Sreetama Datta
Sreetama Datta Roy
Manager Content
Updated on Sep 1, 2021 19:10 IST
How to prepare for NEST 2020

The National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) 2020 will be conducted on June 6 and as the day draws closer, candidates need to start preparing straight away in order to ace the national-level exam. NEST is conducted jointly by the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar and Mumbai University – Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CEBS), Mumbai.

NEST is conducted to offer students admission into five-year integrated Master in Science (MSc) programmes in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics. Candidates who are able to qualify for the entrance test will be offered admission in NISER or UM-DAE CEBS. However, the entrance test is no child’s play as over thousands of students apply every year and in order to be granted admission in the above mentioned prestigious institutes, candidates need to prepare well, know the guidelines thoroughly, need to understand the NEST exam pattern, marking scheme and syllabus and most importantly, the applicants must put in plenty of time and dedication.

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Here are certain step-wise preparation tips for NEST 2020 you could follow to ace the upcoming exam.

Table of content
  • Stepwise Preparation for NEST 2020
  • NEST 2020 Exam Highlights
  • How to Prepare for NEST 2020?

Stepwise Preparation for NEST 2020

Step 1: Know the NEST exam syllabus thoroughly.

Step 2: Understand the NEST exam pattern and marking scheme so that you can prepare accordingly.

Step 3: Get all the NEST study material such as prep books and previous years question papers in order to help better understand what to expect in the entrance exam.

Step 4: Create a day to day, weekly and monthly time table on how much material to cover on a daily basis.

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Step 5: Solve question papers, sample papers and give mock tests to know one’s strengths and weaknesses.

NEST 2020 Exam Highlights

Exam name

National Entrance Screening Test

Exam frequency

Once a year

Exam mode

Online

Exam duration

3 hours 30 minutes

Test takers

Approx. 60,000

Accepting colleges

1 college

Official website

www.nestexam.in

How to Prepare for NEST 2020?

NEST is a national-level entrance exam which is highly competitive and candidates appearing for the test need to have a strategy and aim in mind in order to score well and qualify. Candidates who have applied can go through the following tips while preparing for NEST.

Know the NEST Exam Pattern

First and foremost, you must be versed with the NEST exam pattern. You should know which about topics the weightage of marks lie, how many questions will be asked in the exam, how long is the NEST exam and the total number of questions asked.

Know the NEST Marking Scheme

The candidate needs to know the NEST marking scheme. Will there be negative marking? How many marks does each section have? Until the candidate is not thorough with the exam pattern and marking scheme, the candidate will have a tough time in the exam hall.

To know the NEST exam pattern and marking scheme, candidates can click here.

Know the NEST Syllabus

To perform well and ace the entrance exam, candidates have to thoroughly go through the syllabus. Aspirants need to strategize their plans on a monthly, weekly and daily basis. There is no success without hard work and in order to qualify for the entrance exam, candidates can prepare better by knowing which topics to cover in-depth and which require superficial knowledge. The candidate can do so as per the below-mentioned pointers:

  • Make a list of topics, subject wise
  • Segregate the subjects and topics into easy and difficult as per personal experience.

Note down topics which carry maximum weightage (as per previous year’s question papers).

To know the NEST syllabus, candidates can click here.

Go through NEST Prep books

Along with the syllabus, candidates should have prep books along with them while preparing for NEST 2020. Candidates are advised to purchase at least two to three prep books to help better understand the test.

Prepare a time table

One of the most important elements while preparing for an entrance exam is time management. Candidates need to work out a time table as to how much material to cover on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. On creating a plan, the candidate can cover all the topics which are to come in the entrance exam. Revise the syllabus and content, attempt as many question papers, mock papers and previous years question papers to better help prepare. Through this, a candidate can have a fair idea of what to expect in the entrance exam.

Refer to Past Years' Question Papers

Candidates are advised to solve last five years question papers to help better understand the exam pattern and format of questions which will be asked in NEST 2020. Through the previous questions, candidates can understand which subjects are given high importance and topics which can help the aspirant score better in the exam.

Candidates can download the NEST previous years question papers by clicking here.

Solve Sample Papers and Mock Tests

The best way for a candidate to know their strengths and weakness is by solving question papers, sample papers and mock tests. Through this, candidates can also figure out the best approach to be followed when they head out to attempt the main NEST question paper. From formulating a time management to understanding the format of the paper, solving sample papers can help candidates prepare better for the entrance exam.

For more details and information on NEST, candidates can go through the following links:

NEST Important Dates

How to fill NEST application form?

How to download NEST admit card?

How to check NEST results?

Read More:

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About the Author
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Sreetama Datta Roy
Manager Content
Sreetama has over a decade of editorial experience in the higher education beat. A wanderlust by passion, she is also an avid reader and a music lover. Among friends, she is popular for her sense of humour.
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Answered 2 weeks ago

Seat allotment during the LPU NEST counselling effectively takes place based on your merit (exam) rank, as well as the preferences you fill to course/specialisations while you log in to the portal for admissions after your results are out. After you log in to the counselling portal after the results

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Sampreet Kaur

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 2 weeks ago

hi,

Seats during LPU NEST counselling are allocated based on the candidate's rank, choices filled, and seat availability. After qualifying the exam, candidates must register for counselling, fill in their preferred courses and specializations, and lock their choices. Allocation is done in order of m

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Vidushi Sharma

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

After re-downloading the revised version by visiting the official website of NEST, candidates must ensure that the revised scorecard consists of the correct information related to their qualifying percentile and the issue date, which is July 17, 2025.

I

Ishita Chauhan

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

All the selected candidates must know that it is important for them to download the revised NEST 2025 scorecard issued on July 17, 2025. Only the revised NEST Scorecard will be considered valid for all future admission processes and the previous versions will not be valid during verification.

I

Ishita Chauhan

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

All the selected candidates are advised to visit the official website to be able to download their revised scorecards. Candidates need to use their login credentials and click on the login link provided on the NEST Official website to ensure the scorecard they download has the issue date of July 17,

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Ishita Chauhan

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

For most of the candidates who appeared for the NEST Entrance Exam, the revised scorecard will not affect their total score or All India Rank (AIR). But as per the official notice released by NEST, all candidates are advised to download the revised scorecard to ensure accuracy for future admission s

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Ishita Chauhan

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

A small error related to the qualifying percentile was found in the previous NEST 2025 scorecards and the error was resolved later on but now candidates are advised to download the revised NEST Scorecard from the login link available on the official website because only those scorecards with the iss

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Ishita Chauhan

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 months ago

The NEST 2025 Result will be declared on the official website of NEST on July 10, 2025. Candidates who appeared for the NEST Entrance Exam need to visit the officilal website to check out their NEST result and to download their scorecards. 

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Ishita Chauhan

Contributor-Level 10