NEST Exam Pattern 2026: Subjects & Number of Questions, Marking Scheme

The NEST exam has 20 questions from four sections. The total number of questions is 80. Students have to attempt at least three sections or 60 questions. 

NEST 2026 exam will consist of 80 questions from four subjects. Each section carries 20 questions of three marks each. One mark is removed for each wrong answer. No marks will be removed for unanswered or unattempted questions. Full marks of the exam is 240. Students have to attempt minimum 60 questions. 

The exam authority has not mentioned any section-wise cutoff marks for the NEST exam. Hence, there are no minimum qualifying or passing marks in the exam. Out of the four sections, the best three scores will be taken for the preparation of the merit list. Hence, students should try to solve questions from all four sections as that with the least score will not be considered. 

NEST is the entrance exam for the Integrated MSc programmes. Hence, it is an undergraduate level entrance exam. Candidates who have passed or appeared for the Class 12 Board exam are eligible for the exam. 

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. 

No, the syllabus of the NEST exam is different from the NEET exam. Though there may be some topics or sub topics which can be considered in both these exams, but it does not have identical syllabi to one another. 

The NEET syllabus comprises three sections, which are Physics, Chemistry and Biology, whereas inthe  NEST exam, along with these three, the Mathematics section is also included. 

Applicants are advised to check the detailed description of both these subjects in detail and accordingly prepare for the exam. If NEST applicants aim to attempt only PCB sections, then the syllabus will be the same. 

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 NEST question papers will be in English and Hindi. Candidates have to select their question paper medium while filling out the application process. In the case of any confusion or discrepancy due to language, the question paper in English will be final.

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.

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.  

Yes, according to the NEST exam pattern, there will be negative marking. For each wrong answer, one mark will be deducted. The marks per question are three. Full marks in the exam are 240. 

There is equal weightage for each section of the NEST exam. There are four sections, each carrying 60 marks. There is negative marking of one mark for wrong answers.

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.

Ideally applicants should not skip any particular section before appearing in the NEST exam. Exam authorities will consider the marks from the top 3 sections to prepare the merit list. Hence, even if one paper from any section except Mathematics does not go well, then by securing good marks in the Math section, you can increase your chances of qualifying the exam. Along with this, if there are easy questions in the math section, then there is a high probability to secure good marks in it. Hence, it is advised not to skip any section while preparing for the NEST exam. But if you have not studied Mathematics as a subject in Class 11 and Class 12, you can skip the section.