NEST 2025: Application Form, Dates, Eligibility, Pattern, Syllabus
NEST 2025 Exam will be conducted in the fourth week of June 2025. National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) is a national level entrance exam conducted every year. This exam is conducted by National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar and University of Mumbai – Department of Atomic Energy Center for excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE-CEBS). NEST is conducted to provide admission to a five year Integrated MSc programme in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics. To appear in the entrance exam, candidates will have to fill the application form through online mode.
In this article, we have provided complete information related to NEST 2025 Exam such as application form, eligibility criteria, exam pattern etc.
NEST 2025 Overview
| Exam Name | NEST 2025 |
| Full form | National Entrance Screening Test |
| Authority | NISER, Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE-CEBS, Mumbai |
| Courses Offered | Integrated M.Sc. programme |
| Application mode | Online |
| Examination mode | Online |
| Exam Frequency | Once a year |
NEST 2025 Exam Dates
The following are the tentative dates for NEST 2025 exam:
| Events | Dates 2025 (Tentative) |
| Online application opens | 3rd week of March 2025 |
| Online application closes | 4th week of May 2025 |
| Download of admit card | 3rd week of June 2025 |
| Date of examination | 4th week of June 2025 |
| Announcement of result | 2nd week of July 2025 |
NEST 2025 Application Form
Here we have mentioned some details related to NEST application form 2025:
- The NEST 2025 application form will be released through online mode.
- Candidates will be able to fill the registration form in the third week of March 2025.
- Before filing the NEST application, students must go through the eligibility criteria of exam.
- Fill the application form by entering details such as personal, contact, academic details etc.
- Students will need to upload scanned images of photographs and signature within prescribed size and format.
- The last date to fill the application form will be in the fourth week of May 2025.
- After submitting the form, students must take a printout of application form.
Application Fee:
- The NEST 2025 application fee will be submitted through online mode only.
- There will be no offline method provided to submit the application fee.
- Candidates will be able to pay the application fee by using debit card/ credit card/ net banking.
Below students will be able to check the category wise application fee:
| Category | Application Fee |
| Male, General and OBC category | Rs. 1400/- |
| SC/ ST/ Divyangjan/ Female category | Rs. 700/- |
How to Apply for NEST 2025
Follow the given steps to apply for NEST 2025 exam:
- Step 1: Visit the website of NEST (link will be available above).
- Step 2: Click on “Online Application” link.
- Step 3: Enter the required details in application form such as personal, qualification details etc.
- Step 4: Upload the scanned images of photograph and signature as per given size and format.
- Step 5: Preview all the entered details in application form.
- Step 6: Submit the application fee to complete the application process.
- Step 7: Download the confirmation page from the website.
- Step 8: Keep a hardcopy of application form for further use.
NEST 2025 Eligibility Criteria
Here we have mentioned the NEST eligibility criteria 2025:
- Qualification: Candidates should have qualified class 12th or equivalent from any other recognized board.
- Age limit: There will be no age limit for appearing in NEST 2025 exam.
- Subject: Students should have passed Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics in the qualifying exam.
- Marks: To be eligible, candidates must have scored at least 60% marks in aggregate (55% for reserved category candidates).
- Appearing: Candidates appearing in class 12th will also be eligible to apply for exam.
NEST 2025 Exam Pattern
Candidates must check out the NEST exam pattern 2025 given below:
- Mode of exam: The NEST exam will be conducted in online mode.
- Duration: Students will get 3 hours 30 minutes to solve the paper.
- Total marks: The question paper will be of 200 marks.
- Type of question: There will be Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) in entrance exam.
- Marking scheme: For correct answer, 2.5 marks will be awarded to students.
- Negative marking: For wrong answer, 1 mark will be deducted.
NEST 2025 Syllabus
The NEST syllabus 2025 will be decided on the basis of class 11th and 12th. Below we have mentioned some topics for exam:
- Chemistry: Mole concept, Atomic Structure and Chemical bonding, Chemical kinetics, Solid state, Chemical Equilibrium, Thermodynamics, Amines, Measurement in chemistry etc.
- Physics: Units and dimensions, Conservation of angular momentum, Graphical representation, Interpretation of data, Design of some experience etc.
- Biology: Genetics and Evolution, Cell Biology, Human and Environment, Immunology, Digestive system, Development biology, Systematics, Ecology, etc.
- Mathematics: Algebra, Trigonometry, Analytical geometry, Integral calculus, Vectors, Logarithms etc.
NEST 2025 Preparation Tips
Students must go through the preparation tips for NEST 2025 exam:
- Prepare a timetable for study and must follow it.
- Make short notes and highlight important points.
- Solve previous year question papers to analyze your performance.
- Revise the topics daily to keep them in mind.
- Study according to syllabus and exam pattern of exam.
NEST 2025 Books
Candidates may refer the following books for the preparation of exam:
- Fundamental of Physics by Halliday
- Understanding Physics Series by D.C Pandey
- Inorganic Chemistry by O.P Tandon
- Chemical Calculation by R.C Mukherjee
- Higher Algebra by Hall and Knight
- NCERT Class XI & XII
NEST 2025 Exam Centre
The following are some tentative cities for NEST 2025 exam:
| Guntur | Tirupathi |
| Patna | Chennai |
| New delhi | Udaipur |
| Chandigarh | Shimla |
| Surat | Bhatinda |
| Rajkot | Bhopal |
| Hamirpur | Gwalior |
| Pune | Jabalpur |
| Shillong | Agra |
| Mumbai | Aligarh |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
NEST 2025 Admit Card
The NEST admit card 2025 will be made available in the second week of June 2025. Candidates will be able to download their hall tickets from the website. The admit cards will not be dispatched by authority to any applicant individually.
Candidates must download the admit card till the day of examination. The hall ticket will contain many details related to the candidate and exam such as student’s name, venue, date of birth, important guidelines etc.
NEST 2025 Answer Key
The NEST answer key 2025 will be published through online mode. The answer key will contain the correct answer of the question that came in the entrance exam. Candidates will be able to view it after a few days of commencement of exam.
Students will have an opportunity to raise objections against the answer key if they are not satisfied with the answer key. After that, the authority will prepare the final answer key by considering all the objections raised by students.
NEST 2025 Result
The NEST result 2025 will be announced in the second week of July 2025. Students will be able to download the result by using their login credentials such as User ID and Password. The result will contain the total marks, scaled score for each section and percentile ranking.
Authority will not take any responsibility to provide results to students through offline mode. Those appearing candidates in examination will be able to download the result from the website. Students should keep their result safe as it will be required at the time of counselling process.
NEST 2025 Merit List
The NEST merit list 2025 will be prepared on the basis of various factors. Candidates’ scores and category both are important factors for preparing the merit list. Students whose names will be mentioned in merit list will be eligible to participate in counselling process.
The final ranking of the applicants will be based on percentile scores calculated from the best three sections scores. The authority will use the best three section scores to determine the rank of applicants in entrance exam.
NEST 2025 Cut Off
The cut off will be released after a few days of declaration of result. The NEST cut off 2025 will be a minimum qualifying mark which must be obtained by students to get eligible for admission. Based on the cut off marks, the authority will prepare the merit list.
The institutions will publish the sectional as well as category wise rank list for exam. Students who will not be able to score the cut off mark will not be eligible for further admission process.
NEST Seat Reservation Criteria
Below in a table, candidates can check the reservation criteria of NEST 2025:
| Category | Reservation |
| OBC- NCL | 27% |
| SC | 15% |
| ST | 7.5% |
| Divyangjan | 5% |
NEST 2025 Counselling
The NEST counselling 2025 will be organized separately by two participating institutions. It will be held in three rounds through offline mode. There will be no joint counselling organizedfor NEST exam. The NISER and UM-DAE-CEBS will organize their separate counselling to offer admission.
The shortlisted candidates will be able to take part in counselling procedure. The seats will be allotted in M.Sc. courses at the participating institution. For counselling, students must carry required documents for verification at the allotted centre in which they want to take admission.
Documents Required for NEST Counselling 2025:
- Class 10th and 12th marksheet and certificate
- NEST 2025 admit card
- NEST 2025 result
- Caste certificate
- Valid ID proof
- Provisional call letter
- Passport size photograph etc.
In case of any other query related to NEST 2025 Exam, you can ask your queries in the comment section below.
