NTSE Exam: Eligibility, Syllabus and Pattern 2022

The National Talent Search Examination or NTSE is a two-tier exam to identify meritorious students with high intellect and provide them with financial assistance for their studies. Every year, more than 5 Lakh students apply for the scholarship exam is administered by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) where the awardees are selected through a strict procedure. Financial aid is provided to the students willing to pursue courses in Science and Social Sciences up to the doctoral level. Further, those who want to study professional courses like that in the field of Medicine, Law, and Engineering, the scholarship is provided up to the second-degree level. In this blog, we will shed light on the other key aspects of the national talent search examination. 

Also Read: Difference Between Scholarship And Fellowship

NTSE Exam Highlights

Exam Name	National Talent Search Examination (NTSE)
Conducted By	National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT)
Exam Frequency	Annual
Application Mode	Online
Exam	Offline
Total Exam Duration	4 hrs (MAT – 2 hrs & SAT – 2 hrs)

Exam Overview

Earlier, the NTSE exam for both stages was conducted by NCERT but recently, the respective boards of the states have been authorized to conduct the first part of the exam. Among 2,000 scholarships, 15 percent is reserved for SC, 7.5 percent for ST, 27 percent for other backward classes, and 4 percent for a group of students with disabilities. While the amount for the scholarship is Rs. 1,250 per month for class XI and class XII students, for undergraduates and postgraduates, the amount is capped at Rs 2,000. For candidates pursuing a PhD degree, the scholarship amount is set in accordance with the guidelines issued by the University Grants Commission(UGC). The applicants who qualify the first round of the exam in the State/UT are eligible for the second round which is held at the national level by the NCERT. 

Note: The students belonging to general category must secure 40% marks while those in the reserved categories should obtain a minimum of 32% marks in the NTSE exam. 

Important Dates for NTSE 2022

Events	Dates for NTSE 2022
Application Available	September 2022
Last Date to Apply	October 2022
NTSE Admit Card for Stage 1	10 days before exam date
NTSE Stage 1 Examination 2022	November – December 2022
NTSE Answer Keys (Stage 1)	Within 5-7 days after the exam
NTSE Results (Stage 1)	January 2023
NTSE Stage 2 Examination Admit Card	Two-Three weeks before exam
NTSE Stage 2 Examination 2022	June 2023
NTSE Stage 2 Result 2022	September – October 2023

Eligibility Criteria NTSE

The candidates studying in the country are selected through a two-tier process but the students studying abroad are exempted from appearing in the first round and can directly appear for the national level exam. Here are the detailed insights about the eligibility criteria of NTSE Exam-

NTSE Eligibility for Stage 1 (State Level Exam)

1. Candidate must be a class 10 student from any public or private institution in India 
2. There are no restrictions along the lines of domicile. Thus, they belong to any state or union territory of India. 
3. Candidates who are pursuing studies from open or distance learning schools can also appear for NTSE exam if they are less than 18 years of age and are appearing for class 10 board examination for the first time. It is also mandatory that candidates are unemployed. 

NTSE Eligibility for Stage 1 (State Level Exam)

1. only the students who qualify the level one of the examination become eligible for the next level. 
2. Essential details like venue, roll number, date of the examination will be conveyed to the selected applicants through the official website of NCERT. 

NTSE Eligibility for Students Studying Abroad 

1. Indian students who are pursuing class 10th or its equivalent studies abroad can directly write stage 2 of the NTSE exam. 
2. It is mandatory for them to score at least 60% in the previous year’s annual examination.
3. Candidates should appear for the examination in India. 
4. The scholarship will only be granted to those who wish to pursue studies in India
5. The applicant can request the head of the institution where they are currently studying along with an attested copy of the class 9th marksheet. The request shall reach the head of the department at NCERT by the 31st December of the concerned year. 

Also Read: NEST Scholarship

NTSE Exam Pattern

The NTSE exam pattern is designed to test a candidate on various parameters through its two papers namely Paper-I and Paper-II. Both are administered on the same day. Given below is a brief summary of the pattern of both the papers: 

Paper-I

The Paper-I consists of Mental Ability Test (MAT) which carries 100 multiple choice questions and each question carries 1 mark. The candidates are required to fill their answers in a separate OMR sheet. As per the official data on the NCERT website, there is no negative marking in either of the exams but it is advised to not blind guess the answers. The paper has questions on Analogies, Classification, Series, Pattern perception and Hidden figures to test the candidate’s reasoning and comprehension ability. The duration of this paper of the NTSE exam is 120 minutes.

Paper-II

Paper-II comprises of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) which carries 100 questions out of which 40 are from Science, 40 from Social Science and 20 from Mathematics with each having 4 alternatives to choose from. Each MCQ carries 1 mark which comes to a total of 100 marks for the paper. The paper has Matching type, Arrange the sequence, True and False statements, and questions based on passages from the main subjects taught in the school. The duration of paper-II of the NTSE exam is 120 minutes.

NTSE Syllabus

Even though there is no prescribed syllabus for NTSE, studying the syllabus of class IX and X Maths, Science, English, and Social Sciences will be beneficial. Given below are the subject wise topics from which the questions are asked:

SUBJECTS IN NTSE	TOPICS
Maths	Geometry Algebra Mensuration Number Systems Profit and Loss Introduction to Trigonometry Statistics and Probability
Science	Gravity EnergySolids, Liquids, and Gases Conservation of Energy Nutrition Natural Gases Solutions Common Diseases Properties of Chemical Elements
Social Sciences	Mughal Dynasty Ancient Civilisations Legislative Assembly Government Structure Hydrosphere Types of Banks General Happenings Political Events Awards Fundamental Rights Type of Economics
English	Adjective Adverb Articles and Verbs Conjunction Nouns and Pronouns Prepositions Reading Comprehension Sentences Tenses and Adjectives Transformation of Sentences Vocabulary

Application Process

In order to appear for the NTSE exam 2021, it is necessary for candidates to fill their application form. They can choose to submit their entries either online or offline. You can follow the below mentioned steps to fill up the application form- 

• Step 1: Collect the application form from the liaison officer of the state or download it from the official website. 
• Step 2: You will have to fill up the application form as per the instructions along stated there. You will be asked to fill up the details like your name, mother’s name, father’s name, address, category, etc. 
• Step 3: In this step, you will have to fill up the application fee for your form. 
• Step 4: Once you have completed all the above-mentioned steps and attached all the necessary documents, you can submit your application form for NTSE

Also Read: Jio Scholarship

Important Documents

While filling up the application form for NTSE exam, mentioned below are the documents that you will be required to attach with it- 

• Recent colour passport size photograph
• Caste certificate 
• Other necessary documents

Marking Scheme 

Your answer sheet of the NTSE examination will be qualified as per the below stated marking scheme- 

Stage 1	-1 mark will be allotted for every correct answer-There is no negative marking for the wrong answer
Stage 2	-1 mark will be given for every correct answer-For every wrong answer, 1/3rd mark will be deducted-No negative marking for the questions left unattended

FAQ

Q. Is there any fee for the NTSE stage 2 examination?

There is no additional fee payment required to appear in stage two of the NTSE examination.

Q. Is rechecking or re-evaluation facility available after NTSE exam result declaration?

A re-evaluation facility is not available for the students in the NTSE exam result.

Q. Can Class 12th appear for the National Talent Search Examination?

No, class 12th students cannot appear in the NTSE examination. NTSE is only for class 10th students.

Hopefully, the blog gave you an overview of the NTSE exam. The scholarship is offered on a monthly basis, which is something that you should be looking for. If you want to explore other scholarships and funding options to study abroad, then Leverage Edu can help you with it. You may enlist the assistance of Leverage Edu specialists to assist you with the application process so that you can realize your goals. Call us immediately at 1800 57 2000 for a free 30-minute counselling session.