NEST 2026 Exam Dates (Out): Application (Jan 5-April 6), Exam Date (June 6), Admit Card & Other Dates

NEST 2026 exam notification has been released by the examination conducting body on December 15, 2025. According to the official notification, this year NEST exam is scheduled to be conducted on June 6, 2026, across India. According to the NEST important dates, the application form will be released on January 5, 2026, and the last date will be April 6, 2026. Rest of the dates, such as the release of mock test, answer key and result will be announced later.

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 homepage. Then, students need to click on the link available for Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics to access the PDFs of all these NEST Subjects. 

NEST exam is held once a year. The exam is conducted as computer based test. NEST 2026 is scheduled on June 6, 2026.

The important dates for NEST exam 2026 are as follows:

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. 

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.

NEST 2026 registration window is open from January 5 to April 6, 2026. The application form link is updated on the website, nestexam.in. Students who wish to get admission to the five-year Integrated MSc programme offered at NISER and UM-DAE CEBS can apply online.

Candidates will be able to pay the application fee of NEST 2026 till April 12, 2026, by 11.30 PM. The last date to submit the application form is April 6, 2026. After all details on the NEST application form are filled, candidates need to pay the application fee. Candidates can make the payment of the NEST 2026 application fee online (through credit/debit card, net banking, UPI) modes. After the payment is done, applicants need to download the receipt of payment for future use. 

Candidates must know that the allotment of an examination centre by the NEST Committee has to be regarded as final, and the request for a change of centre will, in general, not be entertained. The address of the test venue allotted to the applicant will be mentioned on the NEST admit card.

NEST exam is conducted once a year. For academic year 2026-27, National Entrance Screening Test will be conducted on June 6, 2026. Students can apply for the exam online.

Candidates have to go to the exam portal to download the NEST 2026 Answer Key PDF. The answer key PDF can be downloaded by all. The response sheets can be downloaded from their registered account. With the help of the NEST Response sheet and answer keys, they can calculate their scores. They can also submit objections within the given date. Based on the objections, the final answer keys and result of NEST will be prepared.

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. 

The NEST 2026 result is expected to be out by the fourth week of June. The exact result date has not been announced with the notification. The exam will be conducted on June 6. Generally, NEST result is declared within a few weeks of the exam. Before that, answer keys will be released. Objections can be submitted within the given date. Based on objections received by test-takers, the NEST result will be prepared.

The NEST 2026 eligibility criteria are defined on both basis age wise as well education wise.

Admissions in NISER, Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS, Mumbai are done based on a candidate's score in the NEST exam. Candidates who have passed Class 12 from the Science stream are eligible to apply for the NEST exam. 

Candidates should pass Class 12 in Science stream from a recognised board in India with at least 60% aggregate marks (55% for SC/ ST/ PWD category candidates). Candidates should have passed Class XII either last year or will pass this year.

There is no age limit to appear for NEST.

Applicants are advised to reach the exam centre along with the items mentioned below. 

• NEST Admit Card
• Valid ID proof or Admit card of Class 12 Board exam
• Pencil/Pen

Students must note that no electronic gadgets will be permitted in the exam hall. Hence, they should not to carry anything. Along with this, applicants are advised to reach the exam hall before the time mentioned on the admit card. 

Based on previous year trends, the exam authorities may extend the NEST 2026 application last date. As of now, the last date to register is April 6, 2026. Based on student requests and other factors, the last date of application may be extended. The NEST application form 2026 will be released on January 5, 2026. 

The NEST 2026 application form has been released on January 5. The last date is April 6. The application process is completely online. The application correction facility will be provided from April 13 to April 14.