National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) is a national-level entrance test organized by the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, and the University of Mumbai Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CEBS), Mumbai.
Through NEST exam scores, candidates will get admission to integrated M.Sc courses in Biology, Physics, Mathematics, and Chemistry disciplines. The entrance test will be held in 120 cities across the country. Candidates seeking admission to the above-said courses must submit their NEST 2024 application form as per the prescribed schedule.
Candidates can check the complete details regarding the NEST exam 2024 such as eligibility criteria, important dates, registration process, and selection process from the article below.
Table of Contents
NEST 2024 Important Dates (tentative)
Candidates can check the tentative schedule regarding the NEST exam 2024 from the table below.
| Events | Dates (tentative) |
| NEST 2024 Application form date | February 2024 |
| Last date for online application submission | May 2024 |
| Correction window | May 2024 |
| Availability of admit card | June 2024 |
| Date of exam | June 2024 |
| Answer key release date | June 2024 |
| Announcement of result | July 2024 |
NEST Exam Eligibility Criteria
Candidates must satisfy the required eligibility criteria listed below:
Candidates must have passed the class 12th examination with a minimum of 60% marks (55% for SC/ST/Divyangjan candidates) in aggregate or equivalent grade from any recognized Board in India.
Candidates must have been born on or after August 01, 2004. The age limit is relaxed by 5 years for candidates belonging to reserved categories.
Candidates who cleared the qualifying examination in either 2022 or 2023 are eligible to apply. Applicants appearing in 2024 will also be eligible to apply for the exam.
NEST Application Form 2024
The application form will be available online mode in February 2024 (tentatively). To apply for the exam, aspirants should visit the online application link and enter basic details.
After login, applicants must fill in the details such as personal, academic, contact details, etc. in the application form.
Thereafter, candidates must upload the scanned photograph and signature in the given fields as per the prescribed format.
Pay the required application fee via online mode to complete the application process.
Take the printout of the application form for future reference.
NEST Application Fee
Candidates from general categories have to pay Rs 1200/- as a necessary application fee. For Female/SC/ST candidates the application fee is Rs 600/-.
The payment can be made online via debit card, credit card, and net banking.
NEST Exam Pattern
Candidates can check the examination pattern from the table below.
| Mode of exam | Online- Computer-based test |
| Exam duration | 3 hours 30 minutes |
| Type of questions | Multiple choice type questions (MCQs) |
| Total marks | 200 marks |
| Sections | 4 |
| Marking criteria | +2.5 for each correct answer 1 mark will be deducted for each wrong answer |
NEST Syllabus 2024
The syllabus for NEST will be based on the topics and subjects covered in the 11th and 12th class syllabus. The exam will consist of four sections namely Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, and Biology. Candidates can check the subject-wise syllabus from the table below.
| Subjects | Syllabus |
| Physics | Units and dimensions, design of some experiments, significant figures, pressure in a fluid, Graphical representation and interpretation of data, conservation of angular momentum, sound, and mechanical waves, etc. |
| Chemistry | Mole concept, Measurement in chemistry, Atomic Structure and chemical bonding, thermodynamics, Gaseous and liquid states, chemical equilibrium, Aldehydes and Ketones, chemical kinetics, electrochemistry, solid state, solutions, s-block elements, amines, etc. |
| Biology | Genetics and Evolution, Cell Biology, ecology, immunology, Human and Environment, digestive system, biotechnology, developmental biology, and systematics. |
| Mathematics | Logarithms, vectors, Algebra, Trigonometry, differential calculus, analytical geometry, integral calculus, |
NEST 2024 Admit Card
It is expected that the authority will release the NEST Admit Card in June 2024. Candidates who registered for the exam can download the NEST hall ticket online by providing their login credentials. The admit card will include the details like exam date & time, examination venue, candidate’s name and roll number, and exam day instructions.
NEST admit card is an important document to be carried to the examination centre. Candidates without an admit card will not be allowed to appear in the entrance test.
NEST Answer Key 2024
The authority will release the draft answer key for NEST 2024 most likely in June 2024. The NEST Answer key will contain the right answers for all the questions asked in the entrance examination. The answer key will be published online mode.
In case of any issue with the provisional answer key, candidates will be allowed to raise objections against the answer key within the specified time. After considering all the objections, a final answer key will be announced.
NEST Result 2024
The result will be announced a few days after the release of the answer key through online mode. Candidates who appeared in the exam can download their NEST scores by using login details. A separate merit list will also be prepared based on the candidate’s marks in the entrance exam. Qualified candidates will be called for the admission process on the basis of their merit rank.
NEST Counselling 2024
The process of NEST Counselling will be held in multiple rounds through offline mode. There will be no joint counselling organized for the NEST exam. The process of counselling will be conducted at NISER and UM-DAE-CBS for offering admission in 5-year Integrated M.Sc. courses.
The selected candidates must bring the documents for verification at allotted centre as per the prescribed schedule. Seats will be allotted after the document verification and fee submission.
NEST Contact Details
Address
The Chief Coordinator
NEST- NISER Bhubaneswar
P.O. Jatni, Khurda-752050, Odisha, India
Email Address: [email protected]
Official Website: www.nestexam.in
Phone Number: 06742494102
FAQs
The actual schedule has not been announced yet. However, it is expected that the exam will be held in June 2024.
As per the previous trends, the difficulty level of the exam is moderate to easy.
The exam is conducted once a year.
The NEST Score is accepted by 3 colleges namely NISER, BHUBANESWAR, UM-DAE – CEBS, Mumbai, and ISERC, Kolkata.
As per the previous records, the NEST overall cutoff for the general category is 95%.
For Latest Updates Please Subscribe our Telegram Channel: Here