NEST Syllabus 2025: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics & Biology Syllabus PDF Download

National Entrance Screening Test 2024 ( NEST )

Ishita Chauhan
Updated on Sep 15, 2025 00:23 IST

By Ishita Chauhan, Retainer

NEST 2025 Syllabus is the foundation to prepare for this exam for candidates who wish to get admission to UM-DAE CEBS and NISER for different programmes like the Integrated 5-year MSc Programme, MSc Programme in Medical & Radiological Physics, Integrated MSc+PhD Programme, and PhD Programme. 

It is suggested that candidates should focus on revising the NEST Syllabus to qualify for the NEST 2025 Exam. Most of the topics asked in the NEST Exam come from the Class 11 and 12 NCERT/CBSE books. The exam conducting authority will release the NEST 2025 Syllabus via an official notification on their site. The syllabus consists of important topics and subtopics from which questions will be framed in the paper. 

Candidates must check out the NEST 2025 Exam Pattern as well to thoroughly prepare for the exam. The NEST 2025 question paper consists of questions that come from all four sections - Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics. To prepare well for the exam, candidates must review the complete NEST 2025 syllabus, as the questions asked will test the candidate's domain-specific knowledge.  

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Table of content
  • NEST Syllabus 2025
  • NEST Syllabus 2025 PDF Link
  • NEST Syllabus 2025 for Biology
  • NEST Syllabus 2025 for Chemistry
  • NEST Syllabus 2025 for Physics
  • NEST Syllabus 2025 for Mathematics
  • NEST 2025 FAQs
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NEST Syllabus 2025

Applicants who want to prepare for the NEST exam must know the syllabus of NEST 2025 mentioned in the official notification. By knowing and preparing the NEST exam syllabus 2025 applicants can increase their chances of qualifying for the exam with flying colors. 

The level of questions of NEST 2025 will be similar to that of Class 11-12. Hence, NCERT books will be useful to an extent to cover the NEST 2025 syllabus. However, to get a high score, candidates may refer to other NEST preparation books along with NCERT books.

The NEST syllabus is further divided into four subjects Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics. The detailed description of sub-topics for all these four sections is mentioned below. 

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NEST Syllabus 2025 PDF Link

The syllabus of the NEST exam is important for the applicants to prepare for the exam. The authorities have released the NEST 2025 syllabus in a PDF file on their official site, candidates must go through the NEST syllabus pdf link mentioned in the below table.  

NEST Subject Wise Syllabus PDF 2025

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

 

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NEST Syllabus 2025 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 2025 Important Topics for Biology
Cell Biology Genetics and Evolution
Ecology Humans and Environment
Biotechnology Biology of Animal Systems
Biology of Plant Systems Systematics
Digestive System Circulatory System
Nervous System Reproductive System
Developmental Biology Immunology
Biology of Plant Systems Excretory System

These are topics of the Biology section of the NEST 2025 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. 

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Is Biology compulsory for NEST exam?
A: 

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 2024?
A: 

Yes, according to the NEST previous year exam pattern, there will be differential marking scheme for MCQs and MSQs. 

Candidates can expect a negative marking in the MCQ-type questions. For each wrong answer, there will be a negative marking of one mark. For each correct answer 2.5 marks will be awarded. 

No marks will be deducted for wrong or unattempted MSQ questions, though 4 marks will be awarded for each correct answer. The latest update on the negative marking will be updated soon after the release of the NEST 2024 notification.

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NEST Syllabus 2025 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 in below given table. 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. 
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NEST Syllabus 2025 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:

  • 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 currentBiot-Savart’s law and Ampere’s law, Magnetic moment of a current loop, Electromagnetic inductionOptics, Modern physics, Photoelectric effect, Mechanics.
Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
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NEST Syllabus 2025 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:

  • Algebra, Trigonometry, Analytical geometry, Differential calculus, Integral calculus, Vectors, Logarithms and their properties, Permutations and combinations.
Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Can I skip math section in NEST exam?
A: 

Ideally applicants should not skip any pericular section before appearing in the NEST exam. As authority will consider the marks from top 3 sections to prepare the merit list. Hence even if one paper from any section except math if don't go well then by securing good marks in math section you can increase your chances of qualifying the exam. Along with this if there are easy questions in math section then there is high probability to secure good marks in it. 

Hence it is advised not to skip any section while preparing for the NEST exam. 

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NEST 2025 FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions about NEST 2025 Exam

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Commonly asked questions
Q:   What are the subjects in NEST exam?
A: 

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.

Q:   is there any sectional weightage to any section in NEST 2024 exam?
A: 

Applicants who are planning to appear in NEST exam must note that there is no sectional weightage to any perticular section in the exam. All the sections carry same marks 50-50 each. 

The total marks for which exam will be conducted is 200 marks and total there will 17-17 questions in each four section. 

Applicants must note that the authorities will consider the marks secured in 3 best section to prepare the merit list and for the section which have less marks will be ommitted and will not be taken into consideration. 

Q:   Where can I find NEST 2024 syllabus?
A: 

Applicants who want to appear in NEST exam must check the syllabus as well as exam pattern before appearing in the exam. The NEST exam syllabus 2024 has been released by the exam conducting authorities along with the release of the official notification.  Applicants are advised to check the NEST previous year syllabus to get an idea about the syllabus. 

Along with this the authorities also mention that 70 to 80% of questions in the NEST exam will be from the syllabus of class 11th and 12th NCERT books.

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NEST Exam

Student Forum

chatAnything you would want to ask experts?
Write here...

Answered 6 days ago

Dear reader,

Taking admission at LPU is a great choice. LPUNEST is their own entrance and scholarship exam.

The candidate's merit rank on the test and the courses and specializations they selected during the online preference submission are the main factors used to assign seats for LPU NEST counselin

...Read more

A

Aston Martin

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 3 weeks ago

hi,

Seats during LPU NEST counselling are allocated based on the candidate's rank, choices filled, and seat availability. After qualifying the exam, candidates must register for counselling, fill in their preferred courses and specializations, and lock their choices. Allocation is done in order of m

...Read more

V

Vidushi Sharma

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

After re-downloading the revised version by visiting the official website of NEST, candidates must ensure that the revised scorecard consists of the correct information related to their qualifying percentile and the issue date, which is July 17, 2025.

I

Ishita Chauhan

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

All the selected candidates must know that it is important for them to download the revised NEST 2025 scorecard issued on July 17, 2025. Only the revised NEST Scorecard will be considered valid for all future admission processes and the previous versions will not be valid during verification.

I

Ishita Chauhan

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

All the selected candidates are advised to visit the official website to be able to download their revised scorecards. Candidates need to use their login credentials and click on the login link provided on the NEST Official website to ensure the scorecard they download has the issue date of July 17,

...Read more

I

Ishita Chauhan

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

For most of the candidates who appeared for the NEST Entrance Exam, the revised scorecard will not affect their total score or All India Rank (AIR). But as per the official notice released by NEST, all candidates are advised to download the revised scorecard to ensure accuracy for future admission s

...Read more

I

Ishita Chauhan

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

A small error related to the qualifying percentile was found in the previous NEST 2025 scorecards and the error was resolved later on but now candidates are advised to download the revised NEST Scorecard from the login link available on the official website because only those scorecards with the iss

...Read more

I

Ishita Chauhan

Contributor-Level 10

3 Institutes accepting NEST

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