NEST 2023: Application Correction Window (Closed), Exam Dates (June 24), Syllabus, Pattern, Admit Card, Preparation Tips

NEST 2023 online correction window closed on May 29, 2023. Candidates got the opportunity to correct or update the details of the NEST 2023 Application form from May 26, 2023. NEST 2023 Application Form online registration process ended on May 24 which was earlier supposed to get closed on May 17. NEST 2023 Online Registration for the academic session 2023-28 began on February 27 (12:00 Noon). NEST 2023 Admit cards will be released by the conducting authority on June 12. Applicants will be able to download their admit cards by visiting the official website. NEST 2023 examination is scheduled to be conductd on June 24, 2023. NEST 2023 Results will be declared on July 10, 2023.

Also Read: NEST 2023 Application Correction Window Opens Today; Check Details

The NEST 2023 examination will be conducted at multiple centres (120 centres) all over India from, 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM (first session) and 2:30 PM – 6:00 PM (second session). From 2023 onwards the SMAS score of the best three subject scores from four subjects will be considered for the merit list preparation for NEST 2023 (for both NISER and CEBS). It was different in NEST2022, where the SMAS of all four subjects were considered for preparing the NISER merit list. It is also advised that candidates check NEST 2023 eligibility criteria before filling the NEST 2023 Application Form

The NEST 2023 exam will have four sections, four sections of objective (MCQ) type questions. Each section is of 50 marks each and will contain subject specific questions 

What is NEST?

National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) is conducted jointly by the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar and Mumbai University - Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CEBS), Mumbai. The NEST Exam is conducted annually to offer admission for Integrated MSc programmes in:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Mathematics
• Physics

Also Read:

NEST 2023 Online Registration Ends Today; Apply at https://www.nestexam.in/ 

NEST Application Form 2023 (Out) Live Updates: Registration Process, Fees & Apply Online @ nestexam.in 

NEST 2023 Dates Announced; Exam on June 24; Application to Start From February 27  

NEST 2023 Highlights

The following table brings important features of the NEST 2023 exam.

NEST 2023 Application Form and Process

NEST 2023 Application form and Exam dates had been announced by NISER and UM-DAE CEBS. As per the notice, the application form started from February 27 and the last date of online application form was May 17 which has been extended till May 24. Candidates could find all the necessary details regarding the NEST 2023 Examination and its complete process on the official website nestexam.in. 

NEST Application fee:

Below are the details of the fee for filling the online application form of NEST 2023.

The NEST 2023  application form was made available in an online mode on the official website of the exam. Candidates needed to first register by providing their personal and educational details. After receiving the NEST 2023 registration credentials via email and SMS, they had to login again and fill up the NEST application form with the rest of the personal, academic details, exam city preference, course preference and document upload. After all details on the NEST application form were filled, candidates needed to pay the application fee. Candidates could make the payment of the NEST 2023 application fee in online (through credit/ debit card/net banking) mode.

Candidates could check out the following video in order to get better idea of filling up the NEST 2023 Application form.

NEST 2023 Eligibility Criteria-

Below is the list of criteria which is required for the eligibility of NEST 2023 exam:

NEST 2023 Admission Process

The admission process for NEST 2023 involves five steps, which is represented in the infographic below. While the first step is to apply for the exam, the most critical step is to appear for the NEST 2023 exam and qualify for it. The final step is to participate in the NEST counselling process and take admission by paying the requisite fee. Below here is summary of the NEST examination Process 2023:

NEST 2023 Exam Centres

The NEST 2023 is expected to be conducted in centres located in 120 cities across India. Candidates have to select up to five cities as per their preferred NEST center location while filling the application form. The exam authorities will try to allot the NEST 2023 Exam Centres as per their preference and availability, The final allotted test center will be mentioned on the NEST 2023 admit card. After the issuance of the admit card, candidates' requests to change centres will not be entertained.

NEST 2023 Syllabus

 NEST 2023 syllabus has been released by the exam authorities. Questions in the NEST exam are asked from topics present in the syllabus of Class 11 and 12 books of the Science stream. The subjects include Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics. The exam officials have stated that questions in the NEST exam are mainly the science syllabus of Class 1I and 12 that is present in NCERT/ CBSE books. Aspirants can check the full NEST 2023 syllabus on this page.

NEST Exam Pattern 2023

Below are the deatils for the NEST 2023 Exam Pattern:

Mode Of Examination: NEST 2023 examination will be a Computer -Based Test (CBT/online exam).

Question Type: Question Paper will consist of Multiple Choice Questions(MCQ) and Multiple Select Questions(MSQ0

Time Duration: 3 hour and 30 minutes will be provided to applicants for completing the examination

Total marks: The questions will consist of a total 200 marks.

Sections: There will be a total four sections which includes subjects i.e.physics, chemistry, mathematics and biology.

Below we have provided the complete section wise pattern for the NEST 2023 Exam:

NEST 2023 Preparation Tips

NEST is one of the important examinations that candidates who want to pursue their integrated MSc integrated programmes at NISER, Bhubaneshwar and UM-DAE CEBS Mumbai jointly. 

Understand NEST Syllabus and Pattern: It is very much important to know what needs to be studied. The syllabus of NEST 2023 is vast and includes class 11 and 12 topics of Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Maths. Also, the pattern of the exam has to be kept in mind while preparing for the exam to know what type of questions will be asked and the time available to complete the paper.

Refer to previous year's NEST question papers: Previous year's papers are a great source of information. They will help students in understanding the difficulty level of exams and the subject-wise weightage of topics.

Prepare a timetable for study: Studying as per the timetable can help in covering the syllabus in a planned manner. It is highly advised that students make NEST preparation timetable with at least two to three hours for all three subjects and one hour for revision.

Regular Study: As the syllabus of NEST is vast, all chapters will only be covered if studied regularly daily. Regularity is very important in clearing the NEST 2023.

Learning from NCERT textbooks:  NCERT textbooks are the foundation for NEST syllabus. NEST aspirants must learn from the NCERT textbook and create a solid foundation of ideas and theories. They may also refer to other books to understand the concepts better. 

Selecting the Best Reference Books: NEST aspirants must refer to the best reference books that cover topics from the basics to the advanced level. 

Revision: Revision is as important as studying a topic. If students are not revising what they study, there are possibilities that they will not be able to recall it at the time of examinations.

Mock Test Paper: Solve mock test papers regularly. It is advised that students solve chapter-wise mock papers on completion of a chapter and full-length mock test papers after the completion of the entire syllabus.

NEST 2023 Mock Test

Mock tests are an integral part of NEST preparation. Although the exam officials do not release the official NEST mock tests. However, aspirants and students may solve unofficial NEST mock tests provided by coaching institutes. Solving mock tests give candidates exposure to the question types and topics as well as help build the exam-taking strategy for the actual day of the exam. Along with taking the NEST mock tests, students should also analyse their performance to know their areas of improvement.

NEST 2023 Admit Card

The NEST 2023 Admit Card will be released on June 12. Registered candidates can download it by entering their registration credentials. The NEST admit card carries information such as personal details, exam date and time, exam center address and exam day guidelines and instructions. NEST admit card is a mandatory document to be carried to the exam center. The NEST admit card 2023 will be available only online, and candidates must preserve it until the exam's counselling or admission process is complete.  

NEST 2023 Exam Analysis

NEST 2023 Exam is yet to commence in the third week of June, therefore exam analysis for NEST 2023 is not provided here and NEST 2023 analysis and student reactions will be provided on the exam day. For better reference and understanding of the level of the exam, candidates can refer to the analysis of the NEST 2022 exam.

The NEST 2022 exam was successfully conducted on June 18. The national-level entrance exam was conducted in two shifts i.e. morning shift (9:00 AM to 12:30 PM) and the afternoon shift (2:30 PM to 6:00 PM). According to the experts and test-takers, the NEST 2022 difficulty level was easy to moderate. In terms of sections, Physics was the toughest, followed by Mathematics. Chemistry and Biology were on the easier lines. The exam pattern and question types were similar to that of last year. The NEST 2022 answer keys were released in the fifth week of June and the NEST result was declared on July 5.

NEST 2023 Question Paper

NEST 2023 question paper will be released online on the official website after the commencement of the examination in the month of June. For better preparation candidates can download NEST previous year's question paper. 

Question paper structure

Below is the table showing the basic structure of the examination:

NEST 2023 will be conducted in 2 shifts so candidates can expect two different sets of question papers in the examination.

The expected exam timings for both sessions of NEST 2023 will be as under:

• Morning shift - From 9 am to 12:30 pm 
• Evening shift - From 2.30 pm to 6:00 pm.

NEST 2023 Answer Key

The tentative date for releasing the NEST 2023 answer keys is in the fourth week of June. The answer keys of NEST 2023 will be sent to candidates' registered email addresses along with their answer scripts. Candidates can check the correct answer and calculate their estimated score and hence gauge their admission chances to the NEST participating institutes through email. Test-takers may also submit objections against one or more NEST 2023 answer keys. There is no fee or charge for submitting objections against answer keys. The answer key of NEST 2023 will mention the correct options for each section i.e. Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics in the same pdf file only. 

NEST 2023 Result

NEST 2023 Result will be declared on July 10. NEST merit list/ result carries the roll numbers and/or names of candidates qualifying for the integrated MSc entrance exam. Candidates will have to download their scorecards by entering their login credentials. The scorecard carries the information on sectional and overall scores, percentile and All India Rank (AIR). The scorecards should also be preserved till the NEST 2023 admission process is over.

NEST 2023 Cutoff

NISER Bhubaneswar and CEBS Mumbai will release the NEST 2023 cut-off marks according to sessions, subjects and categories. The NEST 2023 cutoff will be released in two categories - Section-wise Minimum Admissible Score (SMAS), which refers to the sectional cutoff and Minimum Admissible Percentile (MAP) or overall percentile. According to the officials, for each section, 20 percent of the average of the best 100 scores in that section will be considered as SMAS. SMAS for different sections can obviously be of different numerical values. Along with the sectional NEST cutoff, candidates also need to clear the overall NEST 2023 cutoff percentile. The NEST 2023 cutoff for General category candidates is 95 percentile, for OBC candidates in 90 percentile and that of the reserved category candidates is 75 percentile. This data is as per the analysis of NEST 2022 cutoff.

NEST 2023 Counselling

Candidates who will qualify for the exam are considered eligible to participate in the NEST 2023 counselling process. The counselling process for NEST 2023 will be conducted in three rounds. Qualifying candidates have to upload documents that are verified by the officials and seats will be allotted to them. They have to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) and pay the requisite fee to complete the admission process. At the end of the counselling process, NISER Bhubaneswar and CEBS Mumbai will release separate institute-wise merit lists.

NEST 2023 Participating Colleges and Seat Intake

NEST 2023 will be conducted to provide admission to candidates in a five-year integrated MSc programme in Basic Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics) offered at both NISER and UM-DAE CEBS. Seats available at both institutes are mentioned below which are tentative and can be change when the NEST 2023 brochure will be relased :

Admissions at NISER, Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS, Mumbai are done based on candidates' scores in NEST.