NEST 2026 Exam Centres: Check City wise List & Exam Day Instructions

The National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) examination in India is conducted by the NEST Governing Body. 

NEST exam centres near Delhi are New Delhi, Hisar, Kurukshetra, Hamirpur, Noida, Agra, and Jaipur. Students can check the NEST exam centres online to know the test cities' names near their residences.

The test centres of NEST exam will be allotted on the basis of number of applicants opting for a particular test city/town. It is to be noted that the National Entrance Screening Test committee reserves the right to cancel or add any of the test cities without prior notice to applicants.

The final allocation of NEST Test Centres will be mentioned on the admit card. Applicants can not make any request to change the address or venue once it is decided. 

The candidates admitted to the programme are eligible to receive an annual scholarship of Rs 60,000 through the DISHA program of the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India. In addition, the scholarship recipients receive a grant of Rs 20,000 per annum for summer internships. Candidates selected by DST for the INSPIRE-SHE program are endorsed for the INSPIRE scholarship by NISER and UM-DAE CEBS. Alumni of the programme are presently pursuing Ph.D. at reputed universities and institutes in India & abroad.

There are 140 exam cities proposed for the NEST 2026 exam. Students can check the list of NEST exam centres here. Candidates must choose 3 centres in order of their preference while filling out the NEST 2026 application form.

The NEST 2026 exam will be conducted in a single shift. The exam timing is from 2 PM to 5 PM. Students have to reach the exam hall at least one hour before the exam. Those reaching the centre after 1 PM will not be allowed entry. The exam timing will be provided on the NEST admit card. Test takers will also not be allowed to leave the hall before 5 PM.

Here are some important points candidates must remember on the day of exam.

• Candidates must reach the test venue at least 90 minutes before the examination commences. 
• The examination is 3 hours and 30 minutes in duration.
• It will start at 9:00 AM for the first session and 2:30 PM for the second session.
• Candidates will not be allowed to enter the examination hall after 9:30 AM and 3:00 PM for the respective sessions.
• The earliest a candidate can leave the examination hall is 11 AM and 4:30 PM for the respective sessions unless it becomes necessary to leave earlier on medical grounds.
• Use of log tables and calculators inside the examination hall is not allowed.
• Candidates may bring their own pens.
• Exchange/sharing of these items with other candidates is strictly prohibited.
• Candidates MUST bring their Admit Card, school photo Identity Card, or any other photo ID issued by Government agencies to the examination hall.
• Any candidate found adopting unfair means will be expelled from the examination hall without warning. Mobile phones and other similar electronic gadgets are strictly not allowed inside the examination hall. 

The hall ticket of NEST 2026 will be released by the exam authority, NISER, Bhubaneswar. The NEST 2026 admit card will be released in online mode on May 15, 2026.  Applicants who will successfully fill the application form will be able to download the admit card by entering their login credentials. i.e user ID and password. 

Candidates have to carry any one of the following documents will be considered as valid for appearing in the NEST 2026 examination: 

• Passport 

• Aadhaar Card or Enrolment slip

• Voter ID

• Driver's License 

• PAN Card

If any student does not have any of these ID cards then they must bring their admit card of class 12 board exam in the examination hall. 

You have to provide the login credentials to download the admit card of NEST. The exam authority will activate the NEST admit card link on the website. The steps to download the NEST admit card is mentioned below. 

• Go to NEST 2026 website.
• Click on the admit card link.
• Enter the required credentials.
• Access the admit card and take a print of the same.

The exam authority has not yet announced the NEST 2026 city intimation slip date. The link to check the NEST city intimation slip will be activated online. Students have to proivde the NEST login details to check the city intimation for NEST. 

Yes, if candidates are medically unfit to stay till the examination is over then they will be allowed to leave the exam centre after their test is complete. Except medically unfit applicants, no normal candidate will be allowed to leave the hall before the mentioned time in the admit card.  

The time limit to leave the examination centre is 11 am for the morning shift and, 4 pm for the evening shift. 

No, you are not allowed to carry the bag inside the NEST exam centre. No items other than the NEST admit card and a valid photo id are allowed in the test centre.

Before filling he NEST application form, students should follow the below tips to avoid inconveniences.

·       Don’t wait too long to fill the form. You might face server issues on the last date. Do not wait till the last date or for the officials to extend the application .

·       Keep all files or documents handy in the given file size and format.

·       Check your email and mobile number which you will enter in the registration form so that you do not miss the OTP.

·       Keep the payment mode such as Credit Card, Debit Card, Net banking or UPI details ready.

·       Read the instructions before filling the form.

·       Verify the details before submitting.

The NEST 2026 application correction window will be open from April 13 to April 14. In case of mistakes, students can rectify those. The exam will be conducted on June 6 in exam centres across India.

The National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) examination in India is conducted by the NEST Governing Body. 

Students have to check the NEST admit card to know which exam centre is allotted to them. The exam cities are allotted as per the candidates' preference. Candidates can make their preference for the test cities while filling the NEST application form. NEST exam cities details are mentioned online.

NEST 2026 registration started on January 5, 2026. The last date to apply for NEST 2026 is April 6. You can apply for NEST online at, nestexam.in. Students who meet the eligibility conditions can apply before the last date.