The National Testing Agency (NTA) is expected to release the temporary (provisional) answer key for the CSIR NET 2025 December exam very soon. Students who appeared for the exam on December 18, 2025 , can check their answers on the official NTA CSIR NET website, csirnet.nta.ac.in .
The CSIR NET exam is an important test for students who want to become Junior Research Fellows (JRF) or lecturers in science subjects across Indian universities and colleges. The answer key helps students estimate their scores and find out if any of the official answers might be wrong.
What is the CSIR NET Provisional Answer Key?
The provisional answer key is a first version of the correct answers for all questions asked in the exam. It is not the final answer key. The NTA releases it to allow students to check their own answers against the official ones. This key will be available for all subjects: Chemical Sciences , Earth Sciences , Life Sciences , Mathematical Sciences , and Physical Sciences .
Along with the answer key, students can also download their own 'response sheet'. This sheet shows the answers they marked during the exam. By comparing their response sheet with the provisional answer key, students can understand how they performed.
When to Expect the Answer Key?
Based on previous years, the NTA usually releases the provisional answer key within one to two weeks after the exam date. For example, in the December 2023 session, the answer key came out about nine days after the exam. Following this pattern, students can expect the CSIR NET 2025 December answer key to be released sometime in the last week of December 2025 .
How to Download the CSIR NET Answer Key 2025?
To get your answer key, follow these simple steps:
- Go to the official website: csirnet.nta.ac.in .
- On the homepage, look for a link that says "Provisional Answer Key - CSIR NET December 2025". Click on this link.
- A login page will appear on your screen.
- Enter your application number and password . You can also log in using your application number and date of birth .
- Once logged in, you can view and download both the provisional answer key and your response sheet.
- It is a good idea to download and save a copy of both for your records.
Challenging the Provisional Answer Key
If a student finds any error or mistake in the provisional answer key, they have a chance to challenge it. This means they can tell the NTA that they believe an answer given in the key is wrong. Here's how the process works:
- Students must visit the official website ( csirnet.nta.ac.in ) within the specified dates.
- They will need to provide proof or supporting documents for their challenge.
- A fee is usually charged for each question challenged. This fee must be paid online.
- After the challenge period ends, the NTA will review all the challenges received.
- If a challenge is found to be correct, the NTA will update the answer key.
- Finally, based on the reviewed challenges, the NTA will release the final answer key.
- The CSIR NET 2025 results will then be announced based on this final answer key.
Students should check the official website regularly for the exact dates for answer key release and the last date to challenge questions.
