NEST 2026 Exam Analysis: Section Wise Paper Analysis, Difficulty Level, Student Reactions

The question paper will consist of 4 (four) sections of objective (MCQ) type questions. Each section is of 60 marks and will contain subject-specific questions from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics. Each section will have 20 questions, with exactly one correct answer. Marking a correct answer will fetch 3 marks, choosing an incorrect answer will lead to a deduction of 1 mark and no marks will be deducted for not answering a question. It is in the interest of the candidate to attempt all sections. 

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. 

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 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 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.

Yes, students who want to appear in NEST 2024 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. 

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. 

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. 

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.