NEST 2025 – Exam Date, Syllabus, Application, Fees, Eligibility

NEST Exam Logo

Overview

The National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) is a Computer-Based Test for admission to the 5-year Integrated MSc programme in basic sciences – Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics – at NISER, Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS, Mumbai.

Exam NameNational Entrance Screening Test
Also Known AsNEST
Exam CategoryUndergraduate
Exam LevelNational
Exam ModeOnline (Computer based test)
Conducted byNISER, UM-DAE CEBS

NEW: NEST 2025 will not have a separate “General” section. There will be only 4 sections of 50 marks each.

UPDATE (Jun 4, 2025): NEST 2025 Admit Card released, read NEST Admit Card.

UPDATE (May 19, 2025): NEST 2025 Mock Test is now available, read NEST Official Mock Test.

UPDATE (May 14, 2025): Application correction facility for NEST 2025 is now open, read NEST 2025 Application Correction.

UPDATE (May 10, 2025): NEST 2025 last date has been extended, read NEST 2025 Last Date.

UPDATE (Feb 17, 2025): NEST 2025 Applications are open now, check NEST 2025 Application Procedure.

UPDATE (Jan 15, 2025): NEST 2025 exam date has been announced, read NEST 2025 Exam Date.

UPDATE (Nov 18, 2024): NEST 2025 Applications are expected to start in March. Subscribe to receive all updates on your mobile for free.

NEST 2025: Check Eligibility | Check Syllabus

Candidates are suggested to go through the rules for inclusion in Merit List here.


Exam Pattern

  • The exam is a Computer Based Test (CBT) with a duration of 3 hours 30 minutes.
  • There will be 4 sections, each worth 60 marks, containing subject-specific questions from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics.
  • All questions will be Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), where each question has four options, with only one correct answer.
  • For each correct answer, 3 marks will be awarded, while 1 mark will be deducted for each incorrect answer (-1 mark penalty).
  • Only the best scores from 3 sections will be considered for evaluation and merit list preparation. Check the rules for inclusion in the Merit List here.
  • The question paper will be available in both Hindi and English.
 

The number of questions from each subject is as follows:

SectionNumber of QuestionsMarks
Physics2060
Chemistry2060
Mathematics2060
Biology2060
Total80240
Note: Only the best 3 section scores will be considered for evaluation.

Schedule

Date

June 22, 2025

Slots

  • Session 1: 09:00 am to 12:30 pm
  • Session 2: 02:30 pm to 06:00 pm

Note

The exam will be conducted in two sessions on the same day. Candidates will be randomly assigned to one of the sessions, and no requests for a specific session will be entertained.

The assigned examination session will be mentioned in the candidate’s Admit Card.

Eligibility

For NEST exam

There are no restrictions on appearing for NEST.

For admission in NISER/CEBS

  • Basic: The candidate should be from a regular science stream and ideally have any combination of three subjects among Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics in Classes XI and XII.
  • Exam: The candidate must secure a rank in the NEST merit list.
  • Qualifying Examination: The candidate should have passed the Class XII qualifying examination in 2023 or 2024. Candidates appearing in 2025 are also eligible.
  • Marks in Qualifying Examination: The candidate must obtain at least 60% marks in aggregate in the Class XII (or equivalent) examination from any recognized board in India (for SC/ST/PD candidates, the minimum requirement is 55%).


Syllabus

Mock Test

  • Practice sessions for the computer-based test will be available for all applicants on the application portal after online registration and the complete submission of the online application.
  • The mock test is for practice purposes only.

Past Question Papers

See previous year Question Papers and Answers here.

Fees

NEST 2025 Application Fee is ₹1400 (₹700 for SC/ST/PD categories and Female candidates).

Registration

  • The registrations for the NEST examination will begin on February 17, 2025.
  • The last date to apply is May 9, 2025.
  • NEW: Check detailed steps for filling the Application Form here.

Application Procedure

NEW: Check the step-by-step procedure for filling the Application Form.

  1. Candidates must fill out the online application form through the NEST website.
  2. Register and log in to fill in personal details and educational qualifications.
  3. Upload a passport-sized image and signature.
  4. Pay the application fee through online payment.
  5. Save the application summary page for future reference.

 

Note: Candidates do not need to send any documents to the NEST office during the entire application process.

Application Correction

  • Candidates will be provided with a facility to make corrections to their application form details.
  • It is a one-time facility, extended to candidates to avoid any inconvenience.
  • The correction window will remain open for a few days after the last date of registration.

Test Centres

Test Cities

Test Centres

    StateCity
    ANPort Blair
    APGuntur
    APKurnool
    APRajahmundry
    APTirupathi
    APVijayawada
    APVisakhapatnam
    APVizianagaram
    ARNaharlagun-Itanagar
    ASDibrugarh
    ASGuwahati
    ASTezpur
    BRBhagalpur
    BRDarbhanga
    BRGaya
    BRPatna
    CGBhilai Nagar
    CGRaipur
    DLNew Delhi
    GAPanaji
    GJAhmedabad
    GJBhuj
    GJRajkot
    GJSurat
    HPBilaspur
    HPHamirpur
    HPMandi
    HRAmbala
    HRHisar
    JHBokaro Steel City
    JHDhanbad
    JHJamshedpur
    JHRanchi
    JKJammu
    JKSrinagar
    KABallari
    KABengaluru
    KAHubballi (Hubli)
    KAKalaburgi
    KAMangaluru (Mangalore)
    KAMysuru (Mysore)
    KLAlappuzha
    KLErnakulam
    KLIdukki
    KLKannur
    KLKasaragod
    KLKollam
    KLKottayam
    KLKozhikode
    KLMalappuram
    KLPalakkad
    KLPathanamthitta
    KLThiruvananthapuram
    KLThrissur
    LALeh
    MHAhmednagar
    MHAkola
    MHAurangabad
    MHJalgaon
    MHKolhapur
    MHMumbai
    MHNagpur
    MHNanded
    MHPune
    MHRatnagiri
    MHSolapur
    MLShillong
    MNImphal
    MPBhopal
    MPGwalior
    MPIndore
    MPJabalpur
    MZAizawl
    NLDimapur
    NLKohima
    ODAngul
    ODBalangir
    ODBalasore
    ODBargarh
    ODBaripada
    ODBerhampur-Ganjam
    ODBhawanipatna
    ODBhubaneswar
    ODCuttack
    ODDhenkanal
    ODJharsuguda
    ODRayagada
    ODRourkela
    ODSambalpur
    PBBhatinda
    PBJalandhar
    PBMohali
    PYPuducherry
    RJBikaner
    RJJaipur
    RJJodhpur
    RJKota
    RJUdaipur
    SKGangtok
    TNChennai
    TNCoimbatore
    TNMadurai
    TNSalem
    TNTiruchirappalli
    TNTirunelveli
    TRAgartala
    TSHyderabad
    TSKarimnagar
    TSWarangal
    UKDehradun
    UKHaldwani
    UKRoorkee
    UPAgra
    UPAligarh
    UPGorakhpur
    UPKanpur
    UPLucknow
    UPNoida
    UPPrayagraj (Allahabad)
    UPVaranasi
    WBAsansol
    WBBerhampur
    WBBurdwan
    WBDurgapur
    WBHooghly
    WBKalyani
    WBKolkata
    WBSiliguri

Note

  • Candidates must choose 3 test cities in order of preference while filling out the application form.
  • Every effort will be made to allot the candidate’s first preference.
  • The address of the test venue allotted to the candidate will be mentioned on the NEST admit card.

Admit Card

  • The Admit Card can be downloaded from the NEST website once it is notified.
  • Candidates are required to present the Admit Card along with an Identity Card at the test centre.
  • The address of the NEST test centre allotted to a candidate will be printed on the admit card.
  • The Admit Card should be kept safely, as successful candidates will need to present the original during admission.

Answer Keys

  • The answer keys for the Computer-based examination will be made available on the NEST website.
  • If a candidate is unsatisfied with an answer, they can challenge the answer keys.

Merit List

Overview

  • A merit list will be prepared based on the total of the best three scores from the four sections.
  • For normalization of the two sessions of the exam, percentile scores will be considered. These will be calculated based on the relative performance of all candidates in each session. The highest score in each session will be assigned a 100 percentile.

Section-wise Cutoff

  • For each section, 20% of the average of the best 100 scores in that section will be considered as the Section-wise Minimum Admissible Score (SMAS).
  • A candidate must clear the cutoff (SMAS) in any three subject sections to be included in the merit list.
  • The SMAS for OBC candidates will be 90% of the respective SMAS for General category candidates.
  • The SMAS for SC/ST/PwD candidates will be 50% of the respective SMAS for General category candidates.
  • Check the NEST Cutoff Scores.

Overall Cutoff

  • In addition to the subject-wise cutoff, a candidate is required to score equal to or above a total Minimum Admissible Percentile (MAP) to be included in the merit list.
  • The overall cutoff (MAP) for NEST is 95 percentile for General category, 90 percentile for OBC category, and 75 percentile for SC/ST/PwD category.
  • Check the NEST Cutoff Scores.

Result

  • The result for NEST will be announced as per the schedule.
  • Candidates will be allotted a General Rank and a Category Rank based on their performance in the NEST exam.
  • Check the rules for inclusion in the Merit List here.

Counselling

  • Admissions to the 5-year Integrated MSc programme in basic sciences – Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics – at NISER, Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS, Mumbai will be based on the NEST Merit rank.

Important Information

  • Candidates must provide a correct e-mail address in the online application, as the NEST office communicates with candidates through this e-mail ID.
  • Candidates must reach the test venue at least 90 minutes before the examination begins.
  • The use of log tables and calculators in the examination hall is not allowed.
  • Candidates must bring their Admit Card and a photo ID to the examination hall.

Important Dates

Start of online applicationFebruary 17, 2025
Closing of online applicationMay 9, 2025 May 13, 2025 (12 PM)
Application correction windowMay 10 – May 14, 2025 May 14 – May 16, 2025
Mock test opensMay 16, 2025 May 19, 2025
Download of admit card beginsJune 4, 2025
NEST examinationJune 22, 2025 (Sunday)
Release of answer keysTBA
Answer keys objection windowTBA
Announcement of resultsTBA

Contact Information

Candidates can contact NEST authorities through written communication, phone or email.

NISER Contact Information
AddressChief Coordinator, NEST 2025,
National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER),
Jatni, Khurda, Odisha – 752050
Helpline0674-2494017
Email[email protected]