Everything students need to know about NEST

National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) is a national level entrance exam for individuals aspiring to sign up for a 5-year integrated B.Sc. plus M.Sc. from two acclaimed universities: National Institute of Science Education and Research, popularly called NISER, Bhubaneshwar and Department of Atomic Energy and Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (Nalanda UM-DAE CEBS), Mumbai. It is conducted jointly by these two universities.  

According to the latest reports released by collaborative authorities, NEST 2022 is scheduled for June 2022 and its registration is scheduled between February 2022 and April 2022. The admission test will be conducted across 59 cities in India. Here’s everything interested candidates need to know. 

Eligibility criteria 

• Candidates must be Indian nationals with valid identity proofs. 
• Candidates should have successfully passed their class XII board exams or any equivalent exam from any recognized board in science streams only. 
• Candidates should have mandatorily studied Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics as part of their 10+2 curriculum. 
• Candidates should have passed their school finals with minimum 60% or above. A 5% relaxation is given to the reserved category students. 
• Candidates applying for the academic year 2022-23 should be born on or after 1^st August 2002. A 5-year relaxation is given for the SC/ST candidates. 
• Candidates studying in class XII but yet to appear for their final exams are also eligible to sit for the entrance test.  

Exam pattern 
NEST admission test has a single paper with 5 sections. The first one is a general section having logical reasoning, English and current affairs. The other 4 sections cover 4 subjects including Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics. There are 230 multiple-choice questions (MCQs). The syllabus is that of 10+2 curriculum of all recognized Indian school boards.  

Marking scheme 
The total marks are 230 with 30 marks for the general section and 50 marks each for other 4 sections. 1 positive mark is awarded for each correct answer. There’s no negative marking for wrong answers or unattempted questions in the first section. However, all the other sections have negative marking of 0.5 mark. 

Mode and duration 
NEST entrance exam is conducted online. Candidates can only answer their papers in English. Candidates are given 3 hours and 30 minutes to finish their entrance exam.