NEST Scholarship

Nationwide Education and Scholarship Test or the NEST Scholarship aims at striking a chord of inspiration in the hearts of students by encouraging them to perform better academically. Conducted by SEMCI India, the program provides financial assistance to those who have the aspiration but lag behind in terms of resources. In this blog, we will discuss key highlights, the eligibility criteria, the incentives awarded, and the test pattern of the scholarship program. 

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What is NEST Scholarship?

The primary objective of this scheme is to fuel the interests and prepare students for various national and international level competitive exams like CAT, GATE, TOEFL, GRE and some other tests which are conducted by various companies to recruit students. Given below are some of the major highlights of the NEST Scholarship program:

• The scholarship program was started in the year 2006 to provide financial aid to students of science, engineering, and medical science courses. 
• Every year, the test takes place on the last Sunday of January across 65 major cities across India.  
• Those students who perform exceptionally well in NEST Scholarship test are awarded incentives and certificates of appreciation. 
• These Certificates of Appreciations are bestowed to the candidates who attain 40% and above marks in aggregate in all of the five sections of the test. 
• There are 2 tests conducted under this scheme namely, the NEST Junior and the NEST Senior Scholarship test. 

NEST Junior Scholarship Test 

This scholarship test is for those who are studying in senior secondary school. It is further bifurcated into NEST Junior-l and NEST Junior-ll. The details pertaining to this exam are given below:  

NEST Junior-l 

• Eligibility Criteria: Those who are going to appear or will pass out from 9th or 10th grade can apply for this scholarship. 
• Syllabus: Generally, the paper is designed based on the syllabus of classes 8th and  9th except for some questions which are taken from class 10th.

NEST Junior-ll 

• Eligibility Criteria: This NEST Scholarship is available for the students who are either appearing or will pass out of class 11th or 12th.
• Syllabus: The majority of the questions are based on class 10th and 11th syllabus. However, there can be a few questions from class 12th also. 

NEST Senior Scholarship Test 

Another important component of the scholarship program is The NEST Senior Scholarship test. This exam is further bifurcated into NEST Senior-l and NEST Senior-ll. Given below is some information regarding the exam:

NEST Senior-l 

• Eligibility Criteria: Those who are currently studying Science in 12th standard, or are in the final year of a Diploma in Engineering, or are in the 1st & 2nd year of a degree course in the field of Science, Engineering, and Medical Science are eligible to appear for the test. 
• Syllabus: The questions asked in this test is majorly based on the 11th & 12th syllabus. Some questions of applied Maths/Biology, Physics, and Chemistry are also asked in this. 
• Amount and Number of Scholarships: More than 10 scholarships valued at Rs. 35,000 each are awarded to meritorious students. Those who secure the 1st rank are awarded Rs. 75,000. 

NEST Senior-ll 

• Eligibility Criteria: Those who hail from science, engineering & medical science backgrounds and are currently pursuing the 3rd and/or 4th year of their degree course can apply for the NEST Scholarship. 
• Amount and Number of Scholarship: 10 or more scholarships with a value of Rs. 40,000 each are awarded to students. The 1st rank holder is awarded Rs. 1,00,000 in this category. 

Exam Pattern

The test is divided into four sections namely the Verbal Aptitude, Logical Thinking, advanced Maths or Biology, and the NEST-1 or the NEST-2 section. These sections have to be completed in 2 hours. Here is a table that highlights the exam pattern of the NEST Scholarship:

Section	Subject	No. of Questions =200	Marks=200
l	NEST-l: Chemistry & Physics (Class Xl & Xll – Advanced Level)  OR  NEST-ll: Technical Aptitude (Choose any one Group**)	50	50
ll	Mathematics OR Biology (Class Xl & Xll – Advanced Level)	50	50
lll	Verbal Aptitude (English Language)	50	50
lV	Logical Thinking & General Knowledge	50	50

** Groups A, B, C, and D are: 

1. A – Computer/IT/Elex/Electronics/Instrumentation 
2. B – Auto/Aeronautical/Mechanical/Prod/Biotechnology 
3. C – Civil/Construction/Architecture
4. D – MMBS/BAMS/BHMS/BUMS/BDS  

Note: In case the group choices don’t match, you can choose the subject that is the closest to your degree program. 

Thus, the NEST Scholarship gives a sense of motivation to those who want to pursue their higher studies but are financially unstable. If you want to know more about schemes like the MHRD  Scholarship or the Vodafone Scholarships then the expert counsellors at Leverage Edu will guide you and help you kick-start your career in the right direction.