NEST exam analysis 2026: Candidates can check the NEST 2026 exam analysis on this page. The analysis is based on candidates' feedback. According to students, the NEST 2026 exam was moderately difficult. Candidates with strong conceptual knowledge were able to solve the paper easily. The exam analysis was held to understand the exam's overall difficulty level, high-weightage topics, and good attempts. NISER and CEBS conducted the NEST exam 2026 on June 6, 2026. Candidates can check the NEST SMAS score online. Get more information on NEST exam analysis 2026 on this page.
- NEST 2026 Section-wise Analysis
- NEST 2026 Sectional Weightage
- NEST 2026 Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
- NEST 2026 Important Topics
NEST 2026 Section-wise Analysis
The authority successfully conducted the NEST exam 20926 online as a computer-based test. The exam was conducted for three hours. According to the students, the NEST exam's overall difficulty level was moderate. The questions were based on the exam syllabus. No questions were reported as out of syllabus. Candidates can check the NEST 2026 exam analysis section-wise below.
Chemistry - The questions were on the NCERT level. However, there were a lot of questions from previous years' JEE Main question papers. The overall difficulty level of this section was easy. The questions were more on the lines of Inorganic Chemistry and Physical Chemistry.
Mathematics - The majority of the questions were of Class 11 level. The difficulty level was moderate to tough. Some of the topics were Probability and limits, among others.
Physics - The Physics section was the toughest. The topics were calorimetry, current electricity, capacitor, kinematics, unit and dimensions, etc.
Biology - The difficulty level of this section was easy. The topics were from the expected lines like Botany, Human Physiology, and Human Reproduction, among others.
Commonly asked questions
NEST exam previous year question paper is available online at nestexam.in. The steps to download the NEST previous year question paper PDF are mentioned below.
- Go to the NEST website
- Select the question archive.
- The question paper pdf will display.
- Click on the NEST exam previous year question pdf link.
- The pdf will open and download the same.
The NEST exam counselling will be done in online mode only. The exam conducting authority will release the dates of counselling in official notification after the conclusion of the exam.
Applicants are advised to check the NEST exam counselling schedule and visit the centre along with their academic as well as category related documents.
NEST 2026 Sectional Weightage
Students must go through the following table to check the exam structure for each subject.
| Subject | Marks | |
|---|---|---|
| I - Biology | 17 questions (12 MCQs + 5 MSQs) | 50 marks |
| II - Chemistry | 17 questions (12 MCQs + 5 MSQs) | 50 marks |
| III - Mathematics | 17 questions (12 MCQs + 5 MSQs) | 50 marks |
| IV - Physics | 17 questions (12 MCQs + 5 MSQs) | 50 marks |
| Total | 68 questions | 200 marks |
Commonly asked questions
Yes, students who want to appear in NEST exam must solve the NEST previous year question book which will help them in a better way. By checking the questions, Students can compose their strategy and accordingly they can increase their chances of qualifying the exam.
The NEST question paper is divided into four sections. The questions are based on Class 11 & 12 Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology. Each section has 20 questions. Every question carries 3 marks. Negative marking is done for wrong answers.
NEST 2026 Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
Candidates must be familiar with the NEST marking scheme. This helps to plan the strategy to solve the questions section-wise. There are 80 questions in the NEST exam. Each question carries 3 marks. 1 mark is deducted for wrong answers. No marking for wrong attempts. Candidates had to avoid the guesswork. If the answer is wrong, negative marks will be given.
Commonly asked questions
The NEST exam counselling will be done in online mode only. The exam conducting authority will release the dates of counselling in official notification after the conclusion of the exam.
Applicants are advised to check the NEST exam counselling schedule and visit the centre along with their academic as well as category related documents.
NEST 2026 Important Topics
Students preparing for the NEST can check the important topics for NEST here. These topics have high weightage in the exam. Based on the past year exam analysis, we have mentioned the NEST important topics subject wise.
| Subject | Topics |
| Physics | Optics, Work, Laws of Motion, Thermodynamics, Energy & Power |
| Chemistry | Equilibrium, Organic Compounds, Atomic Structure, Chemical Bonding, Thermodynamics |
| Mathematics | Calculus, Probability, Sets, Trigonometry, Relations & Functions, and Matrices & Determinants |
| Biology | Ecology, Genetics, Biotechnology, Human Physiology, Cell Structure & Function |
Commonly asked questions
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.
The percentile score are the marks secured by the applicants in NEST exam in all the sections.
Since as per new exam pattern NEST will consider marks of top three subjects out of four, in which he/she secures the maxium marks.
The merit list of NISER and CEBS will be prepared based on percentile scores, that is calculated based on the relative performance of all the qualified candidates in each session.
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NEST Exam
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered a month ago
100 out of 240 marks is an average score. It can be good depending on your category. However, it is borderline or insufficient mark for the general unreserved category.
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
NEST admit card 2027 is expected to be released in the third week of May 2027. Registered candidates can download the admit card online on the website nestexam.in. To download the admit card, candidates need to access the login portal using their credentials and download the admit card.
V
Contributor-Level 10
4 Institutes accepting NEST
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Is 100 marks good in NEST?