PIEAS ranks BS applicants 60% on its written test, scored as a percentile, plus 25% on HSSC Part-I and 15% on matric. NUST puts 75% on NET. PIEAS's test gives you 100 MCQs in 180 minutes, twice the time per question NET allows, and it includes Chemistry for Pre-Engineering students.
PIEAS offers six BS programmes and NUST offers many more, so for most students this isn't an either-or. The real question is whether PIEAS's test fits into a NUST plan.
Key facts
- PIEAS merit: written test 60% (percentile), HSSC Part-I 25%, SSC 15%
- NUST merit: NET 75%, HSSC 15%, SSC 10%
- PIEAS test: 100 MCQs, 180 minutes, no negative marking
- NET: 200 MCQs, 180 minutes, no negative marking
- PIEAS 2026 tests: 12 April 2026 and 12 July 2026
- PIEAS needs at least 60% in matric and in HSSC, as NUST does
Source: NUST merit criteria and salient features pages; PIEAS BS information leaflet, written test pattern and admission schedule; checked October 2026
The two tests
| NET-Engineering | PIEAS (Pre-Engineering paper) | |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 200 | 100 |
| Time | 180 minutes | 180 minutes |
| Seconds per question | 54 | 108 |
| Mathematics | 50% | 30 questions, HSSC level |
| Physics | 30% | 30 questions, HSSC level |
| Chemistry | none | 30 questions, HSSC level |
| English | 20% | 10 questions |
| Negative marking | No | No |
NET's question split is derived from NUST's percentages, since NUST publishes weights and not counts. PIEAS publishes counts.
The time difference is the thing to plan around. NET gives you 54 seconds a question, so speed decides a lot of marks. PIEAS gives you 108. With that much time, PIEAS can set longer problems, and a student who is accurate but slow loses less there. Practise both paces. A student trained only at NET speed may rush PIEAS questions that deserve a second look.
PIEAS sets a different paper for each HSSC group:
| HSSC group | English | Mathematics | Physics | Third subject |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-Engineering | 10 | 30 (HSSC) | 30 (HSSC) | Chemistry 30 |
| Pre-Medical | 10 | 30 (SSC level) | 30 (HSSC) | Chemistry 30 |
| ICS | 10 | 30 (HSSC) | 30 (HSSC) | Computer Science 30 |
| Science General with Maths | 10 | 60 (HSSC) | 30 (SSC level) | none |
Pre-Medical students get matric-level maths. ICS students get Computer Science instead of Chemistry. NET-Engineering has neither Chemistry nor Computer Science. So for most NUST-focused students, PIEAS adds one subject.
Percentile scoring
PIEAS converts your written test into a percentile score before it enters merit. A percentile tells you how you did against the other candidates, not your raw marks. So a hard paper doesn't punish you if it was hard for everyone.
NUST uses your NET marks out of 200 directly, at 75%. In both cases you are ranked against the rest of the field in the end. PIEAS just builds that ranking into the test score itself.
Merit formulas side by side
NUST = NET% x 0.75 + HSSC% x 0.15 + SSC% x 0.10
PIEAS = percentile x 0.60 + HSSC Part-I% x 0.25 + SSC% x 0.15
Your board marks are worth 40 points at PIEAS and 25 at NUST. A 10-point rise in your HSSC Part-I percentage adds 2.5 points at PIEAS and 1.5 at NUST. A 10-point rise on the test adds 6 at PIEAS and 7.5 at NUST. Neither formula ignores your marks, but PIEAS leans on them more. O-Level and A-Level candidates follow a separate row in PIEAS's table, so read the leaflet if that's you.
Put your own figures into the aggregate calculator for NUST's side.
Programmes and eligibility
PIEAS offers six BS programmes:
- Chemical Engineering
- Computer and Information Sciences
- Electrical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Metallurgy and Materials Engineering
- Physics
For the engineering programmes PIEAS wants Pre-Engineering or ICS, or Pre-Medical with an additional Mathematics paper. For Computer and Information Sciences and Physics it also accepts Pre-Medical without extra maths. HSSC Science General with Mathematics qualifies for Computer and Information Sciences. Like NUST, PIEAS needs 60% in matric and in HSSC. It also rules out anyone who failed or skipped a subject in HSSC Part-I or Part-II.
NUST's list is far longer and runs through five NET papers, from engineering and computing to business and architecture. If you might change your mind about your field, PIEAS can't follow you.
PIEAS's leaflet also says public sector technical organisations offer a few sponsorships, with employment after graduation. It doesn't say how many.
The calendar
PIEAS's 2026 cycle ran:
- First written test: 12 April 2026, in 18 cities
- Second written test: 12 July 2026, moved from 14 June, in six cities
- Merit numbers: 20 July 2026
- First merit list: 27 July 2026, then lists through 1 September
- Joining: 7 September 2026
Each test has its own Rs 3,500 processing fee, or Rs 4,000 in the week after the due date. A fee paid for one test can't be moved to the other. PIEAS's pages don't say how scores from two tests are combined, so check the leaflet for your cycle before you count on a second try.
NET runs in four series and counts your best score. NET-2026 Series-3 tests ran from 4 April to 2 May 2026, which overlapped PIEAS's April test. Series-4 began on 13 June 2026, a month before PIEAS's July test.
Plan for this. PIEAS's April test sits in the middle of the NET season. If you want both, sit NET in Series-1 or Series-2. NUST's tentative NET-2027 schedule has Series-1 tests from 17 November 2026. Then spend February and March adding Chemistry and the slower PIEAS pace. The one-plan post shows the full calendar.
How to decide
- Do you want one of PIEAS's six programmes? If not, PIEAS doesn't apply to you.
- Is your Chemistry usable? It is 30 of PIEAS's 100 questions for Pre-Engineering and none of NET.
- Are you accurate but slow? PIEAS's 108 seconds a question suits you better than NET's 54.
- Are your board marks strong? They carry 40% at PIEAS and 25% at NUST.
Mathematics, Physics and English overlap across both tests. Most of your preparation counts twice.
FAQ
Does the PIEAS test have negative marking?
No. PIEAS's written test pattern says there is no negative marking. NET has none either.
How many questions are in the PIEAS entry test?
100 MCQs in 180 minutes. The Pre-Engineering paper has 10 English, 30 Mathematics, 30 Physics and 30 Chemistry questions.
Can pre-medical students apply to PIEAS?
Yes, for Computer and Information Sciences and for Physics. Engineering needs an additional Mathematics paper on top of Pre-Medical.
Is the PIEAS test harder than NET?
PIEAS gives you twice the time per question, so it can set longer problems. Neither university publishes average scores on the pages we checked, so difficulty can't be measured directly.
When is the PIEAS test?
In 2026 PIEAS held tests on 12 April and 12 July. Check its admission schedule for the next cycle, since the July date moved once in 2026.
