NEST 2026 Cutoff: Check NEST Cutoff & Previous Year Cutoff Marks
National Entrance Screening Test 2026 ( NEST )
Admit Card - 15 May '26
NEST cutoff 2026 will be released online. The cutoff of NEST 2026 is the minimum percentile score a candidate needs to obtain in the test. There will be two types of NEST 2026 cutoff: Section Wise Minimum Admissible Score (SMAS) and overall cutoff or Minimum Admissible Percentile (MAP). To prepare the SMAS and MAP, the authority will consider the scores of the best three sections. Candidates whose score in National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) is equal or above the cutoff score shall be considered for admission to NISER and CEBS.
The cutoff will be released after the declaration of the NEST result 2026. Candidates can check the previous year NEST NISER SMAS and MAP cutoff.
- NEST 2026 Sectional Cutoff SMAS
- NEST 2026 Exam Dates & Schedule
- What is MAP in NEST Cutoff?
- Key Factors of NEST 2026 Cut off
- NEST Merit List
- FAQs for NEST Cut off marks
NEST 2026 Sectional Cutoff SMAS
The sectional cut-off marks known as SMAS are the key parameter for shortlisting a candidate. The merit list of NEST 2026 for NISER and CEBS will be based on percentile scores obtained by the candidates in all the subject sections.
- The total score of a candidate.
- For each section, 20 per cent of the average of the best 100 scores in the section will be the SMAS.
- The numerical value of SMAS varies for each section.
- Candidates should meet SMAS to qualify for the merit list of NISER and CEBS.
- For the OBC category, SMAS would be 90 per cent of SMAS for the General category.
- For SC/ ST/ Divyangjan, SMAS would be 50 per cent of SMAS for the General category.
NEST 2026 Exam Dates & Schedule
Take a look at the table below for the complete schedule of NEST 2026 exam
| Dates | Upcoming Exam Dates |
|---|---|
| Jun ' 26 | NEST 2026 Answer Key TENTATIVE |
| Jun ' 26 | NEST 2026 Answer Key Objection Window TENTATIVE |
| Jun ' 26 | NEST 2026 Exam Result TENTATIVE |
| Jul ' 26 - Sep ' 26 | NEST NISER 2026 Counselling TENTATIVE |
What is MAP in NEST Cutoff?
In addition to SMAS, a candidate is required to have a percentile that is equal to or above a Minimum Admissible Percentile, or MAP, to get a merit rank. Category-wise MAP for NEST 2026 will be announced along with the declaration of results. The following table brings the category-wise MAP or NEST cutoff percentile.
| Category | NEST Cutoff Percentile |
|---|---|
| General | 95 |
| OBC | 90 |
| SC, ST, PWD | 75 |
Key Factors of NEST 2026 Cut off
Various factors are taken into consideration to decide the NEST cutoff marks, which are mentioned below.
- Total number of applicants who appeared in the NEST exam
- Difficulty level of the exam.
- The cut-off marks, i.e. SMAS, will vary for each section as well as MAP for NISER and CEBS.
- For NISER, candidates should score equal to or above MAP and in SMAS in the General section and all four sections to secure a rank in the merit list.
- For CEBS, candidates should score equal to and above MAP and in SMAS in the General section and any three of the subject sections to secure a rank in the merit list.
NEST Merit List
The NEST 2026 final ranking of the candidates will be based on percentiles calculated from the total scores. The NEST 2026 merit list will be published based on the following criteria:
1. A candidate is required to obtain a section score that is equal to or greater than the SMAS in at least three sections. Then the candidate is said to be SMAS-qualified.
2. The total score of an SMAS-qualified candidate is the sum of the three best scores from the SMAS securing sections.
3. A candidate is required to obtain a percentile that is equal to or above the Minimum Admissible Percentile/ MAP (announced for NEST 2026) to get a merit rank.
4. A merit rank will be assigned based on the percentile.
5. A tie of rank would be broken by first comparing the sum of the two best section scores.
6. If the tie of rank persists, then the best section score will be considered.
7. If the tie of rank persists, the candidates would be given the same provisional rank at the time of declaration of the results.
8. The tie would be broken during admission/counselling by first comparing the aggregate percentage of Class 12, followed by Class 10.
A candidate with an OBC-NCL/ SC/ST category rank will take a Unreserved (UR) seat if the candidate secures a general rank above or equal to the cut-off in the Unreserved (UR) category.
For example, if the topper of the exam (General rank 1) happens to be an OBC-NCL candidate, he/she would get OBC rank 1, as well. In such a case, he/she would be admitted against the General rank under the Unreserved category (UR) so that all OBC-NCL reserved seats remain available.
FAQs for NEST Cut off marks
Take a look at the frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding NEST cutoff.
The Section-wise Minimum Admissible Score or SMAS refers to the section-wise cut-off marks in NEST. The factors to calculate SMAS in NEST are given below.
- The total score of each candidate will be the sum of his/her best three scores out of the four sections.
- For each section, 20 per cent of the average of the best 100 scores in that section will be considered as SMAS. For example, if the average of the best 100 scores in the Chemistry section is 48 out of 60, then SMAS for the Chemistry section would be 48*0.20 = 9.6 marks, similar to other sections.
- SMAS for different sections can be of different numerical values.
- SMAS for the two sessions, for any particular section, can be of different numerical values.
- SMAS for OBC students would be 90 per cent of the respective SMAS for the general category Students. For example, if in the Chemistry section, the SMAS is 9.6 for general category students, then the SMAS for OBC students would be 8.64 (90 per cent of 9.6).
- SMAS for SC/ST/Divyangjan students would be 50 per cent of the respective SMAS for general category students. For example, if in the Chemistry section, the SMAS is 9.6 for general category students, then the SMAS for SC, ST, and Divyangjan students would be 4.8 (50 per cent of 9.6).
The NEST exam counselling will be done in online mode only. The exam conducting authority will release the dates of counselling in official notification after the conclusion of the exam.
Applicants are advised to check the NEST exam counselling schedule and visit the centre along with their academic as well as category related documents.
The examination conducting body, NISER and UM-DAE CEBS, will release NEST cutoff marks for the applicants who want to take admission in participating institutes. The cutoff marks for NEST will be released along with the declaration of the result. Applicants securing the cutoff marks of NEST will be eligible to participate in the counselling held by the authorities. Applicants need to secure the passing marks in both the overall and individual categories.
There are various factors which are taken into consideration while deciding the NEST cutoff marks. Some of them are mentioned below.
- Total number of test takers
- Total number of seats
- Difficulty level of the exam
- Minimum qualifying marks.
If a students fails to submi the expression of interest, it will be considered as they are no longer interested to get admision to NEST NISER institute and there seat will be given to another deseving students. Therefore, it is manadatory for students to submit the Expresison of Interest (EoI) before deadline.
The NEST 2026 Counselling is likely to begin in the second week of July. There will be around four rounds of counselling. The number of rounds will depend on the number of remaining seats. Candidates passing the NEST exam will be eligible for the admission process.
3 Institutes accepting NEST
West Bengal - Other • Public
4.6Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in...
Santacruz East, Mumbai • Public
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