National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) is one of the most sought after national level exam to allow the students of class 10th to pursue their courses in the stream of science and social science (for upto doctoral level studies) and professional courses such as engineering & medicine (for upto post degree level). NTSE exam helps brilliant students by providing financial assistance in the form of a monthly scholarship for the whole Academic Career. National Council of Education Research & Training (NCERT) conducts ntse exam every year in coordination with states. While the individual State / UT conduct the selection of the first stage, the NCERT conducts the selection of the second stage at national level.
NTSE Selection process for the award of a scholarship is the two-stage process. NTSE exam scholarships are awarded on the basis of two objective type written examinations, the Mental Ability Test (MAT) and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), followed by face-to-face interviews. Identification of students' talent comprise two-stage selection process. Stage I selection is made after a written examination by States / UTs, students who qualify for Stage I are eligible to appear for Stage II exam Students' qualifying marks from the general category are 40% in each paper and SC, ST, PH candidates are 32% in each paper.
Every year, NCERT awards 2000 scholarships through the NTSE exam with a reservation of 15% for SC, 7.5% for ST and 27% for other backward classes and 4% for a group of students with benchmark disabilities all over India. Scholarships are awarded for different stages of education as follows:
Conducting Body | NCERT (National Council of Education Research and Training) |
Mode of Exam | Offline |
Medium of Exam | English and Hindi |
Duration of Exam | 120 Minutes ( For each part) |
Type and Number of Questions | Objective Type Questions (Stage 1: 200 Questions), (Stage 2: 200 Questions) |
Sections | 2 (Mental Ability Test and Scholastic Ability Test) |
The eligibility criteria for NTSE are as given:
There are provisions of reservation in NTSE as per government of India norms:
Category |
Reservation Percentage |
Scheduled Caste (SC) |
15% |
Scheduled Tribe (ST) |
7.5% |
Other Backward Classes (OBC) |
27% |
Persons with Disabilities (PWD) |
4% |
Economically Weaker Section (EWS) |
10% |
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).
Section |
Question Type |
Area of Assessment |
Mental Ability Test (MAT) |
Analogies Classification Series Pattern perception Hidden figures Coding-decoding Block assembly Problem solving etc. |
Power of reasoning Ability to think Evaluate or discriminate |
Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) |
Matching type Arrange the sequence True and False statements Questions based on passages |
Science (Physics, Chemistry and Biology) Mathematics History Geography Political Science Economics |
Tests | No. of Questions |
Max. Marks |
MAT (45 mins) |
50 |
50 |
LT (45 mins) |
50 |
50 |
SAT (90 mins) |
100 |
100 |
Total |
200 |
200 |
Tests |
No. of Questions |
Max. Marks |
MAT (45 mins) |
50 |
50 |
LT (45 mins) |
50 |
50 |
SAT (90 mins) |
100 |
100 |
Total |
200 |
200 |
Note: In NTSE Stage II (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.
Identification of talent comprises a two-stage selection process.
The first level exam is the state level examination, which has two parts for nominating the required number of candidates for the second level test to be conducted by the DSERT.
Students of any Board studying at any recognized school can participate. Those who get qualified an enter the Second Level National Exam. The results of the same will be out on March of the next year.
Candidates acquiring more than the required percentage in the state level examination and standing within a specified number of top ranks (state quota) are eligible to appear for the national level examination (about top 4000 students from the entire country). The national level examination has two parts for nominating the required number of candidates for the interviews to be conducted by the NCERT in May:
The results of the National Level Examination shall be out by July–August the same year. The results are displayed on the website www.ncert.nic.in mid-July or early-August.
Follow the given steps to register:
Submit the duly-filled application form to the state or UT Officer after getting it signed by your school principal.
NTSE exam is conducted in various states and union territories. Candidates have to indicate their preferred exam center at the time of filling up NTSE Application Form Below is the list of exam centers for NTSE 2020 examination:
States/ UTs |
NTSE Exam Centre Venue |
Andaman & Nicobar Islands |
KV No 2, Raksha Vihar, Minnie Bay |
Andhra Pradesh |
KV, Gandhi Gram Post, Malkapuram, Visakhapatnam |
Arunachal Pradesh |
KV No 2, Itanagar, Chimpu Post, Arunachal Pradesh |
Assam |
KV CRPF 9 Mile Amerigog, Kamrup, Guwahati |
Bihar |
KV No 1, Lohiya Nagar, Near Heart Hospital, Kankarbagh, Patna |
Chandigarh |
KV, ASF High Grounds, Chandigarh |
Chhattisgarh |
KV No 2, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Nagar, Sector 4, Raipur |
Dadra & Nagar Haveli |
KV, Government High School Campus, Silvassa |
Delhi |
KV No 3, Ringroad, Near Seema Sadak Bhawan |
Goa |
KV, INS Madovi, Panjim |
Gujarat |
KV No 1, Near Police Commissioner’s Office, Shahi Baug, Ahmedabad |
Haryana |
KV No 1, AFS, Sector 14, Old Delhi Road, Gurugram |
Himachal Pradesh |
KV, Dharamshala Cantt, Kangra |
Jammu & Kashmir |
KV No 1, Gandhinagar, Jammu |
Jharkhand |
KV CCL, Rajendra Nagar, Ranchi |
Karnataka |
KV, ASC Center, Victoria Road, Bangalore, Karnataka |
Kerala |
KV No 3, Port Trust, Willingdon Island, Kochi, Ernakulam |
Lakshadweep |
KV, Kavaratti |
Madhya Pradesh |
KV No 1, Opp Central India Flour Mill, Hoshangabad Road, Bhopal |
Maharashtra |
KV, Bhandup, LBS Marg, Kanjurmarg West |
Maharashtra |
KV, BEG, Near Deccan College, Pune |
Manipur |
KV No 1, Lamphelpat, Imphal |
Meghalaya |
KV, Happy Valley, Shillong |
Mizoram |
KV, Project Pushpak Zemabawk, Aizawl |
Nagaland |
KV, CRPF Camp, Lerie Hill, Kohima, Nagaland |
Odisha |
KV No 1, Unit 9, Near Ram Mandir, Bhubaneswar |
Puducherry |
KV, IIT Campus, Chennai |
Punjab |
KV, ASF High Grounds, Chandigarh |
Rajasthan |
KV No 1, Bajaj Nagar, Opp Tonk Phatak, Jaipur |
Sikkim |
KV, Post Tadong, Middil, Siyari, Gangtok |
Tamil Nadu |
KV, IIT Campus, Chennai |
Telangana |
KV No 1, Langer House, Golconda, Hyderabad |
Tripura |
KV (GC) CRPF, Adarani, Salbagan, Agartala |
Uttarakhand |
KV ONGC, Kaulagarh Road, Dehradun |
Uttar Pradesh |
KV, Lucknow Cantt |
Uttar Pradesh |
KV, New Cantt, VD Road, Allahabad |
West Bengal |
KV, Ballygunge, Circular Road, Kolkata |