Section-wise Preparation Tips for NEST 2020 - Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, and General

Candidates appearing for NEST 2020 can get here section-wise preparation tips for all subjects including, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, and General. Read here to know more.

National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) will be conducted for admissions to National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar and, Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CEBS). The entrance exam, NEST 2020 will be conducted in a Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode for a duration of 3 hours 30 minutes for each session. Candidates appearing for the entrance exam can get here preparation tips for NEST 2020 sections - Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, and General. 

Preparation Tips for NEST 2020 Physics Section 

The section Physics will be carrying 15 questions out of total questions 70. Candidates can prepare for the NEST Physics section by covering the syllabus, getting the required study material and preparation of topics by practising questions. Here are the tips to prepare for NEST Physics: 

Know the syllabus for Physics section of NEST: First candidates need to list out the topics to be prepared as well as,  topics have been prepared sufficiently. The core topics of Physics syllabus for NEST exam are as mentioned below:

• Units and dimensions,
• Design of some simple experiments,
• Systems of particles,
• Law of gravitation,
• Hooke’s law and stress,
• Conservation of angular momentum,
• Pressure in a fluid, Sound and mechanical waves,
• Thermal physics,
• Electricity and magnetism,
• Capacitance,
• Electric current,
• Biot-Savart’s law and Ampere’s law,
• Magnetic moment of a current loop,
• Electromagnetic induction,
• Optics,
• Modern physics,
• Photoelectric effect

Books for Physics preparation - Candidates need to gather books that will be helpful in covering the entire syllabus as well as, practice the questions on it. Here are some books recommended by experts to prepare NEST Physics section: 

• Objective Physics by Arihant 
• NCERT Exemplar Problems for Class 11 Physics  
• NCERT Exemplar Problems for Class 12 Physics  
• Concepts of Physics by H C Verma 
• Problems in physics by S S Krotov
• Problems and solution of Physics by Shashi Bhushan Tiwari

Tips for Physics preparation - 

• Make notes on important topics - Candidates first need to make a schedule so that they can make notes on all the important topics of physics concepts. Then they need to prepare tricks to learn the formulae in physics. There is no topic-wise weightage for NEST Physics section, therefore, it is best that candidates go through the past years question paper to understand the important topics asked in this section every year. Candidates need to allocate sufficient time in the analysis of previous years question papers of NEST 2020 to understand what needs to be covered in order to score well in this section. Moreover, the books recommended above will also provide important topics to be covered from the syllabus. 
• Start with difficult topics first - Only the one preparing for the examination knows his/ her strengths. Therefore, candidates need to list out the topics that they feel are tricky for them and need more preparation. Thereafter, candidates need to clarify the basics and practice the questions every day. Consistent practising will help cover the topics and, candidates should attempt this technique for at least 2-3 topics depending on the preparation level. 
• Divide the syllabus and summarise everything - The syllabus of NEST physics is broadly based on Class 11th and 12th, then to cover it entirely, candidates need to sort it accordingly. Candidates, then need to prepare and revise the syllabus in a sorted manner. Make notes and tricks to learn faster and, remember for a longer duration. 

Also Read: 

• Important topics for NEST 2020 with weightage
• List of books for NEST 2020 preparation 

Preparation Tips for NEST 2020 General Section

The section general carries less weightage than other sections but it is a mandatory section. There will be a total of 10 questions based on general knowledge of all the sections i.e. Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and, Biology. To prepare for the NEST General section, candidates can refer the tips below:  

Know the syllabus for General section - Candidates have to cover overall subjects around the topics below: 

• Major historical milestones in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Astronomy, Computer science and Environmental studies
• Scientific passages or graphical or tabular data interpretation based questions

Books for General preparation - In order to practice the questions for this section, candidates can refer to the following books:

• NEST Exam Guide by SURABOOKS experts
• NEST Exam Guide 2018 by A Panel of Authors

Tips to prepare for General Section of NEST - Candidates can prepare for this section, as per the tips mentioned below: 

• Work on the aptitude and logical skills 
• Read about the contributions made by researchers and scientists, 
• Solve questions on a regular basis for mental aptitude, logical reasoning, applications in Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science and Mathematics  
• Go through the past year question papers of NEST to understand the questions asked in this section
• Take help of books to understand the topics and practice mock papers
• Improve reading skills and vocabulary
• Enhance test-taking skills i.e. speed, accuracy and time -management with regular practice and revision
• Keep a track of current affairs around technology, science and engineering with the help of news and GK websites.

Preparation Tips for NEST 2020 Chemistry Section

The section will carry 15 questions from the total weightage. Candidates have to cover the syllabus, practice questions and do a strategic revision to score well in this section. Here are some tips to prepare for NEST Chemistry: 

Know the syllabus - Here are the topics for NEST chemistry around physical chemistry, surface chemistry, organic chemistry and inorganic chemistry as asked in the exam: 

• Measurements in chemistry,
• Mole concept,
• Gaseous and liquid states,
• Atomic structure and chemical bonding,
• Thermodynamics,
• Chemical equilibrium,
• Electrochemistry,
• Chemical kinetics,
• Ionic equilibrium,
• Solid-state,
• Solutions,
• Surface chemistry,
• Adsorption,
• Colloidal State,
• Classification of elements and periodicity in properties,
• Hydrogen, s– Block elements, p– Block elements, d–Block elements, f–Block Elements,
• Coordination compounds,
• Metals and metallurgy,
• Basic concepts of organic chemistry,
• Reactive intermediates,
• Isomerism,
• Nomenclature,
• Alkanes, Alkenes and Alkynes,
• Aromatic compounds,
• Haloalkanes (Alkyl halides),
• Haloarenes,
• Alcohols,
• Phenols,
• Ethers,
• Aldehydes and Ketones,
• Carboxylic acids,
• Amines,
• Carbohydrate,
• Amino acids and proteins,
• Polymers

Books for Chemistry preparation - Below are some recommended books for Chemistry preparation giving meticulous details about the syllabus, important topics as well as, practice papers:  

• Objective Chemistry by Dinesh 
• Objective Chemistry by Arihant 
• Cengage chemistry series by KS Verma
• NCERT Class 11 and 12th Chemistry

Tips for Chemistry preparation - 

• Divide the syllabus - Candidates first need to divide the syllabus of Chemistry into - physical chemistry, surface chemistry, organic chemistry and inorganic chemistry. Thereafter, they need to list out the strong and weak concepts depending on the preparation level from the syllabus. Then, analyse the previous years' question papers to understand the type of questions asked and common topics covered in this section. 
• Clear the concepts and practice questions - Candidates have to cover the complete syllabus of Chemistry since all the topics are important and, keep practising questions to enhance speed and accuracy. 

Also Read: 

NEST 2020 Exam Pattern

NEST 2020 Syllabus

NEST Previous Years Papers

Preparation Tips for NEST 2020 Biology Section

The section will carry 15 questions around the botany and zoology topics of CLass 12th and 11th level. Candidates can prepare for Biology section of NEST exam as under: 

Know the syllabus - First step towards the preparation of the biology section is to know about the topics to be covered. Here is the syllabus of NEST for Biology section: 

• Cell Biology,
• Genetics and Evolution,
• Ecology,
• Humans and Environment,
• Biotechnology,
• Biology of Animal Systems,
• Biology of Plant Systems, and Systematics

Books for Biology preparation - Candidates can cover the syllabus of Biology with the help of following books:

• Objective Biology by Arihant 
• NCERT Biology Class XI textbook
• NCERT Biology Class XII textbook
• Together with Biology by S Venugopal
• Objective Biology by K N Bhatia/ K Bhatia 

Tips for Biology preparation - 

• Make notes and diagrams with pointers to understand the concepts easily/ 
• Divide the syllabus into two parts - Class 11th biology syllabus and Class 12th biology syllabus then it becomes easier to cover it entirely. 
• Analyse the previous years' NEST question paper to get an idea about the type of questions and common topics asked.
• Practice the questions regularly and, learn the theory every day with preparation notes.

Preparation Tips for NEST 2020 Mathematics Section

Know the syllabus - 

• Algebra,
• Quadratic Equation
• Trigonometry,
• Analytical geometry,
• Differential calculus,
• Integral calculus,
• Vectors
• Permutations and Combinations
• Probability 
• Co-Ordinate Geometry of 2D/3D Dimensions
• Statistics
• Sequences and  Series

Books for Mathematics preparation - 

• Objective Mathematics by RD Sharma
• Objective Mathematics - Chapterwise by Disha Experts 
• Objective Mathematics by Arihant Experts

Tips for Mathematics preparation -

• List out the topics by difficulty level i.e. Algebra, Calculus, Vectors, Trignometry, Geometry chapters are considered difficult by most aspirants. Whereas, chapters like permutations and combination, probability, statistics, sequencing and series are easier to score. 
• Learn the theorems and formulae from all the chapters. 
• Practice questions on a regular basis from all chapters, target at least 4-5 questions for each topic every day. 
• Analyse the previous years' question papers for NEST to review the questions asked in the exam. 
• Focus on difficult topics first then on easily scoring chapters however, do not neglect any topic. 

Read More: 

• How to prepare for NEST in two months?
• Last-minute tips for NEST 2020
• Exam Day Checklist for NEST 2020
• NEST 2020 Exam Centre List 
• NEST 2020 News and Updates