Contents
NEST 2024 will be held on 30 June 2024. NEST 2024 is conducted by NISER and UM DAE CEBS. National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) is a test conducted for admissions to the Integrated MSc program in basic sciences – Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics at 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 CBS), Mumbai. Both NISER and UM-DAE CBS were set up by the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India in 2007. All the candidates admitted to 5-year Integrated MSc program at NISER and CBS are eligible for INSPIRE, Govt. of India, scholarship of ₹5,000/- per month and ₹20,000/- per year for carrying out summer projects.
NEST 2024 exam date has been announced and registration started on 3 April 2024.
NEST Exam
NISER will have 130+2 seats including reserved seats for SC/ST/OBC/PD candidates and two seats for candidates from the state of J&K as per Government norms. UM-DAE CBS will have 45+2 seats this year with reservations as per government norms, including two seats for candidates from the state of J&K and reservation for persons with disability (PD).
The test is conducted in around 59 cities (over 100 venues) across India. This page gives the detailed procedure for applying for the test, the syllabus of the test and various deadlines
Quick Links:
NEST 2024 Important Dates
| Events | Dates |
|---|---|
| Release of NEST Application Form | 03 Apr 2024 |
| Application Form Last Date | 31 May 2024 |
| Correction & Update Window | As per NISER and UM DAE CEBS |
| Mock test opens | As per NISER and UM DAE CEBS |
| Admit Card Release Date | 15 Jun 2024 |
| NEST 2024 Exam Date | 30 Jun 2024 |
| Publication of Answer Key | As per NISER and UM DAE CEBS |
| NEST Result Announcement Date | 10 Jul 2024 |
Eligibility Criteria
Educational Qualification
Candidates seeking admission to NISER and UM–DAE CEBS for the Integrated MSc programme should be from the regular science stream in classes XI and XII. All aspiring candidates must write the NEST examination.
Also, candidates must secure at least 60% marks in aggregate or equivalent grade in class XII examination to be eligible for admission to NISER and CEBS. Candidates satisfying all the above criteria will be considered for admission strictly based on the Merit List of NEST. For candidates belonging to scheduled castes (SC), scheduled tribes (ST) and Divyangjan categories, the minimum requirement of marks is relaxed to 55% in aggregate or equivalent grade in class XII examination. Where only letter grades are available, a certificate from the concerned Board specifying equivalent percentage of marks is required to be submitted. In absence of such a certificate, the decision of the admissions committee of the concerned institution will be final.
At least 60% marks in aggregate (or equivalent grade) in Class XII examination from any recognized Board in India. For Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates and for Divyangjan candidates, the minimum requirement is 55%. Candidate should secure a position in the NEST merit list.
Age Limit
Candidates in the General and OBC categories should be born on or after August 1 of appearing examination year. The age limit is relaxed by 5 years for SC / ST / Physically Disabled (PD) candidates.
For OBC candidates, the OBC (NCL) certificate must have been issued on or after June 01 of the examination year
NEST Exam Centers
| Agartala (TR) | 01 | Dehradun (UK) | 16 | Jamshedpur (JH) | 31 | Ranchi (JH) | 46 |
| Ahmedabad (GJ) | 02 | Delhi-East (DL) | 17 | Jodhpur (RJ) | 32 | Rourkela (OD) | 47 |
| Allahabad (UP) | 03 | Delhi-North (DL) | 18 | Kanpur(UP) | 33 | Sambalpur (OD) | 48 |
| Balangir (OD) | 04 | Delhi-South (DL) | 19 | Kochi (KL) | 34 | Shillong (ML) | 49 |
| Balasore (OD) | 05 | Dhanbad (JH) | 20 | Kolkata-North (WB) | 35 | Shimla (HP) | 50 |
| Bengaluru (KA) | 06 | Dharwad (KA) | 21 | Kolkata-South (WB) | 36 | Siliguri (WB) | 51 |
| Berhampur (OD) | 07 | Durgapur (WB) | 22 | Koraput (OD) | 37 | Srinagar (JK) | 52 |
| Bhopal (MP) | 08 | Ghaziabad (UP) | 23 | Lucknow (UP) | 38 | Thiruvananthapuram (KL) | 53 |
| Bhubaneswar (OD) | 09 | Guwahati (AS) | 24 | Madurai (TN) | 39 | Thrissur (KL) | 54 |
| Burdwan (WB) | 10 | Gwalior (MP) | 25 | Mangalore (KA) | 40 | Tiruchirappalli (TN) | 55 |
| Calicut (KL) | 11 | Hyderabad (AP/TS) | 26 | Mumbai (MH) | 41 | Udaipur (RJ) | 56 |
| Chandigarh (CH) | 12 | Imphal (MN) | 27 | Nagpur (MH) | 42 | Varanasi (UP) | 57 |
| Chennai (TN) | 13 | Indore (MP) | 28 | Patna (BR) | 43 | Vijayawada (AP) | 58 |
| Coimbatore (TN) | 14 | Jaipur (RJ) | 29 | Pune (MH) | 44 | Visakhapatnam (AP) | 59 |
| Cuttack (OD) | 15 | Jammu (JK) | 30 | Raipur (CG) | 45 | – | – |
NEST Exam Pattern
The NEST question will be in the English language only.
| Section | Marks |
|---|---|
| Biology | 50 marks |
| Chemistry | 50 marks |
| Mathematics | 50 marks |
| Physics | 50 marks |
The questions are designed to test candidates’ subject comprehension and analytic ability. In the subject sections, there will be negative marking for incorrect answers
The question paper will consist of 5 (five) sections of objective (MCQ) type questions carrying 50 marks in each section.
- Section 1 is the general section and is compulsory for all candidates. There will be no negative marking in the general section.
- Sections 2 through 5 will contain subject-specific questions from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics.
Candidates are permitted to attempt as many subject sections as they wish. However, only the best three subject scores along with the score in the general section will be counted for evaluation and merit list preparation.
Some questions may have one or more correct answers for which marks can only be earned by marking all correct answers and no wrong answers.
The exam pattern is as follows
- Mode of Exam – The exam is a Online/computer based test.
- Question type – The questions are Objective (MCQ).
- Note – Each subject section contains 17 questions, out of which 12 questions are of single correct answer MCQs, and the remaining 5 questions are of multiple correct answer MCQs
- Number of Questions – There are 68 questions in the entrance exam.
- Total Marks – Maximum marks in the exam is 200.
- Exam Duration – The entrance exam is of 3 hours and 30 minutes.
- Language of Question Paper – The question paper is in language English.
Marking Scheme –
- For single answer correct: +2.5, -1
- For multiple answer correct: +4, 0
Minimum Admissible Score (SMAS)
Section-wise Minimum Admissible Score (SMAS)
| Subject | General/ General-EWS | OBC-NCL | SC/ ST/ Divyangjan/ JK | |||
| Shift-I | Shift-II | Shift-I | Shift-II | Shift-I | Shift-II | |
| Biology | 5.698 | 5.541 | 5.128 | 4.987 | 2.849 | 2.771 |
| Chemistry | 5.215 | 6.106 | 4.694 | 5.495 | 2.608 | 3.053 |
| Mathematics | 4.979 | 6.082 | 4.481 | 5.474 | 2.49 | 3.041 |
| Physics | 4.817 | 5.125 | 4.335 | 4.613 | 2.409 | 2.563 |
Minimum Admissible Percentile (MAP) for merit-list
| Category | Percentile |
| General / General-EWS | >=90 |
| OBC-NCL | >=85 |
| SC/ST/Divyangjan/JK | >=60 |
Contact Details
Address: The Chief Coordinator, NEST
National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER)
At/PO-Jatni, District- Khurda, PIN- 752050, Odisha, India
For any query requiring a quicker response, please contact us at
Phone: (0674) 2494102 (Mon-Fri, 10:00-13:00 & 14:30-17:00)
Email: [email protected]
NEST – An Overview
| Aspects | Details |
|---|---|
| Name of Exam | NEST |
| NEST Full Form | National Entrance Screening Test |
| More Exams Of This Type | Science Entrance Exams |
| Scale Of This Exam | Institute Level |
| State or Region For Which This Exam Is Most Relevant | Maharashtra, Odisha (note – this does not indicate domicile requirement. it only refers to states or regions where score accepting colleges are situated) |
| Organization That Holds This Exam | NISER and UM DAE CEBS |
| NISER and UM DAE CEBS Full Form | National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) and University of Mumbai – Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CEBS) |
| Official Website | nestexam.in |
| Programs or Courses Where Admission Is Through This Test | Integrated MSc programme in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics |
| Colleges or Universities Where Admission Is Through This Test | NISER Bhubaneswar, UM DAE CEBS Mumbai |
FAQs
The NEST exam is a Institute level Science entrance exam. It is for admission to Integrated MSc programme in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics courses in NISER Bhubaneswar, UM DAE CEBS Mumbai.
The National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) and University of Mumbai – Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CEBS) (NISER and UM DAE CEBS) conducts this exam.
You should apply as per instructions in the NEST notification. Check nestexam.in for online application form.