The NISER Bhubaneswar, in collaboration with the UMDAE-CEBS, has released the application form for the NEST 2026 admission from January 5. The last date to fill out the NEST 2026 application form is April 6. The NEST application can be accessed at nestexam.in. Successfully registered candidates can make payment till April 12.
Latest Updates: NEST 2026 application link
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The NEST 2026 will be conducted on June 6. The NEST is the national-level examination conducted for admission in integrated MSc programmes. The NISER Bhubaneswar will release the NEST result tentatively in June. The NEST 2026 counselling will be conducted separately by the two participating institutions. Read this article for the latest updates on NEST 2026.
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
Full Exam Name | National Entrance Screening Test |
Short Exam Name | NEST |
Conducting Body | National Institute of Science Education and Research |
Exam Level | National Level Exam |
Frequency of Conduct | Once a year |
Official Website | nestexam.in |
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
| Events | Dates |
|---|---|
NEST Application Form release date | January 5, 2026 |
Last date to fill NEST application form | April 6, 2026 |
Last date to pay the NEST application fee | April 12, 2026 |
NEST application correction date | April 13 to 14, 2026 |
Release of NEST admit card date | May 15, 2026 |
NEST 2026 exam date | June 6, 2026 |
NEST answer key date | June 2026 |
Objection against NEST 2026 answer key | June 2026 |
Release of final answer key | June 2026 |
NEST result date | June 2026 |
NEST 2026 cut off | July 2026 |
NEST counselling | July 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-
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Students should complete their 10+2 education from any recognised institution.
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.
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.
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.
Candidates are required to upload their photograph and signature. Both documents must be uploaded to the recommended format.
| Documents | Format | Size |
|---|---|---|
Passport Size Photograph (jpg/ .jpeg format) | jpg/jpeg format | 80 kb |
Signature | jpg/jpeg format | 80 kb |
The NEST exam 2026 registration fees for different categories are tabulated below:
| Category | Application Fee |
|---|---|
General/ OBC (Male) | 1400 |
SC/ST/ PwD (Male) | 700 |
Female (All categories) | 700 |
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.
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.
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
Types of questions | Multiple Choice Questions |
Total sections | 4 |
NEST exam total marks | 240 |
Total number of Questions | 80 |
NEST exam duration | 3 hours (180) minutes |
Marks for each section | 60 |
NEST 2026 marking scheme |
|
| Section | Subject | Marks |
|---|---|---|
I - Biology | 20 questions | 60 marks |
II - Chemistry | 20 questions | 60 marks |
III - Mathematics | 20 questions | 60 marks |
IV - Physics | 20 questions | 60 marks |
Total | 80 questions | 240 marks |
The NEST 2026 mock test link will be activated on its official website. Aspirants preparing for the NEST exam must practise the mock test to get an idea of the examination. The NEST 2026 mock test helps the students to understand the exam pattern and syllabus of the examination. The NEST 2026 mock tests boost the candidate's preparation and also help them score more marks in the exam. The NEST mock test links will be provided in this article, candidates can practise directly from this article.
Apart from mock tests for NEST, candidates are required to solve NEST sample papers to score better. Candidates can also visit the official website to access the NEST mock test free. The NEST exam sample papers helps to understand the syllabus. By solving NEST sample papers, aspiring candidates can get a clear idea about their preparation, hence it is strongly advised to practice sample papers after completing the whole NEST syllabus 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.
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.
Enrollment number
Name of the candidate
Application form number
Exam venue details
Examination day instructions
Programme applied
Category of the candidate
Gender
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Printed NISER application/admission form
Two recent passport-size photographs
NEST 2025 scorecard
Aadhaar Card (Original + 1 photocopy)
Class 10th/ matriculation certificate (Original + 1 photocopy)
Class 12th Marksheet
College/School leaving certificate (original)
Valid caste certificate for admission against reserved seats (original + 1 photocopy)
Valid certificate of disability for admission against Divyangjan category (Original + 1 photocopy)
Valid Domicile certificate for admission against J&K category (original + 1 photocopy)
Note: All of the above documents have to be photocopied.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes, NISER, Bhubaneswar, and UM DAE CEBS have started the NEST registration on January 5, 2026.
Candidates can fill out the NEST application form till April 6, 2026.
NEST form 2026 can be filled through the nestexam.in.
The NEST registration fee is Rs. 1400 for the General and OBC category male candidates and Rs. 700 for the rest of the candidates.
The NEST exam will be conducted in June 6, 2026.
On Question asked by student community
Hello,
CEBS has started the NEST 2026 registration process on January 5 at nestexam.in. Candidates can fill and submit the NEST 2026 application form till April 6. The last date to pay the NEST application fee 2026 is April 12.
For NEST Exam Eligibility 2026, Age Limit, Qualification, Marks Required,
Hi, the exact data for 2025 is not available. However, in 2024, over 45,000 students registered for the exam and more than 27,000 appeared. The NEST 2026 exam is scheduled to be held on June 6.
If any candidate has lost their NEST exam certificate, they can visit the official website, nestexam.in to request another copy of the certificate.
https://www.nestexam.in/qnsans/NEST-25.pdf
HELLO,
Yes , the NEST exam is generally considered tougher than NEET as it requires more focus towards conceptual understanding and thinking , while NEET generally tests NCERT based knowledge where as in NEST it requires you to have deeper clarity in Physics , Chemistry , Biology and Mathematics.
NEET
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