The National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) 2021 is going to be held soon for the admission to the five-year Integrated MSc programme in basic sciences such as Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics, at NISER (short for National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar) and UM–DAE CEBS (short for University of Mumbai – Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences, Mumbai).
Students planning to appear for NEST 2021 must fulfill the eligibility norms set by the organizing authority. NISER and UM-DAE CEBS have defined the eligibility criteria in detail for the Students. As part of the NEST 2021 eligibility criteria, candidates will have to fulfill requirements related to the qualifying examination, the number of attempts, age, nationality, qualifying marks, etc.
Only those students who meet the NEST 2021 eligibility criteria will be allowed to appear for NEST. It is mandatory for all the students to meet the minimum eligibility norms in order to appear for NEST exam. Those who do not fulfill the eligibility criteria will not be allowed to appear for the exam. Students must make sure that they check the NEST eligibility criteria 2021 carefully before filling the NEST 2021 application form.
Eligibility Norms for NEST 2021
The eligibility requirements of NEST 2021 are mentioned below:
Nationality:
- Students must be a Citizen of India.
- NRI students or PIO or OCI students are not eligible to apply for the NEST 2021 exam.
- Students from J & K, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana state have a quota of 15%.
Age Limit:
- General and OBC category students born on or after 1st August 2000 are eligible to apply for NEST 2021.
- There is five years relaxation for SC/ ST /PwD applicants such as they must have been born on or after 1st August 1995.
Number of attempts:
- There is no restriction on the number of attempts for NEST 2021 examination.
Educational Qualification:
- Students should be from regular science stream with the only combination of at least three subjects among Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics in classes 11th and 12th.
- Students should have passed class 12th examination or equivalent from any recognized Board in India in the year 2019 or 2020 or must be appearing in the same in 2020.
- Final year applicants are also eligible for NEST 2021.
Note: Those candidates who are appearing for the board examination in 2021 must pass it by the time of admission into the programme.
Minimum Marks Required:
- Students should secure at least 60% marks in aggregate or equivalent in class 12 examination.
- Students belonging to reserved (SC/ST /PwD) categories, the minimum requirement of marks is relaxed to 55% in aggregate.
Important Instructions for NEST 2021 Eligibility Criteria
- Students, who have only letter grades available, will have to submit a certificate from the respective Board which specifies the equivalent percentage of marks.
- In the absence of such a certificate, the final decision will be made by the admission committee of the concerned institution.
NEST 2021 : Reservation Criteria
The number of seats in both NISER and CEBS, there is a certain percentage of seats which is reserved for the category candidates. The categories accepted by NISER and CEBS for admission are as follows:
- OBC – NCL (Other Backward Classes belonging to the Non-Creamy Layer)
- SC (Scheduled Caste) / ST (Scheduled Tribe)
- PwD(Person with Disabilities)
- Supernumerary Quota for students from Jammu and Kashmir
Category | Reservation (%) |
OBC – NCL | 27% |
SC | 15% |
ST | 7.5% |
PwD | 5% |
Supernumerary quota (J&K) | 2 seats in both the institutions (NISER and CEBS) are reserved for candidates from the state of Jammu and Kashmir |
Documents Required for NEST 2021 Application Form:
- Valid email ID and mobile number
- Digital copy of passport size photograph (size limit max: 80 kb)
- Scanned signature (size limit max: 80 kb)
- 10thand 12th class mark sheets
- Category certificate (for reserved category candidates)
Application Fee:
- NEST Application fee can be submitted by online mode only.
- Students can make online payment via debit card or credit card.
- Application fee will not be refundable and transferable under any mentioned
Category | Application Fee |
For general and OBC category candidates | Rs. 1200/- |
For SC/ ST category candidates | Rs. 600/- |
FAQ’S
Ans To be eligible for NEST 2021, the candidates must have passed class 12th with at least 60% from the Science stream.
Ans Candidates belonging to the General/OBC category must be born on or after August 1, 2001, whereas the candidates who belong to the reserved categories such as SC/ ST/ PwD category are provided a relaxation of maximum 5 years.
Ans The total intake of NISER and UM-DAE CBS is 200+2 students and 45+2 students respectively
Ans 200 questions are present in the paper.