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NEST 2016:

         National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) is a national level examination which must be taken compulsorily by the students who wish to join in the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar and Center for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE-CBS), Mumbai.

NEST is a very important examination for the admission to the above two institutes. In addition to this, the Integrated Science Education and Research Centre (ISERC) of Visva Bharti University consider the scores and merit list of this examination.

Why NEST?

1. The main purpose of conducting this exam is to train the students according to today’s cutting edge of scientific research and to provide solutions to various science related projects, programs of atomic research centres of India.
2. This test is conducted across 52 cities across India.
3. This test is conducted for the admission to the various courses offered by the various universities such as NISER and UM-DAE-CBS.

Eligibility criteria:

The eligibility criteria for attending this exam are below

1. The candidates who belong to general and OBC category must have born on or after 15^th July 1996.
2. For students belonging to the reserved category like SC/ST/PWD there is a relaxation up to 5 years.
3. The students who have completed their higher secondary education are eligible to apply this exam.
4. Students who are currently pursuing 12^th standard can also apply for this exam. But, however, they are eligible for the admission only after providing their education certificates.
5. The students belonging to the general categories must have secured at least 66% in the qualifying examination whereas the students belonging to the SC/ST/PWD categories must have secured at least 55% of marks in the qualifying examination.

How to apply for NEST?

Here the steps that can be followed to apply for NEST:

1. Visit the official site of NEST. Now click on register and enter your name, age, qualification, caste and all other informations required.
2. As soon as you click on the register button, username and password is created.
3. Candidates must make note of username and password.
4. Using this username and password please apply for NEST 2016 by clicking on the link “NEST 2016”.
5. Applications are available in two types. Online application form and as offline application forms.
6. Online application form can only be downloaded through the official site nestexam.in whereas offline application form can be bought only through NEST offices.
7. Applicants have to read all the informations carefully and enter all the details genuinely.
8. All details provided by the students must be correct and genuine.
9. Students please provide the active mail id, contact number and current address in the application form.
10. Upload digital signature and your passport size photograph if asked.
11. The application fee (Online application) Male candidates (general and OBC) are: Rs.700/-

• Male (SC/ST): Rs. 350/-
• Female (All categories): Rs.350/-
• Physically challenged person: Rs.350/-

12. The application fee (Offline application) Male candidates (general and OBC) are: Rs.750/-

• Male (SC/ST): Rs. 400/-
• Female (All categories): Rs.400/-
• Physically challenged person: Rs.400/-

13. Choose the mode of payment.
14. If the mode of payment is DD, you can take it in favor of mentioned format in the official site of NEST. Also, make sure that you have written your name and application number at the back of the DD before you give to the bank.
15. If your mode of payment is net banking, please provide the required fee online.
16. Now click on the submit button.
17. Please note down the application number or better take a print out of the application form.
18. The official notification for NEST 2016 is yet to announced soon. Thus, please wait for the announcement and read all the instructions carefully before applying for the exam.
19. You can track your application every time through the official website of As soon as your application form is accepted, admit card is made available in the official website.
20. In case if there are any queries or clarification to be made, please contact the following email address nest @nest in

Pattern for NEST:

The question paper consists of five sections in which each section contains 60 questions carrying one mark each.

First section:

This is a compulsory section and students have to answer all the questions. This section consists of general types of question.

Section 2, 3, 4 and 5:

These sections cover the subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics respectively. Among these 4 sections candidates can choose to answer any three sections. Negative marks are applicable in these sections.

The exam paper will be in English only.

Syllabus for NEST:

The syllabus for NEST primarily follows the NCERT/CBSE science syllabus of class IX – Class-XII.

This exam tests the candidate’s basic understanding and knowledge in all the fundamental subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics. Questions are designed to check the analytical skills of the student and comprehension of scientific problems.

NEST Physics syllabus:

The most important topics are mechanics, Thermal physics, Electricity and magnetism, optics and Modern Physics.

NEST Chemistry Syllabus:

The questions are mostly covered from the chapters of Inorganic chemistry and organic chemistry.

NEST Biology syllabus:

The most important topics are cell biology, anatomy and physiology, developmental biology, diversity of animal life, genetics and evolution, ecology, botany, humans and environment.

NEST Mathematics Syllabus:

The most important topics in mathematics are Algebra, trigonometry, analytical geometry, differential calculus, integral calculus and vectors.

NEST important dates: (Tentative dates)

Starting date for NEST registration process: January 2016

Last date for the application form through online mode: February 2016

Last date for the application form through offline mode: March 2016

Closing date for the NEST online application process: March 2016

Downloading of NEST 2016 admit cards starts from: April 2016

Date of examination: May 2016

Result declaration: June 2016

However, please check the official site of NEST for the official announcement regarding all important dates for NEST 2016 exam.

Sample questions on NEST:

Here are the few sample questions on NEST:

1. In the public key cryptography, number of keys required to secure communication between n parties will be:

• (n-1)²
• 2n
• n(n+1)/2
• n(n-1)/2

2. If A,B,C are three natural numbers, which of the following can never be true?

• A² – B²₌ C²
• A² + B²₌ C³
• A³ + B³₌ C³
• A³ + B³₌ C²

3. The rocky deccan plateau is the result of volcanic eruption in the past. Which of the following is the resulting rock combustion?

• Marble
• Gypsum
• Granite
• Lignite

4. Which of the following substance has purely planar (2-dimentional) structure?

• Diamond
• Graphite
• Graphene
• Fullerene

5. Toothpaste do not contain:

• Calcium carbonate
• Methanol
• Titanium dioxide
• Sorbitol

Books to be referred for NEST:

Here are some of the important books that can be referred during the examination of NEST:

1. Practice problems for physics for Engineering and Medical entrance examination by S.Mishra
2. Concepts of Physics by H.C.Verma
3. A collections of questions and problems in Physics by L.A.Sena
4. Problems in Physics by A.A.Pinsky
5. Text book of Chemistry: NCERT XI and XII
6. An objective approach of organic chemistry by R.K.Gupta
7. Entrance chemistry by Bhakta
8. IIT Chemistry by O.P.Agarwal
9. Biology by S.C.Verma
10. Botany by AC Dutta
11. Objective Biology by K.N.Bhatia and K.Bhatia
12. Objective Zoology by Dr.R.K.Pillai
13. Integral calculus by Amit M. Agarwal
14. Higher Algebra by Hall and Knight
15. Problems in calculus of one variable by I.A.Maron

Admit card for NEST:

Candidates who have applied through online mode are only able to download the admit card from the official site of NEST. The admit card will not be sent through post to any students who have applied online.

Keep note of your username and password which you received during the time of registration. Using this username and password download the admit card for NEST 2016. Please check all the details such as venue, name of the applicant, date of the examination, batch of your examination and so on.

Candidates must bring a photo identity card either issued by the Government agencies of school identity card along with the admit card during the examination.

For those who have applied through offline mode, admit card is sent through post to the mentioned address in the application form.

NEST exam centres:

This exam takes place in many cities of India. Thus, the candidate has to choose the nearest two possible centres while filling the application form. Every effort is made to allot the candidate’s first preferred centre. In case, if it is not possible the final decision is taken by the chief coordinator of NEST examination. Also, request of change in examination venue will not be entertained.

Candidate’s examination venue will be mentioned in the admit card of NEST.

Result Declaration:

NEST 2016 results are planned to be declared on June 2016. However, the students who have cleared this written test have to face the personal interview to get selected finally.