NEST Syllabus 2025: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics & Biology Syllabus PDF Download

National Entrance Screening Test 2026 ( NEST )

DeskCalelnderRegistration - 5 Jan '26 - 6 Apr '26

Sreetama Datta Roy
Updated on Nov 6, 2025 13:50 IST

By Sreetama Datta Roy, Manager Content

NEST 2025 Syllabus is the foundation to prepare for this exam for candidates who wish to get admission to UM-DAE CEBS and NISER for different programmes like the Integrated 5-year MSc Programme, MSc Programme in Medical & Radiological Physics, Integrated MSc+PhD Programme, and PhD Programme. 

It is suggested that students must be well-versed with the NEST Syllabus to qualify for the NEST 2025 Exam. Most of the topics asked in the NEST Exam come from the Class 11 and 12 NCERT/CBSE books. The exam conducting authority will release the NEST 2025 Syllabus via an official notification on their site. The syllabus consists of important topics and subtopics from which questions will be framed in the paper. 

Students must check out the NEST 2025 Exam Pattern as well to thoroughly prepare for the exam. The NEST 2025 question paper consists of questions that come from all four sections - Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics. To prepare well for the exam, candidates must review the complete NEST 2025 syllabus, as the questions asked will test the candidate's domain-specific knowledge.  

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Table of contents
  • NEST Syllabus 2025
  • NEST Syllabus 2025 PDF Link
  • NEST Syllabus 2025 for Biology
  • NEST Syllabus 2025 for Chemistry
  • NEST Syllabus 2025 for Physics
  • NEST Syllabus 2025 for Mathematics
  • NEST 2025 FAQs
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NEST Syllabus 2025

Applicants who want to prepare for the NEST exam must know the syllabus of NEST 2025 mentioned in the official notification. By knowing and preparing the NEST exam syllabus 2025 applicants can increase their chances of qualifying for the exam with flying colors. 

The level of questions of NEST 2025 will be similar to that of Class 11-12. Hence, NCERT books will be useful to an extent to cover the NEST 2025 syllabus. However, to get a high score, candidates may refer to other NEST preparation books along with NCERT books.

The NEST syllabus is further divided into four subjects Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics. The detailed description of sub-topics for all these four sections is mentioned below. 

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NEST Syllabus 2025 PDF Link

The syllabus of the NEST exam is important for the applicants to prepare for the exam. The authorities have released the NEST 2025 syllabus in a PDF file on their official site, candidates must go through the NEST syllabus pdf link mentioned in the below table.  

NEST Subject Wise Syllabus PDF 2025

Subject PDF File
Physics Download Here
Chemistry Download Here
Mathematics Download Here
Biology Download Here
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NEST Syllabus 2025 for Biology

Candidates can go through important topics that they should consider studying to score well in the NEST Biology paper as mentioned in the table below:

NEST 2025 Important Topics for Biology
Cell Biology Genetics and Evolution
Ecology Humans and Environment
Biotechnology Biology of Animal Systems
Biology of Plant Systems Systematics
Digestive System Circulatory System
Nervous System Reproductive System
Developmental Biology Immunology
Biology of Plant Systems Excretory System

These are topics of the Biology section of the NEST 2025 syllabus from which questions will be asked in the exam. The detailed description of the topics can be checked in the NEST syllabus PDF mentioned above. 

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Is there any negative marking in NEST?
A: 

Yes, according to the NEST exam pattern, there will be negative marking. For each wrong answer, one mark will be deducted. The marks per question are three. Full marks in the exam are 240. 

Q:   Is Biology compulsory for NEST exam?
A: 

For entrance exam since marks from three section are considered hence it can be said that it not compulsory. In the NEST exam your marks will be considered from any of 3 subjects out of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics. but if you know basics it will help you to secure marks and for further study during campus classes.

In first year after joining NISER you would be taught basic biology. In fact many students who did not have biology in class 12 and did fairly well in the biology exams during first year.

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NEST Syllabus 2025 for Chemistry

The NEST Chemistry syllabus is further divided into four sections which are Physical, Surface, Organic, and Inorganic Chemistry. The description of the topics is mentioned in below given table. Candidates can go through important topics that they should consider studying to score well in the NEST Chemistry paper as mentioned in the table below:

  • Important For Physical Chemistry: Measurements in chemistry,  Mole concept, Gaseous and liquid states,  Atomic structure and chemical bonding, Thermodynamics, Chemical equilibrium, Solid state, Solutions
    Electrochemistry, Chemical kinetics.
  • Important Topics for Surface Chemistry: Absorption, Colloidal state.
  • Important Topics for Inorganic Chemistry: Classification of elements and periodicity in properties, S-Block elements, P-Block elements, Coordination compounds, D-Block elements, F-Block elements, Metals and metallurgy.
  • Important Topics for Organic Chemistry: Basic concepts, Nomenclature, Reactive intermediates, Aromatic compounds, Alkenes and Alkynes, Phenols, Haloalkanes (Alkyl halides), Aldehydes and Ketones, Ethers, Carbohydrate, Amines, Polymers, Amino acids and proteins, Isomerism, Alkenes, Carboxylic acids. 
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NEST Syllabus 2025 for Physics

Candidates can go through important topics that they should consider to study to score well in the NEST Physics paper. The details of the NEST Physics syllabus topics are mentioned below:

  • Units and dimensions, Design of some simple experiments, Systems of particles, Law of gravitation, Hooke’s law and stress, Conservation of angular momentum, Pressure in a fluid, Sound and mechanical waves, Thermal physics, Electricity and magnetism, Capacitance, Electric currentBiot-Savart’s law and Ampere’s law, Magnetic moment of a current loop, Electromagnetic inductionOptics, Modern physics, Photoelectric effect, Mechanics.
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NEST Syllabus 2025 for Mathematics

Candidates can go through important topics that they should consider studying to score well in the Mathematics subject of the NEST Exam. The description is mentioned below:

  • Algebra, Trigonometry, Analytical geometry, Differential calculus, Integral calculus, Vectors, Logarithms and their properties, Permutations and combinations.
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NEST 2025 FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions about NEST 2025 Exam

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   What are the subjects in NEST exam?
A: 

The NEST exam syllabus comprises mainly four subjects. Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics. The questions in the NEST exam will be asked from all these four sections hence applicants are advised to complete the syllabus from all four subjects. 

Each section will have 17 questions in the exam and collectively there will be 68 questions for which the maximum marks allocation will be 200.  Applicants are advised to prepare for all four subjects to qualify for the exam. 

The merit list is prepared by considering the maximum score from any of the top 3 subjects in the exam.

Q:   is there any sectional weightage to any section in NEST exam?
A: 

There is equal weightage for each section of the NEST exam. There are four sections, each carrying 60 marks. There is negative marking of one mark for wrong answers.

Q:   Where can I find NEST syllabus?
A: 

Applicants who want to appear in NEST exam must check the syllabus as well as the exam pattern before appearing in the exam. The NEST exam syllabus 2026 has been released by the exam conducting authorities along with the release of the official notification on December 15. Applicants are advised to check the NEST previous year syllabus to get an idea about the syllabus. It has remained the same as last year.

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NEST Exam

Student Forum

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Write here...

Answered 5 days ago

No, there is no provision to submit objections against the NEST final answer keys. Based on the objections received on the provisional answer keys, the expert committee will release the final answer keys. These will be final and cannot be further challenged. The NEST result will be based on the fina

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N

Nishtha Pathak

Beginner-Level 5

Answered 5 days ago

The NEST answer keys will be available in PDF format. Candidates have to log in to the exam portal to download it. Their response sheets will also be released. Based on that, they can calculate their scores. 

V

Vipra Garg

Beginner-Level 5

Answered 5 days ago

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

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L

Liyansha Shukla

Beginner-Level 5

Answered 5 days ago

No, there is no age limit to appear for the NEST exam. Candidates planning to appear for the exam must fulfil the other eligibility criteria in terms of clearing the Class 12 Board exam in the Science stream with the category-wise minimum aggregate percentage. 

A

Akansha Thakur

Beginner-Level 5

Answered 5 days ago

The NEST exam is conducted in computer-based mode. Questions will appear on the computer screen one by one. With the help of the mouse, they have to select the correct answer option and click on Save and Submit tabs. An onscreen clock will be provided to keep track of the time. An onscreen scientifi

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P

Pooja Kalra

Beginner-Level 5

Answered 5 days ago

NEST is the entrance exam for the Integrated MSc programmes. Hence, it is an undergraduate level entrance exam. Candidates who have passed or appeared for the Class 12 Board exam are eligible for the exam. 

N

Nitesh Dhyani

Beginner-Level 5

Answered 5 days ago

The NEST question papers will be in English and Hindi. Candidates have to select their question paper medium while filling out the application process. In the case of any confusion or discrepancy due to language, the question paper in English will be final.

P

Piyush Singh

Beginner-Level 5

Answered 5 days ago

The NEST exam is conducted once a year. Generally, the exam is scheduled for June every year. NEST is a computer-based test conducted for three hours. It is held in a single day and shift. The scores are used for admission to the Integrated MSc courses offered at the participating institutes. 

M

Manashjyoti Shukla

Beginner-Level 5

Answered 5 days ago

NEST scores are accepted by two institutes of India, the National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar, and the University of Mumbai, Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences. Both institutes offer Integrated MSc programmes of five-year duration. 

A

Aishwarya Aggarwal

Beginner-Level 5

Answered 2 weeks ago

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Aston Martin

Contributor-Level 10

3 Institutes accepting NEST

Visva Bharati University

West Bengal - Other Public

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