(Notification) National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) - 2018

Introduction to NEST 2018

The National Entrance Screening Test or NEST is a compulsory test for admission to the five year Integrated MSc programme in basic sciences, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics, at National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar and University of Mumbai – Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM–DAE CEBS), Mumbai.

Number of Seats

Number of Seats Number of seats available at the two institutes for admission in the year 2018 would be as follows.

Category	NISER	CEBS
General	101	23
Supernumerary quota (J&K)	2	2
OBC-NCL	54	12
SC	30	7
ST	15	3
PWD	3% seats in each category	3% seats in each category
Total	202	47

A student with certain category rank will take a general seat if he/she secures a suitable general ranking. For example, if the topper of the exam (General rank 1) happens to be an OBC candidate, he/she would get OBC rank 1, as well. In such case, he/she would be admitted against the General rank so that all OBC seats remain available even after his/her admission.

Educational qualification:

Candidates seeking admission to NISER and UM–DAE CEBS for the integrated MSc programme 2018–23 should be from regular science stream only and preferably should have any combination of at least three subjects among Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics in classes XI and XII. It is mandatory for all aspiring candidates to write the NEST 2018 examination. Admission will be offered strictly on the basis of Merit List of NEST 2018. Additionally, candidates must have passed class XII examination or equivalent from any recognised Board in India in the years 2016 or 2017 or be appearing for the same in 2018. Candidates who are appearing for the board examination in 2018 must pass it by the time of admission into the program. Also, candidates must secure at least 60% marks in aggregate or equivalent grade in class XII examination to be eligible for admission to NISER and CEBS. For candidates belonging to scheduled castes (SC), scheduled tribes (ST) and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) categories, the minimum requirement of marks is relaxed to 55% in aggregate. Where only letter grades are available, a certificate from the concerned Board specifying equivalent percentage of marks is required to be submitted. In absence of such a certificate, the decision of the admissions committee of the concerned institution will be final.

Age Limit:

General and OBC category candidates born on or after August 01, 1998 are eligible for admission to the integrated MSc programme of NISER/CEBS. The age limit is relaxed by 5 years for SC / ST / PwD candidates.

Reservation of seats

For the Integrated MSc programme 2018–23, total number of seats at NISER and CEBS are 200+2(JK) and 45+2(JK), respectively. Indian nationals belonging to certain categories are

admitted under the seats reserved for them in accordance with the rules of the Government of India. The categories and the extent of reservation are as follows:

Other Backward Classes belonging to the Non–Creamy Layer (OBC–NCL):  27% of seats are reserved for OBC–NCL. The class should have been mentioned in the central list of OBCs (http://www.ncbc.nic.in/User_Panel/CentralListStateView.aspx) as of June 01, 2017 and the NonCreamy Layer Certificate should have been obtained from a competent authority on or after June 01, 2017.

Candidates belonging to the creamy layer of OBC are NOT entitled for reservation. Such candidates are treated as belonging to the General category. The Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) as notified by some of the State Governments are as such NOT eligible to avail any reservation unless they satisfy the OBC–NCL criteria.

Scheduled Caste (SC) / Scheduled Tribe (ST): 15% seats are reserved for SC and 7.5% seats for are reserved for ST categories. The benefit of reservation will be given only to those castes and tribes that are mentioned in the respective lists of corresponding states published by the Government of India: (http://socialjustice.nic.in/UserView/index?mid=76750 and https://tribal.nic.in/ST/LatestListofScheduledtribes.pdf).

The number of seats reserved for SC, ST, OBC (Non–Creamy–Layer) and PwD is according to the Government of India norm. To claim seats under reserved category, relevant documents must be furnished at the time of admission. For OBC candidates, the OBC (NCL) certificate must have been issued on or after June 01, 2017. All category certificates should be written in either English or Hindi. In case certificates are written in any other language, a translated copy must also be provided.

Person with Disabilities (PwD): 3% of seats are reserved in every category, i.e., General, OBC– NCL, SC and ST for persons with disabilities. Benefit would be given to those who have at least 40% impairment irrespective of the type of disability i.e., locomotor, visual or dyslexic. Leprosy–cured candidates who are otherwise fit to pursue the course are also included in this sub–category. Candidates are advised to ensure that the certificate is in accordance with the latest guidelines of the Government of India (visit the web site of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Department of Disability Affairs for latest information).

The reservation for PwD candidates is horizontal and hence, unfilled seats will be allotted to candidates belonging to the respective categories i.e., unfilled SC (PwD) seats will be allotted to candidates belonging to the SC category and so on.

Supernumerary Quota for students from Jammu and Kashmir (JK): Two seats in both the institutions are reserved for candidates from the state of Jammu and Kashmir. These two seats are supernumerary over the 200 and 45 seats, respectively, at NISER and CEBS. Students who belong to Jammu & Kashmir, and who appeared (or appearing in 2018) for the Class XII or equivalent examination through the State Board of Jammu & Kashmir and from Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) affiliated schools located in Jammu & Kashmir are only eligible under the Supernumerary quota. For further details, please visit: http://mhrd.gov.in/hi/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/upload_document/SSSJKGuidelines.pdf If selected, the candidates must produce all original certificates at the time of admission failing which the offer of admission will be cancelled.

The NEST 2018 examination will be conducted at multiple centres (major towns or cities) all over India on June 02, 2018 (Saturday), 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. Based on the performance in NEST 2018, a common Merit List of the candidates will be prepared and posted on NEST 2018 website (www.nestexam.in) on June 18, 2018. Successful candidates in NEST 2018 exam will be asked to participate in an admission/counselling process and admission to the program will strictly be according to the Merit List.

Syllabus:

The syllabus for NEST 2018 primarily follows the NCERT/ CBSE science syllabus of class XI–XII. The detailed syllabus for NEST examination is provided at the end of this document under heading, ‘Syllabus for NEST 2018’. The syllabus can also be downloaded from NEST 2018 website, www.nestexam.in, under the ‘Syllabus’ tab. There is, however, no specific syllabus for the general section. This section tests candidate's familiarity with, but not detailed understanding of, major historical milestones in subjects like Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science and Environmental Science. Questions will be designed to test analytic abilities and comprehension of scientific passages. Some of the questions in this section may require knowledge of class X mathematics

Application Fee:

The application fee for the male candidates of General and OBC categories is ₹1,000/–. The application fee for candidates in the SC/ST/PwD categories and for all female candidates is ₹500/–. Payments can be made using credit card/debit card/net–banking through online payment gateway.

How to Apply:

To apply for NEST 2018, candidates must fill–up the online application form through www.nestexam.in on or after January 01, 2018. Candidates are strongly advised to read through the detailed online application procedure available on the website (click on ‘How to Apply’). Online application process closes on March 05, 2018. Application can be submitted only through NEST 2018 website. There is no other mode of application submission. Login credentials for logging into application (fill - pay - submit) will be provided upon online registration.

Important Dates

Start of Online application for NEST 2018: January 01, 2018 (First Monday of January)
Closing of Online application: March 05, 2018 (First Monday of March)
Download of Admit Card begins: April 25, 2018
NEST 2018 examination: June 02, 2018 (First Saturday of June) (Hour of examination: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM)
Announcement of results on NEST website: June 18, 2018 (Third Monday of June)