NEST 2026 Application Form, Eligibility Criteria, Exam Date, Syllabus

The National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) exam is conducted jointly by the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar and Mumbai University - Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CEBS), Mumbai. The NEST exam is a national-level entrance exam that is conducted annually for the students seeking admission to a 5-year Integrated MSc Program in Basic Sciences – Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics.

NEST Exam 2026

The exam-conducting official authorities will release the NEST 2026 Exam notification, consisting of the exam date, admit card, and other important details. The notification PDF will discuss the NEST 2026 exam syllabus, exam pattern, etc. The candidates willing to pursue Integrated MSc Programmes must keep an eye on the official notifications and updates. The NEST 2026 Exam Notification will be released on the official website- www.nestexam.in. 

NEST 2026 

NEST Exam 2026 is expected to be conducted in online mode. Candidates can get admission into the Integrated M.Sc Courses by qualifying for this exam. Candidates must keep pace with the NEST exam 2026 ongoing events to appear for the exam. Check out this article to know the details of the NEST exam.

NEST 2026 Dates

Candidates are advised to complete all the exam formalities much before the deadlines to avoid the last-moment rush. The candidates must keep themselves updated with all the NEST Exam 2026 important dates to not miss any of the events. 

NEST Exam 2026 Eligibility Criteria

The official authorities are responsible for announcing the NEST Exam eligibility criteria. The students who are eligible as per the conditions mentioned can only appear for the NEST exam. Candidates must check the NEST Exam 2026 eligibility criteria before filling out the application forms.

Documents required for NEST Exam 2026 Application Form Filling

The below-listed documents must be kept handy by the candidates while filling out the NEST Exam 2026 Application Form. The documents must be uploaded in the specified format to avoid the rejection of candidature.

1. Passport size photograph & signature of the candidate should be in jpg/ jpeg format and the image size should not be more than 80 kb.
2. Graduation Degree/ Mark sheet
3. Left-Hand thumb impression of the candidate
4. Class 10th certificate of the candidate
5. Post Card size photograph of the candidate, etc.

NEST Exam 2026 Application Fee

Candidates were required to pay the NEST 2026 Application fee to register for the exam. The application fee payment is the last step towards filling out the application form. The NEST Application Fee can be paid online via Credit card/Debit card/Net banking/UPI. The table below discusses the amount to be paid by different categories of students.

Steps to fill out the NEST 2026 Application form

The candidates might not get the facility to correct the mistakes made in the NEST Exam 2026 application form. So it is advised to all the candidates to fill out the application form very carefully and not make any mistakes. Candidates may refer to the steps given below to guide themselves while filling out the application form.

1. Visit the official website of NEST 2026- www.nestexam.in.
2. Click on the ‘New candidates’ registration link and fill out the online registration form to register.
3. Fill out the registration form with all the necessary details such as Name, Date of Birth, roll number of High School, Mobile number, email id, etc., then fill in the captcha code and click on ‘Register’.
4. Candidates will then receive the user id and password for the application form through SMS or Email.
5. Candidates will then be required to log in to the website and fill in all the details in the application form.
6. The details like Personal, Academic, communicational, exam centre, etc. must be filled in the application form.
7. Candidates will then have to upload the required documents in the prescribed format.
8. Select the payment gateways & complete the transaction.
9. After the completion of the transaction of the application fee, candidates must take the printout of the fee receipt and the filled-in Application form for future reference.

NEST 2026 Exam Date

The NISER, Bhubaneshwar and UM-DAE CEBS, Mumbai will announce the NEST 2026 Exam Date on its official website, i.e., www.nestexam.in. As per the updated schedule, the NEST 2026 Exam is expected to be successfully conducted in June 2026. All the students who are to appear for the National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) 2026 in order to get admission to the 5-year Integrated MSc Program in Basic Sciences – Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics.

NEST 2026 Admit Card

After the successful completion of the NEST 2026 Registration process, the NISER, Bhubaneshwar and UM-DAE CEBS, Mumbai will release the NEST 2026 Admit card in June 2026. As soon as the admit cards are released all the candidates who have successfully registered themselves for the National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) 2026 will be able to access their admit cards by simply visiting the official website www.nestexam.in. They will be required to enter their essential login credentials for downloading the admit cards.

NEST 2026 Exam Pattern

The NEST Exam Pattern is specified by the exam conducting authorities which gives the candidates some clarification regarding the pattern of questions to be asked in the exam. The NEST exam 2026 will be a Computer-Based Test (CBT) online exam that will consist of multiple-choice questions. The candidates will have 4 hours to complete the exam and the total marks for the paper will be 200. 

1. There will be 4 different sections in the question paper including subjects like physics, chemistry, mathematics, and biology.
2. Each subject will contain 17 questions of which 12 questions will be single correct answer MCQs & 5 questions will be multiple correct answer MCQs.
3. Every correct answer will earn 2.5 marks & for multiple correct answer MCQs 4 marks will be awarded.
4. No marks will be deducted for multiple correct answer MCQs & 1 mark will be deducted for single correct answer MCQs.

NEST 2026 Syllabus

The NEST Exam Syllabus is mostly based on the topics that the candidates studied in their classes 11 and 12. The Syllabus includes the important topics from 4 sections namely physics, chemistry, biology, and maths. Candidates must refer to the NEST Exam 2026 Syllabus before starting with their preparations to have better chances on qualifying for the exam.

NEST Cut Off 2026

The NEST Cut-Off 2026 is expected to be released on July 2026. This cut-off marks the minimum score required for admission to various science and research programs. Candidates who meet or exceed the cut-off will be eligible for further rounds of the admission process. The cut-off varies based on the category of the candidates and the specific programs they are applying to. It's essential for candidates to check the official NEST website for the exact cutoff details and ensure they have all the necessary documents ready for the next steps.

NEST Result 2026

The NISER, Bhubaneshwar, and UM-DAE CEBS, Mumbai, will announce the results of the National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) 2026 in July 2026 at its official website. To check and download the NEST Result 2026 candidates are required to log in to the official portal www.nestexam.in using their respective application number and roll number as login credentials. Along with the NEST Result 2026 the authorities will soon be releasing the NEST Counselling Schedule 2026 after which the qualifying candidates will be able to register and appear for the NEST Counselling 2026.