National Entrance Screening Test - 2010 (NEST - 2010) Admission to 5-year MSc (Integrated) Programmes at UM-DAE CBS, Mumbai, NISER, Bhubaneswar and Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan

Government of India
Department of Atomic Energy

NEST-2010
UM-DAE CBS, Health Centre Building,
University of Mumbai (Vidyanagari Campus),
Santa Cruz (E), Mumbai, 400 098

National Entrance Screening Test - 2010 (NEST - 2010)

Admission to 5-year MSc (Integrated) Programmes at UM-DAE CBS, Mumbai, NISER, Bhubaneswar and Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan
 
National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) 2010 is the entrance test for students seeking admission to the University of Mumbai – Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CBS), Mumbai, National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, and Integrated Science Education and Research Centre (ISERC), Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan. The test will be conducted in 34 cities and towns across India. This brochure gives the detailed procedure for applying for the test, syllabus of the test and various deadlines. Students who are highly motivated to pursue higher education and research in science are encouraged to apply.

UM-DAE Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (CBS), Mumbai

The Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India, has set up an autonomous Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (CBS) in Mumbai. CBS offers high quality teaching embedded in a vibrant post-graduate and research environment with some of the best teachers and scientists, from major institutions in the city (TIFR, BARC, IIT, HBCSE) and the University of Mumbai and its colleges, on its faculty. The Centre is located in the Vidyanagari campus of the University of Mumbai. CBS offers a 5-year integrated MSc Programme in biological, chemical, mathematical and physical sciences. The degrees at CBS are awarded by the 150-year old University of Mumbai. Tentatively, there are 30 seats this year with reservations as per Government norms, including reservation for persons with disability (PD). Further details are on the CBS http://cbs.ac.in

National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar
NISER, established by the Department of Atomic Energy, strives to become a citadel for basic sciences and allied subjects, in terms of teaching and research. Its vision includes imparting high-quality science education in a vibrant academic ambiance to the bright, motivated students, by a faculty of distinguished scientists and teachers. The curriculum is amply supported by a strong visitor's programme by accomplished scientists from India and abroad. NISER offers a 5-year integrated MSc Programme in biological, chemical, mathematical and physical sciences. At present, NISER functions from the beautiful campus of the Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar, a renowned institute. Degrees at NISER will be awarded by the Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), a deemed-to-be University of the Department of Atomic Energy. There are 60 seats this year, including reserved seats for SC/ST/OBC candidates and persons with disability (PD) as per Government norms. Further details are available on the NISER (http://niser.ac.in)
 

Integrated Science Education and Research Centre, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan
 

Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan, a Central University, has introduced a 5-year Integrated M. Sc. in the Physical
Sciences (Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics) under Siksha-Bhavana (Institute of Science). The academic activities of the integrated science programme have started at the existing Siksha-Bhavana complex with the assistance of faculty members in the departments of Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biotechnology and Computer & System Sciences, which have excellent research facilities. For this programme, the university uses a credit and grade-point system based completely on continuous assessment of the candidate. There are 21 seats this year, including reserved seats for SC/ST/OBC candidates and persons with disability (PD) as per Government norms. Further details are available on the
Visva-Bharati (http://visva-bharati.ac.in)
 

All the institutes have residential campuses with suitable accommodation and boarding facilities. The academic programmes of all the institutes have a balanced semesterbased course structure with continuous assessment within a flexible, seamless curriculum designed to emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of science in the 21st century. The curriculum vigorously seeks to inculcate exploration, innovation and research so as to develop talented and motivated scientists for the country. Meritorious candidates enrolled at CBS and NISER, whose performance at the end of the programme is above a certain threshold, may be permitted to appear directly before the selection committee of BARC for admission to BARC's training school (leading to a regular job in the Department of Atomic Energy's research centres). All candidates enrolled at CBS and NISER will receive INSPIRE, or equivalent, Fellowships, amounting to Rs. 5,000/- per month and other suitable benefits. Candidates enrolled at Visva- Bharati will be eligible to apply for INSPIRE Fellowships.
 
Eligibility:
Qualification: Students who have passed the Class XII (or equivalent) qualifying examination in 2008 or 2009 or are appearing in 2010 from any recognized Board of education in India and have secured an aggregate of at least 60% marks (or equivalent grade) are eligible to apply. For Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates and for Persons with Disability (PD), the minimum marks requirement is 55%. (Where only "Letter" grade is given by a Board, a certificate from the Board specifying equivalent percentage marks will be required. In the absence of such a certificate the decision of the Admissions Committee of the concerned institutions will be final.)

Age Limit: General category candidates and Candidates belonging to Other Backward Castes (OBC) born on or after 01 Oct. 1985 are eligible to apply. For SC/ST/PD candidates the age limit is relaxed by 5 years. In any case, the eligibility criterion mentioned above must be satisfied.

Admission Procedure: The National Entrance Screening Test (NEST-2010) will be conducted at 34 towns and cities all over India on Sunday, June 6, 2010. Selection of the candidates will be based on the results of the NEST-2010 examination, which will be available on June 30, 2010 at the NEST website given below.

NEST-2010 Examination: The NEST-2010 examination will consist of five sections.
Section 1 is general and compulsory for all candidates. Sections 2 to 5 will contain questions from biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics respectively. Candidates are required to attempt any two of these four sections. The NEST-2010 examination will have objective-type questions, designed to test the candidate's subject comprehension and analytic ability. (Please refer to the website / brochure for details of the scope of the NEST-2010 examination) the duration of the examination will be three hours.

Number of Seats and Reservation: This year (2010), the number of seats is 60 at NISER, 30 at UM-DAE CBS and 21 at ISERC. There will be reservations as per Government norms. Further details are given on the websites of NISER (http://niser.ac.in) UM-DAE CBS (http://cbs.ac.in) and ISERC (http://visva-bharati.ac.in).

NEST-2010 Centres:
The list of cities and towns where the NEST-2010 examination will be held is given in Appendix I. Candidates should list two centres according to their preference in the application form. Every effort will be made to allot the centre of their first choice. Allotment of an examination centre by the Chief Coordinator, NEST-2010 will be regarded as final and any request to change of centre will not be entertained. The address of the allotted centre will be mentioned on the NEST admit card.

Question paper pattern: The question paper will consist of five sections totaling 200 marks: (1) General, (2) Biology, (3) Chemistry, (4) Mathematics, (5) Physics. The first (General) section is compulsory for all students and will carry 60 marks. Of the remaining four sections (2 – 5) the students will have to select any two, each of which will carry 70 marks. The questions will be aimed at testing the subject comprehension and analytic ability of the candidates. The questions will be of objective type with four options given for each question. Some questions may have more than one correct answer. For some questions in sections 2 to 5, incorrect answers will be awarded negative marks. The question paper will contain explicit instructions in this regard.

The syllabus for the entrance examination is given in Appendix II.

The question paper will only be in English.

Admit Cards: Admit cards will be available for downloading from the NEST website (http://www.nestexam.in) starting from April 1, 2010. The candidates who are unable to download the admit cards by April 15, 2010 will have their admit cards sent to them by ordinary post. Candidates must ensure that their mailing address entered as in the application form is correct and legibly written. NEST office will not be responsible if the admit card does not reach a candidate in time because of postal delay or incorrect address. In case you do not receive the admit card by May 25, 2010, you may write to Chief Coordinator, NEST-2010 by speed post (at the address given earlier) or by email (email address: cco@nestexam.in).

NEST Results: Results of NEST examination will be announced on June 30, 2010 on the NEST web site. Further details regarding admission to the participating institutes based on the NEST-2010 results will be made available on their websites.

Syllabus for NEST: The syllabus for the NEST examination is broadly the same as the CBSE syllabus up to class XII. For details, see Appendix II. 

 
Appendix I: Test Centers

Centre Code - State - City
 Andhra Pradesh
 Hyderabad
 
 Andhra Pradesh
 Visakhapatnam
 
 Assam
 Guwahati
 
 Assam
 Silcher
 
 Bihar
 Patna
 
 Bihar
 Gaya
 
 Chhattisgarh
 Raipur
 
 Delhi
 Delhi-1 (North Delhi)
 
 Delhi
 Delhi-2 (South Delhi)
 
 Delhi
 Delhi-3 (East Delhi)
 
 Goa
 Panjim
 
 Gujarat
 Amdavad
 
 Haryana, Punjab
 Chandigarh
 
 Himachal Pradesh
 Shimla
 
 Jammu and Kashmir
 Jammu
 
 Jammu and Kashmir
 Srinagar
 
 Jharkhand
 Ranchi
 
 Karnataka
 Bangalooru
 
 Kerala
 Kochi
 Calicut
 
 Madhya Pradesh
 Bhopal

 Maharashtra
 Mumbai-1 (Central Mumbai)
 
 Maharashtra
 Mumbai-2 (Western Suburbs)
 
 Maharashtra
 Nagpur
 
 Maharashtra
 Pune
 
 Meghalaya
 Shillong
 
 Orissa
 Bhubaneswar
 
 Orissa
 Sambalpur
 
 Rajasthan
 Jaipur
 
 Tamil Nadu
 Chennai
 
 Tamil Nadu
 Madurai
 
 Uttar Pradesh
 Allahabad
 
 Uttar Pradesh
 Lucknow
 
 Uttar Pradesh
 Varanasi
 
 Uttaranchal
 Dehradun
 
 West Bengal
 Kolkata-1 (North Kolkata)
 
 West Bengal
 Kolkata-2 (South Kolkata)
 
 West Bengal
 Siliguri
 
 
How To Apply:
Application Fee: Application fee for appearing in NEST is Rs 500/- for male general category and male OBC candidates. For male SC/ST/PD candidates and all female candidates the amount is Rs 250/-. The application fee should be sent to Chief Coordinator at the address mentioned below in the form of a demand draft / postal order in favour of 'NEST-2010' payable at Mumbai.

Application Form: Candidates may follow any of the following two channels to apply.

(a) They may follow the instructions on the website (http://www.nestexam.in) and fill up the application form on-line, take a print-out, paste a photograph at the appropriate place, and send the same along with the application fee (in the form of a demand draft / postal order) to the address below.
(b) They may send a letter to the address below requesting application form and brochure which will be posted to them. On the receipt of the application form and the brochure the candidate may fill up the form, paste a photograph at the appropriate place, and send the completed application form along with the application fee (in the form of a demand draft / postal order) to:

The Chief Coordinator, NEST-2010
UM-DAE CBS, Health Centre Building,
University of Mumbai (Vidyanagari Campus),
Santa Cruz (E), Mumbai, 400 098.

 

Deadlines:
Last date for requesting application forms is February 16, 2010. Last date for receipt of completed applications along with the requisite fee is March 16, 2010. The on-line application process will also end on March 16, 2010. Applications incomplete in any respect or not accompanied by the requisite fee will not be accepted.
Last date for receipt of request for application form is February 16, 2010.
Completed application forms along with application fee must reach the above mentioned address by March 16, 2010.  The completed applications must be sent by Registered Post / Speed Post only. Do not send it through ordinary post or private courier services. Please keep the postal receipt for future reference.

Test Schedule: The test will be conducted on June 6, 2010 from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
 

CLICK HERE TO APPLY ONLINE

 Notification (Short)

 Notification (Long)

 Notification (Long-Hindi)

 NEST 2010 Brochure

 
Important Dates:

Last date for request of application form: Feb 16, 2010
Last date for receipt of completed application form: Mar 16, 2010
Last date for on-line applications: Mar 16, 2010
Admit cards available for download: April 1-15, 2010
Dispatch of admit cards from: April 16, 2010
Date of Examination: June 6, 2010 (Sunday) 2 PM to 5 PM 
Announcement of results on (http://www.nestexam.in): June 30, 2010