NEST 2026: Application Form (Out), Eligibility, Exam Date (June 6), Syllabus & Pattern

NEST 2026 Highlight

NEST 2026 Dates

The NEST application process has already started on its official website. For the rest of the dates, students are advised to check the table below to track the important dates for the NEST 2026.

NEST Dates 2026

NEST Eligibility Criteria 2026

The NEST eligibility criteria are the minimum requirements required to appear in the examination. The NEST 2026 eligibility criteria include educational, marks and age requirements.

• Educational Qualification-

1. Students should complete their 10+2 education from any recognised institution.

2. They must have completed their 12th in the science stream with Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Biology.

• NEST Age Limit- There is no upper age limit to appear for the NEST 2026 exam.

• Minimum Marks Required- The minimum mark required for NEST is 60% in the class 12 or its equivalent examination. There is a relaxation of 5% for the candidates belonging to the reserved category.

NEST Application Form 2026

The NISER Bhubaneswar and UMDAE-CEBS have started the NEST 2026 application on January 5. The last date to fill out the NEST application form is April 6. However, the last date of the NEST 2026 application fee is April 12. The NEST application is accessible at the website nestexam.in. To successfully fill and submit the NEST application form 2026, follow the steps mentioned below as well as the NEST exam registration details 2026 below.

Steps To Fill the NEST 2026 Application Form

Step 1: NEST 2026 Registration

• Visit the NEST official website: nestexam. in.

• Move to the 'Online Application' tab.

• A new screen will appear with the registration form.

• Fill out the NEST 2026 application form with all the necessary details.

Step 2: NEST Login

• Enter the login credentials you received via email or SMS.

• Tap the 'login' tab.

Step 3: Personal Details and Educational Qualification

• Student's personal information, such as roll number, name, registration number, mobile number, date of birth and email address, will be pre-filled in the application form which can not get edited.

• Present and permanent address, education qualification, document upload then it will take you to payment section for successful submission of your application

Step 4: Exam City preference

• Select the state and city from the provided drop-down list for each preference field (Preference 1 to 5).

Step 5: Upload Photograph and signature

• Students need to upload a scanned image of your signature and a recent passport size photo by choosing “Click here to upload”. Please make sure that photo have white background and not be older than six months from the date of application.

• Then, in the required specifications, upload a scanned copy of your photograph and signature.

Step 6: Application Fee Payment

• Review and submit the details and then click on the fee payment option.

• Pay the fees via accepted payment method.

• Save the fee receipt after submitting the NEST application fee.

NEST Document Specification 2026

Candidates are required to upload their photograph and signature. Both documents must be uploaded to the recommended format.

NEST 2026 Application Fee

The NEST exam 2026 registration fees for different categories are tabulated below:

NEST Application Correction Window 2026

The NEST application form 2026 correction window will be available from April 13 to 14. During this time, candidates can update their information on the NEST 2026 application form. The following instructions will help you through editing the NEST application form:

Step 1: Students are advised to visit the NEST 2026 official website at nestexam.in.

Step 2: Candidates are required to log in using their application id and password to update their information.

Step 3: Applicants are required to update the details they want to change in their application account.

Step 4: Tap on the 'Submit' button to successfully save the updated locations.

NEST Exam Pattern 2026

The NEST exam pattern gives the details of the actual examination, such as exam time duration, question types, paper pattern, and marking scheme. All the questions are MCQs based. There are a total of 60 questions asked in the examination, which students have to complete in 3 hours. The NEST exam pattern and paper pattern are tabulated below for better understanding.

NEST 2026 Exam Pattern

NEST Paper Pattern 2026

NEST Admit Card 2026

NISER, Bhubaneswar, in collaboration with UM DAE CEBS, will release the NEST 2026 admit card on May 15. Candidates can easily download the NEST admit card PDF by using their login credentials. It is mandatory for the candidates to bring their admit card of NEST along with a valid ID proof to the exam centre. The NEST admit card PDF download contains the exam date and time, exam centre and guidelines.

Steps to Download NEST 2026 Hall Ticket

• Aspirants are required to visit the official website to download the NEST 2026 admit card; nestexam.in

• Tap on the “Download Admit Card” link

• Enter your user ID and password

• Tap on the “Login” tab. The NEST admit card 2026 will appear on the screen.

• Take a printout of the admit card NEST.

Details mentioned on the NEST 2026 Admit Card

• Enrollment number

• Name of the candidate

• Application form number

• Exam venue details

• Examination day instructions

• Programme applied

• Category of the candidate

• Gender

NEST Answer Key 2026

NISER, Bhubaneswar, will publish the NEST 2026 answer key in June. The NEST answer key will be released in two formats- provisional and final answer key. The NISER will first release the provisional answer key. Candidates can raise objections against the NEST provisional answer key 2026 if they find any answers incorrect. After evaluating the provisional answer keys, the conducting body will then publish the NEST 2026 final answer key.

Steps to check the NEST 2026 Answer Key

Step 1. Visit the official website of NEST at nestexam.in.

Step 2. Click on the "NEST 2026 Answer Key" link.

Step 3. Enter the login credentials.

Step 4. The NEST answer key 2026 will be displayed on the screen.

Step 5. Candidates can review the answer key.

NEST 2026 Result

The NEST result 2026 will be released in June at nestexam.in. The NEST result contains the marks obtained by the candidates in each section. Students can access their NEST 2026 score card by using their NEST user id and password. No further objections will be entertained after the release of the NEST result.

Steps to Check the NEST 2026 Result

Step 1: Visit the NEST official website: nestexam.in.

Step 2: Select "NEST 2026 Scorecard" to download.

Step 3: Enter your password and user ID.

Step 4: Select "Login" from the menu.

Step 5: The screen will display the NEST 2026 result.

Step 6: Print many copies of the results for your records.

Details mentioned on the NEST Result 2026

• Name of the candidate

• Roll Number

• Marks

• Category

• Qualifying percentile

• Merit/Rank of the candidate

• Percentile

• Candidate’s photograph

• Category rank

• Number of candidates who appeared

• Number of candidates qualified

NEST Cut Off 2026

NISER, Bhubaneswar, and UM DAE CEBS will release the NEST cut off at its website. The NEST 2026 cut-offs are the minimum marks required to qualify for the exam. The NEST cut offs depends on several factors like the number of applicants, the number of seats available, the category of the candidates and also the last years cut off trends.

NEST Counselling 2026

NISER, Bhubaneswar, and UM DAE CEBS will separately conduct the NEST counselling. Qualified students must appear for the counselling for the final admission in the college. They are required to fill out the counselling form first. Based on the applications received, the colleges will release the merit list. The participating colleges will release two or three merit list based on seats and the number of applicants. Verification of the documents is required to complete the admissions process.

Documents required for NEST Counselling 2026

1. Printed NISER application/admission form

2. Two recent passport-size photographs

3. NEST 2025 scorecard

4. Aadhaar Card (Original + 1 photocopy)

5. Class 10th/ matriculation certificate (Original + 1 photocopy)

6. Class 12th Marksheet

7. College/School leaving certificate (original)

8. Valid caste certificate for admission against reserved seats (original + 1 photocopy)

9. Valid certificate of disability for admission against Divyangjan category (Original + 1 photocopy)

10. Valid Domicile certificate for admission against J&K category (original + 1 photocopy)

Note: All of the above documents have to be photocopied.