NEST Syllabus 2026: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics & Biology Syllabus PDF Download

Q: Can a PCB student give a NEST Exam?

Yes, PCB students can give the NEST exam. The National Entrance Screening Test is designed for both BiPC and MPC students. The question papers are based on Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology of Class 11 & 12. The NEST syllabus is based on the CBSE curriculum (2025-26).

Q: NEST exam is for what purpose?

NISER and UM-DAE CEBS conduct the NEST exam for admission to the integrated MSc programme offered in the institutes. The NEST exam is conducted as a computer-based test. The questions are based on the CBSE curriculum and the NCERT syllabus for Class 11 & 12.

Q: What are the subjects in NEST exam?

The NEST exam syllabus comprises mainly four subjects. Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics. The questions in the NEST exam will be asked from all these four sections hence applicants are advised to complete the syllabus from all four subjects. Each section will have 17 questions in the exam and collectively there will be 68 questions for which the maximum marks allocation will be 200. Applicants are advised to prepare for all four subjects to qualify for the exam. The merit list is prepared by considering the maximum score from any of the top 3 subjects in the exam.

NEST 2026 Exam Date

6 Jun '26

Updated on May 28, 2026 12:55 IST

By Vikash Kumar Vishwakarma

Overview

NEST 2026 syllabus has been released by NISER and UM-DAE CEBS. The syllabus of NEST comprises topics based on Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Biology. The authority follows the CBSE curriculum of Class XI and XII to prepare the syllabus. National Entrance Screening Test will be held on June 6, 2026. With a few months left for the entrance test, focus on practising mock tests and solving the previous year's question paper regularly.

Candidates should check the NEST 2026 exam pattern to know the structure of the question paper and the marking scheme. Knowing the NEST syllabus and paper pattern, plan the preparation strategy accordingly. Check the page for the syllabus of NEST 2026.

Table of contents

NEST Syllabus 2026 PDF Link
NEST Syllabus 2026 for Biology
NEST Syllabus 2026 for Chemistry
NEST Syllabus 2026 for Physics
NEST Syllabus 2026 for Mathematics
NEST Exam Pattern 2026
NEST Exam Preparation Strategy
NEST 2026 FAQs

NEST Syllabus 2026 PDF Link

The syllabus of NEST is useful for exam preparation. Aspirants can use the syllabus to plan time management. They have to divide the topics into two parts known topics and new topics. NEST syllabus PDF download link is provided below.

NEST Subject Wise Syllabus PDF 2026

Subject	PDF File
Physics	Download Here
Chemistry	Download Here
Mathematics	Download Here
Biology	Download Here

NEST Syllabus 2026 for Biology

Candidates can go through important topics that they should consider studying to score well in the NEST Biology paper, as mentioned in the table below:

NEST 2026 Important Topics for Biology

Title	Topics
Diversity of Living Organisms	The Living World Biological Classification Plant Kingdom Animal Kingdom
Structural Organization in Plants and Animals	Morphology of Flowering Plants Anatomy of Flowering Plants Structural Organisation in Animals
Structure and Function	Cell-The Unit of Life Biomolecules Cell Cycle and Cell Division
Plant Physiology	Photosynthesis in Higher Plants Respiration in Plants Plant - Growth and Development
Human Physiology	Breathing and Exchange of Gases Body Fluids and Circulation Digestion and Absorption Excretory Products and their Elimination Locomotion and Movement Neural Control and Coordination Chemical Coordination and Integration
Reproduction	Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants Human Reproduction Reproductive Health
Genetics and Evolution	Principles of Inheritance and Variation Molecular Basis of Inheritance Evolution
Biology and Human Welfare	Human Health and Diseases Microbes in Human Welfare
Biotechnology and its Applications	Biotechnology - Principles and Processes Biotechnology and its Applications
Ecology and Environment	Organisms and Populations Ecosystem Biodiversity and its Conservation

These are topics of the Biology section of the NEST 2026 syllabus from which questions will be asked in the exam. The detailed description of the topics can be checked in the NEST syllabus PDF mentioned above.

Commonly asked questions

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: Is there any negative marking in NEST?

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.

NEST Syllabus 2026 for Chemistry

The NEST Chemistry syllabus is further divided into four sections which are Physical, Surface, Organic, and Inorganic Chemistry. The description of the topics is mentioned below. Candidates can go through important topics that they should consider studying to score well in the NEST Chemistry paper as mentioned in the table below:

Important For Physical Chemistry: Measurements in chemistry, Mole concept, Gaseous and liquid states, Atomic structure and chemical bonding, Thermodynamics, Chemical equilibrium, Solid state, Solutions
Electrochemistry, Chemical kinetics.
Important Topics for Surface Chemistry: Absorption, Colloidal state.
Important Topics for Inorganic Chemistry: Classification of elements and periodicity in properties, S-Block elements, P-Block elements, Coordination compounds, D-Block elements, F-Block elements, Metals and metallurgy.
Important Topics for Organic Chemistry: Basic concepts, Nomenclature, Reactive intermediates, Aromatic compounds, Alkenes and Alkynes, Phenols, Haloalkanes (Alkyl halides), Aldehydes and Ketones, Ethers, Carbohydrate, Amines, Polymers, Amino acids and proteins, Isomerism, Alkenes, Carboxylic acids.

NEST Syllabus 2026 for Physics

Candidates can go through important topics that they should consider to study to score well in the NEST Physics paper. The details of the NEST Physics syllabus topics are mentioned below:

NEST Physics Syllabus - Class XI topics

Chapter	Topics
Units and Measurements	Units of measurement; Systems of units; SI units; Fundamental and derived units; Significant figures; Dimensions of physical quantities; Dimensional analysis and its applications.
Motion in a Straight Line	Frame of reference; Motion in a straight line; Uniform and non- uniform motion; Average speed and average velocity and instantaneous velocity; Uniformly accelerated motion; Graphical representation of rectilinear motion; Kinematic relations for uniformly accelerated motion
Motion in a Plane	Scalar and vector quantities to describe planar motion; Unit vectors; Addition and subtraction of vectors, Resolution of vectors into rectangular components in a plane; Scalar and Vector product of two vectors. Motion in a plane with uniform acceleration; projectile motion; uniform circular motion.
Laws of Motion	Concept of inertia and Newton's first law of motion; Concept of momentum and Newton's second law of motion; Impulse; Newton's third law of motion. Law of conservation of linear momentum and its applications. Equilibrium of concurrent forces; Static and kinetic friction, laws of friction, rolling friction, lubrication. Dynamics of uniform circular motion: Centripetal and centrifugal forces, common examples of circular motion
Work, Energy and Power	Work done by a constant force and a variable force; kinetic energy, work- energy theorem, power. Notion of potential energy, example of a spring; Conservative and non-conservative forces; Motion in a vertical circle; Elastic and inelastic collisions in one and two dimensions.
Rigid System of Particles and Rotational Motion	Centre of mass of a system of particles; momentum conservation and Centre of mass motion. Moment of a force, torque, angular momentum, law of conservation of angular momentum and its applications. Equilibrium of a rigid body; Moment of inertia, radius of gyration, moments of inertia for simple geometrical objects. Comparison of linear and rotational motions.
Gravitation	Kepler's laws of planetary motion; Universal law of gravitation. Acceleration due to gravity and its variation with altitude and depth. Gravitational potential energy; Escape speed; Orbital velocity and energy of an orbiting satellite.
Mechanical Properties of Solids	Elasticity; Stress-strain relationship; Hooke's law; Young’s modulus, bulk modulus, concept of shear modulus of rigidity, Poisson's ratio; Elastic energy; Application of elastic behaviour of materials (qualitative idea only).
Mechanical Properties of Fluids	Pressure due to a fluid column; Pascal's law and its applications (hydraulic lift and hydraulic brakes), effect of gravity on fluid pressure ; Viscosity: Stokes' law, terminal velocity, streamline and turbulent flow, critical velocity, Bernoulli's theorem and its simple applications (Torricelli's law and Dynamic lift) ; Surface energy and surface tension, angle of contact, excess of pressure across a curved surface, application of surface tension in understanding droplets, bubbles and capillary rise.
Thermal Properties of Matter	Heat, temperature, thermal expansion of solids, liquids and gases; anomalous expansion of water; specific heat capacity: Cp, Cv – calorimetry; change of state - latent heat capacity Heat transfer: conduction, convection and radiation, thermal conductivity, qualitative ideas of Blackbody radiation: Wein's displacement Law, Stefan's law, Newton’s law of cooling.
Thermodynamics	Thermal equilibrium; zeroth law of thermodynamics; Heat, work and internal energy; First law of thermodynamics; Thermodynamic state variable and equation of state ; Thermodynamic processes: isothermal, adiabatic, reversible, irreversible, and cyclic processes ; Second law of thermodynamics; Carnot engine.
Kinetic Theory of Gases	Equation of state of ideal gas, work done in compressing a gas. Kinetic theory of an ideal gas - assumptions, concept of pressure; Kinetic interpretation of temperature; rms speed of gas molecules; degrees of freedom, law of equi-partition of energy (statement only) and application to specific heat capacities of gases; concept of mean free path ; Avogadro's number.
Oscillations	Periodic motion - time period, frequency, displacement as a function of time, periodic functions and their applications. Simple harmonic motion (S.H.M): velocity, acceleration; uniform circular motion and its equations of motion ; Concept of phase ; Energy in S.H.M. :, kinetic and potential energies ; Simple pendulum: derivation of expression for its time period; Oscillations of a loaded spring.
Waves	Wave motion: Transverse and longitudinal waves; speed of a travelling wave; displacement relation for a progressive wave ; principle of superposition of waves ; reflection of waves ; standing waves in strings and organ pipes, fundamental mode and harmonics; Beats.

NEST Physics Syllabus - Class XII topics

Chapter	Topics
Electric Charges and Fields	Electric charges; Conductors and Insulators; Coulomb's law - force between two- point charges, forces between multiple charges; superposition principle and continuous charge distribution Electric field, electric field lines, electric dipole, electric field due to a dipole, torque on a dipole in uniform electric field; Electric flux, statement of Gauss's theorem and its applications to find field due to charged objects ;
Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance	Electric potential, potential difference ; electric potential due to : a point charge, a dipole and system of charges ; Equipotential surfaces ; electrical potential energy of a system of charges and an electric dipole in an electrostatic field. Conductors and insulators; Electrostatics of a conductor ; Dielectrics and electric polarization; Capacitors and capacitance, combination of capacitors in series and in parallel, capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor with and without dielectric medium between the plates, energy stored in a capacitor
Current Electricity	Electric current: flow of electric charges in a metallic conductor; drift velocity, mobility and their relation with electric current ; Ohm's law ; V-I characteristics (linear and non-linear) ; electrical energy and power ; electrical resistivity and conductivity ; temperature dependence of resistance; Cells: Internal resistance, potential difference and emf, combination of cells in series and in parallel, Kirchhoff's rules, Wheatstone bridge.
Moving Charges and Magnetism	Concept of magnetic field ; Oersted's experiment ; Biot - Savart law and its application ; Ampere's law and its applications; Straight solenoid ; Force on a moving charge in uniform magnetic and electric fields. Force on a current-carrying conductor in a uniform magnetic field, force between two parallel current-carrying conductors-definition of ampere; Torque experienced by a current loop in uniform magnetic field; Current loop as a magnetic dipole and its magnetic dipole moment; Moving coil galvanometer- its current sensitivity and conversion to ammeter and voltmeter.
Magnetism and Matter	Bar magnet; Magnetism and Gauss’s Law; Magnetisation and Magnetic Intensity; Torque on a magnetic dipole (bar magnet) in a uniform magnetic field, Magnetic field lines. Magnetic properties of materials- Para-, dia- and ferro- magnetic substances; Effect of temperature on magnetic properties.
Electromagnetic Induction	Electromagnetic induction; Faraday's laws, induced EMF and current; Lenz's Law, Self and mutual induction.
Alternating Current	Alternating currents, peak and RMS value of alternating current/voltage; Representation of AC current and voltage by rotating Vectors — Phasors; AC voltage applied to resistor(R), inductor(L), capacitor(C); reactance and impedance; AC current and voltage in LR, LC, LCR series circuits; Resonance; Power in AC circuits, power factor, wattless current. AC generator, Transformer.
Electromagnetic Waves	Displacement current, Electromagnetic waves. Electromagnetic spectrum: Elementary facts (frequency range, sources and use) about radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma rays.
Ray Optics	Reflection of light, spherical mirrors, mirror formula; Refraction of light, total internal reflection and optical fibers, refraction at spherical surfaces, lenses, thin lens formula, lens maker’s formula, magnification, power of a lens, combination of thin lenses in contact; Refraction of light through a prism.
Wave Optics	Wave front and Huygen’s principle: Reflection and refraction of plane wave at a plane surface using wave fronts, Proof of laws of reflection and refraction using Huygen’s principle ; Interference: Young's double slit experiment, coherent sources and sustained interference of light, diffraction due to a single slit.
Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter	Dual nature of radiation; Photoelectric effect, Hertz and Lenard's observations ; Einstein's photoelectric equation: energy quantum of radiation ; Experimental study of photoelectric effect; Wave nature of particles: de-Broglie relation.
Atoms	Alpha-particle scattering experiment; Rutherford's model of atom; Bohr model of hydrogen atom, Expression for radius of nth possible orbit, velocity and energy of electron in nth orbit, hydrogen line spectra.
Nuclei	Atomic masses and composition and size of nucleus; nuclear force ; Mass-energy relation, mass defect; binding energy per nucleon and its variation with mass number; nuclear fission, nuclear fusion.
Semiconductor Electronics: Materials, Devices and Simple Circuits	Classification of Metals, Conductors and Semiconductors ; Intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors- p and n type, p-n junction ; Semiconductor diode - I-V characteristics in forward and reverse bias, application of junction diode -diode as a rectifier.

NEST Syllabus 2026 for Mathematics

Candidates can go through important topics that they should consider studying to score well in the Mathematics subject of the NEST Exam. The description is mentioned below:

NEST 2026 Maths Syllabus

Class XI Topics	Class XII Topics
Sets and Functions	Relations and Functions
Algebra	Algebra
Coordinate Geometry	Calculus
Calculus	Vectors and Three - Dimensional Geometry
Statistics and Probability	Linear Programming
-	Probability

NEST Exam Pattern 2026

NEST exam pattern 2026 is available online. Students can check the paper pattern of NEST 2026 to know the structure of questions. There are four sections in the NEST question paper. Each section has 20 questions. Check the table for NEST exam pattern overview.

Mode of exam	CBT
Duration of exam	3 hours
Sections	4 sections
Number of questions	80 Question (20 questions in each section)
Total marks	240 marks
Marking Scheme	Each question carries 3 marks
Negative marking	-1 mark

NEST Exam Preparation Strategy

Every student has their own way of preparing for the entrance exam. Here we have mentioned a few NEST preparation tips.

Get familiar to the NEST syllabus. This will help to focus on important topics for exam preparation.
Prepare a study timetable for systematic preparation. This will help to focus on all sections rather than wasting time on a single topic.
Gather useful resources like previous year question paper, mock test, previous year question paper, and books.
Make handy notes of flashcards of important topics, formulas and concepts. These are useful in revision.
Students should take the NEST mock test regularly after completing entire syllabus.
Solving previous year question paper of NEST will help in self-assessment and identifying the weak section that requires more attention.

NEST 2026 FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions about NEST 2026 Exam

Q: Can a PCB student give a NEST Exam?

Yes, PCB students can give the NEST exam. The National Entrance Screening Test is designed for both BiPC and MPC students. The question papers are based on Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology of Class 11 & 12. The NEST syllabus is based on the CBSE curriculum (2025-26).

Q: NEST exam is for what purpose?

NISER and UM-DAE CEBS conduct the NEST exam for admission to the integrated MSc programme offered in the institutes. The NEST exam is conducted as a computer-based test. The questions are based on the CBSE curriculum and the NCERT syllabus for Class 11 & 12.

Q: is there any sectional weightage to any section in NEST exam?

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.

Q: Where can I find NEST syllabus?

Applicants who want to appear in NEST exam must check the syllabus as well as the exam pattern before appearing in the exam. The NEST exam syllabus 2026 has been released by the exam conducting authorities along with the release of the official notification on December 15. Applicants are advised to check the NEST previous year syllabus to get an idea about the syllabus. It has remained the same as last year.

Q: What are the subjects in NEST exam?

The NEST exam syllabus comprises mainly four subjects. Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics. The questions in the NEST exam will be asked from all these four sections hence applicants are advised to complete the syllabus from all four subjects.

Each section will have 17 questions in the exam and collectively there will be 68 questions for which the maximum marks allocation will be 200. Applicants are advised to prepare for all four subjects to qualify for the exam.

The merit list is prepared by considering the maximum score from any of the top 3 subjects in the exam.