NISER Bhubaneswar and the University of Mumbai – DAE CEBS, Mumbai, will announce the dates for the NEST 2026 exam with the release of the NEST 2026 exam notification. The notification is expected to be released in the third week of February 2026 at nestexam.in.

The NEST 2026 registration will commence in the third week of February 2026 on the mentioned official website.

Candidates planning to appear for NEST 2026 can check all the important events and their respective dates on this SciAstra page. The NEST 2026 important dates include the application dates, exam date, and dates for admit card release, answer key, result announcement, and counselling process.

NEST Exam Dates 2026

The NEST participating institutes will announce all the important dates for NEST 2026 in the third week of February 2026 on the official website – nestexam.in.

Meanwhile, candidates can refer to the table below for the tentative schedule of the exam events. These include the NEST 2026 dates for registration, exam, admit card, answer key, result, and counselling.

NEST 2026 Important Dates and Events

The admission process to NISER and DAE CEBS through the NEST 2026 exam includes specific events. Short descriptions of these events along with their respective dates are available below:

NEST Notification 2026

The National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) notification will be an official document containing all the important details related to the exam, such as dates, application process and fees, eligibility criteria, pattern, syllabus and result evaluation criteria. These details will serve as the complete guide to the exam. Therefore, it is imperative for NEST 2026 aspirants to check and download the official exam notification.

The NEST 2026 exam notification is expected to be released in the third week of February 2026 on the official NEST website – nestexam.in.

NEST Registration 2026

The NEST registration process 2026 includes filling out the application form, uploading the required details and documents, and paying the registration fee.

Completing the registration is mandatory for all candidates to appear for the NEST 2026 exam. The registration is expected to begin in the third week of February 2026 at nestexam.in.

NEST 2026 Exam Date

The exam date for NEST 2026 will be announced along with the official notification on the NEST website. Based on the previous year’s schedule, the exam is expected to be held in the third week of June 2026. The mode of the exam will be online (Computer-Base Test).

NEST Answer Key 2026

There will be two types of answer keys for the NEST 2026 exam: provisional and final. The provisional answer key is expected to be released in the third week of June 2026 at nestexam.in. Candidates will be able to challenge it online through the official website. After reviewing all the objections, the exam authority will release the final answer key in the third week of June 2026 (tentative) at nestexam.in.

NEST Result 2026

The NEST exam authority will tentatively announce the results for NEST 2026 in the second week of July 2026 on the official NEST website. Candidates will be able to download their results as a scorecard. Based on these results, NISER Bhubaneswar and the University of Mumbai – DAE CEBS, Mumbai, will accept admissions through the counselling process.

NEST Counselling 2026

NISER Bhubaneswar and the University of Mumbai – DAE CEBS, Mumbai, will tentatively conduct counselling for NEST 2026 in the third week of July 2026 for qualified candidates. The counselling will involve the following steps:

1. Online counselling registration

2. Payment of counselling fee

3. Choice filling (selecting courses and the institute)

4. Document verification

5. Seat allotment for admission

6. Reporting to the institute