
Updated on Mar 04, 2025
Shreya
Updated on Mar 04, 2025
Shreya
A correction and update window will be available from May 10 to May 14, 2025. Candidates willing to appear for the exam must participate in NEST 2025 Registration early to avoid any last-minute hazards.
The NEST Exam date is set for Sunday, June 22, 2025. A mock test for NEST will be available from May 16, 2025. Admit cards for the exam can be downloaded starting June 2, 2025.
The National Entrance Screening Test or NEST 2025 is a national exam conducted for entrance into integrated MSc programs in NISER Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS Mumbai. The starting date of its application process would be the third week of March 2025, and its examination would probably take place during the fourth week of June 2025. Eligibility requires candidates to have completed their 10+2 examination in 2023 or 2024 with a minimum of 60% marks (55% for SC/ ST/ PwD) in aggregate from a recognized board.
The exam is a computer-based test (CBT) of 3 hours and 30 minutes duration with five sections, namely General Ability, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics. Candidates must attempt any three of the four subject sections.
The course is based on the syllabus of NCERT classes 11 and 12, which includes the syllabuses of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics.
Here are some of the most crucial details related to the NEST 2025 Exam that the candidates must know if they are preparing for the exam.
Particulars | Details |
---|---|
Exam Name | National Entrance Screening Test |
Conducting Body | NISER Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS Mumbai |
Exam Level | Undergraduate Exam at the National Level |
Exam Frequency | Once a Year |
Mode of Exam | Computer-Based Test (CBT) or Online |
Courses Offered Through Entrance Exam | Integrated MSc |
Exam Fees | INR 1,200 (For the male candidates belonging to the General and OBC categories) INR 600 (For the female candidates from all categories and male candidates of SC, ST and PwD categories) |
Exam Duration | 3 hrs and 30 min |
Number of Papers and Total Marks | 200 |
Total Number of Questions | 68 |
Marking Scheme | +2.5 for every right response (MCQs) +4 for every right response (MSQs) -1 for every wrong response (MCQs) 0 for wrong answers in MSQs and unattempted questions |
Language/Medium of Questions | English |
Colleges Accepting NEST Scores | 3 colleges |
Total Number of Seats | 257 |
Number of Exam Cities | 120 |
Official Website | https://www.nestexam.in/# |
Contact Details | Helpline Number - 022- 61087510 Email id: nest2022cebs@gmail.com |
Here is a table summarizing the tentative schedule for NEST 2025:
Month 2025 | Event |
---|---|
NEST 2025 Exam Date | June 22, 2025 (Sunday) |
NEST Online Application Opens | February 17, 2025 (Active) |
NEST Online Application Closes | May 9, 2025 |
NEST Correction & Update window | May 10, 2025, to May 14, 2025 |
NEST Mock Test Opens | May 16, 2025 |
NEST Download of Admit Card | June 2, 2025 |
To meet NEST 2025 Exam Eligibility, candidates must have qualified Class 12 or equivalent in 2023 or 2024 from a recognized board. There is no age limit for the exam. Applicants should have studied Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics, securing at least 60% aggregate marks (55% for SC/ST/PwD). Those appearing in Class 12 in 2025 are also eligible to apply, provided they meet the required criteria.
Criteria | Details |
---|---|
Qualification | Must have qualified Class 12 or equivalent in 2023 or 2024 from a recognized board. |
Age Limit | No age limit for appearing in the NEST 2025 exam. |
Subjects | Must have studied Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics in the qualifying exam. |
Minimum Marks | General/OBC: At least 60% aggregate marks; Reserved categories (SC/ST/PWD): 55%. |
Appearing Status | Candidates appearing in Class 12 in 2025 are also eligible to apply for the exam. |
The NEST 2025 exam is scheduled for June 22, 2025 (Sunday). The online application process for NEST 2025 will open on February 17, 2025, and close on May 9, 2025. There will be a correction and update window available from May 10, 2025, to May 14, 2025. A mock test for candidates will be available starting from May 16, 2025. Candidates can download their admit cards from June 2, 2025. Applicants need to stay updated with these dates and complete their applications within the given timeline.
Here are the procedures for filling in the NEST 2025 Application for students preparing for the NEST Exam 2025.
NEST 2025 Admit card will be available on 2nd June 2025. The NEST admit card is issued both by the participating universities through an online platform. Even the NEST Exam 2025 Centres are found on the admit card as well based on their preference and saved locations.
The candidates who filled out the NEST 2025 Application Form are the ones who will be getting the admit card to download. The admit card of the students can be downloaded by visiting the official website. Then, by using their logging credentials like Email ID and Password, they can log in and download their admit card. The important details on the admit card are roll number, exam date, signature, name of the student, photograph, exam time, center, and many more.
Note: No students are allowed in the examination hall without the admit card. Hence, students should carry a clear printout hard copy of their NEST 2025 Admit card/ hall ticket along with their original ID on the day of the exam.
The details printed on the admit card should be double-checked by students, and any mistake should be reported to the helpline number or contact detail provided in the admit card. Correction must be done.
Candidates can easily download the NEST 2025 Admit card according to the following steps:
Knowing the pattern of the competitive exam you are preparing for will be really helpful at the time of preparation for the exam and proper preparation. Therefore, here are some important details related to the NEST 2025 Exam pattern.
Category | Details |
---|---|
Mode of Exam | Online/Computer-based test |
Types of Questions | Multiple Choice Questions, Multiple Select Questions |
Exam Duration | 3 hours 30 minutes |
Total Marks | 200 marks |
Total Sections | 4 (Mathematics, Biology, Physics, Chemistry) |
Subject Name | Marks |
---|---|
Physics | 50 |
Chemistry | 50 |
Mathematics | 50 |
Biology | 50 |
Total | 200 |
The syllabus of NEST 2025 is from the rationalized science syllabus of class 11 and 12 of the CBSE/ NCERT. To know each and every aspect, candidates may visit the subject-wise syllabus for NEST Exam and prepare according to that of NEST 2025.
Subject Name | Important Topics |
---|---|
Biology | Diversity in the Living World Structural Organisation in Animals and Plants Cell Structure and Function Plant Physiology Human Physiology |
Physics | Unit I: Physical World and Measurement Unit II: Kinematics Unit III: Laws of Motion Unit IV: Work, Energy and Power Unit V: Motion of System of Particles and Rigid Body Unit VI: Gravitation Unit VII: Properties of Bulk Matter Unit VIII: Thermodynamics Unit IX: Behaviour of Perfect Gas and Kinetic Theory Unit X: Oscillations and Waves |
Chemistry | Unit I: Some Basic Concepts of Chemistry Unit II: Structure of Atom Unit III: Classification of Elements and Periodicity in Properties Unit IV: Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure Unit V: States of Matter: Gases and Liquids Unit VI: Thermodynamics Unit VII: Equilibrium Unit VIII: Redox Reactions Unit IX Hydrogen Unit X: s- Block Elements (Alkali and Alkaline earth metals) Unit XI: Some p-Block Elements Unit XII: Organic Chemistry – Some Basic Principles and Techniques Unit XIII: Hydrocarbons Unit XIV: Environmental Chemistry |
Mathematics | Class XI UNIT I: SETS AND FUNCTIONS 1. Sets 2. Relations and Functions 3. Trigonometric Functions UNIT II: ALGEBRA 1. Principle of Mathematical Induction 2. Complex Numbers and Quadratic Equations 3. Linear Inequalities 4. Permutations and Combinations 5. Binomial Theorem 6. Sequence and Series UNIT III: COORDINATE GEOMETRY 1. Straight Lines 2. Conic Sections 3. Introduction to Three-dimensional Geometry UNIT IV: CALCULUS Limits and Derivatives UNIT V: MATHEMATICAL REASONING UNIT VI: STATISTICS AND PROBABILITY 1. Statistics 2. Probability CLASS XII UNIT I: RELATIONS AND FUNCTIONS 1. Relations and Functions 2. Inverse Trigonometric Functions UNIT II: ALGEBRA 1. Matrices 2. Determinants UNIT III: CALCULUS 1. Continuity and Differentiability 2. Applications of Derivatives 3. Integrals 4. Applications of the Integrals 5. Differential Equations UNIT IV: VECTORS AND THREE-DIMENSIONAL GEOMETRY 1. Vectors 2. Three-dimensional Geometry Unit V: Linear Programming Unit VI: Probability |
Note: The frequency of changes in the NEST 2025 Exam Syllabus is very low and therefore, the students appearing for the NEST 2025 Exam have to go through the table so that they get a clue about which are the significant topics that are needed to prepare.
Both NEST and NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) are competitive exams, but their difficulty levels vary across subjects, syllabus, and exam structure. Let's break it down.
Feature | NEST 2025 | NEET 2025 |
---|---|---|
Subjects | Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics | Physics, Chemistry, Biology (Botany + Zoology) |
Question Type | MCQs (Concept-Based) | MCQs (Both Concept-Based & Rote Learning) |
Sectional Cut-Off | Yes (Must qualify in at least 3 out of 4 sections) | No |
Total Questions | 68 (Best 3 Sections Considered) | 200 (180 to be attempted) |
Marking Scheme | +2.5 / -1 (Single Correct), +4 (Multiple Correct, No Negative) | +4, / -1 |
Exam Mode | Computer-Based | Pen-and-Paper |
Exam Duration | 3 hours 30 minutes | 3 hours 20 minutes |
Conceptual Depth
Problem-Solving Requirement
Mathematics Inclusion
Note: This makes NEST particularly challenging for Biology students, as they need to tackle Math-based problems.
Competition & Time Pressure
NEST is generally considered tougher than NEET due to its conceptual and problem-solving focus. NEET is highly competitive, requiring fast decision-making under time constraints. If candidates are from a Biology background, preparing for Mathematics in NEST can be challenging but manageable with proper strategy.
If candidates are preparing for NEET 2025 but also planning to take NEST 2025, consider these additional strategies:
Mathematics Preparation for Biology Students
General Tips for NEST Exam 2025 Preparation
Once the NEST 2025 answer key is released, it will be sent to the registered email addresses of the candidates along with their answer scripts.
Candidates will check the correct answer with the answer key, calculate the estimated score, and determine the chances of getting admission to any of the participating institutes under NEST. The candidates need to raise objections against one or more NEST 2025 answer keys. Fees or charges for raising objections against the provisional answer key are not to be paid by the test-takers. The answer key of NEST 2025 comprises the correct options for each section, i.e., Physics, Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics in the same PDF file only. Direct link to see answer key is below-
NEST 2025 Results will be declared in the second week of July 2025, as per the expected dates. The NEST merit list/ result comprises the candidate's roll number and candidates qualifying for the entrance exam of the integrated MSc. Candidates will have to input their login credentials to download their Scorecards of NEST 2025. NEST scorecard contains details related to sectional as well as the overall scores along with the Percentile and AIR. It is advisable for candidates to keep their scorecards safe until the NEST 2025 admission process is over.
Applicants must follow the given steps to check NEST 2025 Results:
CEBS Mumbai and NISER Bhubaneswar will release the NEST 2025 cut-off marks based on the sessions, subjects, and categories. The NEST 2025 cutoff will be released on the official site in two categories: Section-wise Minimum Admissible Score (SMAS), which leads to the sectional cutoff, and Minimum Acceptable Percentile (MAP), or overall percentile.
For each of the sections, 20% of the best 100 mean scores in the section will form SMAS for that section only, according to the officials. SMAS taken for different sections can be from different numerical figures. In addition to the cutoff of sectional NEST, candidates should also clear the overall NEST 2025 cutoff percentile. For the general category candidates, the NEST 2025 cutoff will be 95 percent. For OBC candidates, the cutoff is 90 percent. For those who belong to the reserved category, the cutoff will be 75 percent. However, numbers are based on the NEST cutoff analysis for last year.
Applicants who want to appear in the NEST exam can check the cutoff for both NISER & CBES mentioned below
Category | Shift-1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Sub: | Biology | Chemistry | Mathematics | Physics |
General/ EWS | 9.29473684 | 8.198 | 6.358 | 5.534 |
OBC-NCL | 8.36526315 | 7.3782 | 5.7222 | 4.9806 |
SC/ ST/ PwD/ JK | 4.64736842 | 4.099 | 3.179 | 2.767 |
Category | Shift-2 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Sub: | Biology | Chemistry | Mathematics | Physics |
General/EWS | 8.054 | 8.504 | 6.824 | 6.10105263 |
OBC-NCL | 7.2486 | 7.6536 | 6.1416 | 5.49094736 |
SC/ST/PwD/JK | 4.027 | 4.252 | 3.412 | 3.05052631 |
Various factors are taken into consideration to decide the NEST cutoff marks, it is mentioned below:
The UG First Round of Counselling apart from BVSC and AH has been released on the official website. Candidates can access the website or simply download it here.
UG (Apart from BVSC and AH) First Round of Counselling
All shortlisted candidates will be provided with seats in their respective courses at NISER and CEBS as per their respective merit lists. It may be noted that there is no joint counselling for the NEST exam. The process for NEST counselling is as mentioned below:
NEST 2025, or the National Entrance Screening Test, is a national-level entrance exam for admission into the integrated MSc programs at NISER Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS Mumbai.
Candidates must have completed their Class 12 in 2023 or 2024 with a minimum of 60% aggregate marks (55% for SC/ST/PwD) in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, or Biology. Students appearing for Class 12 in 2025 are also eligible.
The NEST 2025 application process is expected to begin on the 17th february 2025.
The exam is a Computer-Based Test (CBT) of 3 hours and 30 minutes. It consists of four sections: Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics. Candidates must attempt three of these four sections.
The syllabus is based on the NCERT curriculum for Classes 11 and 12, covering topics in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics.
The application fee is INR 1,200 for General and OBC male candidates and INR 600 for female candidates (all categories) and male candidates belonging to SC, ST, and PwD categories.
The admit card is expected to be available in the 2nd June 2025 on the official website.
Visit the official website, log in with your Roll Number or Application Number and Date of Birth, and download your result. The result is expected to be released in the second week of July 2025.
Ans. MCQs: +2.5 for correct answers, -1 for incorrect answers, MSQs: +4 for correct answers, no negative marking for incorrect answers or unattempted questions.
Date | Event |
---|---|
Feb 17, 2025 | Registration |
May 22, 2025 | Exam Date |
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