NEST 2025: Exam Dates, Syllabus, Eligibility, Pattern, & Application Form
National Entrance Screening Test 2024 ( NEST )
Registration - 17 Feb '25 - 9 May '25
NEST 2025 is one of the most prominent exams, and this exam is scheduled for June 22, 2025, for candidates who want admission to the MSc programme in Mathematics, Biology, Physics, and Chemistry for five years. Read this Shiksha Article to learn in detail about the NEST 2025 Exam and important dates and events related to this exam.
The NEST 2025 Exam date is scheduled for June 22, 2025, as per the official notification released on the JEST site. NEST Exam 2025 is a National Level Entrance Exam which is conducted once a year in nearly 120 cities in India, relevant for those who want to be admitted to UM-DAE CEBS and NISER for various programmes like Integrated 5-year MSc Programme, MSc Programme in Medical & Radiological Physics, Integrated MSc+PhD Programme, and PhD Programme.
Explore colleges based on NEST
NEST Exam 2025 Highlights
Here are some of the crucial details related to the NEST 2025 Exam that candidates must be aware of if they are preparing for the exam.
| Particulars |
Details |
|---|---|
| Exam Name |
National Entrance Screening Test |
| Conducting Body |
NISER Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS Mumbai |
| Exam Level |
Undergraduate Exam at the National Level |
| Exam Frequency |
Once a Year |
| Mode of Exam |
Computer-Based Test (CBT) or Online |
| Courses Offered Through Entrance Exam |
Integrated MSc |
| Exam Fees |
INR 1,200 (For the male candidates belonging to the General and OBC categories) INR 600 (For the female candidates from all categories and male candidates of SC, ST and PwD categories) |
| Exam Duration |
3 hrs and 30 min |
| Number of Papers and Total Marks |
200 |
| Total Number of Questions |
68 |
| Marking Scheme |
+2.5 for every right response (MCQs) +4 for every right response (MSQs) -1 for every wrong response (MCQs) 0 for wrong answers in MSQs and unattempted questions |
| Language/Medium of Questions |
English |
| 3 colleges |
|
| Total Number of Seats |
257 |
| Number of Exam Cities |
120 |
| Official Website |
https://www.nestexam.in/# |
| Contact Details |
Helpline Number - 022- 61087510 Email id: nest2022cebs@gmail.com |
NEST 2025 Exam Important Dates
Here are some of the crucial dates related NEST Exam for those who want to know the important dates and events to prepare accordingly.
Q: What is the eligibility for NEST exam?
Q: What is the amount of scholarship after selection through NEST?
The candidates admitted to the programme are eligible to receive an annual scholarship of INR 60,000 through the DISHA program of the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India. In addition, the scholarship recipients receive a grant of INR 20,000 per annum for summer internships. Candidates selected by DST for the INSPIRE-SHE program are endorsed for the INSPIRE scholarship by NISER and UM-DAE CEBS. Alumni of the programme are presently pursuing PhD at reputed universities and institutes in India & abroad.
Q: Is there any optional subject in the NEST exam?
Though there are not any optional subject in the NEST exam, applicants who will appear in the exam are advised to solve questions from all four section as their marks from top 3 sections will be taken into consideration for their result declaration.
The language of NEST exam will be in English only. Applicants who want to appear in the exam must solve NEST previous year paper to increase their chances of qualifying the exam.
| NEST 2025 Exam | Important Dates |
|---|---|
| NEST 2025 Exam Date | June 22, 2025 (Sunday) |
| NEST Online Application Opens | February 17, 2025 |
| NEST Online Application Closes | May 9, 2025 |
| NEST Correction & Update window | May 10, 2025, to May 14, 2025 |
| NEST Mock Test Opens | May 16, 2025 |
| NEST Download of Admit Card | June 2, 2025 |
NEST 2025 Eligibility Criteria
Students planning to appear for the NEST Exam 2025 must know the following details if they want to know about the NEST 2025 Eligibility Criteria before the exam.
- Education Qualification:
- Candidates who pass out class 12 from a recognised board or equivalent in 2023 and 2024, or going to appear for the 2024 class 12 exam are eligible to take the NEST 2025 Exam for the Integrated MSc programme to gain admission to CEBS/NISER 2025.
- Students need to score a minimum of 60 per cent marks in aggregate or equivalent in the class 12 exam from a recognised board. Students who belong to scheduled tribes, scheduled castes, and PWD must score a minimum of 55 per cent marks in their class 12 exam.
- Students who want to appear for NISER and UM-DAE CEBS should have a science stream in their classes 11 and 12, and each aspiring candidates have to write the NEST 2025 Examination to pursue the Integrated MSc programme.
- Even if the candidates clear the NEST Entrance Exam 2025, their seats will be confirmed if they clear the merit list of NEST 2025.
- A certificate from a recognised board that specifies a candidate's percentage of marks is a necessary document that you need to submit to the admission committee.
- Students who come from the General and OBC categories must be born on or after August 1, 2003, to clear the eligibility criteria and students who belong to the SC/ST/ and Divyangjan categories must clear the same criteria but they are also given a five year of relaxation.
Note: Any candidates who do not pass the above eligibility criteria are not eligible to appear for the NEST 2025 Exam and if they try to apply their application can be rejected at any stage of the admission process.
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NEST 2025 Registration Process and Application Form
Candidates who wish to appear for NEST 2025 must know that the date registration process for the NEST 2025 exam is out. Also, the NEST 2025 Application Process will start on February 17, 2025, and the end date for candidates who want to apply for NEST 2025 is May 9, 2025. Every year the NEST Exam conducting body releases an information brochure for those who want to go through all the important details without missing a beat. The NEST 2025 Information brochure will be released soon. Till then, candidates can go through the NEST 2024 brochure by downloading this pdf: NEST 2024 Information Brochure.
| Category | NEST 2025 Application Fee |
|---|---|
| Female applicants (irrespective of category) : | INR 700 |
| Applicants of SC/ST/Divyangjan category : | INR 700 |
| Male/Other applicants of UR/OBC category : | INR 1400 |
Steps of the NEST 2025 Application Process
Here are the steps to fill out the NEST 2025 Application for those who are preparing for the NEST Exam 2025.
- The application process will start on February 17, 2025, by the UM DAE CEBS and NISER on the official website.
- To submit the NEST 2025 application students can use online payment methods like net banking, debit card and credit card.
- Also, you need to submit the NEST Exam 2025 registration fee online because submitting it offline is not permitted.
- Candidates have the choice to select the five most favourable NEST Examination centres in 2025.
- Candidates must ensure that the email address and phone number are correct while filling out the application form because the organising body will use these credentials to contact you.
Q: What is the minimum score to qualify for each section of the NEST exam?
The exam authority has not mentioned any section-wise cut off marks for the NEST exam. Hence there is no minimum qualifying or passing marks in the exam.
However, out of the four sections - the best three scores of the subject section i.e. Biology, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry will be taken for preparation of the merit list.
Hence applicants need to try to solve the questions from all four sections as the section from which applicants will score less will be ommiited and will not be consideration for preparing the merit list.
Q: Is Biology compulsory for NEST exam?
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.
Q: What are the eligibility criteria for candidates seeking admission to NISER and UM-DAE CEBS?
Candidates seeking admission to NISER and UM–DAE CEBS for the Integrated MSc programme 2024–29 should be from the regular science stream in classes 11 and 12. All aspiring candidates must write the NEST 2024 examination. Candidates must have passed the class12 examination from any recognised Board in India in the years 2022 or 2023 or should be appearing for the same in 2024. Candidates who are appearing for the board examination in 2024 must pass it by the time of admission into the programme.
Q: What is the age limit to appear in NEST 2025 exam?
There is no age limit for appearing in the NEST 2024 examination and admission to either NISER or UM-DAE CEBS.
Q: Am I eligible for the NEST exam in 2024? I am 23 years old.
Applicants who want to appear in the NEST 2024 exam. The General and OBC category candidates born on or after August 01, 2004, are eligible for admission to the Integrated MSc programmes of NISER/CEBS. The age limit is relaxed by 5 years for SC / ST / Divyangjan candidates.
Students are advised to check their category before applying for the NEST exam. Candidates need to fill NEST application form to appear for the exam.
The date of the NEST Correction Window 2025 is between May 10, 2025, to May 14, 2025. Candidates can make the corrections till the correction window is open.
NEST 2025 Exam Pattern
Knowing the exam pattern of a competitive exam you are preparing for can be really helpful while preparing for the exam and preparing smartly. So, here are some important details related to the NEST 2025 Exam pattern.
- NEST Mode of Exam: Online/Computer-based test.
- Type of Questions: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) and Multiple Select Questions (MSQ).
- NEST Exam Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes.
- Total marks: 200 marks.
- Total Sections: There are a total of four sections comprised of Mathematics, Biology, Physics and Chemistry.
Check out the section-wise pattern for the NEST 2025 Exam:
| Subject Name |
Marks |
|---|---|
| Physics |
50 |
| Chemistry |
50 |
| Mathematics |
50 |
| Biology |
50 |
| Total |
200 |
NEST EXAM 2025 Syllabus
The NEST Syllabus 2025 is based on the class 11 and 12 rationalised science syllabus from CBSE/NCERT syllabus. To know in detail candidates can check the subject-wise syllabus NEST Exam and prepare for NEST 2025 accordingly. Candidates can download the subject-wise syllabus pdf of the NEST Syllabus by clicking on their subject name in the below table.
| Subject Name |
Important Topics |
|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Class XI UNIT I: SETS AND FUNCTIONS 1. Sets 2. Relations and Functions 3. Trigonometric Functions UNIT II: ALGEBRA 1. Principle of Mathematical Induction 2. Complex Numbers and Quadratic Equations 3. Linear Inequalities 4. Permutations and Combinations 5. Binomial Theorem 6. Sequence and Series UNIT III: COORDINATE GEOMETRY 1. Straight Lines 2. Conic Sections 3. Introduction to Three-dimensional Geometry UNIT IV: CALCULUS Limits and Derivatives UNIT V: MATHEMATICAL REASONING UNIT VI: STATISTICS AND PROBABILITY 1. Statistics 2. Probability CLASS XII UNIT I: RELATIONS AND FUNCTIONS 1. Relations and Functions 2. Inverse Trigonometric Functions UNIT II: ALGEBRA 1. Matrices 2. Determinants UNIT III: CALCULUS 1. Continuity and Differentiability 2. Applications of Derivatives 3. Integrals 4. Applications of the Integrals 5. Differential Equations UNIT IV: VECTORS AND THREE-DIMENSIONAL GEOMETRY 1. Vectors 2. Three-dimensional Geometry Unit V: Linear Programming Unit VI: Probability |
Note: The frequency of changes in the NEST 2025 Exam Syllabus is very low and therefore students who are preparing for the NEST 2025 Exam must go through the table above so that they get an idea about what are the important topics that they need to prepare for.
Best Books Recommendation for NEST Exam 2025
Students who are going to appear for NEST Exam 2025 must be aware of the study material however, if you are not, we got you covered. Here is the list of the best books for NEST 2025 Exam Preparation that cover the NEST Exam syllabus and are trusted by students every year who appear for this exam. One can prepare for NEST 2025 within three months if one puts in both smart work and hard work while preparing for this exam.
| Subject-wise Books Recommendation for NEST 2025 |
|
|---|---|
| Subject Name |
Book Name |
| Chemistry |
Chemistry by RPH Editorial |
| Mathematics |
Mathematics by RD Sharma |
| Biology |
Biology by Dinesh |
| Physics |
Physics by DC Pandey |
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NEST Previous Year Question Papers
Preparing from the given syllabus is not enough. It is crucial to go through the NEST Exam Previous Year's Question Papers and try to solve them within the NEST Exam duration so that on the day of the exam you feel confident enough to complete the question paper within the time frame.
| Subject Name |
Total Exam Sessions |
Previous Year Question Papers |
|---|---|---|
| Biology |
Session 1 |
|
| Session 2 |
||
| Chemistry |
Session 1 |
|
| Session 2 |
||
| Mathematics |
Session 1 |
|
| Session 2 |
||
| Physics |
Session 1 |
|
| Session 2 |
NEST 2025 Admit Card
NEST 2025 Admit card release date is June 2, 2025. The NEST admit card is released by both the participating universities in online mode. The NEST EXAM Centres 2025 are also mentioned on the admit card based on the preferences and saved locations.
Candidates who fill out the NEST 2025 Application Form are the ones who will get the admit card to download the admit card students need to visit the official website and then with the help of their logging credentials like their Email ID and Password they can access their admit card. The admit card has important details like the roll number, exam date, signature, student name, photograph exam time and centre, and more.
Note: No students are allowed in the examination hall without the admit card. Therefore, students should carry a clear printout hard copy of their NEST 2025 Admit card/hall ticket along with their original ID on the day of the exam.
Students should re-check the details mentioned in the admit card and if they find any mistakes they should contact the helpline number or contact details mentioned in the admit card. Make sure the correction is done.
How to download the NEST 2025 Admit Card?
As per the steps given below candidates can easily download the NEST 2025 Admit card:
Step 1: Students need to visit the official website of NEST - nestexam.in
Step 2: Click on the “Download Admit Card’ tab and then the login page will open.
Step 3: Students need to fill out their User ID and Password.
Step 4: Once logged in click on the “admit card” tab.
Step 5: Recheck all the details mentioned on the admit card and then click on the download tab.
Step 6: Make sure the printout is on the A4 sheet and try to carry extra copies of the admit card as it will be needed at the time of NEST counselling and NEST Seat Allotment 2025.
NEST 2025 Exam Centres
The Exam centres list will be released by NISER Bhubaneswar on the official website. Some of the most popular cities for NEST 2025 exam centres are Shimla, Udaipur, Tirupathi, Guntur, Bhatinda, New Delhi, Chennai, Pune, Gwalior, Agra, Aligarh, Chandigarh, Patna, Bhopal, Mumbai, Rajkot, Surat, Hamirpur, Jabalpur, and Shillong.
National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) 2025 is conducted by two joint bodies one is the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), and the second is the Bhubaneswar and Mumbai University - Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CEBS) situated in Mumbai.
In the year 2007, the Government of India’s Department of Atomic Energy set up both UM-DAE CEBS and NISER with a mandate to train candidates who can contribute to advanced-level scientific research and to be able to contribute to scientific programmes, in Atomic Energy and various science institutions in India.
NEST 2025 Answer Key
Students can visit the official website to object to the NEST 2025 Provisional Answer Key, after submitting proper reasoning and a non-refundable fee of INR 200 for each objection. If the exam authority. The NEST 2025 Objection window is open for two to three days. The release date for the NEST 2025 Answer key is the first week of July 2025, tentatively.
NEST 2025 Result
Students who will be appearing for the NEST 2025 Exam need to visit the official website to download the NEST Result 2025 by using their registered ID and password to download the NEST 2025 Result PDF or they also take a printout for the same. The NEST 2025 Result date is tentative for the first week of August 2025.
NEST Counselling
NEST 2025 Counselling Process consists of various steps to provide admission to deserving candidates. Students need to first register themselves online by visiting the NEST official website to be eligible for the counselling process.
Once, the registration process is over students need to prepare for the document verification process after choice filling. The choice-filling helps candidates to choose their preferred courses and colleges. Students get their seats based on the availability of seats and the NEST 2025 Exam Ranking.
Scholarship Programme In NISER or CEBS
Candidates who want to apply for a yearly scholarship of INR 60,000 can also apply for the DISHA program by the Department of Atomic Energy, once they get admission to NISER and CEBS. Also, candidates who achieve overall excellent scores till the end of their programme can directly appear for the admission interview at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 6 days ago
The National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) 2025 application form date has been announced on February 17, 2025. The NEST application process end date is May 9, 2025.
NEST 2025 registration process will be completely online. Aspirants who will be appearing for the examination are advised to check th
I
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 6 days ago
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 o
I
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 6 days ago
The exact dates of NEST online correction will open between May 10, 2025, to May 14, 2025, as per the official notification. Candidates who will fill the NEST 2025 application form would get the opportunity to update or change the details which were earlier got filled incorrectly.
Candidates would
I
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 6 days ago
Applicants must have the following document to upload while filling NEST application form:
- Class 10 mark sheet/ report card/ certificate
- Class 12 mark sheet/ report card/ certificate
- Digital copy of the photograph
- Scanned signature
The size of photograph and signature will be mentioned in official notifi
I
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 6 days ago
While filling the NEST online form, candidates must ensure that they uploaded the photograph in the format prescribed by exam authorities. The digital photograph uploaded by candidates need to be in JPEG format and should not have exceeded 80 KB.
If all the image specifications are correct then also
I
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 6 days ago
Here is the application fee of the NEST Exam which is conducted once a year. NEST is a national-level exam and candidates who wish to appear for the exam can check out the category-wise application fee for the exam.
| Category | NEST Application Fee (in INR) |
|---|---|
| All Females and Divyangjan (specially-abled category) | INR 700 |
| General/ OBC (Only Males) | INR 1400 |
| SC/ ST/ PwD (Only Males) | INR 700 |
I
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 6 days ago
Applicants are advised to fill the exam centres while filling the application form of NEST exam. There will be around 120 NEST exam centres mentioned in the official notification. Students who want to apply and participate in the NEST exam must fill the 5 exam centres of their preferred choice from
I
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 6 days ago
The application form of NEST 2025 will start on February 17, 2025 by exam conducting authorities on the official website. Applicants are advised to check the eligibility criteria before filling the form. The last date to fill in the application form and to submit the application fee is May 9, 2025.
S
I
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 2 weeks ago
Mumbai University conducts NEST for admission to its Integrated M.Sc courses. However, it is not compulsory for selection. Aspirants with a required score in other accepted exams: JEE Main, MAH MCA CET, CUET PG etc. are also eligible to apply. Moreover, aspirants shall check out the eligibility requ
M
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 4 weeks ago
Eligibility criteria for admission:
Candidates must qualify these eligibility criteria listed below:
The candidates who have cleared the 12th Standard examination or equivalent in 2022, 2023 or those who will be appearing for the 12th Standard examination or equivalent in 2024, irrespective of categ
P
Beginner-Level 5
The NEST 2024 eligibility criteria is defined on both basis age wise as well education wise.
Admissions in NISER, Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS, Mumbai are done based on a candidate's score in the NEST exam. Candidates who have passed Class XII from the Science stream are eligible to apply for the NEST exam.
Candidates should pass Class XII in Science stream from a recognised board in India with at least 60% aggregate marks (55% for SC/ ST/ PWD category candidates). Candidates should have passed Class XII either last year or will pass this year.