

NEST exam syllabus 2026 has been specified by NISER Bhubaneswar & UM-DAE CEBS Mumbai comprising 4 sections including Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Biology. Furthermore, the syllabus consists of topics from both 11th and 12th Standard. For clearing this examination with the desired score, students are suggested to go through the syllabus systematically.
This article offers comprehensive details about the section-wise NEST exam syllabus 2026 and the links to free download the PDFs of the same.
The NEST 2026 exam syllabus adheres to the CBSE curriculum. Carefully analysing the syllabus will help the students know about the topics to cover via which they can create an effective study plan distributing their time equally over the subjects. This will enhance their overall performance in NEST Exam 2026.
Below-stated are the subjects that are a part of the NEST exam curriculum:
Aspirants of the test are recommended to download NEST exam 2026 syllabus PDF to know about the crucial topics covered in the curriculum. It will allow the students to predict the types of questions that might be asked and gain information about the evaluation pattern.
NEST exam syllabus PDF download buttons are available below for the students to free download it:
| NEST 2026 Syllabus PDF | Download PDF |
According to the NEST exam syllabus 2026, there are primarily 4 sections which are Biology, Physics, Mathematics, and Chemistry. These sections further contain various topics that are listed below:
Biology
Below-given table highlights the topics prescribed under the Biology section as per the NEST exam syllabus 2026:
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Units |
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Class 11th |
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Unit 1: Diversity of Living Organisms |
Unit 2: Structural Organisation in Plants and Animals |
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Unit 3: Cell: Structure and Function |
Unit 4: Plant Physiology |
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Unit 5: Human Physiology |
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Class 12th |
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Unit 6: Reproduction |
Unit 7: Genetics and Evolution |
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Unit 8: Biology and Human Welfare |
Unit 9: Biotechnology and its Applications |
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Unit 10: Ecology and Environment |
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Chemistry
The following table consists of the various units that are a part of the Chemistry curriculum:
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Units |
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Class 11th |
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Unit 1: Some Basic Concepts of Chemistry |
Unit 2: Structure of Atom |
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Unit 3: Classification of Elements and Periodicity in Properties |
Unit 4: Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure |
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Unit 5: Chemical Thermodynamics |
Unit 6: Equilibrium |
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Unit 7: Redox Reactions |
Unit 8: Organic Chemistry: Some basic Principles and Techniques |
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Unit 9: Hydrocarbons |
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Class 12th |
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Unit 1: Solutions |
Unit 2: Electrochemistry |
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Unit 3: Chemical Kinetics |
Unit 4: d -and f -Block Elements |
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Unit 5: Coordination Compounds |
Unit 6: Haloalkanes and Haloarenes |
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Unit 7: Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers |
Unit 8: Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids |
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Unit 9: Amines |
Unit 10: Biomolecules |
Mathematics
Units included under the Mathematics section of the NEST exam syllabus 2026 are as follows:
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Units |
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Class 11th |
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Unit 1: Sets and Functions |
Unit 2: Algebra |
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Unit 3: Coordinate Geometry |
Unit 4: Calculus |
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Unit 5: Statistics and Probability |
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Class 12th |
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Unit 1: Relations and Functions |
Unit 2: Algebra |
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Unit 3: Calculus |
Unit 4: Vectors and Three - Dimensional Geometry |
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Unit 5: Linear Programming |
Unit 6: Probability |
Physics
As per the NEST exam syllabus 2026, the units covered under the Physics section are specified below:
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Units |
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Class 11th |
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Unit 1: Units and Measurements |
Unit 2: Motion in a Straight Line |
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Unit 3: Motion in a Plane |
Unit 4: Laws of Motion |
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Unit 5: Work, Energy and Power |
Unit 6: Rigid System of Particles and Rotational Motion |
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Unit 7: Gravitation |
Unit 8: Mechanical Properties of Solids |
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Unit 9: Mechanical Properties of Fluids |
Unit 10: Thermal Properties of Matter |
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Unit 11: Thermodynamics |
Unit 12: Kinetic Theory of Gases |
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Unit 13: Oscillations |
Unit 14: Waves |
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Class 12th |
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Unit 1: Electric Charges and Fields |
Unit 2: Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance |
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Unit 3: Current Electricity |
Unit 4: Moving Charges and Magnetism |
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Unit 5: Magnetism and Matter |
Unit 6: Electromagnetic Induction |
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Unit 7: Alternating Current |
Unit 8: Electromagnetic Waves |
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Unit 9: Ray Optics |
Unit 10: Wave Optics |
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Unit 11: Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter |
Unit 12: Atoms |
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Unit 13: Nuclei |
Unit 14: Semiconductor Electronics: Materials, Devices and Simple Circuits |
* Candidates can refer to NEST Exam Registration 2026 to be thorough with the application process. Additionally, students can consider going through the NEST Exam Pattern 2026 to gain a better understanding of the test format.
No, as per the NEST exam syllabus 2026, there are 4 sections namely Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics.
The aspirants can refer to the links mentioned in this article to free download the NEST exam 2026 syllabus PDF.
There are various topics from Class 11th and 12th curriculum covered as a part of the Biology syllabus for NEST 2026 exam such as Human Physiology, Plant Physiology, Reproduction, Genetics & Evolution, and many more.
Yes, adhering to the curriculum offers several benefits to the students like identification of strong & weak areas, recognition of high weightage topics etc.
In accordance with the NEST exam syllabus 2026, Mathematics syllabus consists of topics like Coordinate Geometry, Algebra, Calculus, Sets & Functions, etc.
