National Entrance Screening Test
Encyclopedia
The National Entrance Screening Test (popularly known as NEST) is an annual college entrance examination in India
, conducted for admission into the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar
and the Center for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CBS), Mumbai. These two institutes use NEST as a sole criterion for admission to their undergraduate programs. Also, the Integrated Science Education & Research Centre (ISERC) of Visva Bharati University
has been using the merit list of NEST for admission into its undergraduate program for the last 3 academic sessions. NEST was conducted in 37 centers across India in 2011.
As of 2009, obtaining a seat in NISER has become highly competitive. From a total of 16,000 applicants nationwide, only 0.325% qualify for admission.
, (2) Chemistry
, (3) Mathematics
and (4) Physics
. Candidates may opt to answer any three of the four sections. All sections carry equal marks. The questions are aimed at testing the comprehension
and analytic ability
of the candidates. The questions are of objective type with four answers given for each question. There may be one or more correct answers for each question. Wrong answers are awarded negative marks.
The question papers of the exam conducted in 2009 and 2010 are available on the official website.
The availability of seats in recent years is as given in table below:
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, conducted for admission into the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar
National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar
The National Institute of Science Education and Research is a research institution in Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India. The Prime Minister of India laid the foundation stone on August 28, 2006, establishing the institute along the lines of the IISc in Bangalore, and its five sister institutions, the...
and the Center for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CBS), Mumbai. These two institutes use NEST as a sole criterion for admission to their undergraduate programs. Also, the Integrated Science Education & Research Centre (ISERC) of Visva Bharati University
Visva-Bharati University
Visva Bharati University is a Central University for research and teaching in India, located in the twin towns of Santiniketan and Sriniketan in the Indian state of West Bengal. It was founded by Rabindranath Tagore who called it Visva Bharati, which means the communion of the world with India...
has been using the merit list of NEST for admission into its undergraduate program for the last 3 academic sessions. NEST was conducted in 37 centers across India in 2011.
As of 2009, obtaining a seat in NISER has become highly competitive. From a total of 16,000 applicants nationwide, only 0.325% qualify for admission.
Pattern of the test
The NEST question paper has five sections. The first section, which is compulsory for all candidates, includes general questions. The next four sections includes questions on (1) BiologyBiology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, (2) Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, (3) Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and (4) Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
. Candidates may opt to answer any three of the four sections. All sections carry equal marks. The questions are aimed at testing the comprehension
Reading comprehension
Reading comprehension is defined as the level of understanding of a text. This understanding comes from the interaction between the words that are written and how they trigger knowledge outside the text. ....
and analytic ability
Analytical skill
Analytical skill is the ability to visualize, articulate, and solve both complex and uncomplicated problems and concepts, and make decisions that make sense based on available information...
of the candidates. The questions are of objective type with four answers given for each question. There may be one or more correct answers for each question. Wrong answers are awarded negative marks.
The question papers of the exam conducted in 2009 and 2010 are available on the official website.
Seats and intake
The number of students taking this examination has been increasing since the exam was first conducted in 2007.The availability of seats in recent years is as given in table below:
| Institute | Intake (2007) | Intake (2008) | Intake (2009) | Intake (2010) | Intake (2011) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) | 40 | 40 | 52 | 60 | 60 |
| Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CBS) | 20 | 35 | |||
See also
- National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar (NISER)National Institute of Science Education and Research, BhubaneswarThe National Institute of Science Education and Research is a research institution in Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India. The Prime Minister of India laid the foundation stone on August 28, 2006, establishing the institute along the lines of the IISc in Bangalore, and its five sister institutions, the...
- UM DAE CBS