NUST Entry Test. How to Prepare ?
The NUST emblem.
Okay Guys, you are about to or already have completed your intermediate and now you are faced
with the much revered NUST entry test. Now just relax for a while,Ustaad, tension na lo because
this Nustian is going to debunk the whole myth about this test and guide you about how you
should tackle it and prepare for it ( I will only focus on Engineering and IT test ).
Starting with the basic guidelines and test pattern just in case you still didn't know about it.
1. MCQ based paper having 200 of them in total.
2. 80 are from Mathematics.
3. 60 are from Physics.
4. 30 are from Chemistry.
5. 20 English.
6. 10 IQ.
How Much You Need to Score ?
Before starting with the preparations you must know how much marks you should score in order
to succeed in securing your admission.
The table below will give you a rough idea of the marks you need to score in order to get into a
specific NUST College.
Marks NUST College
Chances are that you will get a Merit
150+
Scholorship
Mechanical or Electrical at SMME or
145-150
SEECS. ( H-12 Campus)
140-145 EME ( Mech. or Elect. ) or
Marks NUST College
Possibally at H-12
Chemical at H-12 or Aeronautics at
130-140 CAE Risalpur or Mechanical at
PNEC ( Karachi Campus).
Electrical at PNEC or some IT field
125-130 at H-12 or Civil Engg. at Risalpur or
Telecommunications at MCS.
120-125 Electrical or I&M at PNEC
below 120 You get Nothing
How much you need to score in Nust entry test ?
Its Not difficult due to the MCQs, about half of the mcqs are very easy, the remaining being
logical and asked from the more unconventional topics. Very few, not more then 20 involve
lengthy workings.
Why NUST Entry Test is Difficult?
Let's shed some light on why people consider NUST entry test to be difficult and uncover this
myth for you.
The test encompasses the whole of what you have studied up till now. Their is no choice
like you had in Fsc.
It is of Three hours duration which means you have to keep your full concentration for three
whole hours. ( Fsc paper is also of three hours and most of it involves recalling what you
learned earlier but here it involves real thinking ).
The test requires you to recall matter from all three subjects whereas previously you had
been taking exam of one subject at a time in Fsc. In simple words it asks us to think over a
much larger area.
After two hours or so your brain gets exhausted and it creates a very bad temptation of
recklessly shading the choices i.e tukka laga do since it is much easier then thinking.
The vast examination hall in Karachi where the Nust Entry test is conducted.
Now I come towards a major question ringing in your minds, should I join any academy or
center for preparation? jaon k na jaon? let me give you the answer straight away that you are
much better off on your own even better if you have a loyal friend by your side.
Their is a myth that these centers will teach you certain 'shrewd techniques' that will give you a
great edge above others in the test. Okay fine, you could use them in 10 or so mcqs at max, baki
190 kon karega? ( they are mostly related to maths ). Should you spend that much amount of
money and time just to learn a few techniques when their is no guarantee that you will be using
them in test?
Another thing which intrigues the students about centers is that they provide past papers and
other stuff to practice mcqs. As far as the past papers are concerned, what they have is merely a
reconstruction of questions which they heard from ex-students. Their are books in the market
which provide good mcq practice or dil ko tassali dene k lie kisi dost se center k notes ly k dekh
lena. One mcq book plus your textbooks plus some brain and determination are enough for you
to prepare.
Lastly what they "teach" is the same that you studied earlier in Fsc so better revise it yourself.
How Much Time you Need to Prepare ?
It is recommended that you start your preparations after giving your 2nd year exams because
concentrating on two things in one time will merely divert your efforts. The test is usually
conducted in the first week of July so you will easily get more then a month to prepare which is
more then enough considering that you have already put some effort in F.Sc.
If you have carefully studied your F.sc. syllabus it wont take much time to revise it once more
and work out on MCQ practice.
If you feel that you have good grasp over the "whole" syllabus, 80% of your preparation is
already done.
What to Study ?
Now we come to the tricky bit...what to study ? and exactly how to study ?
Tackeling MCQs
This is the point of concern for many intermediate students but it is just because MCQs are
something new for them other then that its no big deal, few days of practice on MCQs will make you
quite comfortable with them. Find some good ECAT book ( I recommend Doger Brother's Ecat ) and
get your hands on it.
Try to attempt at least 100 MCQs from this book in one sitting, this will greatly enhance your
concentrating power which will be tested to the fullest when you will have to attempt 200 of
them in one sitting.
You should study in a continues session of three hours without break so that by the time you
face the test your mind must have enough stamina to think it through till the end. This is very
important like I mentioned earlier that when our mind gets exhausted we resort to reckless
shading, this is the only way to avoid it. Otherwise you will be making silly mistakes in later part
of the test.
Mathematics
This is a major part of the test and also the most difficult part so maths is the subject on which you
should spend most of your time.
Mostly MCQs are set from the more unconventional topics namely Permutations and Combinations,
Probablity, Sigma and Summation notation, Arthemetic and Geometric Progression, Limits, Line
Graphs and Conic Sections. Usually 2-3 MCQs are likely to come from each of these topics which
when combined can form a major part of maths portion. So make sure you have prepared them well.
You wont find any lenght integration or diffrentiation so A-Level guys need not to worry about
rattifying all those formulas in intermediate, you can however learn formulas and equations of Conic
Sections chapter if you have time.
Physics
Revise your 1st year syllabus, read the textbook throughly at least once and you are absolutey fine.
Their are no lenghty numericals but you have to be quick in solving them.
A Level guys should also cover those topics which are not in their course ( Fluid Dynamics, Physics
of Solids and Electronics ) though they have a low probablity of comming in test.
Chemistry
It is considered the most easiest part of the test only a flashback of intermediate course will sufice
for it whether Fsc or A Levels.
English
You can expect one critiacal reading passage, a few difficult synonyms and antonyms and 2-3
analogies. If you are not confident about your english this is not the the time to worry about it, invest
your time on other subjects rather then improving english.
What resources to use ?
The best resource at hand is obviously your textbook make sure you read it carefully atleast once
particularly physics textbook.
Amongst the many ECAT books that are available in the market, one published by Doger Brothers is
the best. It covers the entire material you need to revise in consice form as well as offers some
tough MCQ practice.
Next if you live in Karachi you can purchase sample papers from IBA Grads coaching centers else
as a last resort measure find a friend who is enrolled in some test preparation center and loan them
from him.
Comment if you have any specefic querry and I will be their to sort it out.
A Detailed Insight of NUST Entrance Test
Starting from the pattern of the Entry Test, the Question paper carries all Multiple choice Questions which the
candidate has to fill out in 3 Hours. The Question paper comprises of four portion for Engineering Students covering
Maths, Chemistry, Physics and English portions. For Medical Students it has Biology as other than Maths. At the start
of the paper as i experienced as well you will be provided with a Question book carrying four portions of respective
subjects. That book is basically your Question Paper. You will be given an answer sheet after it. Both of answer sheet
and question booklet you will have to return to the examine in the end of the paper.
Weight-age of subjects for Preparation of Merit List:
The weightage of subjects for preparation of merit list is as under:
a- Engineering and Computer Science
Mathematics 40%
Physics 30%
Chemistry or Computer Science 15%
English 15%
b- Medicine and Applied Biosciences
Biology 40%
Chemistry 30%
Physics 15%
English 15%
c- Business Studies / Social Sciences
Quantitative 40%
Verbal 40%
Intelligence 20%
d- B Architecture
Cognitive and Aptitude 35%
Mathematics 20%
Physics 15%
English Comprehension 15%
e- BS Mathematics
Mathematics 40%
Physics 30%
Chemistry/Computer Science 15%
English 15%
Note: There will be an interview for Applied Biosciences, Business Studies / Social Sciences and B Architecture. It is
mandatory to qualify the interview for final selection by attaining minimum 50% marks.
Difficulty of Questions, The Most difficult part, How to start the Question paper:
The usual NUST entry test is different from other Universities Entry Test since it carries no negative marking. So the
difficulty level is quite enough to separate the cream of nation from
the appearing candidates. The preparation for the Entry test includes everything starting from your F Sc/A level to
Matric/O level concepts. English paper is usually different from what you have been studying in F Sc/A level. Its
actually the test of your knowledge of understanding the phrases and paragraph reading. Math and Physics paper for
Engineering students is very important since it carries more questions than rest of the subjects and it takes time to
solve them, similarly for Medical Students. The difficulty of questions you would find will be with a random level.
Some of the question would merely take 5 to 10 seconds other may take up to 5 minutes as well. Depending on your
concentration and preparation the paper you will solve will show your potential to solve it. The key for solving the
paper is to solve the questions with just one go, don’t spare too much time on the question in which you are confused
or you think that it will take more time than others. Solve the whole paper with one go and than recheck the question
you left and try to solve them than. For the last 5 to 10 minutes still if you are unable to answer all the answers the tip
for the treat is you don’t leave any answer blank. Just fill out the answers with your random guess. Don’t leave any
blank, since there is no negative marking so its good to go with atleast your guess rather leaving it blank.For some
sample papers do follow the link given below:
Answer Sheet Importance:
You will be provided with an Answer sheet of 120 to 150 Numbered rows (Depending on how much total Questions
you have in Question Book) each carrying four option with letters encircled A, B, C, D or may be up to E. You will
have to fill out the Right answer by filling your choice will lead Pencil. Remember to highlight it properly with your
lead pencil, not even too dark nor too light as your answer sheets will be checked by an automated computer which
will credit your answer as it found it to be.
NOTE for Architectural Students:
We got to know that there are chances of having a drawing test also with the entry test. And that will be the part of the
entry test. So you people better start up with your drawing and sketching practice also.
All the Best for the NUST Entry test!
