NEST Exam 2026

 NEST Exam 2026: Admission Process, Exam Date, Eligibility, Syllabus

Introduction to NEST, NISER and UM-DAE CEBS 

The National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) is a compulsory online computer-based test for admission to the five-year Integrated MSc programs offered by the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), and the University of Mumbai – Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM–DAE CEBS).

These institutes offer unique Integrated MSc programs in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics. The integrated MSc programs offered in these institutes are residential, stipendiary, and follow a biannual semester and credit-based course curriculum which also encourages ample exposure of students to research early in the program.

The details of the Integrated MSc program, list of courses, research activities of the individual schools, institute facilities, and faculty profiles at NISER and UM-DAE CEBS may be found on their respective websites (www.niser.ac.in and www.cbs.ac.in). NISER and UM-DAE CEBS are equipped with state-of-the-art teaching and research laboratories, modern computational facilities, and excellent libraries

The candidates admitted to the Integrated MSc program are eligible to receive an annual scholarship of Rs 60,000 through the DISHA program of the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India. In addition, the scholarship recipients receive a grant of Rs 20,000/- per annum for summer internships. Candidates selected by DST for the INSPIRE-SHE program are endorsed for the INSPIRE scholarship by NISER and UM-DAE CEBS.

Students graduating with overall grades above a certain threshold are eligible to appear directly for the interview for appointment as Trainee Scientific Officer in Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

Eligibility Criteria for Admission to the Program

For the Integrated MSc program 2026–31, the total number of seats at NISER and UM-DAE CEBS are 257, respectively. NISER and UM-DAE CEBS follow the Govt. of India rules for reservation of seats.

Candidates seeking admission to NISER and UM–DAE CEBS for the Integrated MSc programme 2026–31 should have at least three out of the four disciplines of basic sciences, namely, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics, in classes XI and XII.

Candidates must have passed the class XII examination from any recognised Board in India in the year 2024 or 2025 or should be appearing for the same in 2026.

Candidates appearing for the board examination in 2026 must satisfy the eligibility criteria at the time of admission into the program.

The certificate/ provisional certificate declaring the aggregate should be from a single board

Candidates in the unreserved category must secure at least 60% marks in aggregate or equivalent grade in class XII examination to be eligible for admission to NISER and UM-DAE CEBS. 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.

There is no age limit for appearing in the NEST 2026 examination and admission to either NISER or UM-DAE CEBS.

NEST 2026 Examination Date

The NEST 2026 examination will be conducted at multiple centres (major towns or cities) all over India in a single session, on June 06, 2026 (Saturday). The timing of the session will be 02:00 PM – 05:00 PM.

Note: Any changes related to NEST 2026 will be updated on the website. The dates mentioned on the website shall be final.

NEST 2026 examination will be a Computer-Based Test (CBT/online exam) 

How to Apply:

Start of Online application for NEST 2026: Jan 05, 2026

Closing of Online application: April 06, 2026 (11:30 PM)

Closing of payment portal: April 12, 2026 (11:30 PM)

Download of Admit Card begins: May 15, 2026

NEST 2026 examination: June 06, 2026 (Hours of examination: 02:00 PM – 05:00 PM.

Announcement of results on NEST website: Please visit NEST website for updates

To apply for NEST 2026, candidates must fill out the online application form through www.nestexam.in. Candidates are strongly advised to read through the detailed online application procedure available on the website by clicking on ‘How to Apply online’. The online application process closes on April 06, 2026 (11:30 PM), and any pending payments must be completed by April 12, 2026 (11:30 PM).

Application Fee:

The application fee for the male candidates of the Unreserved (UR) and OBC categories is ₹1,400/–. 

The application fee for candidates in the Unreserved-EWS (UR-EWS) and SC/ST/Divyangjan categories and all female candidates is ₹700/–.   

Payments can be made using credit card/debit card/net–banking through an online payment gateway.

You may use Mastercard/Visa/RuPay cards or UPI as payment options.

Admit card: The admit card for NEST 2026 can be downloaded by the candidates starting 15 May, 2026 from the NEST website using their respective login credentials. Admit cards will NOT be dispatched to any applicant. The download link will be available only till the day of the examination.

 

SYLLABUS

BIOLOGY Classes XI - XII

CLASS XI - THEORY

I Diversity of Living Organisms 

II Structural Organization in Plants and Animals 

III Cell: Structure and Function 

IV Plant Physiology 

V Human Physiology  

CLASS XII - THEORY

VI Reproduction 

VII Genetics and Evolution 

VIII Biology and Human Welfare 

IX Biotechnology and its Applications 

X Ecology and Environment  

CHEMISTRY Classes XI - XII

CLASS XI - THEORY

1.Some Basic Concepts of Chemistry 

2 Structure of Atom 

3 Classification of Elements and Periodicity in Properties 

4 Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure 

5 Chemical Thermodynamics 

6 Equilibrium 

7 Redox Reactions 

8 Organic Chemistry: Some basic Principles and Techniques 

9 Hydrocarbons

CLASS XII - THEORY

1.Solutions 

2 Electrochemistry 

3 Chemical Kinetics 

4 d -and f -Block Elements 

5 Coordination Compounds 

6 Haloalkanes and Haloarenes 

7 Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers 

8 Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids 

9 Amines 

10 Biomolecules

MATHEMATICS Classes XI - XII

CLASS XI - THEORY

I. Sets and Functions II. 

Algebra 

III. Coordinate Geometry 

IV. Calculus 

V. Statistics and Probability

CLASS XII - THEORY

I. Relations and Functions 

II. Algebra 

III. Calculus 

IV. Vectors and Three - Dimensional Geometry 

V. Linear Programming 

VI. Probability

PHYSICS Classes XI - XII

CLASS XI – THEORY

1: Units and Measurements

2: Motion in a Straight Line

3: Motion in a Plane 

4: Laws of Motion 

5: Work, Energy and Power 

6: Rigid System of Particles and Rotational Motion

7: Gravitation

8: Mechanical Properties of Solids

9: Mechanical Properties of Fluids 

10: Thermal Properties of Matter 

11: Thermodynamics 

12: Kinetic Theory of gases

13: Oscillations

14: Waves

CLASS XII – THEORY

1: Electric Charges and Fields 

2: Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance

3: Current Electricity

4: Moving Charges and Magnetism 

5: Magnetism and Matter 

6: Electromagnetic Induction

7: Alternating Current

8: Electromagnetic Waves

9: Ray Optics 

10: Wave Optics 

11: Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter 

12: Atoms 

13: Nuclei 

14: Semiconductor Electronics: Materials, Devices and Simple Circuits 

   

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