CSIR ASO Syllabus 2026 - Exam Pattern, Selection Process & Subject-Wise Topics

Overview

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has released the syllabus and exam pattern for Assistant Section Officer (ASO). Full subject-wise topics and the marking scheme are given below.

Key Details

Organization
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
Vacancies
Reported as 100 posts in available sources not confirmed against an official CSIR notification

Important Links

Exam Pattern

Stage: Paper | Section | Type | Maximum Marks | Duration Stage 1: Paper I | General Awareness | Objective | 100 Marks | 1 Hour English Language and Comprehension: Objective | 100 Marks | 1 Hour Paper II: General Intelligence, Reasoning and Mental Ability | Objective | 100 Marks | 1 Hour Stage 2: Paper III | English/Hindi - Descriptive | Descriptive | 100 Marks | 1 Hour Important discrepancy to verify: The source material states in one place that "the CSIR exam comprises a total of 200 multiple-choice questions," while the stage-wise breakup above (taken from the same source) totals 350 objective questions across Paper I and Paper II. I have not resolved this conflict by guessing candidates should confirm the exact question count against the official notification before relying on it. Each wrong answer in the objective papers carries a deduction of 0.25 marks.

Syllabus

The written exam is split into three papers. Below is the subject-wise topic breakdown as found in available source material.

Selection Process

Stage 1 (Paper I & Paper II - Objective), Stage 2 (Paper III - Descriptive), Stage 3 (Computer Proficiency Test)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the selection process?

Stage 1 (Paper I & Paper II - Objective), Stage 2 (Paper III - Descriptive), Stage 3 (Computer Proficiency Test)