All about National Talent Search Examination

Can you tell me in detail about eligibility requirement to apply for NTSE (National Talent Search Examination)? Also provide me the syllabus of NTSE?

[pawan]

National Talent Search Examination is a national-level scholarship program in India to identify and recognize students with high intellect and academic talent. About 1000 scholarships are awarded through it, out of which 775 are unreserved. The scheme is open to students of Indian nationality.

Eligibility Criteria

All students studying in Class X in any recognized school is eligible to appear in Stage-I NTS exam.

Moreover, State/UT can impose any eligibility criteria to appear in Stage-I. For stage-II, there is a quota for each State and Union Territory computed based on Student enrolment at secondary level.

Students with Indian Nationality studying abroad need to secure 60% marks in previous examination to apply for NTS exam. Such students, if selected, need to appear for Stage-II NTSE directly.

Syllabus

First level exam for class X

PATTERN:
SAT: The syllabus for Mathematics, Science and Social Science is broadly based on the prescribed respective State Board Syllabus from standard 10th class (100 questions in SAT).

MAT: It has 50 questions of general nature.

Language Test: State Board books cover a lot. More focus is on vocabulary, grammar and basic understanding. Language in first stage is of qualifying purpose (40% of maximum score) only.

Second level exam for class X

NCERT has announced new pattern for stage 2 exam, where each correctly answered question awards the student +1, while an incorrect answer deducts 1/3 marks.

PATTERN:
Mental Ability test: 50 questions, 50 marks; Language test: 50 questions, 50 marks

Scholastic Aptitude test: 100 questions, 100 marks (40 questions from Science, 20 questions from Mathematics and 40 questions from Social Sciences).

In SAT, the Mathematics and Science questions will be asked from the chapters in the syllabus of class 9 and 10.

The Social Science questions will also be asked from the class 9 and 10 NCERT textbooks. Language test is only of qualifying purpose (40% of maximum score); its marks are not counted in the merit list.