NEST 2026 Exam Dates (Out): Application (Jan 5), Exam Date, Admit Card & Other Dates

NEST 2026 exam notification has been released by the examination conducting body on December 15, 2025. According to the official notification, this year NEST exam is scheduled to be conducted on June 6, 2026, across India. According to the NEST important dates, the application form will be released on January 5, 2026, and the last date will be April 6, 2026. Rest of the dates, such as the release of mock test, answer key and result will be announced later.

The NEST Syllabus is available on the official portal for those students who wish to appear for the exam. One needs to visit the official portal to be able to download the syllabus for all subjects. They need to click on the syllabus and information brochure link in the top right corner of the homepage. Then, students need to click on the link available for Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics to access the PDFs of all these NEST Subjects. 

The hall ticket of NEST 2026 will be released by the exam authority, NISER, Bhubaneswar. The NEST 2026 admit card will be released in online mode on May 15, 2026.  Applicants who will successfully fill the application form will be able to download the admit card by entering their login credentials. i.e user ID and password. 

The NEST 2026 exam will be conducted in a single shift, from 2 PM to 5 PM. Applicants who want to appear in the exam must ensure that they reach the exam hall at least one hour before the commencement of the exam, which is by 1 PM. Candidates reaching after the scheduled time will not be allowed entry. 

Candidates will be able to pay the application fee of NEST 2026 till April 12, 2026, by 11.30 PM. The last date to submit the application form is April 6, 2026. After all details on the NEST application form are filled, candidates need to pay the application fee. Candidates can make the payment of the NEST 2026 application fee online (through credit/debit card, net banking, UPI) modes. After the payment is done, applicants need to download the receipt of payment for future use. 

Candidates must know that the allotment of an examination centre by the NEST Committee has to be regarded as final, and the request for a change of centre will, in general, not be entertained. The address of the test venue allotted to the applicant will be mentioned on the NEST admit card.

Candidates need to visit the official website to download the NEST 2026 Answer PDF. With the help of NEST Response sheet, candidates can evaluate their NEST Scores, and they can also raise objections before the stipulated date, which is likely to be scheduled in the second week of June 2026. 

The NEST 2026 exam will be conducted on June 6, 2026. The exam result was declared tentatively in the second week of July 2026, after a few days, when the NEST answer Key objection window is over. 

The NEST 2026 eligibility criteria are 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 12 from the Science stream are eligible to apply for the NEST exam. 

Candidates should pass Class 12 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.

There is no age limit to appear for NEST.

The NEST 2026 Result is expected to be declared in the fourth week of June 2026. The exam authorities have not yet announced the result date. The NEST 2026 exam will be conducted on June 6, 2026. After the exam is held, answer keys will be released. Objections have to be submitted within the stipulated date. Experts will review the objections and release the final answer keys, based on which, the NEST result will be released. 

Based on previous year trends, the exam authorities may extend the NEST 2026 application last date. As of now, the last date to register is April 6, 2026. Based on student requests and other factors, the last date of application may be extended. The NEST application form 2026 will be released on January 5, 2026. 

Applicants are advised to reach the exam centre along with the items mentioned below. 

• NEST Admit Card
• Valid ID proof or Admit card of Class 12 Board exam
• Pencil/Pen

Students must note that no electronic gadgets will be permitted in the exam hall. Hence, they should not to carry anything. Along with this, applicants are advised to reach the exam hall before the time mentioned on the admit card. 

The NEST 2026 application form will be released on January 5, 2026. The last date to fill the form is April 6, 2026. The application process will be completely online, including the fee payment. A correction facility will be provided from April 13 to April 14, 2026.