National Entrance Screening Test 2008 (NEST 2008)

National Entrance Screening Test 2008 (NEST 2008)
NEST 2008: Admission to 5 year M.Sc Integrated Programme at NISER

Department of Atomic Energy
National Entrance Screening Test 2008 (NEST 2008)
Admission to 5 year M.Sc. (Integrated) Programme at NISER, Bhubaneswar and UM-DAE CBS Mumbai.

National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), BhubaneswarNISER has been set up by the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India starting from academic year 2007-08 to imparthigh-quality science education in a vibrant academic ambience, with a faculty of distinguished teachers and scientists. NISER offers a 5-year integrated M.Sc. Programme
in basic sciences after 10+2 (or equivalent) schooling. The institute has four major schools--in mathematical, physical, chemical and biological sciences. At present, NISER functions from the beautiful campus of the Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar, a renowned institute with state-of-the-art infrastructure that includes an excellent library, a large computer centre and several research laboratories. Degrees at NISER will be awarded by the Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), a Deemed-to-be University within the Department of Atomic Energy.
There will be 40 seats with reservations for SC/ST candidates and Persons with Disability (PD) as per Govt. of India norms.
UM-DAE Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CBS), Mumbai
The Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India and University of Mumbai, have set up in Mumbai a new autonomous Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences from the academic year 2007-08, that offers a 5-year M.Sc. (Integrated) programme in the basic sciences. UM-DAE CBS, Mumbai is to be an international class centre for high quality teaching embedded in a vibrant postgraduate and research environment, with some of the best teachers and scientists from major institutes in the city (TIFR, BARC, IIT Bombay) and the University on its faculty. The Centre is located in the Kalina campus of the University of Mumbai. Degrees at UM-DAE CBS will be awarded by the 150 year old University of Mumbai.Tentatively, there will be 20 seats (in Physics and Life Sciences streams only) with reservations as per Government norms, including reservation for Persons with Disability (PD). Both the institutes are residential campuses, with suitable accommodation and boarding facilities. The academic programmes of both institutes have a balanced semester-based course structure with continuous assessment within a flexible, seamless curriculum that emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of science in the 21st century and vigorously seeks to inculcate the notions of exploration, innovation and research so as to develop a pool of talented and motivated scientific personnel for the national programmes pursued by the Department of Atomic Energy. Candidates may apply for either NISER, or CBS, or for both. Selected candidates will receive a monthly scholarship of Rs.3000/- and an annual contingency grant.

Eligibility for admission: (i) Qualification: 60% marks for general category (55% for reserved categories and PD candidates) in aggregate (or equivalent grade) in Class XII (or
equivalent) examination, from any recognized Board in India. Students who have passed the qualifying examination in 2007 or are appearing in 2008 are eligible to apply. Where only Letter grade is available, a certificate from the Board specifying equivalent percentage marks will be required. In the absence of such a certificate the decision of the respective admission committees will be final. (ii) Age Limit: Candidates born on or after 01 Oct. 1983 are eligible to apply, relaxable by 5 years for reserved categories and PD candidates.Admission Procedure: A National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) will be conducted at a number of centres in India on Sunday, 20 April 2008 by the NEST cell at UM-DAE, CBS, Mumbai. The test will consist of five sections: (1) General (compulsory), (2) Mathematics, (3) Physics, (4) Chemistry and (5) Biology. Of sections (2-5), which will carry equal weightage of marks, any three will have to be selected. The questions will be of objective type designed to test comprehension and analytical abilities.
Appearing in NEST is compulsory for all those seeking admission to NISER and/or UM-DAE CBS. Candidates short-listed on the basis of their performance in NEST 2008 will be called for interviews that will be held, on different dates, in Bhubaneswar and Mumbai. The combined NEST and interview scores will determine the final selection. Application form and information brochure can be downloaded from the websites (www.umdaecbs.in); (www.iopb.res.in/niser) or obtained free by sending a self-addressed envelope of size 30cmX24cm to The Chief Coordinator - NEST2008, Annabhau Sathe Bhavan, University of Mumbai (Kalina Campus), Vidyanagari, Santacruz (E), Mumbai – 400 098. Last date for receipt of request for application form is January 25, 2008. Completed application form along with application fee should reach The Chief Coordinator, NEST2008 at the above address not later than February 9, 2008.
Application Fee: There is a single application fee of Rs.500/- (general category male candidates)/ Rs.250/- (reserved categories /PD and all female candidates), by Demand
Draft in favour of CBS-NEST, payable at Mumbai.

National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) 2008
National Entrance Screening Test (NEST) is compulsory for students seeking admission to National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) at Bhubaneswar and University of Mumbai – Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences (UM-DAE CBS) at Mumbai.The Information Brochures of NISER and UM-DAE CBS provide details of appearing for NEST.

Schedule of the Test: SUNDAY, APRIL 20, 2008. (1.00 pm to 4.00 pm)

Pattern of Question Paper
The question paper will comprise five sections: (1) General (compulsory), (2) Mathematics, (3) Physics, (4) Chemistry and (5) Biology. Of sections (2-5), which will carry equal weightage of marks (30% each), any three will have to be selected. The General section will carry 10% of weightage. All questions will be of objective type, which are to be answered on a specially designed machine gradable sheet using HB pencils only. Questions will aim to test the comprehension and analytical ability of the candidates. Incorrect answers may be awarded negative marks. No student will be allowed to retain the question paper. Every student must return the question paper together with the answer sheet to the invigilator before leaving the
examination hall. Language of Question PaperFor NEST 2008 the language of question paper will be English only.
General instructions for examinationStudents must reach the examination centre 30 minutes before the time of the test. They will not be permitted to leave the examination hall until one hour after the test begins.Use of log tables and calculators will not be permitted in NEST 2008.

NEST-2008 Centres
NEST 2008 centres are likely to be located in the following cities/towns.Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Dehradun, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jammu, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Patna, Panaji, Raipur, Ranchi, Shillong, Simla, Srinagar.This same list is given in Application Form (A). The candidate should give their first and second preferences from this list.Please note that the list of cities/towns is tentative. A few more cities and towns may be added and a few may be deleted from the above list. There is no guarantee that the candidate will be allotted the centre of his/her first or second preference. Allotment of examination centre to the candidate by the Chief Coordinator NEST 2008 will be regarded as final and any request for change of centre will not be entertained.

Admit Card for NEST 2008
In addition to filling up Application Form (A), the candidate must fill up Admit Card (B), paste his/her recent photograph on it and write clearly his/her full mailing address in
capital letters including the pin code. It is the candidate’s responsibility to carefully check the address he/she has written on Admit Card (B). After receiving Application Form (A) and Admit Card (B) together with the required application fee from eligible candidates, the Chief Coordinator will allot a suitable examination centre, sign on the Admit Card (B) and mail it back to the candidate’s mailing address. NEST office will not be responsible if the Admit Card (B) does not reach the candidate in time due to postal delay and/or incorrect/illegible address or the candidate’s unavailability at the said address.Eligible candidates who do not receive their Admit Card by March 31, 2008 may send a letter to the Chief Coordinator by post at the address already given in the brochure or send an email at nest2008@umdaecbs.in. Telephone enquiries in this connection will not be entertained.

NEST 2008 Results
The lists of candidates, who are short-listed for interview on the basis of their NEST score, will be put up on the website: http://www.iopb.res.in/niser and http://www.umdaecbs.in by about May 10, 2008. There will be separate lists for students in the general category and in reserved categories.
These lists will be separate for NISER applicants and UM-DAE CBS applicants.