NEST 2025 Cutoff: Check Shift wise NEST Cutoff & Previous Year Cutoff Marks
National Entrance Screening Test 2026 ( NEST )
Registration - 5 Jan '26 - 6 Apr '26
NEST cutoff marks for SMAS and MAP were declared on the official website on July 10, 2025. Candidates had to visit the official website to go through the SMAS and MAP marks secured by applicants to get admission to NISER, as well as other institutes. Applicants needed to secure NEST 2025 cutoff marks in both sectionals, subject-wise, and individual category cutoff marks. The authorities released the NEST exam cutoff marks shift-wise after the declaration of the NEST result 2025, on the official website of NEST NISER.
The section-wise cutoff mark of the NEST 2025 exam is known as the Section-wise Minimum Admissible Score (SMAS), while the overall cut-off marks are known as the Minimum Admissible Percentile (MAP). Candidates must go through the entire page to check out the NEST NISER SMAS marks and MAP cutoff for the academic session 2025-26.
Students must beat both SMAS and MAP to get a rank in the NISER and CEBS merit list, since the last year's exam conducting authorities have changed the scheme for evaluation of the NEST exam. Earlier applicants had to attempt & pass in all four subjects. But now the marks in any of the three subjects with maximum marks will be considered to pass the NEST exam. Read in detail to know more about NEST 2025 cut-off marks, factors determining the cutoff and other details.
Read More:
- NEST 2025 Sectional Cut off SMAS
- NEST 2026 Exam Dates & Schedule
- Key Factors of NEST 2025 Cut off
- FAQs for NEST 2025 Cut off marks
NEST 2025 Sectional Cut off SMAS
The sectional cut-off marks known as SMAS are the key parameter for shortlisting a candidate. The merit list of NEST 2025 for NISER and CEBS will be based on percentile scores obtained by the candidates in all the subject sections.
- The total score of a candidate.
- For each section, 20 per cent of the average of the best 100 scores in the section will be the SMAS.
- The numerical value of SMAS varies for each section.
- Candidates should meet SMAS to qualify for the merit list of NISER and CEBS.
- For the OBC category, SMAS would be 90 per cent of SMAS for the General category.
- For SC/ ST/ Divyangjan, SMAS would be 50 per cent of SMAS for the General category.
NEST 2025 Overall Cutoff MAP
Also, students should know that the overall cutoff for MAP was 95 per cent for the general category, 90 per cent for OBC, and 75 per cent for SC/ST/PwD.
NEST 2026 Exam Dates & Schedule
Take a look at the table below for the complete schedule of NEST 2026 exam
| Dates | Upcoming Exam Dates |
|---|---|
| Jun ' 26 | NEST 2026 Answer Key TENTATIVE |
| Jun ' 26 | NEST 2026 Answer Key Objection Window TENTATIVE |
| Jun ' 26 | NEST 2026 Exam Result TENTATIVE |
| Jul ' 26 - Sep ' 26 | NEST NISER 2026 Counselling TENTATIVE |
Key Factors of NEST 2025 Cut off
Various factors are taken into consideration to decide the NEST cutoff marks, it is mentioned below:
- Total no of applicants appeared in the NEST exam
- Difficulty level of the exam.
- The cut-off marks i.e. SMAS will vary for each section as well as MAP for NISER and CEBS.
- For NISER, candidates should score equal to and above MAP and in SMAS in the General section and all four sections to secure a rank in the merit list.
- For CEBS, candidates should score equal to and above MAP and in SMAS in the General section and any three of the subject sections to secure a rank in the merit list.
Commonly asked questions
The NEST cut off marks are the minimum marks required for a candidate to qualify and secure a rank in the merit list of NISER and CEBS.
Applicants who secure the NEST 2024 cut off marks will be eligible to take admission in various institutes affliated to NEST exam.
Students need to secure cut off marks in both sectional subjects as well as individual category.
Applicants who want to take admission in NISER and are from General category need to secure the passing marks in their category.
Since general category cut off marks are higher than other categories hence applicants who belong to this category need to put more effort to take admission.
This year NEST cut off marks for general category for NISER are in between 80 to 90 marks. Though final marks will be decided after the conlusion of the exam.
The examination conducting body, NISER & UM-DAE CEBS will release NEST cut off marks for the applicants who want to take admission in participating institutes. The cut off marks will be released after the declaration of the result.
Applicants who secures the cut off marks of NEST 2024 will be eligible to participate for the counselling held by the authorities.
Applicants need to secure the passing marks both overall as well as individuall category.
FAQs for NEST 2025 Cut off marks
Frequently Asked Questions For NEST Exam
Commonly asked questions
Applicants who want to take admission in NISER needs to secure the passing marks decided by the authorities for this. The NISER cut off marks can be less than or equall to cut off marks for CEBS.
Since last year passing criteria has been changed hence applicants need to just secure passing marks in any of three subjects. Candidates scoring equal to and above the MAP and in SMAS in three sections will qualify for NISER through NEST exam.
There are various factors which are taken into consideration while deciding NEST cut off 2024 marks. Some of them are mentioned below.
- Total number of test takers
- Total number of seats
- Difficulty level of the exam
- Minimum qualifying marks
Along with the above mentioned criteria, there are certain other factors too which are taken into consideration while deciding the cutoff marks of NESt exam.
The MAP is the cut off percentile overall obtained by the candidates in NEST 2024. The highest MAP is 100th percentile and for each category it is, 95 percentile for the General category, 90 percentile for OBC category and 75 percentile for SC/ ST/ Divyangjan categories.
Applicants are advised to secure the qualifying marks as well as overall marks to pass the exam.
NEST Exam
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered a week ago
Dear reader,
Taking admission at LPU is a great choice.
To secure your admission to Lovely Professional University, please prepare your 10th and 12th grade marksheets, LPUNEST scores, and a valid Aadhaar card. Bring your character certificate, transfer certificate, and recent passport-sized pictures
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Yeah, for LPU NEST counselling, you pretty much need your Class 10 and 12 certificates or at least the marksheets handy. They're super important to verify your age from 10th and check eligibility via 12th before they lock in your seat or scholarship—LPU's process is smooth like that, making sure eve
S
Beginner-Level 3
Answered a week ago
Hey, as a fellow student checking out B.Tech options, LPU's pretty solid for engineering. The campus is massive with top-notch labs, modern hostels, and all the facilities you need to actually learn stuff hands-on.
Faculty-wise, many are from IITs/NITs, super qualified, and they focus on practical s
S
Beginner-Level 3
Answered a week ago
Yeah, LPU totally releases the LPU NEST counselling dates on their official site—it's super organized and student-friendly. For 2026, they've got it starting February 8th onwards for B.Tech, with online seat preferences from Feb 8-10, results on 12th, and admissions up to late Feb. Results drop quic
S
Beginner-Level 3
Answered a week ago
Hey, so from what I've checked on LPU's official site, the NEST counselling is mainly done online, which is super convenient for us students anywhere in India. You just log in after your results, pick your preferred courses and seats based on your rank, and lock it all in digitally—no need to travel
S
Beginner-Level 3
Answered a week ago
The Mumbai University NEST Cutoff was released for admissions to the Intergrated MSc courses. The cutoff ranged from 14 to 81 rank according to the first and last round closing ranks for NEST Cutoff 2024. The hardest MSc specialisations was Integrated M.Sc. in Physics and the easiest specialisation
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 weeks ago
Practising LPU NEST sample papers is extremely important in exam preparation. Sample Papers will help candidate understand the exam pattern. Practising sample papers regularly helps in time management. It helps the candidates understand the weakest topics. Candidates will also get to know the most f
M
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 weeks ago
The candidates who qualify in the LPU NEST 2026 examination can participate in the counselling process. The candidates must enter their seat preferences during the counselling process. After entering the course preference, they should complete the admission process by paying the admission fee and up
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a month ago
The NEST Syllabus is available on the official portal for those students who wish to appear for the exam. One needs to visit the official portal to be able to download the syllabus for all subjects. They need to click on the syllabus and information brochure link in the top right corner of the homep
I
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
The NEST 2026 exam will be conducted on June 6, 2026. The exam result was declared tentatively in the second week of July 2026, after a few days, when the NEST answer Key objection window is over.
I
Contributor-Level 10
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What are the documents needed during LPU NEST counselling?