate Aptitude Test- Biotechnology (GAT-B)/ Biotechnology Eligibility Test (BET) is a National Level Entrance Examination for award of DBT – Junior Research Fellowship (DBT-JRF) for pursuing research in frontier areas of Biotechnology (BET).

The National Testing Agency (NTA) announces conduct of BET-2026 as per the following details:

Dates, Fee and Application Procedure

Duration of Online registration and submission of online Application Form for BET-2026	19/03/2026 to 09/04/2026 (upto 05:00 P.M.)
Last date for submission of Examination fee (through Credit Card/ Debit Card/ UPI/ Net Banking Payment Modes)	09/04/2026 (upto 11:50 P.M.)
Correction in the Particulars of Application Form (online only)	11/04/2026 to 13/04/2026
Date of Examination for BET-2026	17/05/2026 (Sunday)
Duration of Examination	180 minutes (03 hours)
Timing of Examination	03:00 P.M. to 06:00 P.M.
Mode of Examination	Computer Based Test (CBT)
Medium of Question Paper	English
Syllabus	As prescribed in Information Bulletin

Fee payable for GAT-B 2026

Examination	General (UR) / OBC-(NCL) / EWS	SC / ST / PwD
BET	Rs. 1,300/-	Rs. 650/-

Important Instructions:

Candidates can apply for BET-2026 or both through "Online" mode only. The Application Form in any other mode will not be accepted.
Only one application is to be submitted by a candidate. Multiple Application Forms submitted by a candidate will not be accepted under any circumstances.

Candidates, who desire to appear in BET 2026 or both may see the detailed Information Bulletin available on the NTA websites:
exams.nta.nic.in/gat-bet or www.nta.ac.in

Biotechnology Eligibility Test (BET) 2026

DBT-Junior Research Fellowship Programme
Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India grants fellowships to bonafide Indian citizens for pursuing Doctoral Research in Biotechnology and life-sciences through the "DBT-Junior Research Fellowship" (DBT-JRF) Programme. Initiated in the year 2004, the DBT-JRF Programme has played a critical role in nurturing skilled human resource capital and promoting research in frontier areas of biotechnology.
Biotechnology Eligibility Test (BET) 2026
Biotechnology Eligibility Test (BET) is the national qualifying examination for award of Doctoral Research Fellowships under the DBT-Junior Research Fellowship (DBT-JRF) Programme. BET is an All-India computer-based examination which is held once every year. These fellowships are tenable at any recognized university/institution in India where the selected fellow registers for Ph.D. programme.

Based on the performance in Biotechnology Eligibility Test (BET) 2026, two categories of merit list shall be prepared (Category-I and Category-II). Government of India norms for reservation will be followed for shortlisting of candidates. Candidates shortlisted under Category-I shall be eligible to avail fellowship at any recognized university/institution across India, where the candidate enrolls for Ph.D. Programme. Candidates shortlisted under Category-II will be eligible to be appointed in any DBT sponsored project with fellowship equivalent to NET/GATE qualification as per current DST guidelines and/or enroll in Ph.D. programme, subject to selection through institutional selection process. Selection in CategoryII shall not entitle candidate for any fellowship from DBT-JRF programme.

Eligibility Criteria

Academic Qualification:
Candidates holding a 4-year/8 semester UG degree in Biotechnology/Life Sciences or allied disciplines such as Biomedical, Bioinformatics, Biochemistry, Biophysics, Botany, Chemistry, Computational Biology, Genetics, Microbiology, Zoology or any other allied areas of Biology/Life-Sciences.

For a 4 year/8 semester bachelor’s degree (with research): minimum 75% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade on a point scale wherever the grading system is followed. A relaxation of 5% marks or its equivalent grade as per NEP 2020. Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of Ph.D. Degree Regulations, 2022, UGC to be followed. For B.Tech. and B.E. degrees: with minimum 60% of marks for General, EWS & OBC category and 55% of marks for SC / ST / differently Abled candidates in aggregate (or equivalent grade).

Candidates holding a Master’s degree or equivalent (M.Sc. / M.Tech. / M.VSc. / M.Pharm. / Integrated M.Sc. / M.Tech. / MBBS) in Biotechnology/Life Sciences or allied disciplines such as Biomedical, Bioinformatics, Biochemistry, Biophysics, Botany, Chemistry, Computational Biology, Genetics, Microbiology, Zoology or any other allied areas of Biology/Life-Sciences with minimum 60% of marks for General, EWS & OBC category and 55% of marks for SC / ST / Differently Abled candidates in aggregate (or equivalent grade).

Final-year candidates or those awaiting results are eligible to apply for BET 2026, under the result awaited (RA) category. Such candidate will have to submit the Undertaking/Attestation Form duly certified/stamped by the Head of the Institute (with address and name) from where the candidate is appearing for the qualifying degree. Failing to comply with this instruction will result in rejection of application. Certificate for Appearing / result awaited candidates is given at APPENDIX-III.
Age Limit: Upto 28 years of age as on the last date of application for General & EWS category. Age relaxation of up to 5 years (33 years) for SC / ST / Differently Abled / Women candidates and upto 3 years (31 years) for OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) candidates.
Nationality: Candidate should be a bonafide citizen and resident of India.

Note: The information provided in this section have been received from RCB, DBT.

Pattern of Question Papers

The question papers will comprise of Multiple Choice Questions in the following areas:

Sections	No. of Questions	No. of Questions to be Attempted	Marks
Section A (General Science, Mathematics, Chemistry, General Aptitude, Analytical, Quantitative Ability and General Biotechnology)	50	50	3 x 50 = 150
Section B (Specific areas of Biotechnology as persyllabus given)	150	50	3x50 = 150
Total	200	100	300

Syllabus for BET 2026 is given here – https://rcb.res.in/upload/DBT-JRF%20BET-%202021%20Syllabus.pdf.
In case, candidate is unable to access the above link, candidate may access it on the RCB website- www.rcb.res.in.

Marking Scheme of Examinations

The Question Paper for BET 2026 Examination will consist of two sections:

Section-A will have 50 compulsory multiple choice questions in the subjects: General Science, Mathematics, Chemistry, General Aptitude, Analytical, Quantitative Ability and General Biotechnology. Each question carries 03 (Three) marks. There will be negative marking and for each incorrect response, 01 (one) mark will be deducted from the total marks. Un-answered/un-attempted questions will be given Zero (0) marks.
Section-B will have 150 multiple choice questions of specific areas of Biotechnology and the candidate has to attempt 50 questions. Each question carries 03 (Three) marks. There will be negative marking and for each incorrect response, 01 (one) mark will be deducted from the total marks.

Note:

In case more than one option is correct in a question, marks will be awarded to only those who marked any of the correct answers.
If none of the options is found correct or a Question is found to be wrong then the Question will be dropped. The reason could be due to human error or technical error. Full marks may be awarded to those who have attempted such question.

CONTACT:
011 4075 9000, 011 6922 7700
dbt@nta.ac.in

Admission Notification Information Bulletin
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Published By: Sahadeb

Published On: 26 Mar 2026

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