NEST 2022: National Entrance Screening Test 2022
NEST 2022: National Entrance Screening Test 2022
NEST 2022: National Entrance Screening Test 2022
NEST 2022
Information Brochure & Syllabus
at
and
Table of Contents
Page
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4 Reservation of seats 5
6 Examination Centres 6
7 How to Apply 8
8 Address of Correspondence 9
9 Important Dates 9
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NATIONAL ENTRANCE SCREENING TEST 2022
The National Entrance Screening Test or NEST is a compulsory online/computer based test
for admission to the five year Integrated MSc programme in 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.
NISER and CEBS are residential institutes equipped with state of the art teaching and
research laboratories, modern computational facilities, computer centres and excellent
libraries. All the students are accommodated in hostels on campus, and are provided with
an environment conducive to their success in classroom learning and research.
NISER, Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CEBS, Mumbai are in compliance with the UGC and
Govt. of India guidelines on anti-ragging. Ragging in any form is a punishable offence and
hence is totally prohibited on these campuses. Any complaint regarding ragging can be
made at the 24x7 toll-free National Anti-Ragging Help Line number 1800-180-5522 and/or
at the email-ID : [email protected].
The candidates admitted to the programme are eligible to receive an annual scholarship
of Rs 60,000 through the DISHA program of the Department of Atomic Energy,
Government of India. In addition, the scholarship recipients receive a grant of Rs 20,000
per annum for summer internship. Candidates selected by DST for the INSPIRE-SHE
program are endorsed for INSPIRE scholarship by NISER and CEBS. Alumni of the
programme are presently pursuing PhD at the reputed universities and institutes in India &
abroad.
Besides, top performers at NISER and CEBS, securing overall grades above a certain
threshold at the end of the programme, are eligible to appear directly for the interview for
admission to Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) training school.
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The details of the Integrated MSc programme, list of courses, research activities of the
individual schools, institute facilities and faculty profiles at NISER and CEBS may be found
on their respective websites (www.niser.ac.in and www.cbs.ac.in).
Educational qualification: Candidates seeking admission to NISER and UM–DAE CEBS for
the Integrated MSc programme 2022–27 should be from regular science stream in classes
XI and XII. It is mandatory for all aspiring candidates to write the NEST 2022 examination.
Candidates must have passed the class XII examination from any recognised Board in
India in the years 2020 or 2021 or should be appearing for the same in 2022. Candidates
who are appearing for the board examination in 2022 must pass it by the time of
admission into the programme. 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. Candidates satisfying all the above criteria will be considered for
admission strictly on the basis of the Merit List of NEST 2022. For candidates belonging to
scheduled castes (SC), scheduled tribes (ST) and Divyangjan categories, the minimum
requirement of marks is relaxed to 55% in aggregate or equivalent grade in class XII
examination. 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, 2002 are
eligible for admission to the Integrated MSc programme of NISER/CEBS. The age limit is
relaxed by 5 years for SC / ST / Divyangjan candidates.
Eligibility criteria summary: a candidate becomes eligible for the programme when
he/she satisfies all the four criteria stated below:
(a) Secures a position in the NEST merit list. Please refer to page 11 of this document for
the rules of merit list preparation.
(b) Passed the XII standard board examination in the science stream in the years 2020
or 2021 or has appeared in 2022 from any recognised Higher Secondary Education Board
in India.
(c) Secures at least 60% in aggregate in the XII standard board examination. For
SC/ST/Divyangjan candidates the requirement is 55%.
(d) Born on or after August 01, 2002. For SC/ST/Divyangjan students the limit is relaxed
by five years.
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.
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Reservation of seats:
For the Integrated MSc programme 2022–27, total number of seats at NISER and CEBS are
200 and 57, respectively. NISER and CEBS follow the Govt. of India rules for reservation of
seats. 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). If offered admission under
the OBC-NCL category, the candidate must produce the relevant valid certificate on the
date of admission.
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 the SC category
candidates and 7.5% seats are reserved for the ST category candidates. 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 Divyangjan
candidates is according to the Government of India norms. To claim seats under reserved
category, relevant documents must be furnished at the time of admission. 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.
Divyangjan: 5% of seats are reserved in every category, i.e., General, OBC–NCL, SC and
ST for persons with disabilities (Divyangjan). Benefit would be given only 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: https://disabilityaffairs.gov.in).
The reservation for Divyangjan candidates is horizontal and hence, unfilled seats will be
allotted to candidates belonging to the respective categories i.e., unfilled SC
(Divyangjan) seats will be allotted to candidates belonging to the SC category and so on.
If selected, the candidates must produce all original certificates at the time of admission
failing which the offer of admission will be cancelled.
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Examination centres: A proposed list of about 115 centres (cities and towns of India) for
the NEST examination is given in the table below. Candidates must choose 5 (five) centres
in order of their preference while filling out the application form. Every effort will be made
to allot the centre of first preference. Please note that ultimately, the allotment of an
examination centre by the NEST Committee has to be regarded as final and the request
for change of centre will, in general, not be entertained. The address of the test venue
allotted to the applicant, will be mentioned on the NEST admit card. Admit cards will be
available for download from an online application portal from June 06, 2022. Refer to the
section ‘How to Apply’ below for details on online registration and application process.
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NEST 2022 will be conducted in compliance with the guidelines issued by the Government
of India regarding scribes for Divyangjan category candidates (please refer to the
website: http://disabilityaffairs.gov.in). Divyangjan category candidates are eligible for
extra time of 20 minutes per hour of examination duration as per GOI guidelines.
Divyangjan category candidates who require the assistance of scribes should bring their
scribes complying with the guidelines mentioned above to the examination venue.
Question type: The question paper will consist of 4 (four) sections of objective (MCQ) type
questions. Each section is of 50 marks each and will contain subject specific questions
from Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics. It is in the interest of the candidate to
attempt all sections. The merit list for both the institutes is prepared using the best 3 scores
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out of the four sections and the section with the worst score is omitted. Thus attempting all
sections will increase their chances of a better total score (for details of merit list
preparation see page 11). In each section, for certain questions there will be negative
marking for incorrect answers. Some questions may have one or more correct answers for
which marks can only be earned by marking all correct answers and no wrong answer.
For NEST question papers of the last few years, refer to the NEST 2022 website
(www.nestexam.in). Language of the question paper will be English only.
Answering questions: The examination is a Computer Based Test (CBT). The candidate will
enter all the requisite details at the given computer terminal. The questions will be
displayed on the monitor. The answers to each question are to be provided at the
computer terminal using the given electronic equipment. Details of how to answer at the
terminal will be provided before the examination. Applicants are encouraged to practice
by using a mock test link that will be made available on NEST 2022 web page, several
days before the exam date. Practice sessions on the computer-based test will be
available for all applicants on the application portal after online registration and
complete submission of online application. Application portal will be accessible with
correct login credentials only.
Syllabus: The syllabus for NEST 2022 primarily follows the NCERT/CBSE science syllabus of
class XI–XII. The detailed syllabus for the NEST examination is provided at the end of this
document under the heading: ‘Syllabus for NEST 2022’. The syllabus can also be
downloaded from NEST 2022 website, www.nestexam.in. Two questions in each section are
designed to test the general scientific knowledge of the student rather than specialised
knowledge of the subject. These two questions, which may not be exactly from the stated
syllabus, would require knowledge of class X level Science subjects.
Note: NEST 2022 question paper will not have a separate “General” section.
How to apply:
To apply for NEST 2022, candidates must fill out the online application form through
www.nestexam.in on or after February 21, 2022. Candidates are strongly advised to read
through the detailed online application procedure available on the website (click on
‘How to Apply online’). Online application process closes on May 18, 2022 (midnight).
Applications can be submitted only through the NEST 2022 website. There is no other mode
of application submission. Login credentials for logging into application submission and
fee payment portals will be provided upon online registration.
Application Fee: The application fee for the male candidates of General and OBC
categories is 1,200/–. The application fee for candidates in the SC/ST/Divyangjan
categories and for all female candidates is 600/–. Payments can be made using credit
card/debit card/net–banking through online payment gateway. Please use
Mastercard/Visa/RuPay cards only.
Candidates need not send any document to the NEST office in the entire application
process.
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Please refer to the instruction sheet (the ‘How to Apply Online’ tab on www.nestexam.in)
for details regarding the application process.
Admit card: The admit card for NEST 2022 will be available for downloading from June 06,
2022. Admit cards will NOT be dispatched to any applicant. Applicants must download
their admit cards from NEST website (after login). The download link will be available only
till the day of the examination.
Address for correspondence:
Any NEST 2022 related queries be addressed to:
by postal mail:
Chief Coordinator, NEST 2022
UM-DAE CEBS, Nalanda Building, University of Mumbai,
Vidyanagari Campus, Kalina, Santacruz (E), Mumbai 400098, India
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Number of seats available at NISER and CEBS for admission in the year 2022 would be as
follows
Category NISER CEBS
General 101 23
General – EWS 0 06
OBC - NCL 54 15
SC 30 09
ST 15 04
Divyangjan 5% seats in each 5% seats in each
category category
Total 200 57
Total proposed intake 200 57
2 supernumerary seats are reserved at both NISER and CEBS for eligible candidates from
Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh as per existing government regulations.
A student with a 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 a case, he/she would be
admitted against the General rank so that all OBC seats remain available even after
his/her admission.
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For example, if in the Chemistry section the SMAS is 8 for general category students, then SMAS for OBC
students would be 7 (90% of 8, rounded off).
6. SMAS for SC/ST/Divyangjan students would be 50% of respective SMAS for general
category students.
For example, if in the Chemistry section the SMAS is 8 for general category students, then SMAS for
SC/ST/Divyangjan students would be 4 (50% of 8).
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2. A candidate scoring less than the MAP would not be allotted any merit rank and
would not be deemed eligible for admission, even if he/she secures SMAS in all
sections.
V. Admission:
Getting a merit rank by satisfying SMAS and MAP criteria does not automatically
entitle a candidate to a seat or to be called for admission/counselling. The details of
admission/counselling process will be uploaded on the website of the respective
institutions sufficiently in advance.
Note: NEST committee reserves the right to relax any of the defined cut–offs in
extenuating circumstances.
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Mole concept - Avogadro number and mole concept, molar masses, mole fraction,
molarity, molality, percent composition, stoichiometry. Equivalent weight and normality.
Calculations based on mole concept and stoichiometry of different reactions. Oxidation–
reduction reactions.
Gaseous and liquid states - Absolute scale of temperature. Gas laws, ideal gas equation,
real gases and deviation from ideality, liquefaction of gases, van der Waals equation.
Kinetic theory of gases; average, root mean square and most probable velocities and
their relation with temperature. Law of partial pressures. Vapour pressure. Diffusion of
gases.
Atomic structure and chemical bonding - Bohr model, spectrum of hydrogen atom,
quantum numbers. Wave particle duality, de Broglie hypothesis. Uncertainty principle.
Orbitals and quantum numbers; shapes and energy of s, p and d orbitals. Electronic
configurations of elements (up to atomic number 36), filling of orbitals – Aufbau principle.
Pauli’s exclusion principle and Hund’s rule. Hybridization involving s, p and d orbitals.
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NATIONAL ENTRANCE SCREENING TEST 2022
Atomic orbital overlap and chemical bonds; ionic, covalent and coordinate bonds; bond
parameters. Orbital energy diagrams for homo–nuclear diatomic species. Lewis structures.
Hydrogen bond. Polarity in molecules, dipole moment (qualitative aspects). VSEPR theory
and shapes of molecules. Valence Bond Theory. Molecular orbital theory of homo–nuclear
diatomic molecules (qualitative idea).
Chemical kinetics - Rates of chemical reactions. Order of reaction, rate constant. First
order and pseudo first order reactions. Factors affecting rate of reaction – concentration,
temperature (Arrhenius equation), catalyst.
Solid state - Classification of solids, amorphous and crystalline solids, crystalline state,
crystal lattice and unit cells; seven crystal systems (cell parameters a, b, c, α, β, ), close
packed structure of solids (cubic), packing in fcc, bcc and hcp lattices. Packing
efficiency, nearest neighbours, ionic radii. Simple ionic compounds, Imperfection in solids,
point defects. Electrical and magnetic properties, band theory of metals.
Solutions - Solution of solid and gas in liquid. Concentration of solution. Ideal and non-ideal
solutions. Colligative properties. Vapour pressure of solution, Raoult's law. Molecular weight
determination from lowering of vapour pressure, elevation of boiling point and depression
of freezing point. Abnormal molecular mass, van’t Hoff factor. Osmosis – Osmotic pressure,
reverse osmosis.
Surface chemistry:
(b) Colloidal state – Types, preparation and properties of colloids. Tyndall effect,
Brownian movement, electrophoresis, coagulation. Application of colloids. Micelles.
Inorganic Chemistry:
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NATIONAL ENTRANCE SCREENING TEST 2022
s– Block elements (Alkali and alkaline earth elements) – General characteristics and trends
in properties.
(a) Group 1: Preparation, properties and reactions of alkali metals with emphasis on
chemistry of Na and K and their compounds – oxides, peroxides, hydroxides, carbonates,
bicarbonates, chlorides and sulphates. Uses.
(b) Group 2: Preparation, properties and reactions alkaline earth metals with emphasis
on the chemistry of Mg and Ca and their compounds – oxides, peroxides, hydroxides,
carbonates, bicarbonates, chlorides and sulphates. Uses.
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Aldehydes and Ketones – Preparation of aldehydes and ketones from – Alcohols, olefins,
acid chlorides, arylalkanes, nitriles, esters, Friedel–Crafts reaction. Reactions with –
Alcohols, HCN, NaHSO3. Reactions– oxidation, reduction, oxime and hydrazone formation.
Aldol condensation, Perkin reaction. Cannizzaro reaction. Haloform reaction. Tests to
distinguish aldehydes and ketones.
Carboxylic acids – Acidity and structure–acidity relationship. Preparation of acids.
Preparation of amides, acid chlorides, esters and anhydrides. ester hydrolysis. Reactions of
acids with – thionyl chloride, P–halides, ammonia, alkalis, metals, halogens, reducing
agents. Decarboxylation. Halogenation.
Amines – Basicity and structure–basicity relationship. Identification of p–, sec– and tert–
amines. Preparation of amines from – nitro compounds, nitriles, amides,
haloalkanes/aromatic compounds. Reaction with – Acids, alkylating agents, acylating
agents, nitrous acid. Diazotization of aromatic primary amines – Reactions of aromatic
diazonium salts – azo coupling reaction, Sandmeyer and related reactions. Carbylamine
reaction of p–amines.
Amino acids and proteins - α–amino acids. General structure of peptides and proteins.
Peptide bond. Characteristic tests. Separation of amino acids using physical properties.
Denaturation of proteins. Enzymes.
Mathematics:
Algebra:
Algebra of complex numbers, addition, multiplication, conjugation, polar representation,
properties of modulus and principal argument, triangle inequality, cube roots of unity,
geometric interpretations.
Quadratic equations with real coefficients, relations between roots and coefficients,
formation of quadratic equations with given roots, symmetric functions of roots.
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General: Units and dimensions, dimensional analysis, least count, significant figures.
Methods of measurement (Direct, Indirect, Null) and measurement of length, time, mass,
temperature, potential difference, current and resistance.
Design of some simple experiments, such as: i) Searle's method to determine Young's
modulus, ii) determination of 'g' by simple pendulum, iii) speed of sound using resonance
tube, iv) coefficient of friction using angle of repose, v) determination of focal length of a
convex lens by plotting a graph between 'u' and 'v', vi) refractive index of material of
prism using the method of minimum deviation, vii) verification of Ohm's law, viii) resistance
of galvanometer using half deflection method, ix) specific heat of a liquid using
calorimeter, x) I–V characteristic curve for p–n junction in forward and reverse bias.
Graphical representation and interpretation of data. Errors in the measurements and error
analysis. Mechanics: Kinematics in one and two dimensions (Cartesian coordinates only),
projectiles. Uniform circular motion. Relative velocity. Newton’s laws of motion. Inertial and
uniformly accelerated (linear only) frames of reference. Static and dynamic friction.
Kinetic and potential energy. Linear and circular simple harmonic motion. Work and
power. Conservation of linear momentum and mechanical energy.
Systems of particles. Centre of mass and its motion. Centre of gravity. Impulse. Elastic and
inelastic collisions.
Law of gravitation. Centripetal acceleration and centrifugal force. Gravitational potential
and field. Acceleration due to gravity. Motion of planets and satellites in circular orbits.
Escape velocity.
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Rigid body, moment of inertia, parallel and perpendicular axes theorems, moment of
inertia of uniform bodies with simple geometrical shapes. Angular momentum, Torque.
Conservation of angular momentum. Dynamics of rigid bodies with fixed axis of rotation.
Rolling without slipping of rings, cylinders and spheres. Equilibrium of rigid bodies. Collision
of point masses with rigid bodies.
Hooke’s law and stress – strain relations. Elastic limit, plastic deformation. Young’s modulus,
bulk and shear moduli.
Pressure in a fluid. Pascal’s law. Buoyancy. Surface energy and surface tension, capillary
rise. Viscosity – Stoke’s and Poiseuille’s law, Terminal velocity. Qualitative understanding of
turbulence. Reynolds number. Streamline flow, equation of continuity. Bernoulli’s theorem.
Sound and mechanical waves: Plane wave motion, longitudinal and transverse waves,
superposition of waves. Progressive and stationary waves. Vibration of strings and air
columns. Resonance (qualitative understanding). Beats. Speed of sound in gases. Doppler
effect.
Thermal physics: Thermal expansion of solids, liquids and gases. Calorimetry, latent heat.
Heat conduction in one dimension. Elementary concepts of convection and radiation.
Newton’s law of cooling. Ideal gas laws. Specific heats (CV and CP for monatomic and
diatomic gases). Isothermal and adiabatic processes, bulk modulus of gases. Equivalence
of heat and work. First and second law of thermodynamics and its applications (only for
ideal gases). Entropy. Blackbody radiation – absorptive and emissive powers. Kirchhoff’s
law. Wien’s displacement law, Stefan’s law.
Electricity and magnetism: Coulomb’s law. Electric field and potential. Electrical potential
energy of a system of point charges and of electrical dipoles in a uniform electrostatic
field; Electric field lines. Flux of electric field. Gauss’s law and its application in simple
cases, such as to find the field due to infinitely long straight wire. uniformly charged infinite
plane sheet and uniformly charged thin spherical shell.
Capacitance – Calculation of capacitance with and without dielectrics. Capacitors in
series and parallel. Energy stored in a capacitor.
Electric current. Ohm’s law. Series and parallel arrangements of resistances and cells.
Kirchhoff’s laws and simple applications; Heating effect of current.
Biot–Savart’s law and Ampere’s law. Magnetic field near a current carrying straight wire,
along the axis of a circular coil and inside a long straight solenoid. Force on a moving
charge and on a current carrying wire in a uniform magnetic field.
Magnetic moment of a current loop. Effect of a uniform magnetic field on a current loop.
Moving coil galvanometer, voltmeter, ammeter and their conversions.
Electromagnetic induction – Faraday’s law, Lenz’s law. Self and mutual inductance. RC,
LR and LC circuits with AC sources.
Optics: Rectilinear propagation of light. Reflection and refraction at plane and spherical
surfaces, Deviation and dispersion of light by a prism. Thin lenses. Combination of mirrors
and thin lenses. Magnification. Wave nature of light – Huygen’s principle, interference
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Modern physics: Atomic nucleus. Alpha, beta and gamma radiations. Law of radioactive
decay. Decay constant. Half–life and mean life. Binding energy and its calculation. Fission
and fusion processes. Energy calculation in these processes.
Photoelectric effect. Bohr’s theory of hydrogen-like atoms. Characteristic and continuous
X–rays, Moseley’s law. de Broglie wavelength of matter waves. Heisenberg’s uncertainty
principle.
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