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National Entrance Screening Test
Registration opens
Based on NEST 2026's 5 Jan opening. 2027 schedule not yet released.
~Jan 2027
Provisional
Exam date
Based on NEST 2026's 6 Jun exam date. 2027 schedule not yet released.
~Jun 2027
Provisional
Application fee
₹1400(₹700 SC/ST/reserved)
Provisional - NEST 2026 fee
Official website
https://www.nestexam.inNEST is the entrance exam for the 5-year integrated MSc programs in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics at NISER Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS Mumbai - India's other flagship pure-sciences research track alongside IISER IAT, run by the Department of Atomic Energy. Meaningfully smaller by applicant count than IAT (tens of thousands vs. IAT's 1.86 lakh in 2026), reflecting NEST's narrower 2-institute reach.
Mode
Computer-based test (CBT)
Duration
3 hours
Marking scheme
+3 correct / -1 incorrect
Sections
Covers the NCERT/CBSE Class 11-12 science syllabus across all four subjects; unattempted questions aren't penalized.
Seats are allotted directly by NEST rank and category - no separate counselling interview stage. Around 200 seats total across both institutes, making it one of the most selective exams by seats-to-applicants ratio in this dataset.
The official notification for this cycle hasn’t been released yet, so there’s nothing to verify against - everything above is an estimate based on past years. Always confirm on the official website once it’s released.
