The National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) is a national
level scholarship program in India started in the year 1963.
The purpose of the scheme was to identify talented
students and nurture their talents. ‘Talent’ refers to the
potentiality that manifests itself at a high level of
performance in one or more specialized areas. Therefore, it
covers areas like Science, Social Science, Engineering,
Medicine, Management and law. It is organized by -
National Council of Educational Research and Training
(NCERT) and it honors and helps talented students by
providing financial assistance in the form of a monthly
scholarship. For the courses in Basic Sciences, Social
Sciences and Commerce, this assistance is provided up to
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) level whereas for professional
courses like Engineering, Medicine, Management and law
this assistance is given only up to Post Graduation. The scheme is open to students of Indian nationality. It not only
helps students to proliferate their mental level but also
helps them to sharpen their minds.
NCERT conducts the NTSE for students studying in Class X.
The exam is conducted at 2 levels: Stage-I (State Level) &
Stage-II (National Level).
Stage | Area | Dates* |
---|---|---|
Stage I (State Level) | Examination in States and Union Territories | 1st week of November |
Stage II (National Level) | Examination in All States and Union Territories | 2nd week of May |
On the basis of NTSE Stage-II results, scholarships are
awarded to top 1000 students all over India.
Awardees of National Talent Search Examination will
receive a scholarship of
Students of Class X studying in recognized schools are eligible to appear for the Stage-I examination, conducted by the States/Union Territories (UTs), in which the schools are located. There is no domicile restriction. For further details please visit: www.ncert.nic.in
The selection process of NTSE comprises of two-stages. The first stage selection will be done by individual State/UT through a written exam while, the second stage selection is at the national level and carried out by the NCERT for those who qualified in the Stage-I
Qualifying marks for General Category Candidates is 40% in each paper and for Schedule Caste (SC), Schedule Tribe (ST), Physically Handicapped (PH) candidates is 32% in each paper.
There is no prescribed syllabus for NTSE. However, the standard of questions shall conform to the level of Classes IX and X.
Each State/Union Territory has been allotted a quota to recommend a specific number of candidates for the Stage II examination. However, there will be no State/Union Territory Quota for the final award of scholarship after the Stage II examination.
States and UTs may notify the fee required to be paid for the Stage-I exam. Therefore, before submitting the application form, you should find out the fee charged for Stage-I exam and also the mode of payment from the respective State Liaison Officers (LOs). However, NCERT does not charge any fee for the Stage-II exam.
Result of the Stage-I Examination (State Level) is announced by the respective State Governments / Union Territories in the last week of January or 1st week of February. Result of the Stage-II Examination (National Level) is announced by NCERT in the month of July every year
Candidates may fill up the relevant fields of the Application Forms under conditions prescribed in the NTS brochure and send it to NCERT along with mark-sheet of previous exam latest by Last week of December for consideration.
Student may contact the State/UT Liaison officer for procuring application form. However application forms can be downloaded from NCERT website www.ncert.nic.in
The complete application forms duly signed by the Principal of the respective school should be submitted to the State Liaison Officers (LOs) before the last date mandatorily. Different states may have different last dates for submission. Please confirm from the liaison officer of your state, the address at which the completed forms are to be submitted. No application should be sent to NCERT
The written examination for NTSE is consists of two stages viz., Stage-I & Stage-II.
Paper | Test Type | No. of Questions | Maximum Mark | Time |
---|---|---|---|---|
Paper-I | Mental Ability Test (MAT) | 100 | 100 | 120 min. |
Paper-II | Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) | 100 | 100 | 120 min. |