NEST 2026: Application Form Out, Check Exam Dates, Registration, Admission Process, Counselling,

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. 

NEST 2026 Exam Date

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

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%.

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 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.

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.

NEST 2026 Admit Card

• Admit Card for NEST 2026 will be released on 15^th 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 2026 Exam Centers

• 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.

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. 

• 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 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.

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 12^th 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:

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

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

Second Round Counselling and Admission