National Entrance Screening Test 2026 schedule has been released on the official website: nestexam.in. The online application process for NEST 2026 has been started on January 5, 2026 and will remain open till April 6, 2026 at 11:30 PM. 

The exam will be conducted in a single session on June 6, 2026, across different exam centres. Registered candidates will be able to download their admit cards from the official website starting May 15, 2026.

NEST 2026 Important Dates

What is NEST 2026?

NEST is a mandatory test for admission to the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, and the University of Mumbai - Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CEBS), Mumbai. Established in 2007 by the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India, both institutions aim to train scientific professionals for advanced research and contribute to the scientific initiatives of the Department of Atomic Energy and other applied science institutions in India. 

Table of Contents

  1. NEST 2026 Highlights
  2. NEST 2026 Exam Date
  3. NEST 2026 Eligibility Criteria
  4. NEST 2026 Application Form
  5. NEST 2026 Admit Card
  6. NEST 2026 Exam Centers
  7. NEST 2026 Exam Pattern
  8. NEST 2026 Syllabus
  9. NEST 2026 Preparation
  10. NEST 2026 Books
  11. NEST 2026 Result
  12. NEST 2026 Counselling
  13. NEST 2026 FAQs 
NEST Exam Dates

NEST 2026 Exam Date

Candidates can check the official NEST 2026 Exam Dates tabulated below:

Date Events
January 5, 2026 (10 AM) NEST 2026 Registration Begins on
April 6, 2026 (11:30 PM) Last day to submit NEST 2026 Application Form 
April 13–14, 2026 NEST 2026 Form Correction Window 
May 15, 2026 (10 AM) Issue of NEST 2026 Admit Card 
June 6, 2026 (2 PM) NEST 2026 Exam Date
TBA NEST 2026 Answer Key
TBA Raise Objections Against Answer Key
TBA Release of NEST 2026 Result 
TBA Release of NEST 2026 Subject-wise Cutoff

NEST 2026 Eligibility Criteria

NEST Eligibility Criteria comprises several norms and rules that all candidates must satisfy before applying for the entrance test. Some of the important Eligibility Criteria for NEST 2026 are discussed below:-

Age Criteria

  • Candidate’s date of birth must not be before August 2001.
  • This holds true for general and OBC candidates.
  • There are a total of five years of relaxation for SC/ ST candidates. 

Educational Qualification

  • Clear the 12th Standard examination or equivalent in 2024, 2025, or be appearing for the 12th Standard examination or equivalent in 2026, regardless of category.
  • Secure a position in the NEST 2026 merit list.
  • Candidates must have Mathematics as the mandatory subject in 10+2 exam.
  • Other mandatory subjects are physics, chemistry, biology or life science subjects.

Minimum Marks Required

  • Attain at least 60% marks in aggregate (or equivalent grade) in Class XII examination from any recognized Board in India. For SC, ST, and Divyangjan candidates, the minimum requirement is 55%.

State-wise Quota

  • Candidates from J & K, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana state have a quota of 15%.

Summary of Eligibility Criteria

A candidate becomes eligible for the programme when he/she satisfies following all four criteria:

  1. (a) Secures a position in the NEST merit list. Please refer to page 10 of this document for the rules of merit list preparation.
  2. (b) Pass the XII standard board examination or equivalent in the science stream in the years 2024 or 2025 or appeared in 2026 from any recognised Higher Secondary Education Board in India.
  3. (c) Secures at least 60% in aggregate in the XII standard board examination. For SC/ST/Divyangjan candidates the requirement is 55%.
  4. (d) Born on or after August 01, 2001. For SC/ST/Divyangjan students the limit is relaxed by five years.

Note: Necessary certificates supporting eligibility criteria have to be furnished only at the time of admission. Offer of admission is subject to verification of all original certificates at the time of admission/counselling and availability of seats. Certificates in support of eligibility criteria need not be produced for appearing in NEST 2026 examination.

NEST Application Form

NEST 2026 Application Form

NEST 2026 Application Form can be filled online at the official website of NEST i.e. nestexam.in. Follow the below steps to learn how to register for NEST 2026:

  1. Visit the official website of NEST i.e. nestexam.in.
  2. Click on the link ‘Apply Online’ link on NEST 2026 website to reach the online application page. 
  3. Enter the required credentials i.e. name, valid email id and a password of their choice in a window. 
  4. Candidates will then receive an email containing a link to confirm the registration.
  5. After confirmation, provide the same email id & password, enter the secret code and click on ‘Login’ in the window.
  6. NEST 2026 Application Process allows multi-session data entry.
  7. If the candidate forgets their password then click ‘forgot password’ link.
  8. For safety reasons, candidates are allowed to retrieve the password only twice.
application
The application form page for NEST 2026 will look like the above image.

NEST 2026 Application Fee

  • NEST 2026 Application Fee needs to be paid in online mode using debit/ credit card or net banking.
  • There is no option of sending a demand draft to the council for the fee.
  • NISER Conducting body has clearly mentioned that no center will physically collect the application fee from students.
  • Below is the fee structure that NEST 2026 follows. Based on the category, applicants need to pay the fee.
Category NEST Application Fee 
General/ OBC/ EWS INR 1400
SC/ ST/ PWD/ Female  INR 700
NEST Admit Card

NEST 2026 Admit Card

  • Admit Card for NEST 2026 will be released on 15th May 2026.
  • All the applicants should carry the admit card to the NEST 2026 Exam Center along with a valid Photo ID issued by Govt. Of India.
  • The Hall Ticket is to be downloaded from NEST official website – nestexam.in
  • No candidate will receive NEST Admit card via e-mail or post.
  • Any discrepancy in the details provided during NEST 2026 Registration and mentioned on admit card should be immediately reported to the concerned authorities.
NEST Exam Centers

NEST 2026 Exam Centers

Candidates must choose 5 (five) centres in order of their preference while filling up of the application form.

  • NISER is the allocating authority which reserves the rights to allocate NEST Exam Center to all candidates.
  • The allotted Exam Center will be indicated on the NEST Admit Card.
  • Candidates have to mention the choice of NEST Exam center with the state code in which it is located.
Center Code Center Code Center Code Center Code
Guntur [AP] 01 Mangaluru (Mangalore) [KA]  25 Angul [OD]  49 Tirunelveli [TN]  73
Kurnool [AP]  02 Mysuru [KA]  26 Balasore [OD]  50 Hyderabad [TS]  74
Rajahmundry [AP]  03 Alappuzha [KL]  27 Bargarh [OD]  51 Karimnagar [TS]  75
Tirupathi [AP]  04 Ernakulam [KL]  28 Baripada [OD]  52 Warangal [TS]  76
Vijayawada [AP]  05 Idukki [KL]  29 Berhampur-Ganjam [OD]  53 Agartala [TR]  77
Visakhapatnam [AP]  06 Kannur [KL]  30 Bhubaneswar [OD]  54 Allahabad [UP]  78
Vizianagaram [AP]  07 Kasaragod [KL]  31 Cuttack [OD]  55 Kanpur [UP]  79
Guwahati [AS]  08 Kollam [KL]  32 Dhenkanal [OD]  56 Lucknow [UP]  80
Patna [BR]  09 Kottayam [KL]  33 Jharsuguda [OD]  57 Noida [UP] 81
Chandigarh [CH]  10 Kozhikode [KL]  34 Khurda [OD]  58 Varanasi [UP]  82
Bhilai Nagar [CG]  11 Malappuram [KL]  35 Rayagada [OD]  59 Dehradun [UK]  83
Raipur [CG]  12 Palakkad [KL]  36 Rourkela [OD]  60 Haldwani [UK]  84
New Delhi [DL]  13 Pathanamthitta [KL]  37 Sambalpur [OD]  61 Roorkee [UK]  85
Ahmedabad [GJ]  14 Thiruvananthapuram [KL] 38 Bhatinda [PB]  62 Asansol [WB]  86
Hamirpur [HP]  15 Thrissur [KL]  39 Jalandhar [PB]  63 Burdwan [WB]  87
Shimla [HP]  16 Bhopal [MP]  40 Mohali [PB]  64 Durgapur [WB]  88
Jammu [JK]  17 Gwalior [MP]  41 Jaipur [RJ]  65 Hooghly [WB]  89
Srinagar [JK]  18 Indore [MP]  42 Jodhpur [RJ]  66 Kolkata [WB]  90
Bokaro [JH]  19 Jabalpur [MP]  43 Udaipur [RJ] 67 Siliguri [WB]  91
Dhanbad [JH]  20 Mumbai [MH]  44 Chennai [TN]  68 - -
Jamshedpur [JH]  21 Nagpur [MH]  45 Coimbatore [TN]  69 - -
Ranchi [JH]  22 Pune [MH]  46 Madurai [TN]  70 - -
Bengaluru [KA]  23 Imphal [MN]  47 Salem [TN]  71 - -
Hubballi [KA]  24 Shillong [ML]  48 Tiruchirappalli [TN]  72 -
NEST Exam Pattern

NEST 2026 Exam Pattern

NEST Exam Pattern describes the complete paper pattern, subject-wise marking scheme, distribution of marks, time duration and alike. On June 6, 2026 NEST will be conducted in single session: 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM. 

NEST 2026 will be conducted in Computer-Based Test mode.

  • The question paper will be published in English language only.
  • Questions will be in the form of MCQs.
  • The total exam duration will be of 3 hours.
  • There will 5 sections, each of 50 marks but the general section will carry 30 marks.
  • The whole question paper will consist of 230 marks.
  • There is no negative marking in General section. However, a negative marking is applied in the subject section.
NEST Syllabus

NEST 2026 Syllabus

The content of the exam will depend broadly on the syllabus that candidates studied in their class 11 and 12. The exam has five sections.

General Section There is no specific syllabus for this section. The questions are designed in a way to test a candidate’s hold over General Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, Astronomy, Computer Science and Environmental Studies.) There may be certain questions that will test a candidate’s grasp over basic mathematics. 
Biology
  • Cell Biology
  • Genetics and Evolution
  • Ecology
  • Humans and Environment
  • Biotechnology
  • Biology of Animal systems
  • Developmental Biology
  • Immunology
  • Biology of Plant systems
  • Systematics
Chemistry Physical Chemistry:
  • Measurements in chemistry
  • Mole concept
  • Gaseous and liquid states
  • Atomic structure and chemical bonding
  • Thermodynamics
  • Chemical equilibrium
  • Solid state
  • Solutions
  • Surface chemistry
  • Classification of elements and periodicity in properties 
  • s– Block elements
  • p– Block elements
  • Coordination compounds
  • Metals and metallurgy
Organic Chemistry: 
  • Basic concepts
  • Reactive intermediates 
  • Nomenclature
  • Alkenes and Alkynes
  • Aromatic compounds
  • Haloalkanes (Alkyl halides)
  • Phenols
  • Ethers
  • Aldehydes and Ketones 
  • Amines
  • Carbohydrate
  • Amino acids and proteins
  • Polymers
Mathematics
  • Algebra
  • Trigonometry
  • Analytical geometry
  • Differential calculus
  • Integral calculus
  • Vectors
Physics
  • General Physics
  • Sound and mechanical waves
  • Thermal physics
  • Electricity and magnetism
  • Optics
  • Modern physics
NEST Preparation

NEST 2026 Preparation

  • Candidates must familiarize themselves with the syllabus and plan their study accordingly.
  • The science syllabus of NEST is similar to that of NCERT or CBSE such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology. None of these papers can be neglected.
  • Even though the exam has been postponed candidates must keep preparing on a regular basis as the exam can be conducted anytime with the ease of lockdown.
  • The basic and fundamentals concepts of 12th standard science must be understood properly to ace the exam.
  • A sound Knowledge of multiple subjects can help candidates avoid negative marks.
  • Solving past year questions papers along with mock test are very helpful when it comes to advanced preparation.

NEST 2026 Books

Below are the list of books one can use for preparation purpose:

Name of the book Publisher or author ISBN
Modern ABC of Textbook Chemistry Dr. S.P.Jauhar 9351841219
Physical Chemistry P.Bahadur 9382314423
Aptitude Test problems in Physics S.S Krotov 9350941449
Concepts of Physics H.C. Verma 8177091875
Genetic Engineering P.S Verma B00QUYL11W
Genetics P.S Verma B01AWECMIG
Objective Biology M.P. Tyagi and J.P Goyal 818722374X
Integral Calculus Amit M. Agarwal 9311126225
Skills in Mathematics Coordinates Geometry for IIT JEE S.K Goyal 9351761401
NEST Result

NEST 2026 Result

NEST 2026 exam result will be declared after the exams. Candidates are advised to keep checking the official website for all important updates. The result will reflect on the official website on a tab that will read result 2026. The steps candidates need to follow in order to check the result are:

  • Login to official website using user id and password credentials.
  • Click on result tab ‘NEST 2026 Result’
  • Download the result along with answer key.
  • Check the cut-off score.
  • The scorecard will give a brief understanding about the merit list.
  • Based on the result and merit list the final list of candidates will be released.
  • This list will focus on the applicants who are selected for student counselling.

NEST 2025 Cutoff

NISER released NEST 2025 subject and category-wise cut off as tabulated below.  

Section-wise Minimum Admissible Score

Subject Gen/EWS/JK OBC SC/ST/PwD
Biology 8.652 7.7868 4.326
Chemistry 9.646 8.6814 4.832
Mathematics 9.83794 8.854146 4.91897
Physics 9.81 8.829 4.905

Minimum Admissible Score for Merit List

Category Percentile
General / General-EWS >=95
OBC-NCL >=90
SC/ST/Divyangjan/JK >=75

NEST 2026 Counselling

NEST 2026 counselling will be conducted after the announcement of NEST 2026 result. The selected aspirants will be allotted dates and venues for the counselling. This is the final step to get admission to the five years integrated program. The final merit list is uploaded on the official website. Candidates are requested to check the official website for NEST 2026 for the list. Based on the list and location of the candidate, a venue will be suggested along with the date and time. Candidates need to appear on the mentioned date and time on that venue for NEST Counselling. The schedule of counselling is tabulated below:

First Round Counselling and Admission

Event (First Round)

Date

Emails being sent to qualified candidates for 1st admission round

To be announced

Last date to submit Expression of Interest (EOI)

To be announced

Link Available to Upload Documents

To be announced

Last date to upload documents

To be announced

Payment Window Opens

To be announced

Payment Window Closes

To be announced

Second Round Counselling and Admission

Event (Second Round)

Date

Link Available to Upload Documents

To be announced

Last date to upload documents

To be announced

Payment Window Opens

To be announced

Payment Window Closes

To be announced

Third Round Counselling and Admission

Event (Third Round)

Date

Link Available to Upload Documents

To be announced

Last date to upload documents

To be announced

Payment Window Opens

To be announced

Payment Window Closes

To be announced

Important Documents to be carried for counselling are as follows:

  • Mark sheets till 10+2.
  • Incase candidate has already done some diploma course post twelfth then the mark sheet for the same is also required.
  • Along with mark sheet certificate is also required.
  • Either of the address proofs likes; voter id card, Aadhar card, bank passbook, LIC policy document, ration card or any other government address proof.
  • Id proof like; driving license, pan card, voter id card, Aadhar card, 10+2 admit card or any other document issued by Government of India authority.
  • In case of SC and ST candidates, government certificate for class category is essential to submit.
  • Candidates need to carry minimum of three passport-sized photos with themselves.

There are main two rounds that take place; one is group discussion and the other is personal interview:

  • In group discussion candidate’s in-depth knowledge is checked.
  • In personal interview, candidates are counselled and mentally prepared for the course they are aspiring.
  • Since it is a five-year integrated course so students need to really focus on their real aspiration towards a specific course.
NEST Eligibility Criteria

NEST 2026 FAQs

NEST Exam FAQs

Ques. Who all can appear for NEST 2026?

Ans. Candidates who wish to pursue M.Sc in basic sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics) in a 5 year integrated programme offered at NISER and UM-DAE CEBS, will have to appear for NEST 2026.

Ques. What is the difficulty level of NEST 2026?

Ans. NEST is not difficult for candidates who have clarity in basic concepts of science. The questions in the paper are asked from class 11 and 12 syllabi. 

Ques. Which is tougher: JEE Main or NEST?

Ans. NEST comprises of multiple choice questions asked from basic concepts of science stream. The overall dificulty level of the exam is not much high. However, in comparison to JEE Main, NEST is termed to be easier by experts.

Ques. What steps do I need to take incase I forget my login credentials?

Ans. In a case wherein you forget your login credentials, you need to click on ‘Forgot password?’ option. Then you can reset your password by clicking on the ‘Reset Password’ option. For resetting your password, the NEST officials will send the required details to your registered email ID and mobile numbers.

Ques. I did not have Mathematics as a subject in Class 12. I belong to PCB stream. Am I eleigible to apply for NEST 2026?

Ans. Yes. You can apply for NEST 2026 even if you belong to PCB stream as the paper includes a General Section which needs to be attempted by all. Besides that, other 4 sections are optional and a candidate can attempt questions according to his/her understanding.