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ICMR Notification 2026: Check Eligibility, Exam Pattern & Syllabus

Paulami Chandra

Feb 5, 2026

ICMR Notification 2026 will be released by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on its official website to recruit candidates for Assistant, Personal Assistant (PA), Upper Division Clerk (UDC), and Junior Research Fellow (JRF) posts. After the notification is issued, the online application process will start. Eligibility criteria will include educational qualification, age limit, and nationality, which vary with the post. The selection process involves a computer-based test or written exam, followed by skill tests (where applicable) and document verification.

What is the ICMR Recruitment Exam?

ICMR is the exam that holds the national level value for the candidates to determine their eligibility and those who qualify for the exam will get the reward of the Junior Fellowship Program (JRF) through the Indian Council of Medical Research.

There will be one paper which will be divided into two sections. In one section, there will be three sections comprising a total of 50 marks, and in the second part, there will be two sections of a total of 100 marks.

ICMR Exam Date 2026

The ICMR exam dates 2026 are mentioned in the table below

Events Dates 
ICMR Notification 2026 Release Date to be notified
ICMR Application 2026 Start to be notified
Last Date to Apply for ICMR 2026 to be notified
ICMS 2026 Admit Card to be notified
ICMR 2026 Exam Date to be notified
ICMR 2026 Result to be notified

ICMR Recruitment Highlights 2026

The key points regarding the Indian Council of Medical Research for various highlights are mentioned in the table below:

Particulars Details
Exam Name Junior Research Fellowship, Assistant, PA, and UDC
Name of the Organization Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
Frequency Once In a year
Mode of Application Online
Exam Mode Online (Computer-Based)
Language English
Official website https://www.icmr.gov.in/

ICMR Notification 2026

ICMR 2026 Recruitment Exam official notification will be released on the official website soon. However, the official dates regarding various events such as Exam Date, Result, Admit Card, and so on will be the first released on the official website and the candidates must be aware of filling the application form for the particular exam and visit the official website of ICMR regularly.

ICMR Vacancy 2026

The information about the number of vacancies for various posts initiated by the Indian Council of Medical Research will be available on the official website and are mentioned as follows:

Posts Vacancies
Assistant To be notified
PA and UDC To be notified
JRF To be notified

ICMR Exam Pattern 2026

The exam pattern is very important for the candidates to have an overview of the exam. The exam pattern for the various posts such as – Junior Research Fellowship, Assistant, PA, and UDC are mentioned below.

ICMR JRF Exam Pattern 2026

The ICMR Recruitment 2026 Junior Research Fellowship Exam pattern is mentioned in the table below:

Particulars Details
Mode of exam Online (Computer-Based)
Number of sections Two
Number of questions 150
Duration of exam 2 hours
Maximum marks 250
Types of Questions Multiple Choice Questions
Marking scheme 0.25 marks were deducted for the wrong answer
Language English

ICMR Assistant Exam Pattern 2026

The ICMR Recruitment 2026 Assistant Exam pattern is mentioned in the table below:

Particulars Details
Mode of exam Online (Computer-Based)
Number of sections One
Number of questions 80
Duration of exam 80 minutes
Maximum marks 80
Type of Questions Multiple Choice Questions
Marking scheme 0.25 marks were deducted for the wrong answer
Language English

ICMR PA and UDC Exam Pattern 2026

The ICMR Recruitment 2026 PA and UDC Exam pattern is mentioned in the table below:

Particulars Details
Mode of exam Online (Computer-Based)
Number of questions 200
Duration of exam 2 hours
Maximum marks 200
Marking scheme 0.25 marks were deducted for the wrong answer
Type of Questions Multiple Choice Questions
Language English

ICMR Syllabus 2026

There are various concepts and subjects included in the syllabus of the ICMR Exams. Some subjects are common in various exams whereas many are not common in the syllabus. The ICMR syllabus is mentioned below:

The Syllabus for the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Junior Research Fellowship programs subject-wise is mentioned in the table below:

Subjects Topics
Scientific Phenomenon in everyday life
  • Rain
  • Wind
  • Snow
  • Tsunami
  • Soil Erosion
  • Hurricane
  • Drought
  • Ozone Layer Depletion
  • Greenhouse Effect
  • Flood
  • Tides
  • Volcano
  • Tornado
  • Soil Eruption
  • Earthquakes
General Knowledge
  • Measurement
  • Nuclear Science
  • Synthetic Material
  • Technology
  • Development
Statistics
  • Probability
  • Data Analysis
  • Data Interpretation
  • Hypothesis tests
  • Confidence intervals
  • Linear Regression
  • Correlations
  • Experiments and Sampling
Social Sciences
  • Human Nutrition
  • Human Biology
  • Genetics
  • Microbiology
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Botany
  • Zoology
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Biotechnology
  • Biophysics
  • Immunology
  • Bioinformatics
  • Pharmacologist
  • Veterinary
Social Sciences
  • Statistics
  • Home Sciences
  • Psychology
  • Health Economics
  • Anthropology
  • Social Work
  • Public Health
  • Sociology

ICMR Assistant Syllabus 2026

The Syllabus for the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Assistant program subject-wise is mentioned in the table below:

Subjects Syllabus
General Intelligence
  • Venn Diagrams
  • Drawing inferences
  • Punched hole
  • Figural Pattern – folding and completion
  • Indexing
  • Address matching
  • Date & city matching
  • Classification of center codes
  • Small & Capital letters
  • Decoding and classification
  • Embedded Figures
  • Critical thinking
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Social Intelligence
  • Statement conclusion
  • Syllogistic reasoning
  • Semantic Analogy
  • Symbolic
  • Figural Analogy
  • Semantic
  • Classification
  • Symbolic
  • Figural Classification
  • Semantic Series
  • Number Series
  • Figural Series
  • Problem Solving
  • Word Building
  • Coding & decoding
  • Numerical Operations
  • Symbolic Operations
  • Trends
  • Analogies
  • Similarities and differences
  • Space visualization
  • Spatial orientation
  • Problem-solving
  • Analysis
  • Judgment
  • Decision making
  • Visual memory
  • Discrimination
  • Observation
  • Relationship concepts
  • Arithmetical reasoning and figural classification
  • Arithmetic number series
  • Non-verbal series
General Awareness
  • India and its neighboring countries
  • Culture
  • Geography
  • Economic Scene
  • General Polity
  • Scientific Research.
  • Current Affairs
Quantitative Aptitude
  • Whole Numbers
  • Decimal
  • Fractions
  • Percentages
  • Ratio and Proportion
  • Square Roots
  • Averages
  • Interest
  • Profit and Loss
  • Discount
  • Partnership Business
  • Mixture and Allegations
  • Time and Distance
  • Time and Work
  • Algebraic Identities
  • Linear Equations
  • Triangle
  • Congruence and Similarity
  • Circle and its chord
  • Tangents
  • Angles subtended by chords of a circle
  • The common Tangents to two or more than two circles
  • Triangle
  • Quadrilaterals
  • Regular Polygons
  • Circle
  • Right Prism
  • Right Circular Cone
  • Right Circular Cylinder
  • Sphere
  • Hemispheres
  • Rectangular Parallelepiped
  • Rectangle Regular Pyramid with the triangular base or square base
  • Trigonometric ratio
  • Degree and Radian Measures
  • Complementary Angles
  • Standard Identities
  • Height and Distances
  • Histogram
  • Frequency and Polygon
  • Bar Diagram and Pie Chart
English Language
  • Finding Errors
  • Basic Comprehension
  • Writing Skills

ICMR PA and UDC Syllabus 2026

The Syllabus for the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) PA and UDC program subject-wise is mentioned in the table below:

Subjects Topics
General Syllabus
  • Famous Days & Dates.
  • Botany.
  • Indian Politics.
  • Physics.
  • Indian Parliament.
  • Basic GK.
  • Chemistry.
  • Geography.
  • Environment.
  • Indian Economy.
  • Inventions in the World.
  • Basic Computer.
  • Current Affairs of Global issues of the past six months
  • Overview of Indian Financial System,
  • History of the Indian banking system,
  • Recent credit and monetary policies
  • Indian History.
  • Indian Culture.
  • Sports.
  • Zoology.
Reasoning
  • Analytical Reasoning.
  • Number Series.
  • Letter and Symbol Series.
  • Verbal Classification.
  • Essential Part.
  • Analogies.
  • Artificial Language.
  • Matching Definitions.
  • Making Judgments.
  • Logical Problems.
  • Statement and Conclusion
  • Theme Detection.
  • Cause and Effect.
  • Statement and Argument.
  • Logical Deduction.
  • Puzzles.
  • Data Sufficiency.
  • Non-Verbal Reasoning.
  • Verbal Reasoning.
  • Logical Reasoning.
  • Data Interpretation.
Verbal Reasoning
  • Analogy, Classification,
  • Word formation,
  • Statement and conclusions Syllogism,
  • Statement and assumptions,
  • Statement and arguments,
  • Coding-Decoding,
  • Blood Relations,
  • Passage and conclusions,
  • Alphabet test,
  • Series Test,
  • Number,
  • Ranking and time sequence,
  • Direction Sense Test,
  • Decision-making test,
  • Figure series,
  • Input/output,
  • Assertion and reasoning,
  • Sitting Arrangement
Non-Verbal Reasoning
  • Series test,
  • Odd figure Out,
  • Analogy,
  • Miscellaneous Test
Numerical Ability
  • Time and Work
  • Percentage
  • Profit and Loss
  • Discount
  • Simple & Compound Interest
  • Ratio and Proportion
  • Time and Distance
  • Partnership
  • Average
  • Mensuration
  • Number System
  • GCF & LCM
  • Simplification
  • Decimals & Fraction
  • Square roots
  • Use of Tables and Graphs
  • Miscellaneous
  • Data Sufficiency
English Language
  • Synonyms.
  • Word Formation
  • Direct and Indirect speech
  • Active and Passive Voice.
  • Para Completion.
  • Idioms and Phrases.
  • Substitution.
  • Joining Sentences.
  • Theme Detection,
  • Topic rearrangement of passage
  • Error Correction (Phrase in Bold).
  • Fill in the blanks.
  • Data Interpretation.
  • Spelling Test.
  • Sentence Completion.
  • Sentence Arrangement.
  • Spelling Test.
  • Sentence Arrangement.
  • Error Correction (Underlined Part).
  • Transformation.
  • Passage Completion.
  • Prepositions.
  • Sentence Improvement.
  • Spotting Errors.
  • Antonyms.
  • Homonyms
Quantitative Aptitude
  • Square Roots.
  • Mixture and Allegations.
  • Partnership Business.
  • Time and Distance.
  • Decimals and Fractions.
  • Relationships between Numbers.
  • Ratio & Proportion.
  • Profit and Loss.
  • Percentages.
  • Interest.
  • Discount.
  • Time & Work.
  • Simple Equations.
  • Mensuration.
  • Boats and Streams.
  • Profit and Loss.
  • Indices and Surds.
  • Simplification and Approximation.
  • Boats and Streams.
  • Problems with Numbers.
  • Odd Man Out.
  • Compound Interest.
  • Profit and Loss.
  • Mixtures and Allegations.
  • Simple Equations.
  • Indices and Surds.
  • Percentages.
  • Numbers and Ages.
  • Ratio and Proportion.
  • Probability.
  • Problems with L.C.M and H.C.F.
  • Time and Distance.
  • Problems with Trains.
  • Areas.
  • Volumes.
  • Races and Games.
  • Averages.
  • Quadratic Equations.
  • Mensuration.
  • Permutations and Combinations.
  • Bar & Graphs,
  • Line charts, Tables
  • Pipes and Cisterns.
  • Simple Interest.
  • Time and Work Partnership.
  • Simplification and Approximation.
  • Pipes and Cisterns.
  • Time and Work, Speed, Distance, and time
  • Partnership.
  • Compound Interest.
  • Numbers and Ages.
  • Probability.
  • Averages.
  • Percentages.
  • Volume and Surface Area,
  • Races and Games.
  • Permutations and Combinations.
  • Quadratic Equations.
  • Time and Distance.
  • Areas.
  • Ratio and Proportion.
  • Odd Man Out.
  • Simple Interest.
  • Mixture and alligation Stocks and shares,
  • Computation of Whole Numbers.
General Knowledge
  • World organizations
  • Science and innovations
  • National and international current affairs
  • Scientific observations
  • Famous Places in India
  • Tourism spots of Historical Importance
  • About India and its neighboring countries
  • Famous Places
  • Books And Author
  • International issues
  • National News
  • Countries and Capitals
  • Economic issues in India
  • Important Dates
  • Political Science
  • Geography of India
  • Music & Literature
  • National Dance
  • Indian Culture
  • New inventions
  • History of India

ICMR Preparation Books

The most preferred source of preparation for the exams is books and the candidates who want to ace the exam must be aware of the books. Furthermore, the ICMR Recruitment exam preparation books are mentioned in the table below:

Books Authors
Verbal and the Non-verbal Reasoning S. Chand
General Knowledge 2021 Manohar Pandey
General English Lucent
Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive exams R S Aggarwal
A Modern Approach to Logical Reasoning Kiran Prakashan
Analytical Reasoning M.K. Pandey
A new approach to Numerical Ability Navratan Singh

ICMR Exam 2026 Study Notes

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) exam is for the candidates to start their careers in the medical field. Subsequently, the exam will be conducted online in a computer-based format. Moreover, the questions will be in a multiple-choice question format and hence, the candidates have to be so sure for the correct answer to be marked. This will be possible by preparing thoroughly by making notes for the exam. Check the ICMR Previous Years’ Question Papers here.

ICMR Eligibility Criteria 2026

The eligibility criteria are a very important aspect that must be fulfilled by the candidates if they want to be the ICMR Recruitment exam aspirant. Three attributes of the eligibility criteria must be fulfilled by the candidates for the ICMR Recruitment exam that is – Nationality, Age, and Educational Qualification.

The detailed Eligibility criteria for different posts for all the attributes are mentioned below.

ICMR Eligibility Criteria For JRF 2026

The detailed eligibility criteria for the ICMR Junior Research Fellowship program in all the attributes are mentioned below.

ICMR JRF Educational Qualifications

The candidates who want to be eligible for the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Junior Research Fellowship must possess the following educational qualifications:

  • The candidates must hold a postgraduate degree in either M.Sc. or M.A. or any other relevant field from a recognized institution with a minimum of 55%.
  • For the reserved category candidates, they can have a minimum percentage of 50% in either M.Sc. or M.A. or any other relevant field from a recognized institution.
  • The candidates whose results are awaited and the final year candidates are also eligible to apply for the exam.

ICMR JRF Age Limit

The candidates who want to be eligible for the Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for Junior Research Fellowship must have their ages in the following:

  • The reserved category candidates can have the maximum age limit of 28 years till September 30, 2026.
  • For OBC Candidates, there will be 3 years of age of relaxation.
  • For SC/ST Candidates, there will be 5 years of age of relaxation.
  • For the PWD Candidates, there will also be a relaxation of 5 years.

ICMR JRF Nationality

The candidate must be an Indian Citizen.

ICMR Eligibility Criteria For Assistant 2026

The detailed eligibility criteria for the ICMR Assistant in all the attributes are mentioned below.

ICMR Educational Qualifications

The candidates who want to be eligible for the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Assistant post must possess the following educational qualifications –

  • The candidate must hold a bachelor's degree from a recognized university or institution in India.
  • Most Importantly, the Candidates must know MS Office and MS PowerPoint.

ICMR Assistant Age Limit

Age limit to appear for the exam or age relaxation based on reserved categories is mentioned in the table below:

Categories Age Relaxation Permissible Beyond the Upper Age Limit
SC/ST 5 Years
OBC 3 Years
PWD 10 years
General Must not exceed the age of more than 30 years

ICMR Assistant Nationality

The candidate must be an Indian Citizen.

ICMR Eligibility Criteria For PA and UDC 2026

The detailed eligibility criteria for the ICMR PA and UDC in all the attributes are mentioned below.

ICMR PA and UDC Educational Qualifications

The candidates who want to be eligible for the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for PA and UDC posts must possess the following educational qualifications:

  • The candidate must hold a bachelor's degree from a recognized university or institution in India.
  • Most Importantly, the Candidates must know MS Office and MS PowerPoint.

ICMR PA and UDC Age Limit

Age limit to appear for the exam or age relaxation based on reserved categories is mentioned in the table below:

Categories Age Relaxation Permissible Beyond the Upper Age Limit
SC/ST 5 Years
OBC 3 Years
PWD 10 years
General Must not exceed the age of more than 30 years

The candidate must be an Indian Citizen.

ICMR Application Form 2026

The candidates who are interested in applying for the post of ICMR Recruitment should look through the eligibility criteria. Those who are eligible can visit the official website to apply for the post. The steps to apply are given below:

ICMR Registration Process

This is the first process for the candidates for getting themselves registered by following the steps given below:

  • Step-1: Visit the ICMR Official website.
  • Step-2: Click on the registration Link.
  • Step-3: Fill in the mandatory fields.
  • Step-4: Click Submit.
  • Step-5: Save the login credentials received on the entered mobile number or Email Id.

ICMR Application Process

The application form is most important to be filled out correctly by the candidates and hence, the candidates have to follow the steps mentioned below to fill the application form.

  • Step-1: Enter the credentials to log in on the official website.
  • Step-2: Click on the application form link and start filling in the mandatory fields.
  • Step-3: Fill in all the qualification details, category details, and whatever is required.
  • Step-4: Furthermore, pay the application fee.
  • Step-5: Submit the application form.
  • Step-6: Take the printout of the application form for further references.

ICMR Application Fees

The Application fees for various ICMR Posts are mentioned in the table below:

Post Name Application fees for Un Reserved Categories Application fees for Reserved Categories
ICMR JRF
  • SC/ST – INR 1,200
  • PWD - NIL
  • General – INR 1,500
  • EWS – INR 1,500
  • OBC – INR 1,500
ICMR Assistant
  • SC/ST – INR 1,200
  • EWS – INR, 1,200
  • Women – INR 1,200
  • PWD - NIL
  • General – INR 1,500
  • OBC – INR 1,500
ICMR PA and UDC
  • SC/ST – INR 300
  • EWS – INR 300
  • PWD - NIL
  • General – INR 300
  • OBC – INR 300

ICMR Admit Card 2026

The admit card will be released on the official website one month before the exam. The candidates can download the ICMR recruitment Admit Card 2026 by following the following steps:

  • Step-1: Visit the Official website of ICMR.
  • Step-2: Find the link to download the ICMR Admit Card.
  • Step-3: Login with the credentials.
  • Step-4: Download the admit Card.
  • Step-5: Take the printout of the admit card on the A4 Size sheet.

Details Mentioned on the ICMR Admit Card

The details mentioned on the ICMR Recruitment 2026 Admit Card are mentioned below:

  • Name of the Candidate
  • Exam Center
  • Exam Center Code
  • Registration Number of Candidates
  • Photo of the candidate
  • E-Signature of the candidate

ICMR Answer Key 2026

The ICMR Answer key is released after a month after the exam is being conducted. The candidates can match their answers with the answer key and analyze their results. Moreover, the most important part of the answer key is that the candidates can raise objections if their answer is correct and the question is wrong.

ICMR Result 2026

The result is the outcome of the exam in which the candidates can see if they’re promoted or demoted to the next round of the selection process. The result will be announced after some days after the release of the answer key. The ICMR Recruitment 2026 result for all the posts will be released on the ICMR Official website.

ICMR Expected Cut-Off Marks 2026

The cut-off for the exam is announced along with the results of the ICMR. One needs to clear the minimum qualifying marks in the computer-based test to be called out for the next round. The cutoff marks for the previous year for all the posts of ICMR are mentioned below.

ICMR JRF Cut-Off Marks

The 2020 Cutoff marks for the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Junior Research Fellowship are mentioned in the table below:

Categories Cut-Off
Unreserved Categories 80 – 90 marks
OBC 78 – 85 marks
SC/ST 73 – 80 marks
Others 70 – 80 marks

ICMR Cut-Off Marks

The 2020 Cutoff marks for the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for Assistant posts are mentioned in the table below:

Categories Cut-Off in %
General 50%
OBC 50%
EWS 50%
SC/ST 40%
PWD 40%

ICMR PA and UDC Cut-Off Marks

The 2020 Cutoff marks for the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for Assistant posts are mentioned in the table below:

Categories Cut-Off in %
General 55%
OBC 55%
SC 50%
ST 50%
PWD 50%

Factors that affect the ICMR Cut-Off

Various factors affect the Indian Council of Medical Research Recruitment exam cutoff of whom some of them are mentioned below:

  • Number of candidates appearing for the exam
  • The difficulty level of the exam
  • Vacancies for the posts
  • Shifts in which the exam is conducted
  • Categories of the candidates

ICMR Salary and Benefits 2026

The Salary of the ICMR Posts ranges from INR 16,000 – INR 1,29,643 along with various allowances such as Dearness Allowances, House Rent Allowances, and so on. The detailed breakage of the ICMR Salary post-wise is mentioned below.

Post Salary
JRF INR 31, 000 (First Three Years) INR 35, 000 (As SRF after promotion)
Assistant INR 35,40 – INR 1,12,400
PA and UDC INR 3,60,000 – INR 4,70,000 Per Annum

The Indian Council of Medical Research posts is very good career options for the candidates because the pay grade and pay scale are good in the posts and the candidates will get different salary growth and various allowances such as House Rent Allowances, Dearness Allowances, Pay Allowance, Bonuses, and most importantly the growth in their career according to the provided service.

ICMR Exam 2026 FAQs

Ques: What is the counseling process after the ICMR Recruitment exam 2026 is conducted?

Ans: The counseling process starts after the month of the exam is conducted. The candidates who qualify for the exam will be considered in the counseling, according to their in the examination. After the counseling process and selection process, the candidates will get a call from the committee for the interview, and the candidates who qualify for the interview will be recruited.

Ques: What is the selection procedure for ICMR Assistant Recruitment 2026?

Ans: The candidates are selected for the ICMR Assistant post based on a computer-based test, skill test, document verification, and medical examination. The candidates will have to score the minimum cut-off in the computer-based test to move to the further rounds.

Ques: What is the Job Profile that is granted to the candidates for ICMR Junior Research Fellowship 2026?

Ans: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for Junior Research Fellowship Assistant candidates will have to conclude the research work which will be done with the expertise department. The Assistant has to submit the annual year reports of the research which are done by the candidate after 10 months from the date of the start in the Junior Research Fellowship as per the standard performance.

Ques: I belong to the ST category, so will I be given any relaxation on the eligibility for ICMR Recruitment 2026?

Ans: Yes, there is age relaxation available for reserved categories. The maximum age for appearing for this exam is 30 years, but the ST candidates get a relaxation of 5 years, so they can appear for the exam up to the age of 35 years.

Ques: How can I Apply for ICMR Recruitment 2026?

Ans: Eligible Indian candidates can apply online for ICMR Recruitment through the online portal https://main.icmr.nic.in after the release of the application form. Eligible candidates must apply before the last date for the Recruitment of ICMR.

Ques: How many attempts are there in the ICMR Exam 2026?

Ans: No, there are no limits on the number of attempts in the ICMR Exam. The candidates can apply any number of times under the upper age limit by fulfilling all the eligibility criteria.

Ques: What are the criteria for ICMR JRF Recruitment 2026?

Ans: To be eligible to apply for the ICMR JRF, candidates must have an M.Sc./M.A. degree with a minimum of 55% from an accredited university. The maximum age for the general category is 28 years old.

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.
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