CSIR NET Maths topic-wise weightage
Every page that answers this question gives you a range. This one gives you a count — of 392 Part B and Part C questions from 4 complete previous-year papers, each mapped to its syllabus topic. The papers, and how much of each one we hold, are listed first so you can judge the number before you read it.
The papers this is counted from
| Paper | Shifts | Subject Qs held | Coverage | Counted? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 2 | 200 of 200 | 100% | yes |
| June 2024 | 1 | 100 of 100 | 100% | yes |
| December 2023 | 1 | 96 of 100 | 96% | yes |
| June 2023 | 1 | 38 of 100 | 38% | excluded — too partial to count |
A paper is counted only when we hold at least 95% of its 100 subject questions per shift. Counting a paper we hold a third of would pull every topic it happens to touch upward and every topic it misses down, invisibly. Of the 396 questions in the counted papers, 392 are mapped to a syllabus topic; the remaining 4 are not yet mapped and are excluded from the percentages below.
Weightage by unit
Analysis & Linear Algebra
123 · 31.4%
Probability & Statistics
115 · 29.3%
ODE, PDE & Applied Mathematics
79 · 20.2%
Complex Analysis, Algebra & Topology
75 · 19.1%
Weightage by topic
The Part C column matters more than the total: Part C carries 95 of the 200 marks and is scored all-or-nothing.
| Topic | Unit | Questions | of which Part C | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Probability | Probability & Statistics | 26 | 16 | 6.6% |
| Estimation | Probability & Statistics | 22 | 13 | 5.6% |
| Eigenvalues and Canonical Forms | Analysis & Linear Algebra | 21 | 15 | 5.4% |
| Rings and Fields | Complex Analysis, Algebra & Topology | 21 | 16 | 5.4% |
| The Real Line | Analysis & Linear Algebra | 21 | 10 | 5.4% |
| Linear Models and Multivariate | Probability & Statistics | 21 | 13 | 5.4% |
| Ordinary Differential Equations | ODE, PDE & Applied Mathematics | 21 | 12 | 5.4% |
| Limit Theorems and Markov Chains | Probability & Statistics | 20 | 11 | 5.1% |
| Hypothesis Testing | Probability & Statistics | 17 | 11 | 4.3% |
| Vector Spaces and Linear Maps | Analysis & Linear Algebra | 17 | 7 | 4.3% |
| Partial Differential Equations | ODE, PDE & Applied Mathematics | 16 | 8 | 4.1% |
| Continuity and Differentiation | Analysis & Linear Algebra | 16 | 9 | 4.1% |
| Groups | Complex Analysis, Algebra & Topology | 15 | 7 | 3.8% |
| Inner Product Spaces and Forms | Analysis & Linear Algebra | 14 | 7 | 3.6% |
| Calculus of Variations | ODE, PDE & Applied Mathematics | 12 | 8 | 3.1% |
| Numerical Analysis | ODE, PDE & Applied Mathematics | 12 | 8 | 3.1% |
| Cauchy Theory | Complex Analysis, Algebra & Topology | 10 | 6 | 2.6% |
| Linear Integral Equations | ODE, PDE & Applied Mathematics | 10 | 8 | 2.6% |
| Analytic Functions | Complex Analysis, Algebra & Topology | 9 | 4 | 2.3% |
| Functions of Several Variables | Analysis & Linear Algebra | 9 | 9 | 2.3% |
| Sampling and Design of Experiments | Probability & Statistics | 9 | 5 | 2.3% |
| Sequences and Series of Functions | Analysis & Linear Algebra | 9 | 5 | 2.3% |
| Classical Mechanics | ODE, PDE & Applied Mathematics | 8 | 4 | 2% |
| Topology | Complex Analysis, Algebra & Topology | 7 | 6 | 1.8% |
| Integration | Analysis & Linear Algebra | 7 | 6 | 1.8% |
| Singularities and Residues | Complex Analysis, Algebra & Topology | 7 | 4 | 1.8% |
| Zeros and Mappings | Complex Analysis, Algebra & Topology | 6 | 2 | 1.5% |
| Lebesgue Measure and Integration | Analysis & Linear Algebra | 4 | 3 | 1% |
| Determinants and Matrix Tricks | Analysis & Linear Algebra | 3 | 2 | 0.8% |
| Metric Spaces | Analysis & Linear Algebra | 2 | 1 | 0.5% |
What this does not tell you
- It is not a forecast. These are counts from papers already sat. The mix moves between sessions, and a topic that carried six questions last December is not owed six in June.
- Weightage is not marks. Part C awards nothing for a partly correct selection, so a heavy topic you half-know can return less than a light one you know completely. Frequency tells you where questions have been, not where your marks are.
- The mapping is ours, not CSIR’s. Each question was assigned to a syllabus topic by hand. A question sitting across two topics was filed under one, and reasonable people would file some of them differently.
- 4 papers is a small sample. Enough to see the shape, not enough to separate a 5% topic from a 4% one. Read the ordering, not the decimal.
Common questions
- Which topic has the highest weightage in CSIR NET Mathematical Sciences?
- Counted across the 4 complete papers on this site, the heaviest topics are Probability, Estimation, Eigenvalues and Canonical Forms, Rings and Fields, The Real Line and Linear Models and Multivariate — each carrying roughly 5 to 7 per cent of the subject questions. No single topic dominates, which is why a plan built around three or four favourites tends to fail.
- How is this topic-wise weightage calculated?
- By counting every Part B and Part C question from the previous-year papers transcribed on this site — 392 of them — mapping each to its syllabus topic, and dividing. Only papers held at 95 per cent or more of their subject questions are counted, and the coverage of each is shown on the page above the results.
- Does high weightage mean I should study that topic first?
- Not on its own. Weightage tells you how often a topic has appeared, not how many marks you can reliably earn from it. Part C is scored all-or-nothing, so a heavy topic you half-know can be worth less than a lighter one you know completely.
- Is the weightage the same every year?
- No. These are counts from past papers, not a forecast, and the mix moves between sessions. Treat them as where the questions have been, not where the next ones must be.