NEST 2026 Exam Dates (Out): Registration (Closed), Exam Date (June 6), Admit Card & Other Dates

NEST 2026 exam will be conducted in 140 cities across India. Applicants have to select three cities in order of preference. Every effort will be made to allot the centre of first preference. The final decision lies with the authorities. The exam conducting authorities will release the NEST 2026 admit card on May 15, 2026, which will mention the allotted NEST exam centre to the applicants.

For entrance exam since marks from three section are considered hence it can be said that it not compulsory. In the NEST exam your marks will be considered from any of 3 subjects out of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics. but if you know basics it will help you to secure marks and for further study during campus classes.

In first year after joining NISER you would be taught basic biology. In fact many students who did not have biology in class 12 and did fairly well in the biology exams during first year.

While preparing for the test, books play an important role. NEST exam is based on class 11 and 12 Physics, Chemistry, Math and Biology. Focusing in the Class 11 & 12 textbook will help to cover the majority of the topics. Also, we have mentioned here few best books for the NEST exam.

The NEST entrance exam is one of the toughest exams among all the science entrance exams according to the previous years' exam analysis. Candidates should invest a minimum of six months of NEST Preparation to score well in the NEST exam. However, if the candidate preparation strategy is really good then 2 to 3 months would be sufficient.

NEST exam date 2026 is June 6. The exam will be conducted online at various test cities. To appear for entrance exam, apply online. NEST application protal was active from January 5 to April 8, 2026.

Yes, PCB students can give the NEST exam. The National Entrance Screening Test is designed for both BiPC and MPC students. The question papers are based on Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology of Class 11 & 12. The NEST syllabus is based on the CBSE curriculum (2025-26).

The question paper will consist of 4 (four) sections of objective (MCQ) type questions. Each section is of 60 marks and will contain subject-specific questions from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics. Each section will have 20 questions, with exactly one correct answer. Marking a correct answer will fetch 3 marks, choosing an incorrect answer will lead to a deduction of 1 mark and no marks will be deducted for not answering a question. It is in the interest of the candidate to attempt all sections. 

Yes, students who want to appear in NEST 2024 exam must solve the NEST previous year question book which will help them in a better way. By checking the questions, Students can compose their strategy and accordingly they can increase their chances of qualifying the exam. 

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).
For example, if the average of the best 100 scores in the Chemistry section is 43 out of 50, then SMAS for the Chemistry section would be 43*0.20 = 8.6 marks. It will be same for other section too. 

SMAS for the two sessions, for any particular section, can be of different numerical values. The value of SMAS will be different for different category students i.e if it 100 for General candidates then it will be 90 for OBC and 50 for SC/ST and Divyangjan applicants.  

The NEST question paper is divided into four sections. The questions are based on Class 11 & 12 Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology. Each section has 20 questions. Every question carries 3 marks. Negative marking is done for wrong answers. 

The total duration of the NEST exam is three hours. The timing of the exam is from 2 PM to 5 PM. Candidates belonging to the PWD category will be given compensatory time of 20 minutes per hour as per the Government of India guidelines. Test takers will not be allowed to leave the centre before 4 PM for medical reasons. Entry will not be allowed after 3 PM. Students have to attempt at least three sections in the exam. 

The test centres of NEST exam are allotted based on the number of applicants opting for a particular test. It is to be noted that NEST committee reserves the right to cancel or add any of the test cities without prior notice to applicants.

The final allocation of NEST Test Centres will be mentioned on the admit card, Applicants can not make any request to change the address or venue in it once it is decided.

SMAS is used frequently in preparing the result of NEST exam. 

The full-form of SMAS is the Section-wise Minimum Admissible Score. It is the cut off marks which applicants need to secure for each section of NEST paper.

Since there are different category candidates who appear in the exam hence they have seperate SMAS.  

Read the following points to understand the ways to prepare for the mock test.

• Make important points and mark important topics in your revision notes.

• Ensure you get some leisure time along with studying to avoid stress.

• Make a revision schedule. 

• Practise previous year's question papers. 

• Be aware of the marking criteria. 

The exam authority releases the NEST mock test several days before the exam. The purpose of the mock tests is to make students familiar with the computer-based test. Also, students get the feel of an actual exam, and they can evaluate their performance.

No, there is no age limit to appear for the NEST exam. Candidates planning to appear for the exam must fulfil the other eligibility criteria in terms of clearing the Class 12 Board exam in the Science stream with the category-wise minimum aggregate percentage. 

Applicants who want to appear in NEST exam must check the syllabus as well as the exam pattern before appearing in the exam. The NEST exam syllabus 2026 has been released by the exam conducting authorities along with the release of the official notification on December 15. Applicants are advised to check the NEST previous year syllabus to get an idea about the syllabus. It has remained the same as last year.

Candidates can appear three times in a consecutive year for NEST. If you passed Class 12 in 2024, you are eligible to appear for NEST in 2024, 2025, and 2026.

The NEST mock test is a replica of the computer-based test. The exam authority releases the NEST mock test several days before the exam. Students can attempt the mock test for self-assessment. It will also help in improving time management.

The test centres of NEST exam will be allotted on the basis of number of applicants opting for a particular test city/town. It is to be noted that the National Entrance Screening Test committee reserves the right to cancel or add any of the test cities without prior notice to applicants.

The final allocation of NEST Test Centres will be mentioned on the admit card. Applicants can not make any request to change the address or venue once it is decided. 

Candidates have to carry any one of the following documents will be considered as valid for appearing in the NEST 2026 examination: 

• Passport 

• Aadhaar Card or Enrolment slip

• Voter ID

• Driver's License 

• PAN Card

If any student does not have any of these ID cards then they must bring their admit card of class 12 board exam in the examination hall.