NEST 2026 Exam Analysis: Section Wise Paper Analysis, Difficulty Level, Student Reactions
National Entrance Screening Test 2026 ( NEST )
NEST 2026 Scorecard
30 Jun '26
NEST exam analysis 2026 will be available soon after the end of the exam. The paper analysis will be based on students' reactions. NEST paper analysis will help to know the exam difficulty level, high-weightage topics, most difficult sections, etc. Various coaching institutes might release memory-based NEST questions with solutions online. Candidates can use them to verify their responses and calculate probable marks. NISER and CEBS had conducted the NEST exam 2026 on June 6, 2026.
- NEST 2026 Exam Analysis
- NEST 2025 Section-wise Analysis
- NEST 2025 Sectional Weightage
- NEST 2026 Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
- NEST 2026 Important Topics
NEST 2026 Exam Analysis
This section will be updated with the NEST paper analysis 2026. The analysis will be based on students' feedback. Based on past year analysis, NEST 2026 exam is expected to be of a moderately easy to moderate level. Students must focus on high-weightage topics and past year question papers for a good score in NEST 2026.
Commonly asked questions
The question paper consists 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 has 20 questions, with exactly one correct answer. Each question carries 3 marks; choosing an incorrect answer will lead to a deduction of 1 mark, and no marks are 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.
NEST 2025 Section-wise Analysis
Once the NEST 2025 exam is conducted, the information will be updated here till the time students can check the NEST exam analysis of the previous year and accordingly, they can prepare for the exam. The questions were from the given syllabus of NEST, which was along the lines of the Board exam syllabus. The topics were on the expected lines. Let us take a look at the section-wise topics.
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 2025 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 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.
NEST 2026 Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
Students appearing for NEST 2026 must be familiar with the exam marking scheme. Solving all the questions is not important in the exam. Limited but correct answers can help to obtain good marks in NEST 2026. Here, the marking scheme plays its role. NEST question paper will have 80 questions. Each question will carry 3 marks. Negative marking is done for wrong answers. No marks for unattempt question.
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.
Science exams you must check out
Exams whose counselling is ongoing
Jul '26
20 Jun '26 - 30 Jun '26
NEST Exam
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 6 days ago
NEST 2026 result was declared on June 24, 2026. The result applies only to the current academic year 2026-27.
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
No, NEST exam is conducted once a year. NEST 2026 exam was conducted on June 6, 2026. The exam timing was 2 PM to 5 PM.
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
In such a situation, you have to prioritise which exam you want to appear for. You might have prepared for months for the exam. Based on your preparation, you have to decide which exam you can easily qualify for and get admission to the desired course and college.
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
The rank needed to get a seat at this institution would depend on the category you belong to and the round you are applying in.
According to the NISER Bhubaneshwar NEST cutoff 2025 for the General AI category, the maximum cutoff accepted was 1972. Students can see the table below to know the maximum
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 weeks ago
The total marks for NEST exam is 240 marks. However, the exam authority will consider marks out of 180 to prepare the merit list.
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 weeks ago
Candidates can calculate their NEST scoring based on marking scheme. NEST questions will carry 3 marks per answer. Negative marking is done for wrong answers.
Total Marks = 3 * Correct Answers - Wrong Answers
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
The process for downloading the NEST response sheet PDF is mentioned below.
- Go to NEST 2026 website, nestexam.in
- Click on Login button
- Enter the application no./login Id and password
- Click on the NEST response sheet
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
Students can check the NEST answer key through login portal. They will have to provide their application number / login ID, and password to download NEST 2026 answer key.
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
Yes, the NEST response sheet was released on June 10, 2026, alongwith the answer key. Students can check their NEST response sheet through the login portal.
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
Yes, Nest Academy of Sports Management (NASM) is a good college. The flagship programmes available at the college are Masters in Sports Management & Bachelor / Bachelor (Hons.) of Sports Management. The college provides good placements to students.
L
Contributor-Level 10
3 Institutes accepting NEST
4.6
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