National Entrance Screening Test Syllabus 2026
National Entrance Screening Test Syllabus
NEST 2024 Syllabus Overview
The NEST 2024 syllabus follows the rationalized science syllabus of classes 11 and 12 as per NCERT. The syllabus covers Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics.
The exam pattern is based on the NCERT and CBSE science syllabus for classes XI and XII. Questions focus on scientific knowledge, basic concepts, and their application.
Exam Centres and Marking Scheme
NEST 2024 will be conducted at 115 exam centres in major towns and cities across India. Questions are designed to test knowledge in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology.
- Each correct answer in MCQ grants +2.5 marks.
- Each correct answer in MSQ grants +4 marks.
- Negative marking of -1 mark applies only to incorrect answers in the MCQ section.
NEST 2024 Physics Syllabus
The Physics section is divided into 7 major topics. Questions range from moderate to difficult and involve a lot of basic concepts.
| NEST 2024 Physics Syllabus |
|---|
| General Physics |
| Mechanics |
| Sound and mechanical waves |
| Thermal physics |
| Electricity and magnetism |
| Optics |
| Modern physics |
NEST 2024 Chemistry Syllabus
The Chemistry section includes questions from all three sub-branches of Chemistry: Physical, Inorganic, and Organic. All three branches hold equal weightage in the section.
| Chemistry Sections | NEST 2024 Chemistry Syllabus |
|---|---|
| Physical Chemistry | Measurements in chemistry |
| Mole concept | |
| Gaseous and liquid states | |
| Atomic structure and chemical bonding | |
| Thermodynamics | |
| Chemical equilibrium | |
| Electrochemistry | |
| Chemical kinetics | |
| Solid-state | |
| Solutions | |
| Surface chemistry | |
| Basic Concepts | |
| Organic Chemistry | Reactive intermediates |
| Isomerism | |
| Nomenclature | |
| Alkanes | |
| Alkenes and Alkynes | |
| Aromatic compounds | |
| Haloalkanes (Alkyl halides) | |
| Haloarenes | |
| Alcohols | |
| Polymers | |
| Phenols | |
| Ethers | |
| Aldehydes and Ketones | |
| Carboxylic acids | |
| Amines | |
| Carbohydrate | |
| Amino acids and proteins | |
| Inorganic Chemistry | Classification of elements and periodicity in properties |
| Hydrogen | |
| s- Block elements | |
| p- Block elements | |
| d-Block elements | |
| f- Block elements | |
| Coordination compounds | |
| Metals and metallurgy |
NEST 2024 Mathematics Syllabus
Mathematics is one of the toughest sections in the exam. Questions are asked from the topics listed below.
Knowledge and application of basic concepts and formulae are necessary to solve problems in the Mathematics section.
Preparation Tips
Physics and Mathematics are considered the toughest sections. Candidates should focus on tricky and formula-based questions while preparing.
NCERT textbooks are a useful tool for NEST 2024 preparation. Solving NEST practice papers can help in understanding the exam pattern and the weightage of topics from all four sections.
NEST 2024 Mathematics Syllabus
The Mathematics section of NEST 2024 covers Algebra and Probability topics. The detailed sub-topics are listed below.
- 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, Logarithms, and their properties, computation of probability of events using permutations and combinations, formation of quadratic equations with given roots, relations between roots and coefficients solutions of simultaneous linear equations in two or three variables, symmetric functions of roots.
- Arithmetic, Permutations and combinations, geometric and harmonic progressions, arithmetic, geometric and harmonic means, sums of finite arithmetic and geometric progressions, infinite geometric series.
- Probability: Addition and multiplication rules of probability, conditional probability, Bayes Theorem, symmetric and skew-symmetric matrices and their properties, independence of events.
- Binomial theorem for positive integral index, properties of binomial coefficients.
- Matrices as a rectangular array of real numbers, equality of matrices, addition, multiplication by a scalar and product of matrices, transpose of a matrix, Determinant of a square matrix of order up to three.
NEST 2024 Biology Syllabus
Questions in the Biology section of NEST 2024 will be asked from seven topics. The topics are given in the table below.
| Topic |
|---|
| Cell Biology |
| Genetics and Evolution |
| Ecology |
| Humans and Environment |
| Biotechnology |
| Biology of Animal systems |
| Biology of Plant systems |
NEST 2024 Syllabus Based on NCERT
The NEST 2024 syllabus follows the pattern of NCERT. The syllabus PDFs for each subject are provided below.
| Subjects | NEST 2024 Syllabus PDF |
|---|---|
| NCERT Physics Revised Syllabus | Click here |
| NCERT Chemistry Revised Syllabus | Click here |
| NCERT Mathematics Revised Syllabus | Click here |
| NCERT Biology Revised Syllabus | Click here |
NEST 2024 Paper Pattern
The exam pattern for NEST 2024 is given below.
- Sections: The exam is divided into four sections with 60 marks each. The five sections are General Aptitude, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.
- Candidates can choose any section.
- Total Marks: The question paper will aggregate to 240 marks.
- Language: The mode of language is English.
- Question Type: The question paper will comprise objective-type questions.
- Calculation: Each correct answering in MCQ will grant you +2.5 marks and +4 marks in MSQ.
- Negative Marking Scheme: There is a provision of negative marking only in MCQ portion of -1 marks per incorrect answers.
- Paper Pattern: The question paper will be CBT based.
NEST 2024 Best Books
Recommended books for the Chemistry and Physics sections of NEST 2024 are listed below.
| Subject | Books |
|---|---|
| Chemistry |
|
| Physics |
|
Recommended Books for NEST Preparation
These are the books suggested for preparing for the National Entrance Screening Test (NEST). The list is divided by subject.
Physics Books
- Practice problems in Physics for Engineering Examinations by S.Mishra
- Concepts of Physics by HC Verma
- Objective Physics by Mahesh Jain
- MCQ Question Bank by D Mukherjee
Biology Books
- A Class Book of Botany by A.C Dutta
- Textbook of Biology by S.C Verma
- Elementary Biology for Class 12 by K.N Bhatia
- Textbook of Biology by NCERT
- Biology Guide by Pradeep
Mathematics Books
- Plane Trigonometry by S.L. Loney
- Arihant Series by Dr. SK Goyal
- IIT Mathematics by R.D Sharma
- Higher Algebra by Hall and Knight
- Senior Secondary School Mathematics for Class 12 by R.S. Aggarwal
- Objective Mathematics Part 1 and Part 2 (NCERT difficulty) by RD Sharma