NTSE Exam Introduction

NTSE or National Talent Search Examination is a national level exam conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) for granting scholarships to the meritorious students studying in class 10th. NTSE is only held for 10th standard students and the exam is conducted in two different stages – Stage I and II.

The first stage exam is a state-level exam and is conducted by all the Indian states and UTs. On the other hand, NTSE stage II is conducted for those students who clear the first stage. As mentioned earlier, only those who qualify in NTSE stage 1 will be eligible to write the Stage II exam. This is the main criteria. Meanwhile, the objective of organizing NTSE is to award scholarships to potential candidates who are aspiring to pursue higher education in the field of Science or Social Studies.

With these scholarships, students will be able to continue their education in their desired stream. NTSE scholarship will be awarded on the basis of the overall performance of students in both the stages of the examination.

NTSE Scholarships

Around 2000 scholarships are awarded for each stage of education. These stages are:

For Class XI to Class XII, a scholarship of Rs.1250/- per month is provided.

For Undergraduates and Postgraduates, a scholarship of Rs.2000/- per month is provided.

For Ph.D., the scholarship amount is fixed in accordance with the UGC norms.

NTSE Exam Eligibility Criteria 2021

NCERT has defined an age limit for the students to appear for the exam. Candidates should be below the age of 18 years (as on July 1, 2020).

NTSE Eligibility for Stage 1 (State level examination)

Due to the COVID situation in the country, there is no exact date given about the registration and date of the examination but students who are pursuing their studies from schools in India are eligible to appear in the stage 1 exam. Eligibility criteria are as follows;

The candidate must be a Class X student from any Government/ Private schools in India.

There is no domicile restriction. The candidate can be from any State/Union Territory of India.

The candidates studying in open or distance learning are also eligible to write NTSE 2020, provided they are less than 18 years of age, not employed and are appearing for Class X board examination for the first time.

NTSE Eligibility for Stage 2 (National level examination)

Only the students who qualified in stage 1 (state-level examination) are eligible to appear for Stage 2 examination. The roll number, venue, date of examination details will be conveyed to the selected candidates by NCERT through its official website.

NTSE Exam Pattern

NTSE exam pattern for Stage 1 & Stage 2 is divided into two parts as SAT & MAT 

There will be 100 questions each in both MAT and SAT (Science-40, Maths-20, Social science-40).

Part 1 – Mental Ability Test (MAT)

This section will have questions on analytical and logical reasoning.

This section tests the students on their ability to solve reasoning questions, ability to think, evaluate and visualise.

The section consists of a total of 100 questions. 

The main topics from this section consist of series, pattern perception, analogies, coding-decoding, classifications, hidden figures and problem-solving etc.

Part 2 – Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)

This section will have a total of 100 questions which is further divided into Science (40), Social Science (40) and Mathematics (20).

The student has to be well versed in the syllabus taught in class 9 and 10th.

The time allotted for the SAT section is 120 minutes.

The level of questions will be equivalent to class 10th or equivalent exam.

 

Mental Ability Test (MAT)

Maximum Marks 100 

 Number of Questions 100 

Time Allotted 120 minutes

Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)  (Mathematics, Science, Social Sciences) 

Maximum Marks 100 

 Number of Questions 100 

Time Allotted 120 minutes

NTSE Exam Marking Scheme

NTSE Exam (Paper 1 & Paper 2)

Stage 1 1 Mark will be awarded for every correct answer.

No negative marking for the wrong answer.

Stage 2 1 Mark will be awarded for every correct answer.

For every wrong answer, one-third of the marks will be deducted.

No negative marking for questions left unattempted.

NTSE Exam Qualifying Marks

40% Marks in each paper for General category students.

32% Marks in each paper for SC, ST & PH category students.

NTSE Reservation

Category                                               Reservation
Schedule Cast                                           15%
Scheduled Tribe                                        7.5%
Person with Disability                                3%