The National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) is a national level scholarship program in India to identify and nurture talented students. The scheme''s official name is National Science Talent Search (NSTS), and is open to students of Indian nationality. Only students studying in tenth(X) standard are eligible to appear for the selection process. As it is organized by an official body (NCERT), it is widely regarded as the most prestigious examination at high school level in the country.
Selection procedure
Identification of talent comprises two-stage selection process. While the individual state or union territory conducts the first stage selection, the second stage selection at the national level is carried out by the NCERT.
Eligibility
All students studying in Class X in any type of recognized school are eligible to appear at the state level examination from the state in which the school is located. The state can impose any other eligibility condition for appearing in the screening examination like any qualifying percentage of marks in the previous annual examination, etc.
Part-I: Mental Ability Test (MAT), and
Part-II: Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)
Part-I: Mental Ability Test (MAT), and
Part-II: Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)(with questions on history, civics, geography, maths, physics, chemistry and biology.)
Syllabus
There is no prescribed syllabus for the NTSE examination. However, the standard of items conforms to the level of class X Public Examinations.Scheme of Testing
The scheme of testing is given below:
Test | Duration | No.of Items | Maximum Marks | Qualifying Marks (General) | Qualifying Marks (SC/ST) |
Mental Ability Test (MAT) | 90 (Minutes) | 100 | 100 | 40 | 32 |
Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) | 90 (Minutes) | 100 | 100 | 40 | 32 |
Interview | 15-20 minutes | 25 | Not defined | Not defined |