February 17, 2025: NEST 2025 registration has begun; apply online by May 9, 2025. Read Full News.
NEST 2025: Registration Begins, Exam Date Out, Check Schedule, Registration, Eligibility, Admit Card, Syllabus and Exam Pattern
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Content Writer | Updated On - Jun 6, 2026
What's New in NEST 2025?
National Entrance Screening Test 2025 exam dates are out on the official website nextexam.in. Based on the schedule, the registration link is active from Febriary 17, 2025 onwards. The last date to register for NEST 2025 is May 9, 2025. In case you need to edit the application, you can do so in the correction window from May 10 to May 14, 2025.
This year, the NEST exam 2025 will be corrected on June 22, 2025. Only successfully registered candidates will be able download NEST admit card 2025 from June 2, 2025. It is mandatory to carry the admit card to be allowed to sit for the exam. To get a better idea about the exam, candidates can also attempt the NEST mock test released on May 16, 2025.
The Minimum Admissible Percentile (MAP) for merit list is 90, 85 and 60 for General/ GEN-EWS, OBC and SC/ ST/ Divyangjan/ JK candidates respectively. On the basis of NEST Rank candidates will be given admission to 5-year integrated M.Sc course in NISER and UM DAE CESB.
What is NEST?
National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) is a national-level entrance examination conducted for admission to various integrated M.Sc programs at NISER, Bhubaneshwar (National Institute of Science Education and Research) and UM DAE CEBS, Mumbai (University of Mumbai, Department of Atomic Energy, Center for Excellence in Basic Sciences).
Table of Content
- NEST 2025 Highlights
- NEST 2025 Important Dates
- NEST 2025 Registration
- NEST 2025 Eligibility Criteria
- NEST 2025 Admit Card
- NEST 2025 Exam Pattern
- NEST 2025 Syllabus
- NEST 2025 Answer Key
- NEST 2025 Result
- NEST 2025 Cutoff
- NEST 2025 Counselling
- NEST 2025 Participating Colleges and Seat Intake
- NEST 2025 FAQs
NEST 2025 Highlights
NEST 2025 mode of exam, type of questions, etc. are tabulated below for aspirants’ reference.
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Exam Name | National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) |
| Name of the Conducting Authority | NISER, Bhubaneshwar & UM-DAE CEBS, Mumbai |
| Exam Level | National |
| Mode of Application | Online |
| Mode of Exam | Computer Based Test |
| Exam Frequency | Annually |
| Exam Duration | 3 hours and 30 minutes |
| Number of Sections | Five sections |
| Question Type | MCQ/ MSQ Question |
| Marking Scheme | 4 marks would be awarded for each correct answer (MSQs) 2.5 marks would be awarded for each correct answer (MCQs) -1 mark would be deducted for each incorrect answer (MCQs) 0 for an incorrect answer in MSQs/ unattempted questions |
| Language of questions | English |
| Application Fees | Unreserved candidates: INR 1400 Reserved Category candidates: INR 700 |
| Number of Exam Centre | 120 cities |
| Official Website | nestexam.in |
NEST 2025 Important Dates
Few important dates related to NEST 2025 viz. release of application form, last date of application, admit card release date, and exam date are tabulated below.
| Event | Dates |
|---|---|
| Release of NEST 2025 application form | February 17, 2025, |
| Last Date of application | May 9, 2025 |
| Application Correction Window | May 10 – 14, 2025 |
| Admit Card release date | June 2, 2025 |
| Exam Date | June 22, 2025 |
| Release of official answer key | to be updated |
| Answer Key Challenge Window | to be updated |
| Results announcement | to be updated |
| Date of Counselling | to be updated |
NEST 2025 Registration
The last date of Registration is May 9, 2025. Willing and eligible candidates can go for NEST 2025 online registration on its official website and the process of registration is given below:
- Visit the official website nestexam.in.
- Click the ‘Apply Online link to be redirected to the online application page.
- Fill out the application form with your name, email id, and a strong password.
- On clicking the ‘Submit’ button, candidates will receive an email holding a link for confirmation of registration.
- On confirmation, candidates have to provide their email id and password, along with the secret code, and press the ‘Login’ button.
- After successful login, candidates have to fill in their personal and academic information like their DOB, father’s name, address, and 10th/12th/ graduation marks.
- The application process is completed by making payment of the application fee using a debit card/ credit card/ net banking.
- After the registration process is completed, candidates should download the application form for future reference and keep the login id and password generated post-registration.
NEST 2025 Eligibility Criteria
Detailed NEST 2025 eligibility criteria are mentioned below for candidates’ reference:
- Candidates must have passed 10+2 or equivalent examination with a minimum of 60% (55% for SC/ ST candidates) aggregate marks from a recognized board or council.
- Final year candidates are also eligible to apply.
- Candidates must have Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology as compulsory subjects in their 10+2 examination.
- Candidates must not have been born before August 2000 (5 years age relaxation for SC/ ST candidates).
- Candidates from Andhra Pradesh, J & K, and Telangana are offered a quota of 15%.
NEST 2025 Admit Card
NEST 2025 admit card is expected to be released on June 2, 2025. Candidates downloaded the same from the official website. Some key details of the NEST 2025 admit card are listed below:
- Candidates satisfying the eligibility criteria and applying for NEST 2025 within the stipulated time and date are issued admit cards.
- Only those candidates who carry their admit card along with a valid Photo ID issued by Govt. of India in the examination center are allowed to enter the examination center and appear for the entrance.
- The admit card contains the candidate’s personal details, exam date, time, center address, and examination guidelines for the NEST 2025.
- Any illegal activities found on the admit card must be immediately reported to the concerned authorities.
NEST 2025 Exam Pattern
The details of the exam pattern are given below:
- NEST 2025 would be conducted in online mode
- There are four different sections including Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics.
- The entrance would have questions of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) / Multiple Select Questions (MSQ) types and will be available in English language only.
- The questions would add up to 200 marks to be completed in 3 hours and 30 minutes.
| Section | Subject | Marking |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biology | 50 |
| 2 | Physics | 50 |
| 3 | Chemistry | 50 |
| 4 | Mathematics | 50 |
| Total | 200 marks | |
Question Paper Structure
NEST 2025 question paper would consist of four sections each contributing 50 marks and the same would be available on the official website once the examination gets over. The basic question paper structure of NEST 2025 is given below:
| Section | Subject | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| I - Biology | 17 questions (12 MCQs + 5 MSQs) | 50 marks |
| II - Chemistry | 17 questions (12 MCQs + 5 MSQs) | 50 marks |
| III - Mathematics | 17 questions (12 MCQs + 5 MSQs) | 50 marks |
| IV - Physics | 17 questions (12 MCQs + 5 MSQs) | 50 marks |
| Total | 68 questions | 200 marks |
NIFT 2025 Syllabus
The detailed NEST 2025 syllabus can be downloaded from the official website. Below is provided section wise syllabus for NEST 2025
| Section | Syllabus |
|---|---|
| Biology |
|
| Chemistry |
|
| Mathematics |
|
| Physics |
|
NIFT 2025 Answer Key
The details of the NEST answer key are available below:
- NEST 2025 answer keys will be released by the authority in the fourth week of June 2025 and the same can be downloaded from the official website.
- Answer keys along with answer scripts will be sent to the registered mail ID of all candidates.
- Answer keys will help candidates calculate their estimated score and gauge their chances of admission to participating institutes.
- No fee is charged for raising objections against answer keys.
NEST 2025 Result
NEST authority is expected released NEST 2025 result in July 2025, on its official website and information for the same is given below:
- Visit the official website nestexam.in
- Login to the candidates' profile using user id and password.
- Click the ‘NEST 2025 Result’ tab to download the result along with the answer key.
- Candidates can now check the cut-off score
- The scorecard will help the candidate have a rough idea of the merit list.
- Based on the result and merit list, the list of successful candidates will be published.
- The final list holds information on all candidates called for counseling.
NEST 2025 Cutoff
NEST authority will release NEST 2025 cut-off very soon after completion of the exam based on subjects, category, and session and the same would also be available on the official website. The cut-off will be available in two categories: Minimum Admissible Percentile (MAP) or overall percentile and Section-wise Minimum Admissible Score (SMAS), which refers to the sectional cutoff. Apart from the sectional cut-off, candidates have to clear the overall NEST cutoff percentile to be eligible to apply for admission to participating institutes. NEST 2025 cut-off is given below:
| Subject | GEN/ GEN-EWS | OBC-NCL | SC/ ST/ Divyangjan/ JK | ||||
| Shift 1 | Shift 2 | Shift 1 | Shift 2 | Shift 1 | Shift 2 | ||
| Biology | 5.698 | 5.541 | 5.128 | 4.987 | 2.849 | 2.771 | |
| Chemistry | 5.215 | 6.106 | 4.694 | 5.495 | 2.608 | 3.053 | |
| Mathematics | 4.979 | 6.082 | 4.481 | 5.474 | 2.49 | 3.041 | |
| Physics | 4.817 | 5.125 | 4.335 | 4.613 | 2.409 | 2.563 | |
NEST 2022 Cutoff for NISER Bhubaneswar - Session I
| Category | Biology | Chemistry | Mathematics | Physics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 4.2170 | 3.4805 | 3.6305 | 2.9345 |
| OBC | 3.7953 | 3.1325 | 3.2675 | 2.6411 |
| SC/ST/PD/JK | 2.1085 | 1.7403 | 1.8153 | 1.4673 |
NEST 2022 Cutoff for NISER Bhubaneswar - Session II
| Category | Biology | Chemistry | Mathematics | Physics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 3.4599 | 3.3875 | 2.7815 | 2.9620 |
| OBC | 3.1140 | 3.0488 | 2.5034 | 2.6658 |
| SC/ST/PD/JK | 1.7300 | 1.6938 | 1.3908 | 1.4810 |
NEST 2022 Cutoff for CEBS Mumbai - Session I
| Category | Biology | Chemistry | Mathematics | Physics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 8.43 | 6.96 | 7.26 | 5.87 |
| OBC | 7.59 | 6.26 | 6.53 | 5.28 |
| SC/ST/PD/JK | 4.22 | 3.48 | 3.63 | 2.93 |
NEST 2022 Cutoff for CEBS Mumbai - Session II
| Category | Biology | Chemistry | Mathematics | Physics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 6.92 | 6.78 | 5.56 | 5.92 |
| OBC | 6.23 | 6.10 | 5.01 | 5.33 |
| SC/ST/PD/JK | 3.46 | 3.39 | 2.78 | 2.96 |
NEST 2025 Counselling
Candidates qualifying for NEST 2025 are considered eligible to participate in the counseling process. The counseling process would consist of three rounds: -
- Qualified candidates have to upload their documents and the NEST authority verifies the same.
- Based on successful verification, candidates will be allotted seats in participating institutes. Once seats are allotted, candidates have to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) along with the requisite fee to complete the admission formality.
- The counseling process is followed by the release of a separate merit list by NISER Bhubaneswar and CEBS Mumbai.
NEST 2025 Participating Colleges and Seat Intake
NEST 2025 will be conducted for admission into a 5-year integrated postgraduate program in Basic Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics) at NISER and UM-DAE CEBS. Institution-wise tentative seat availability is given below based on category.
| Category | Seats at NISER | Seats at UM-DAE CEBS |
|---|---|---|
| General | 101 | 23 |
| General-EWS | 0 | 6 |
| OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) | 54 | 15 |
| SC | 30 | 9 |
| ST | 15 | 4 |
| PWD | Five % of seats in each category | Five % of seats in each category |
| Total | 200 | 57 |
NEST 2025 FAQs
Ques. Who can give NEST 2025?
Ans. Candidates who have completed their 10+2 or equivalent examination with a minimum of 60% (55% for SC/ ST candidates) aggregate marks from a recognized board or council.
Ques. How to apply for the NEST exam 2025?
Ans. To apply for the NEST 2025 examination candidates need to visit the official website i.e nestexam.in
Ques. What are the fees for the NEST exam 2025?
Ans. Candidates need to pay Rs 1400 for the Application fees. However, female and SC/ST/Divyangajn candidates must pay Rs 700.
Ques. What would be the difficulty level of NEST 2025?
Ans: Based on an analysis of previous years’ question papers, it is believed that NEST 2025 would not be difficult for candidates who have a basic concept of topics taught in the Science stream at Classes 11 and 12.
Ques. Name some best books for NEST 2025 preparation.
Ans: Some of the best books for NEST 2025 preparation are given below along with their publisher/ author name:
- Concepts of Physics by H.C. Verma
- Aptitude Test Problems in Physics by S.S Krotov
- Physical Chemistry by P.Bahadur
- Genetic Engineering by P.S Verma
- Skills in Mathematics Coordinates Geometry for IIT JEE by S.K Goyal
- Integral Calculus by Amit M. Agarwal
- Objective Biology by M.P. Tyagi and J.P Goyal
Ques. Name a few cities where NEST 2025 test centers are available?
Ans: NEST 2025 would be conducted in 120 different cities across India. The center names are given below:
- Rajahmundry [AP]
- Balasore [OD]
- Vijayawada [AP]
- Cuttack [OD]
- Kozhikode [KL]
- Patna [BR]
- Jamshedpur [JH]
- Ranchi [JH]
- New Delhi [DL]
- Rourkela [OD]
- Mohali [PB]
- Bokaro [JH]
- Ahmedabad [GJ]
- Raipur [CG]
- Mumbai [MH]
- Chennai [TN]
- Kolkata [WB]
- Bengaluru [KA]
- Pune [MH]
Ques. What are the documents that need to be carried when attending counseling process of NEST 2025?
Ans: Candidates attending NEST 2025 counseling process must carry the following documents:
- Marksheet of 10+2
- Marksheet of diploma course (if any)
- Address proof viz. Aadhar card, voter id card, bank passbook, passport, ration card, or any other government address proof
- ID Proof viz. Driving license, pan card, 10+2 admit card or any other document issued by the Government of India authority.
- Government certificate for class category issued to SC/ ST candidates
- Three copies of passport size candidate’s photograph
Ques. Mention the distribution of questions among all the sections in NEST 2025?
Ans: The distribution of 68 questions among all sections in NEST 2025 is given below:
- Section I Biology would consist of 17 questions inclusive of 12 MCQs and 5 MSQs.
- Section II Chemistry would consist of 17 questions inclusive of 12 MCQs and 5 MSQs.
- Section III Mathematics would consist of 17 questions inclusive of 12 MCQs and 5 MSQs.
- Section-IV Physics would consist of 17 questions inclusive of 12 MCQs and 5 MSQs.
Ques. What are the factors that would affect the NEST 2025 cut-off?
Ans: Some of the probable factors that may contribute to the NEST 2025 cutoff is given below:
- Govt. of India’s reservation criteria
- Number of applicants who appeared for the exam
- Number of seats available in the participating institutes
- Difficulty level of the NEST 2025 question paper
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.
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