NEST 2026 Important Topics: Check Subject Wise Important Chapters
National Entrance Screening Test 2026 ( NEST )
NEST 2026 Exam Date
6 Jun '26
Know the subject-wise important topics for the NEST 2026 syllabus that can help you prepare efficiently. The question paper of the NEST 2026 exam will consist of five sections, of which the first section is mandatory, and there is a choice of three among the remaining four.
NEST 2026 Important Topics
Candidates can check important topics for NEST 2026 exam on this page. NEST is a national level exam conducted for admission to NISER and UM-DAE CEBS. NEST questions will be based on Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Candidates can focus on the NEST 2026 syllabus to know important topics for exam preparation. National Entrance Screening Test will be held on June 7, 2026. A few months are left for test. Candidates must focus on revision rather than learning new topics. Practice previous year questions of NEST and take mock test regular. Solving question paper will help to identify weightage of topics in each section.
The joint organisers of the NEST 2026 examination are 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). They conduct the entrance exam annually to shortlist meritorious students for a five-year integrated MSc programme in the following subjects:
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Biology
- Mathematics
The key to crack an exam lies in preparing for the same as per the examination pattern and syllabus. NEST examination is no different from others, following smart preparation tips and studying important topics will help the applicants to qualify the examination.
NEST 2026 Exam Pattern
The question paper of NEST consists of four sections mentioned below. Out of the four sections, authorities will consider only three sections to prepare the merit list. Hence applicants can either solve all four sections or three sections only and their marks from the sections that have the highest marks will be considered for preparing the merit list.
| Section | Subject | No of Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mathematics | 17 | 50 |
| 2 | Physics | 17 | 50 |
| 3 | Chemistry | 17 | 50 |
| 4 | Biology | 17 | 50 |
Also Read: How to Prepare for NEST 2026: Best Books, Preparation Tips & Strategy
Commonly asked questions
Students who want to qualify the NEST exam first they must complete the books of class 11th and 12th.
Applicants can follow the below-mentioned books for the NEST preparation.
For chemistry, Wiley, KL CHUGH & Dinesh publication books are good
For Physics, DC Pandey & HC Verma's books.
For Mathematics, R D Sharma, SN DEY books
For Biology subject, Objective Biology by Dinesh
Along with these books NCERT & NCERT EXEMPLAR is a must for applicants for all individual subjects.
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.
NEST 2026: Subject-wise Important Topics
Although each topic of all subjects has its significance, some topics are frequently asked in the NEST exam, which are as follows:
Important Topics in Physics
Check out the topic-wise weightage in Physics below:
| List of Topics |
Expected Number of Questions |
|---|---|
| Oscillations and Waves |
0-1 |
| Magnetic Effects of Current & Magnetism |
1-2 |
| 1-2 | |
| Heat and Thermodynamics |
1-2 |
| 0-1 |
|
| Current Electricity |
1-2 |
| Optics and Wave optics |
2-3 |
| 1-2 | |
| Motion of System of Particles and Rigid Body |
1-2 |
| 2-3 | |
| Electromagnetic Waves |
1 |
| Properties of Bulk Matter |
1 |
Important Topics in Mathematics
The topics from which questions are asked in the Mathematics section are mentioned below:
| Sets, Relations & Functions | 2-3 |
| Complex number & quadratic equations | 1-2 |
| Matrices & Determinates | 0-1 |
| Integral Calculus | 1-2 |
| Differential equations | 1-2 |
| Permutations & Combination | 1-2 |
| Binomial Theorem | 0-1 |
| Sequence & Series | 1-2 |
| Three-dimensional Geometry | 1 |
| Vector Algebra | 1-2 |
Important Topics in Chemistry
Below is the expected count of questions that can appear in the Chemistry section.
| List of Topics |
Expected Number of Questions |
|---|---|
| Chemical Bonding |
1-2 |
| Basic Concepts |
2-3 |
| 1-2 | |
| 1-2 | |
| Coordination Compounds |
2 |
| 2-3 | |
| Reaction Mechanism |
1 |
| d- and f-Block Elements |
2 |
| Thermodynamics and Thermochemistry |
1-2 |
| Chemistry in Everyday Life |
1 |
| 2-3 | |
| Environmental Chemistry |
0-1 |
Important Topics in Biology
| List of Topics |
Expected Number of Questions |
|---|---|
| Plant and Animal Systems |
2-3 |
| 1-2 | |
| Micro and Macronutrients |
1-2 |
| Basic concepts in genetics and evolution |
2-3 |
| Humans and environment |
1-2 |
| Principles of Recombinant DNA Technology |
1-2 |
Applicants can check the expected number of questions from all four subjects from the table mentioned above. By checking the trends of the questions, applicants are advised to check NEST question paper and accordingly prepare their strategy to qualify the exam.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 5 days ago
The process for downloading the NEST response sheet PDF is mentioned below.
- Go to NEST 2026 website, nestexam.in
- Click on Login button
- Enter the application no./login Id and password
- Click on the NEST response sheet
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
Students can check the NEST answer key through login portal. They will have to provide their application number / login ID, and password to download NEST 2026 answer key.
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
Yes, the NEST response sheet will be released alongwith the answer key. Students can check their NEST response sheet through the login portal.
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
Yes, Nest Academy of Sports Management (NASM) is a good college. The flagship programmes available at the college are Masters in Sports Management & Bachelor / Bachelor (Hons.) of Sports Management. The college provides good placements to students.
L
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
The process to retrieve the NEST password is mentioned below
- Go to NEST 2026 website.
- Click on the Login link.
- Then click on forget password.
- Provide the user id and click on "Get Password".
- Enter new password.
- Click on the Change Password button.
- Use your new password to log in.
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
The following candidates are eligible to apply for NISER 2026.
- Candidates who have completed class 10+2 from a recognised board with at least three out of four disciplines - Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology.
- Obtained 60% marks (55% for SC, ST and Divyangjan categories) in aggregate.
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
There is no option to get NISER with 60 marks. The safe marks in NEST for NISER admission are 120+ marks.
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
The NEST question paper comprises 4 sections, including Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics. Each section carries 20 questions. Each question carries three marks. NEST 2026 total marks are 240.
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
The authority releases the NEST answer key online. The answer key is released in pdf formation. The process to download the answer key for NEST 2026 is mentioned below.
- Visit NEST website, nestexam.in.
- Click on the Answer key link
- NEST answer key pdf will appear
V
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 months ago
NEST question paper comprises 4 sections. Each section has 20 multiple-choice questions. The questions are based on Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Biology. Each question will comprise 3 marks. Negative marking is done for wrong answers.
V
Contributor-Level 10
How to download NEST response sheet pdf?