NEST 2026 Cutoff - Check Category-wise (General, OBC, SC, ST) Qualifying Cutoff Score

NEST 2026 Cutoff

NEST Cutoff 2026 will be released along with the declaration of NEST 2026 results. NEST Cutoff 2026is released by (NISER) and (CEBS-DAE-UM) separately. After clearing NEST cut off percentage, students will have to appear NEST 2026 counselling for further selection rounds. It will include past academic records, professional qualifications of the candidates, etc. Apart from these, the cutoff will depend on various factors such as the difficulty level of the exam, maximum marks scored by the candidate and past year cutoff percentage. The institute will release NEST Cutoff 2026 for each category separately with the NEST 2026 results.

National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) is an entrance test conducted for admissions in the 5-year Integrated M.Sc Programme in Basic Sciences – Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology and Physics. The NEST exam is conducted every year by the University of Mumbai - Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CEBS), Mumbai and the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) Bhubaneswar. NEST Cutoff 2026determines the minimum marks that candidates should score in order to be eligible for admission to the institute. The institute will decide the minimum marks that must be scored by the candidates appearing for admission.

NEST Cutoff 2026 Important Dates

Important dates pertaining NEST 2026 cutoff are described in the table below:

Factors Determining NEST 2026 Cutoff

The NEST cutoff 2026 is the minimum qualifying marks candidates must obtain to qualify for the admission counseling round. The following are the factors determining NEST 2026 cut off :

• The total number of candidates appearing for NEST 2026.
• The total number of seats available for admission.
• The difficulty level of the examination.
• Total number of candidates qualifying the NEST 2026.
• Reservation of seats
• Marking scheme of examination.

NEST Cutoff 2026: Detailed

NEST 2026 cutoff will be released after the results. The cutoff declaration is done with the result announcement. NEST 2026 cut off is calculated in the following ways:

• ‘Section–wise’ and ‘total’ NEST cutoff mark: The cutoff will include the sum of the best three scores in the subject section and the total score in the general section.
• Section–wise Minimum Admissible Score (SMAS) will be calculated by taking 20% of the average of the best 100 scores in that section.
• For example, SMAS for Physics section will be 40*0.20 = 8 marks if the average of the best 100 scores in Biology section is 40 out of 50.
• The Minimum Admissible Score (SMAS) for NEST 2026 will be fifty percent of the total marks( 180).
• You must score an equal or above  Minimum Admissible Score (MAS) to secure a merit rank.
• One who score an equal or more MAS but failed to secure SMAS in the general section in at least three sections will not be allotted merit rank.