NEST 2026 Admission Process: Application, Exam Date, Syllabus, Admit Card & More

NEST 2026 Application Process is expected to start in February 2026, tentatively, for those who wish to appear for the NEST Entrance Exam. The NEST 2026 Exam date is tentative for June 22, 2026, for candidates who want admission to the MSc programme in Mathematics, Biology, Physics, and Chemistry for five years. Read this Shiksha Article to learn in detail about the NEST 2026 exam-related information and events.

NEST 2026 Admission Process: Application, Exam Date, Syllabus, Admit Card & More

The NEST 2026 Application Form will be out on February 17, 2026, as per the previous year's trends. The exam date for NEST 2026 is tentative for June 22, 2026.  The National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) is conducted for candidates who wish to take admission into the NISER Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS, Mumbai, for the Integrated MSc Programmes.

Those who wish to appear for the NEST 2026 Entrance Exam must go through the eligibility criteria first before applying for the exam. Only if they are eligible will they be able to appear for the exam. For more details, candidates must go through this page to check out details related to the NEST application process, eligibility criteria, admit card release, and exam pattern. 
NEST 2026 Exam Highlights

Here is the information related to the NEST Entrance Exam that candidates must be aware of, who are preparing to appear for the NEST 2026 Entrance Exam.

NEST 2026 Important Dates

Here are some of the important dates related to the admission process for the NEST academic session 2026-27.

NEST 2026 Eligibility Criteria

Candidates must go through the NEST Eligibility Criteria before they appear for the NEST 2026 Exam.

• Educational Qualification: Candidates who passed their Class 12 in 2024 or 2026 are eligible to appear for the exam, and those who are going to appear with the Science stream are also eligible.
• Minimum Marks: Candidates who belong to the General/OBC category should get 60 per cent marks aggregate, and candidates who belong to the SC/ST/PwD category must get 55 per cent marks.
• Age Limit: Candidates who belong to General/OBC and are born on August 1, 2004 or after this date are eligible. There is a five-year relaxation for SC/ST/PwD category candidates.
• Subjects: Students must have studied Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Mathematics in their Classes 11 and 12.

Note: Only students who fulfil the NEST 2026 eligibility criteria are allowed to appear for the exam.

NEST 2026 Application Process

The NEST Application Process is going to start in February 2026, tentatively. Those who fulfil the eligibility criteria for the NEST 2026 Entrance Exam only they will be eligible to complete the NEST 2026 Application Process. 

Application Fees

Steps to Fill Out the Application Form

Here are the steps for candidates to fill out their NEST Application Form hassle-free.

1. Visit the official website, https://www.nestexam.in/ 
2. Click on "Apply for NEST 2026". 
3. Candidates must register using a valid email ID and mobile number.
4. Students need to fill out their academic and personal details. 
5. Students need to upload their scanned photo and signature. 
6. Submit the NEST application fee in online mode. 
7. Candidates need to select a minimum of 5 exam centres for NEST 2026.
8. Students need to submit and save a copy of the application form for future use. 

NEST 2026 Exam Pattern

The exam pattern for the NEST is similar to the previous year. In case there are any changes, the information will be updated on this page once the NEST 2026 Information Brochure is out. The NEST Exam is conducted in online mode, and the exam duration is 3 hours and 30 minutes in total. The types of questions are MCQs and MSQs, and the total marks are 200. There are a total of four sections in the exam: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics.

Section-wise Marks Distribution

NEST 2026 Syllabus

The NEST 2026 syllabus consists of the NCERT Class 11 and 12 syllabus.

Biology

• Diversity in the Living World
• Cell Structure and Function
• Plant and Human Physiology
• Structural Organisation in Animals & Plants

Physics

• Laws of Motion, Gravitation, Thermodynamics
• Work, Energy, Power, Oscillations, Waves
• Kinematics, Properties of Matter, Kinetic Theory

Chemistry

• Mole Concept, Structure of Atom, Periodic Table
• Chemical Bonding, Thermodynamics, Equilibrium
• Organic Chemistry Basics, Hydrocarbons, Redox Reactions

Mathematics

Class 11

• Sets, Functions, Trigonometry
• Algebra, Binomial Theorem, 3D Geometry
• Calculus, Statistics, Probability

Class 12

• Relations, Matrices, Determinants
• Continuity, Differentiability, Integration
• Vectors, Linear Programming, Differential Equations

Note: Students should know that the changes in the NEST Syllabus are not common, so they must start their preparation for the NEST 2026 Exam based on the syllabus provided here.

Best Books for NEST 2026 Preparation

Here are the best books for NEST 2026 Preparation.

NEST 2026 Previous Year Question Papers

Students must focus on solving previous year papers for the NEST Exam for better preparation.

NEST 2026 Admit Card

The NEST 2026 admit card will be out in June 2026, tentatively for candidates who successfully filled the NEST 2026 Application form along with the NEST Application fee. Candidates should also carry their admit card along with a valid ID proof to their NEST 2026 exam centre.

Steps to Download NEST 2026 Admit Card

Step 1: Visit the official website of NEST, i.e. nestexam.in

Step 2: Click on the "Download Admit Card" link

Step 3: By using the registered user ID and Password, log in.

Step 4: Confirm all the information filled in the admit card

Step 5: Download the admit card and take a printout for future reference.

Candidates must contact the exam helpline in case there are any mistakes in their admit card.

NEST 2026 Exam Centres 

Here is the list of all the cities where the NEST 2026 Exam will be held in online mode.

• Delhi
• Mumbai
• Pune
• Chennai
• Guntur
• Shillong
• Shimla
• Udaipur
• Chandigarh
• Bhopal
• Agra
• Patna
• Jabalpur
• Surat
• Rajkot
• Hamirpur
• Aligarh
• Tirupati
• Bhatinda
• Gwalior

NEST 2026 Answer Key

The NEST 2026 Answer key will be out in July 2026, tentatively. Candidates can challenge the answer key with valid reasoning and an objection fee of INR 200 per question within the given timeline.

NEST 2026 Result

The NEST 2026 Result will be out in August 2026. Students need to use their login credentials to access their scorecards. Only those who qualify for the NEST Result will be eligible for the NEST 2026 Cutoff.

NEST 2026 Counselling

The counselling process will start in July month after the Result and cutoff for NEST 2026 is declared, tentatively. All the selected candidates need to visit the official website to register themselves because only those who qualified for the NEST Entrance Exam will be eligible for the NEST 2026 Counselling Process.

• Candidates must register online by visiting the official website. 
• Then they need to fill in their choice.
• Then, candidates need to provide documents for verification
• At last, the candidates will get their seats for their preferred courses based on their NEST Rank and seat availability.

Scholarship Opportunities at NISER and CEBS

Candidates who wish to get admission to NISER or UM-DAE CEBS must go for the DISHA Programme by the Department of Atomic Energy. Candidates who get selected for this scholarship will receive up to INR 60000 annually. Also, those students who are exceptional can get direct interviews at BARC.