NTSE 2020

The National Talent Search Examination or NTSE is a national level examination conducted by the NCERT. Candidates who are successful in this examination are provided financial assistance in the form of monthly scholarships throughout their academic careers. Students studying in class X are eligible to appear in this examination. The NTSE is considered to be one of the most prestigious examinations in the country. Successful students command tremendous respect in the society. As many as 1000 students are finally awarded the scholarship each year through NTSE.

Important Dates:

There are two stages in the examination. Stage-I is conducted by the states/union territories. The states/union territories have the right to impose a fee for appearing in stage-I. Only those candidates who are successful in stage-I can appear in the stage-II examination conducted by NCERT. The state level examination comprises of two parts. Part-I of stage-I is a test of the candidate’s mental ability referred to as the mental ability test or MAT. This section consists of 50 questions. Part-II is a test of the candidates’ scholastic aptitude referred to as the scholastic aptitude test or SAT. This section consists of 150 questions. The questions are objective type. There is no negative marking and the duration of the test is 120 minutes. The test is an offline test.

Based on the performance in stage-I, the states/union territories prepare a list of students who can appear in the stage-II examination. Similar to stage-I, stage-II also consists of two tests. These are the mental ability test or MAT and the scholastic aptitude test or SAT. There will be 100 questions in both  MAT and SAT in stage-II. SAT comprises of language, maths, science and social sciences. Stage-II is again an objective type test. The duration is 120 minutes. Stage-II is also offline.

Students of Indian nationality studying abroad at the class X level may also appear in the national level test conducted by the NCERT if they fulfil the following conditions.

• Indian students studying abroad in class X or equivalent grade are exempted from appearing for the stage-I test.
• The candidate should have secured at least 60% marks in the previous annual examination he/she appeared in.
• The candidate will have to appear for the exam at a centre in India at his or her own cost.
• The candidate has to provide an attested copy of the mark sheet of class IX through the head of the institution where he studied.
• The council shall allot a centre in India for such candidates.
• No request for a change of centre shall be entertained.
• If the candidate is successful, he/she shall be provided the scholarship for pursuing studies in India only.
• Only in very genuine cases, change of request for the centre may be permitted as per instructions issued by NCERT.

As far as the syllabus is concerned there is no definite prescribed syllabus for the exam. Since it is a mental ability test the candidate can refer to a number of external resources. Some of the common topics for the mental ability test include Alphabets and number test, patterns, missing characters, next in the series and so on.  For the scholastic aptitude test, the best bet would be to clear with the fundamentals in various subjects at the class X level. Be sure you are thorough with the science, social science and math textbooks prescribed by the NCERT for class X. There are several external resources available. The NTSE is an important examination for class X students as it provides monetary assistance to bright students throughout their academic careers. Candidates should start early and thorough preparation to be successful.

For more details contact:

Prof. Indrani Bhaduri

Head, Educational Survey Division,

NCERT, Sri Aurobindo Marg,

New Delhi-110016

Email ID: esdhead@gmail.com

NCERT Website: www.ncert.nic.in