What is NTSE?

National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) is a national-level scholarship program in India to identify and recognize students with high intellect and academic talent.

• 5,00,000 students appear for this scholarship exam every year
• Only 1000 scholarships are awarded, out of which 775 are unreserved
• The scholarships are awarded to candidates for pursuing courses in sciences and social sciences up to doctoral level and professional courses up to second-degree level
• Scholarship of Rs. 1250 per month is awarded for class XI to XII.
• Scholarship of Rs. 2000 per month is awarded for Undergraduates and Postgraduates.
• The scholarship amount is fixed in accordance with the UGC norms for Ph.D.

Syllabus for NTSE

Maths

1. Geometry
2. Algebra
3. Mensuration
4. Number Systems

1. Profit and Loss
2. Introduction to Trigonometry
3. Statistics and Probability

Science

1. Gravity
2. Energy
3. Solids, Liquids and Gases
4. Conservation of Energy
5. Nutrition

1. Natural Gases
2. Solutions
3. Common Diseases
4. Properties of Chemical Elements

Social

1. Mughal Dynasty
2. Ancient Civilisations
3. Legislative Assembly
4. Government Structure
5. Hydrosphere
6. Types of Banks

1. General Happenings
2. Political Events
3. Awards
4. Fundamental Rights
5. Type of Economics

English

1. Adjective
2. Adverb
3. Articles
4. Conjunction
5. Noun
6. Prepositions
7. Pronoun

1. Reading Comprehension
2. Sentences
3. Tenses
4. Transformation of Sentences
5. Verb
6. Vocabulary
7. Adjective

Exam Pattern for NTSE

The exam is conducted in two stages and each stage consists of two tests namely the Mental Ability Test (MAT) and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).

Language Test (LT)

Another component of the test is the language test.

This test contains 50 questions in English and 50 questions in Hindi.

The candidate has to attempt this test in only one language i.e. either in English or in Hindi.

Note: In Stage 2 (National Level), there will be negative marking in each paper. For each wrong answer, 1/3 mark will be deducted. No marks will be deducted for unattempted questions.

NTSE Selection Process

NTSE Selection process will be two-stage process for the award of scholarship. Stage I selection is done by States / UTs after a written examination. Students that qualify Stage I are eligible to appear for Stage II examination by NCERT.

Qualifying marks of Candidates from General category is 40% in every paper and the candidates from SC, ST, PH it is 32% in each paper.

How to apply for NTSE 2018

Eligibility Criteria for NTSE

The eligibility criteria for NTSE 2018 is as given:

• All students in Class 10th are eligible to appear in this scholarship program.
• Students from both government and private schools are eligible to register for this scholarship program.
• A student applying for the scholarship scheme can be from any state of the country.
• Students registered under Open Distance Learning (ODL) will also be eligible, provided they are below 18 years of age (as on 1st July 2018), unemployed and are appearing for the Class 10 exam for the first time.

Registration for NTSE 2018

Follow the given steps to register:

1. Download application form from the official link or obtain it by contacting the state or UT Liaison Officer (LO).
2. Register and fill in the application form.
3. Submit the duly-filled application form to the state or UT Officer after getting it signed by your school principal.

NTSE Admit Card 2018

NTSE Admit Card 2018 will be released on the official state website. You can download the admit card by logging in with your application number and date of birth. NTSE 2018 Stage I examination will be conducted offline on 3th and 4th November 2018.

Here is how you can download your admit card.

Important Dates for NTSE 2018

Exam Dates for NTSE 2018

Tentative exam dates for NTSE 2018

* Dates are tentative and subject to change.

Results and cut-off of NTSE 2018

Results for NTSE

• The finals results of the second stage are displayed on the NTSE results page.
• NTSE board can publish final key/frozen key/revised key etc., as and when required.
• There is a quota earmarked for all the states and union territories.
• The state quota is calculated on the basis of student enrollment at the secondary level with a minimum of 10 for UTs and 25 for states.

The category wise cutoff for NTSE 2017 was:

How to Prepare for NTSE

Preparation Tips for NTSE

• Start your preparation with last year’s NTSE papers: Understand the type of questions asked and your current level of preparation. This will help you gain knowledge of NTSE and also give you a fair idea of your standing.
• Analyse your performance: Identify your strong points and weak links. This will help you plan your studies.
• Make a plan: Go through the subjects thoroughly. The allocation of time to each subject will depend upon your analysis of how weak or strong you are in a particular aspect.
• Practice, practice and practice: Get exposed to more questions of mental ability. Solve more papers and then analyse each one in detail. Take the help of your peers. Practice and get confident of your speed, subject knowledge and accuracy.

Study Material for NTSE

• NCERT books for Class 9 and Class 10
• For MAT: R.S Aggarwal’s handbook
• For Mocks: Refer both Arihant and Tata McGraw-Hill books

For more books, click here.