Bhubaneswar, June 19: He could have chosen research over engineering, but city boy Manish Kumar Behera, who secured the fourth rank in the all-India National Entrance Screening Test (NEST), wants to crack the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

NEST is an entrance test for admission to the five-year integrated MSc programmes in biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics at the National Institute for Science Education and Research (Niser) in Bhubaneswar and the University of Mumbai. The NEST results were announced today. Nikhil Goel of Chandigarh topped the examination.

"I did not take NEST seriously. I had appeared for a couple of other entrance tests as well. I am interested to go for the IIT," said Behera, who admitted that he did no "special preparation" for any of the tests.

"Getting the concepts clear is important. I put in two to three hours of study sessions every day. For the subjects, which you find relatively difficult, a few extra hours have to be put in," said Behera.

This, however, is not the case with Spandan Kumar Sahu, who has scored the 10th rank and is planning to get into Niser.

The test was held on May 30 with around 46,617 students appearing for it from 76 centres across the country. The counselling for admissions is to be held in the second week of July and classes will begin by the last week.

The new batch of students joining the institute will have their classes on its new campus at Jatni.

A Niser official said classes for the next academic session would begin from August 3.

According to the government norms, there are 100 Plus Two seats, including the reserved ones for SC/ST/OBC/PD candidates and two for the candidates from Jammu and Kashmir, for this session at the institute.

A record number of applications poured in for NEST this year with close to 500 applications per seat.