NEST 2027: Notification, Dates, Application, Syllabus, Pattern & Complete Admission Process

The NEST entrance exam is conducted once a year. It is a national-level entrance examination which is held jointly by NISER Bhubaneswar and UM–DAE CEBS Mumbai for admission to their five-year integrated MSc programmes.

Since the NEST is an annual exam, candidates get only one opportunity per year to appear for it. For the academic session 2027-2028, the NEST exam will tentatively be conducted in the first week of June 2027, in online mode at multiple centres across the nation.

NISER, UM DAE-CEBS will tentatively release the NEST 2027 exam notification on nestexam. in in the first week of January 2027. Candidates interested in taking admission to the integrated BSc-MSc courses (5-year Integrated MSc courses). NEST 2027 exam dates will be announced along with the exam notification. The exam will tentatively be held in the first week of June 2027 in online/CBT mode to test candidates’ domain knowledge in subjects like Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology and Physics.

Candidates are advised to meticulously check out the minimal NEST eligibility criteria 2026 in order not to lose their candidature during any stage of the admission process:

Educational Requirement:

1. Candidates must have passed the class XII examination from any recognised Board in India in the year 2025 or 2026 or should be appearing for the same in 2027..

2. Unreserved candidates need to secure at least 60% in aggregate in the XII standard board examination. For SC/ST/Divyangjan candidates, this requirement is 55%.

Age limit:

There is no upper age limit for appearing in the NEST 2027 examination and admission to either NISER or UM-DAE CEBS provided all the above eligibility criteria are fulfilled.

Subject Combination:

In Class 11, students need to choose the Science stream and must have studied Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Mathematics.

The NEST 2027 application correction will tentatively be opened in the third week of April 2027. Candidates can access the link to application correction at nestexam.in.

It is important for the candidates to know about the NEST 2027 registration before applying for the application form. Candidates must note that the NEST 2027 application fees will vary for different categories.

The category-wise distribution of the NEST 2027 registration fee is as follows:

• Female applicants (irrespective of category): ₹700

• Applicants of SC/ST/ Divyangjan category: ₹700

• Applicants of Unreserved-EWS (UR-EWS): ₹700

• Male/Other applicants of UR/OBC category: ₹1,400

Note: The fees mentioned here are based on the details related to previous year's session of the exam. If there are changes in the application fees, the provided information will be updated.

The registration fee for NEST 2027 is non-refundable. Candidates can check the category-wise fee details below:

• Female applicants (irrespective of category): ₹700

• Applicants of SC/ST/ Divyangjan category: ₹700

• Applicants of Unreserved-EWS (UR-EWS): ₹700

• Male/Other applicants of UR/OBC category: ₹1,400

In order to pay the NEST 2027 Registration Fees, candidates can follow the steps mentioned below:

1. At first, candidates need to visit the official website nestexam.in and complete the registration.

2. Log in using your credentials and fill out the application form.

3. Proceed to the fee payment section.

4. Pay the fee online only via Debit Card, Credit Card, Net Banking, or UPI.

5. Download and save the payment receipt after successful payment.
   

Yes, candidates can change specific details in their NEST Application Form after submitting by logging in to their NEST registration portal/account during the application correction window.

The NEST 2027 application correction will tentattively open in the third week of April 2027, at nestexam.in.

During the application correction process, candidates can amend the following details:

• Academic Details: Marks, passing year, or school/board names for Class 10 and Class 12.

• Exam Centre Preferences: You can usually update your choice of cities for the examination.

• Address: Your permanent or correspondence postal address.

• Parental Details: Spelling mistakes in your Father’s or Mother’s names.

• Category/Caste: In some years, a change in category is allowed (though this may require paying an additional fee if moving from a reserved to a general category).

No, Biology and Mathematics are not compulsory in NEST. There are four sections in the NEST question paper: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Biology.

While calculating the scores of candidates, the three subjects in which they scored the highest are considered.

For admission to the 5‑year Integrated MSc in Biological Sciences, candidates must have studied Biology as one of their Class 11 and 12 subjects.

In general, the core topics in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics are the same as Class 11–12 NCERT, so they largely overlap with typical JEE/Board‑level syllabi.

However, the emphasis in NEST is more on conceptual understanding and application rather than heavy-level problem-solving, and the pattern includes a General / Biology‑focused section for Integrated MSc candidates.

The syllabus of NEST is based on the NCERT Class 11 and Class 12 curricula of Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics.

The official PDF for the syllabus is available below:

NEST 2026 Syllabus

The official NEST syllabus PDF is released by the NEST authorities and is hosted on the NEST exam website (nestexam.in). The syllabus for the 2027 session of the exam has not been released yet. Once it is released, the official syllabus PDF will be provided here.

The NEST 2027 admit card will be released in the fourth week of May 2027 on the official NEST exam website – nestexam.in.

To download the admit card, candidates must visit the official NEST website, click on the admit card link and then enter their NEST application number and password.

To download the NEST 2026 admit card, candidates first need to visit the official NEST website - nestexam.in. The admit card will be released on May 15, 2026.

After visiting the official website, they must click on the official admit card link and enter their NEST 2026 application number and password. Save the admit card as a PDF and take its coloured printout.

No, a printed hard copy of the NEST admit card is required at the exam centre. Digital copies on mobile devices are not accepted.

If you find any incorrect information on your NEST admit card, you should act immediately to avoid issues on the exam day, first, verify all the details such as your name, photograph, signature, exam centre, and date. Make sure the error is genuine and not due to misunderstanding.

Thereafter, report the error to the official NEST helpdesk or exam authorities as soon as possible. You can usually find contact details (email/phone) on the official NEST website.

Be ready to share valid proof (such as your application form, ID proof, or certificates) to support the correction request.

To download the NEST 2026 admit card, candidates first need to visit the official NEST website - nestexam.in. The admit card will be released on May 15, 2026.

After visiting the official website, they must click on the official admit card link and enter their NEST 2026 application number and password. Save the admit card as a PDF and take its coloured printout.

No, a printed hard copy of the NEST admit card is required at the exam centre. Digital copies on mobile devices are not accepted.

If you forget the password to your NEST candidate login account, click on the “Forgot Password” option while downloading the NEST admit card.

After that, enter your registered email ID or mobile number. You will receive an OTP via SMS or a password reset link via email. Use the provided details to reset your password and create a new one.

If you forget your NEST application number, check the inbox of the email ID you used during registration. Look for the official confirmation email received after successful registration, as it contains your application number.

If you find any incorrect information on your NEST admit card, you should act immediately to avoid issues on the exam day, first, verify all the details such as your name, photograph, signature, exam centre, and date. Make sure the error is genuine and not due to misunderstanding.

Thereafter, report the error to the official NEST helpdesk or exam authorities as soon as possible. You can usually find contact details (email/phone) on the official NEST website.

Be ready to share valid proof (such as your application form, ID proof, or certificates) to support the correction request.

Candidates should carry the following documents to the NEST exam centre:

• NEST admit card (coloured printed copy)

• A valid photo ID proof, such as Aadhaar Card, Voter ID, Passport (any one)

• Passport-size photos (coloured and recent, the one that you used for NEST registration)

• PwD Certificate (if applicable)

The provisional answer key for NEST 2027 is expected to be released in the second week of June 2027 at nestexam.in. Thereafter, the exam authority will provide candidates with an opportunity to raise objections against the provisional answer key.

After reviewing all the objections, the exam authority will release the NEST 2027 final answer key tentatively in the first week of July 2027 on the official exam website.

The NEST 2027 result is expected to be announced in the fourth week of June 2027. The exact date for the release of the result can only be confirmed after an official notification/announcement by the exam authority.

Candidates can check their results online by visiting the official NEST website – nestexam.in – and then entering their application number and password on the official portal.

To access the NEST result, candidates need their NEST application number and password. This password will be the same as the password that you generated during the NEST registration process.

Section-wise Minimum Admissible Score (SMAS): Candidates must score minimum marks in each section of NEST 2026 as decided by the exam authorities. These section-wise minimum marks are called the Section-wise Minimum Admissible Score (SMAS).

• To be considered for the merit list, candidates must achieve the SMAS in every section.

• The SMAS for a section is calculated by finding the average marks of the top 100 candidates (with the highest scores in the section) and then taking 20% of that average.

Minimum Admissible Percentile (MAP): In addition to SMAS, candidates are required to score equal to or above the Minimum Admissible Percentile (MAP). This refers to the specific category-wise percentile that candidates must achieve in order to hold a place in the NEST merit list. MAP is also known as the NEST overall cut-off.

Candidates can check their NEST result on the official website — nestexam.in. To check the result, they must visit the official website, click on the result/scorecard link and log in by using their NEST application number and password. 

To prepare for the National Entrance Screening Test (NEST), candidates must know the syllabus of the exam. Thereafter, they can use the following preparation tips:

1. Learn all the topics in the NCERT Class 11 and Class 12 Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics syllabi. The NEST syllabus is based on these NCERT syllabi.

2. Solve NEST PYQs

3. Use the best books for NEST. Learn concepts and solve practice papers from it.

4. Solve NEST Mock Test

NCERT books are essential for building a strong foundation, especially in Chemistry and Biology. However, they are not sufficient alone. NEST requires deeper conceptual understanding and application-based practice, so students should supplement NCERT with exam-focused resources like SciAstra books and mock test series.

Ideally, 6–12 months of dedicated preparation is sufficient for the preparation. However, if your basics are already strong, even 3–4 months of focused study with regular practice can yield good results.

For a quick revision, candidates can take a highly affordable NEST Mock Test (FOCUS Test) by SciAstra.

This test is based on the actual NEST exam pattern and simulates conditions the same as the real exam.

No, coaching is not mandatory. But preparation can feel overwhelming without guidance from experienced and knowledgeable mentors. That makes the process difficult and lengthy.

At SciAstra, we offer NEST preparation courses where our mentors from NISER Bhubaneswar, IISERs, and IITs help you crack the exam.

These courses come in different price ranges to suit every student's budget.

The best books for NEST 2026 are those that focus on conceptual clarity and application-based learning. SciAstra books are specifically designed for IAT and NEST, covering the full syllabus with structured theory and practice. Additionally, NCERT books should be used alongside them for building strong fundamentals in all four subjects.