CSIR CASE SO/ASO Recruitment 2023, Apply online for 444 vacancies

CSIR CASE Exam Highlight 2023 

The Central Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has released 444 vacancies in the Combined Administrative Service Exam (CASE) for the posts of Assistant Section Officers (ASO) and Section Officers (SO). The application window starts on December 8, 2023. Eligible candidates can apply for this post till January 12, 2024. The best part is, in this exam, you have the option to apply for both posts and order your priority accordingly. Now, let's dive deeper into the details of the CSIR CASE Exam 2023. 

CSIR CASE Exam 2023-24 Notification

The CSIR released the notification for the CSIR CASE Exam on December 8, 2023. Last date to register for this exam is January 12, 2024 and registered candidates can pay the application fees till January 14, 2024. The application charge for this exam is INR 500 for Unreserved, EWS, and OBC categories, and no fees will be charged from Women/SC/ST/PwBD/Ex-Servicemen/CSIR Departmental Candidates.

In the notification, CSIR has announced vacancies for the SO and ASO (Section Officer and Assistant Section Officer posts). The total number of vacancies under the CSIR CASE Exam is 444, out of which 19 vacancies are reserved for PWD (Person with Disability) candidates. Both vacancies are announced for three streams i.e., Generalist, Finance & Accounts, and Store and Purchase. The maximum age limit to apply for this exam is 33 years. The last time the CSIR CASE released notification for these posts was in 2013. This opportunity has come after 10 years. Thus, this makes it one of the most desirable positions for candidates to grab this opportunity. The SO (Section Officer) post is a Gazetted Officer post. Thus, this is a great opportunity for students to try their luck and apply for this exam. 

How to Apply for the CSIR SO/ASO Exam?

Visit the application link csir.cbtexamportal.in and register yourself with all the necessary details about your name, qualifications, etc. Recheck all details before saving them. Upload all the necessary relevant documents, your scanned photograph, signature, etc. Complete the payment process and download your application for future reference. You can get the complete details about the application procedure in the official notification of the CSIR CASE Exam 2023.

CSIR SO/ASO Vacancy 

According to the notification of CSIR Recruitment 2023, the total number of vacancies are 444, out of which 19 vacancies are reserved for the PWD candidates. There are 76 vacancies announced for the Section Officer (SO) post and 368 for the ASO (Assistant Section Officer). The vacancy code for the SO post is 2023101, and for the ASO post, it is 2023102. The number of vacancies can be increased and decreased and are completely provisional in nature. Both the posts under CSIR comprise specific fields, i.e. Generalist, Finance and Accounts, Store and Purchase. Thus, candidates can give their preference for any of the posts in any specialization. However, the allocation of cadres among candidates will be done according to the CSIR merit cum preference pattern. Please refer to the table below to know about the breakdown of the CSIR SO/ASO vacancies. 

CSIR SO/ASO Category Wise Vacancy 

Vacancy for Section Officer (SO)

CSIR SO/ASO Exam Pattern 

As there are two vacancies released for the CSIR CASE Exam, the recruitment process for both exams would be slightly different. There will be three phases for both SO and ASO, and the first two stages for posts will be the same. The stages for the CSIR SO/ASO Exam are:

Stage 1: Objective Paper (For Both Posts)

Stage 2: Descriptive Paper (For Both posts)

Stage 3: Interview (For SO Post Only)

Computer Proficiency Test (Qualifying in Nature for ASO Post Only) 

Please note that the CBT for Stage 1 and Stage 2 will be bilingual except for the English Language section. Furthermore, there will be a negative marking of 0.33 mark for every wrong answer. 

After the candidate qualifies the Stage 1 and Stage 2, the merit will be calculated according to the combined marks obtained in both exams. An average will be calculated to create the final merit, and further recruitment will be performed accordingly.

Please refer to the table below to have a clear understanding of the CSIR SO/ASO Exam Pattern: 

CSIR SO/ASO Exam Syllabus

Before applying for the CSIR SO/ASO exam, it is essential for you to know about the syllabus for all the stages of this exam for both posts. The first two stages for the stages are same. Still, it is essential to know about the syllabus for objective and descriptive papers. Please refer to the CSIR SO/AFO syllabus for further details about the CSIR Exam 2023-24.

CSIR SO/ASO Exam Calendar 

According to the official notification of the CSIR Exam 2023-24, phase 1 of CSIR SO/ASO exam was notified to be held in February 2024. Now CSIR, in a new notification on January 17, 2024 has released the exam dates for the SO/ASO Stage 1, which is scheduled to be held on February 05 to February 20, 2024. The Stage 1 exam comprises of two papers, Paper 1 and Paper 2 and will be conducted in two sessions, morning and afternoon, respectively. The application window for CSIR SO/ASO exam was open till January 12, 2024 and the last date to remit the application fees was till January 14, 2024.  The rest of the dates regarding Phase 2 exam will be announced by CSIR later on their website. 

Exam Centre

At the time of the application, you will be given the choice to choose exam centers according to your preference. However, the list of exam centers will include centres across the nation. You can choose out of those centres which is close to your location. Please refer to the table below to get the full list of the exam centres of CSIR Exam 2023-24. 

Examination Cities for Stage I (Paper I and Paper II) Examination

Application Fees

The application fees for the CSIR SO/ASO is INR 500/-. But if you belong to either of the Women/SC/ST/PwBD/Ex-Servicemen/CSIR Departmental categories, then no fee will be taken from you. Please refer to the table below to know about the application fees for the CSIR CASE SO/ASO 2023 exam. 

CSIR SO/ASO Exam Salary 

The CSIR SO and ASO is one of the most prestigious and Grade A level posts. Therefore, the salary of these posts is going to be really lucrative. The salary for both posts depends on the level of their rank and experience. But the candidates, after being selected for these posts, will get various perks and allowances along with the basic salary. Those allowances include House rent allowance (HRA), Dearness Allowance (DA), Medical allowances, and much more. 

The CSIR SO (Section officer) is a Gazetted Officer rank, thus, selected candidates are going to get a salary and allowances similar to other gazetted rank officers. On the other hand, an ASO (Assistant Section Officer) is something that will boost your career in a really effective manner. 

Please refer to the table below to know about the salary structure of CSIR SO and ASO.  

Pension System for CSIR SO and ASO

The CSIR Recruitment 2023 Notification PDF talks about the CSIR SO ASO Salary 2023 and the Pension System. The positions will follow the New Pension System from January 1, 2004, as notified by the Indian Government. But, if someone is chosen from other government departments, autonomous bodies, public sector undertakings, and central universities with a pension scheme following the Indian government's pattern, they will stick to the existing Pension Scheme, namely, The CCS (Pension) Rules, 2021, as per the rules.

Job Responsibilities of a CSIR SO 

• Conduct scientific research and experiments.
• Analyze data and interpret results.
• Collaborate with team members on projects.
• Prepare reports and documentation.
• Stay updated on latest scientific advancements.

Job Responsibilities of a CSIR ASO 

• Assist in administrative tasks and coordination.
• Handle office paperwork and correspondence.
• Support in organizing meetings and events.
• Maintain records and files systematically.
• Assist senior staff in day-to-day activities.

CSIR SO/ASO Eligibility Criteria 

There are two types of eligibility criteria that include age and education. For the CSIR exam 2023, the educational criteria for both SO and ASO posts are graduation in any discipline from a recognized university. When it comes to age eligibility, the maximum age to apply for both SO or ASO posts is 33 years. Whereas category-wise relaxation is given to certain aspirants. Please refer to the table below to know about the age criteria and relaxation given to various categories in the CSIR Recruitment 2023. 

CSIR SO/ASO Age Criteria 

CSIR SO/ASO Age Relaxation

Apart from basic Age criteria of a maximum age not exceeding 33 years. Some relaxations are given to candidates from various categories. Thus it is essential for you to know about those relaxations before you apply for the CSIR SO/ASO Exam. Please refer to the table below to know about the category-wise age relations given to the candidates. 

CSIR SO Educational Criteria

Apart from the Age criteria, Educational criteria are something you should be aware of, if you are someone willing to apply for the CSIR SO/ASO exam 2023. Thus, you should know about what are the Educational criteria for this exam. Please refer to the table below to know in detail about the educational qualification needed for the CSIR SO/ASO Exam. 

CSIR SO/ASO Study Material

As the CSIR Exam Notification has been released after ten years, it is important to know that you will not find any fresh study resources easily, Therefore, ixamBee has made this search easy for you; we have come up with some CSIR SO/ASO Free Mock tests just for you to make your preparation process easier and smooth. Not only this, we have also gathered some previous year papers of CSIR exam just for you. Our motive is to make your preparation process handy and easy, thus we provide you with all the necessary study materials in one place. 

CSIR SO/ASO Online Course 

When there is hope, there is a way. We recommend you prepare with the motive of becoming a CSOR Officer instead of just cracking the CSIR exam. For that matter, we want to make your learning experience much easier and effective. Thus, we have come up with a CSIR SO/ASO Online course specially curated by the handholding faculty of ixamBee. Our expert faculties are experienced enough and have years of experience in preparing students for Government competitive exams. Also, many of our faculty members have industry experience working at SEBI, RBI, SIDBI, and many other prestigious government organisations.