National Entrance Screening Test

Key facts

Conducting body

NISER Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS

Eligible class

Class-12

Exam level

National

Exam areas

Research, Science

Typical exam month

June (NEST 2026 was conducted on Saturday, June 06, 2026).

Academic year

2026-2027

Primary goal

To screen candidates for admission to the five-year Integrated MSc programme in basic sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics) at NISER Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS Mumbai.

Syllabus subjects

Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics

Exam structure

examStructureDetails: Mode: Computer-Based Test (CBT). Duration: 3 hours. Total Questions: 80 questions (4 sections containing 20 questions each). Total Sectional Marks: Each of the 4 sections carries 60 marks (total presented marks of 240). Evaluation Rule (Best-of-Three): A candidate is required to attempt at least three sections. The total percentile and final rank are prepared using the candidate’s best three section scores (out of Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Biology). Consequently, the total score evaluated for merit is calculated out of a maximum of 180 marks. negativeMarking: Yes. Each correct response fetches +3 marks; each incorrect response results in a deduction of -1 mark; unattempted questions receive 0 marks. examSections: Section 1: Biology Syllabus Subject: Biology maxMarks: 60 questionsPresented: 20 questionsToAttempt: 20 (within optional best-of-three policy) Section 2: Chemistry Syllabus Subject: Chemistry maxMarks: 60 questionsPresented: 20 questionsToAttempt: 20 (within optional best-of-three policy) Section 3: Mathematics Syllabus Subject: Mathematics maxMarks: 60 questionsPresented: 20 questionsToAttempt: 20 (within optional best-of-three policy) Section 4: Physics Syllabus Subject: Physics maxMarks: 60 questionsPresented: 20 questionsToAttempt: 20 (within optional best-of-three policy) --