The National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) is a premier examination that is conducted all over India in the respective states. This exam is considered as one of the toughest examinations in the school life of the students. This exam picks out the most talented students from the school level and awards them scholarships as per their Talent and Intent. This selection is purely based on the educational qualities possessed by the students and not on the basis of their Caste, Creed, Color and Political Connections.
The National Talent Search Examination tests both the Mental and the Scholastic Aptitude of the child. This examination also tests the capturing capacity of the child’s brain which then further analyses the future career discipline of the child. Also passing the first stage of the examination, the candidate can have hands-on experience of the way of conducting interviews in the school life itself. This can make the child realize the stage on which he is standing right now. This examination is conducted exclusively for the SSC Students to test and shape their career effectively. The SSC student should have a platform to express their potential and also should get an upper hand from the other standard students because this is the career deciding time of the students. This thus generally means that the students now have the golden opportunity to grab for shaping their career into the right direction or just let it go in vain.
This exam is just right senior to the State Talent Research Examination conducted by some of the leading colleges or any particular educational administration of the particular state. Unlike this the National Talent Search Examination is conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training which is the central administration of the competitive examination which is conducted by the support of the Indian Government. The aim of this examination is to award scholarship to the meritorious students studying in the SSC Board and is to be kept exclusively for them which is said by the normal public. As declared by the administration for the examination the aim of this NTS Examination is to grant scholarship to the potential candidate in the educational field of Science and Social Studies on the analysis of the Overall performance amidst both the stages.
The National Talent Search Examination is a two stage examination whose conducting body is the NCERT which conducts the examination annually. The examination applications are compulsorily to be applied in the online mode filling the necessary credentials required. The exam is compulsorily conducted in the online mode in the cities where the necessary facilities are available. The examination is of 4 hours wherein equal time distribution is given for the part of Mental and Scholastic Aptitude parts respectively. The examination is conducted at different dates at different states or cities. For the student to give the NTS Examination the student must be an SSC Student and must be of 18 years of age as on 18 July 2020. If the student is studying abroad than the average of his marks before matriculation must be more than or equal to 60% and he can also be exempted in special cases where he can be given the exemption of appearing for the second round if he fulfills some conditions or he is unable to appear for the first round due to some unavoidable conditions. .
The Important Dates for this examination are given as follows:-
| Title | Date |
| Date of Form Closing | To be Declared by the respective states |
| Date of Exam (East and Andaman Nicobar) | 10th December 2020 |
| Date of Exam (Rest of India) | 13th December 2020 |
| Final Interview Round (National) | 13th January 2021 |
The examination is a 120 Question exam wherein 40 Marks each are awarded for the subject Social Studies, Science and Mathematics. The marking scheme for this examination is +1/-0, +1/-0.33. The time allotted for each stage is 120 minutes each. The reservation for each category is given as follows:-
| Category | (%) Qualification | Reservation (%) |
| SC | 32 | 15 |
| ST | 32 | 7.5 |
| PwD | 32 | 3 |
| General | 40 | – |
The amount of scholarship awarded to the student irrespective of any problems is given as follows:-
| Educational Position | Amount (Rupees per month) |
| 11th and 12th standard | 1250/- |
| UG | 2000/- |
| PG | 2000/- |
| PhD | 3500-5000/- |
Frequenlty Asked Questions
To prepare for the NTSE exam, it is advisable to thoroughly study the prescribed syllabus, solve previous years’ question papers, practice sample papers, and take mock tests. Joining coaching classes or seeking guidance from teachers can also be beneficial.
Yes, it is mandatory to appear for both Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the NTSE exam. Students need to qualify in both stages to be eligible for the NTSE scholarship.
The selection process for NTSE consists of two stages. Stage 1 is a state/UT level examination conducted by the respective state/UT authorities. Stage 2 is a national-level examination conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
60 minutes of Duration
100 Questions
Instant Report
4 Dimensions
500+ Career Options
1M+ Test Taken
