As per NEST 2023 Exam Pattern, the question paper consists of five sections, these are General Aptitude, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Biology. Each section in the question paper is 50 marks except for General Aptitude which consists of 30 marks. 

• NEST 2023 Syllabus contains 11th and 12th-grade level Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Biology. There is no fixed syllabus for the General Aptitude section. Download NEST Practice Papers 
• ​NISER will release the result of the screening test on July 10, 2023 on the official website. In order to check NEST 2023 Results, candidates need to enter their roll number and application number. Selected candidates will then have to appear for NEST 2023 Counselling. The schedule for counseling will be announced later. 

What is NEST 2023? NEST is a national-level entrance exam conducted for students seeking admission to a 5-year Integrated MSc Program in Basic Sciences – Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics. NEST 2023 merit is calculated based on the three highest-scored sections, including the first section. 

NEST 2023 Highlights

The key points about NEST 2023 are highlighted below:

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NEST 2023 Exam Date

Candidates can check the official NEST 2023 Exam Dates tabulated below:

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NEST 2023 Eligibility Criteria

NEST Eligibility Criteria comprises several norms and rules that all candidates must satisfy before applying for the entrance test. Some of the important Eligibility Criteria for NEST 2023 are discussed below:-

Age Criteria

• Candidate’s date of birth must not be before August 2000.
• This holds true for general and OBC candidates.
• There are a total of five years of relaxation for SC/ ST candidates. 

Educational Qualification

• Candidates need to complete 10+2 exam from a recognized board.
• Final year students are also eligible.

Academic Qualification

• Candidates must have Mathematics as the mandatory subject in 10+2 exam.
• Other mandatory subjects are physics, chemistry, biology or life science subjects.

Minimum Marks Required

• A minimum of 60% marks is required in aggregate in 10+2 final exam for general category students.
• The same is 55% marks in aggregate for SC, ST students.

State-wise Quota

• Candidates from J & K, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana state have a quota of 15%.

Note: Necessary certificates supporting eligibility criteria have to be furnished only at the time of admission. Offer of admission is subject to verification of all original certificates at the time of admission/counselling and availability of seats. Certificates in support of eligibility criteria need not be produced for appearing in NEST 2023 examination.

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NEST 2023 Application Form

NEST 2023 Application Form is now available from February 27, 2023. It can be filled online at the official website of NEST i.e. nestexam.in. Follow the below steps to learn how to register for NEST 2023:

1. Visit the official website of NEST i.e. nestexam.in.
2. Click on the link ‘Apply Online’ link on NEST 2023 website to reach the online application page. 
3. Enter the required credentials i.e. name, valid email id and a password of their choice in a window. 
4. Candidates will then receive an email containing a link to confirm the registration.
5. After confirmation, provide the same email id & password, enter the secret code and click on ‘Login’ in the window.
6. NEST 2023 Application Process allows multi-session data entry.
7. If the candidate forgets their password then click ‘forgot password’ link.
8. For safety reasons, candidates are allowed to retrieve the password only twice.

The application form page for NEST 2023 will look like the above image.

NEST 2023 Application Fee

• NEST 2023 Application Fee needs to be paid in online mode using debit/ credit card or net banking.
• There is no option of sending a demand draft to the council for the fee.
• NISER Conducting body has clearly mentioned that no center will physically collect the application fee from students.
• Below is the fee structure that NEST 2023 follows. Based on the category, applicants need to pay the fee.

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NEST 2023 Admit Card

• Admit Card for NEST 2023 will be released on June 12, 2023.
• All the applicants should carry the admit card to the NEST 2023 Exam Center along with a valid Photo ID issued by Govt. Of India.
• The Hall Ticket is to be downloaded from NEST official website – nestexam.in
• No candidate will receive NEST Admit card via e-mail or post.
• Any discrepancy in the details provided during NEST 2023 Registration and mentioned on admit card should be immediately reported to the concerned authorities.

NEST 2023 Exam Centers

Candidates must choose 5 (five) centres in order of their preference while filling up of the application form.

• NISER is the allocating authority which reserves the rights to allocate NEST Exam Center to all candidates.
• The allotted Exam Center will be indicated on the NEST Admit Card.
• Candidates have to mention the choice of NEST Exam center with the state code in which it is located.

NEST 2023 Exam Pattern

NEST Exam Pattern describes the complete paper pattern, subject-wise marking scheme, distribution of marks, time duration and alike. On June 24, 2023 NEST will be conducted in two sessions: 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM (first session) and 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM (second session). Candidates will be assigned to either of the sessions.

NEST 2023 will be conducted in Computer-Based Test mode.

• The question paper will be published in English language only.
• Questions will be in the form of MCQs.
• The total exam duration will be of 3 hours.
• There will 5 sections, each of 50 marks but the general section will carry 30 marks.
• The whole question paper will consist of 230 marks.
• There is no negative marking in General section. However, a negative marking is applied in the subject section.

NEST 2023 Syllabus

The content of the exam will depend broadly on the syllabus that candidates studied in their class 11 and 12. The exam has five sections.

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NEST 2023 Preparation

• Candidates must familiarize themselves with the syllabus and plan their study accordingly.
• The science syllabus of NEST is similar to that of NCERT or CBSE such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology. None of these papers can be neglected.
• Even though the exam has been postponed candidates must keep preparing on a regular basis as the exam can be conducted anytime with the ease of lockdown.
• The basic and fundamentals concepts of 12^th standard science must be understood properly to ace the exam.
• A sound Knowledge of multiple subjects can help candidates avoid negative marks.
• Solving past year questions papers along with mock test are very helpful when it comes to advanced preparation.

NEST 2023 Books

Below are the list of books one can use for preparation purpose:

NEST 2023 Result

NEST 2023 exam result will be declared on July 10, 2023. The result will be available online. Candidates are advised to keep checking the official website for all important updates. The result will reflect on the official website on a tab that will read result 2023. The steps candidates need to follow in order to check the result are:

• Login to official website using user id and password credentials.
• Click on result tab ‘NEST 2023 Result’
• Download the result along with answer key.
• Check the cut-off score.
• The scorecard will give a brief understanding about the merit list.
• Based on the result and merit list the final list of candidates will be released.
• This list will focus on the applicants who are selected for student counselling.

NEST 2023 Counselling

NEST 2023 counselling will be conducted in July 2023. The selected aspirants will be allotted dates and venues for the counselling. This is the final step to get admission to the five years integrated program. The final merit list is uploaded on the official website. Candidates are requested to check the official website for NEST 2023 for the list. Based on the list and location of the candidate, a venue will be suggested along with the date and time. Candidates need to appear on the mentioned date and time on that venue for NEST Counselling. The schedule of counselling is tabulated below:

First Round Counselling and Admission

Second Round Counselling and Admission

Third Round Counselling and Admission

Important Documents to be carried for counselling are as follows:

• Mark sheets till 10+2.
• Incase candidate has already done some diploma course post twelfth then the mark sheet for the same is also required.
• Along with mark sheet certificate is also required.
• Either of the address proofs likes; voter id card, Aadhar card, bank passbook, LIC policy document, ration card or any other government address proof.
• Id proof like; driving license, pan card, voter id card, Aadhar card, 10+2 admit card or any other document issued by Government of India authority.
• In case of SC and ST candidates, government certificate for class category is essential to submit.
• Candidates need to carry minimum of three passport-sized photos with themselves.

There are main two rounds that take place; one is group discussion and the other is personal interview:

• In group discussion candidate’s in-depth knowledge is checked.
• In personal interview, candidates are counselled and mentally prepared for the course they are aspiring.
• Since it is a five-year integrated course so students need to really focus on their real aspiration towards a specific course.

NEST 2023 FAQs

Ques. Who all can appear for NEST 2023?

Ques. What is the difficulty level of NEST 2023?

Ques. Which is tougher: JEE Main or NEST?

Ques. What steps do I need to take incase I forget my login credentials?

Ques. I did not have Mathematics as a subject in Class 12. I belong to PCB stream. Am I eleigible to apply for NEST 2023?