National Talent Search Examination (NTSE)
National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) is conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) for granting scholarships to meritorious students studying in the class 10th. The examination is conducted in two stages Stage 1 and Stage 2.
The first stage of the examination is a state-level exam conducted individually by the Indian states. The students clearing the first stage are qualified for the second stage. The potential students are provided with awards and scholarships.
NTSE Scholarships
Overall, 2000 scholarships are awarded for each stage of education. It is as follows:
- For classes 11th and 12th, a scholarship of Rs. 1250 per month is provided.
- For undergraduates and postgraduates, a scholarship of Rs. 2000 per month is provided.
- For PhD, the scholarship is fixed following the UGC norms.
Eligibility Criteria
- The students must be class 10th students from any Government or Private school in India.
- There is no domicile restriction.
- The students in open or distance learning are also eligible for the examination, provided they are less than 18 years of age and unemployed.
Examination Pattern
The examination consists of 200 questions which must be answered in 2 hours. No negative marking is given for incorrect answers.
Papers | Subjects | Number of Questions |
Paper 1 (Mental Ability Test) | Aptitude Test | 100 |
Paper 2 (Scholastic Aptitude Test) | Science, Social Science, Mathematics | 100 |
The cut-off for the examination is as below
Categories | Cut off |
General | 132 |
SC | 98 |
ST | 89 |
OBC | 110 |
EWS | 81 |
The minimum passing marks for the general category are 40% and 35% for others. The test is available in Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Malayalam, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.