About NTSE
NCERT, National Council of Educational Research and Training was established by the Government of India in 1961 to enhance the quality of the school’s education system. Several initiatives were taken by the NCERT to provide lucrative opportunities to the bright and intelligent students, and National Talent Search Examination was one such exam conducted by the NCERT. The National Council of Educational Research and Training, NCERT organizes and conducts the National Talent Search Examination every year for students of class X. Every year the exam is conducted at two stages, the stage 1 exam is conducted by the states or UTs at the state level whereas the stage 2 exam is conducted by the NCERT at the national level. The students who qualify in the stage 1 exam are only eligible to appear for the stage 2 exam. Students who have registered and applied for the NTSE exam is currently waiting for the date to be announced by their respective state.
The objective of the NTSE Exam
The NTSE exam is conducted by the NCERT with the objective to identify and reward talented students who wish to pursue higher education in Science and Social Science streams. Around 2000 students are selected every year across the country and are awarded scholarships. Students who clear both stages of the NTSE exam are awarded the scholarship amount for pursuing higher education. The scholarship amount for higher secondary level is Rs. 1250, graduate and postgraduate level is 2000, and for a Ph.D. degree is as per UGC norms.
NTSE Eligibility Criteria
- Only class X students are eligible to apply for the NTSE
- Indian citizens under the age of 18 years can only apply for NTSE
- Students studying in a recognized school or board of education can only apply.
- Students enrolled in distance learning are also eligible for NTSE
NTSE Syllabus
Students preparing for NTSE should prepare exactly as per the syllabus of the exam, as the syllabus of stage 1 and stage 2 exam is different. Stage 1 is the Mental Ability Test that tests students on their thinking, verbal and non-verbal reasoning ability whereas stage 2 is Scholastic Aptitude Test that is divided into three sections such as Science, Math, and Social Science.
Mental Ability Test – Mental ability test is a 100 marks paper and it is of 120 minutes duration. NTSE MAT check students’ reasoning and thinking ability and the syllabus for the MAT includes Analogy, Alphabet Test, Analytical Reasoning, Clock Problems, Series Completion Test, Direction Sense Test, Coding-Decoding, Arithmetical Reasoning Test, Mathematical Operations, Blood Relations, and Logical Venn Diagrams.
Scholastic Aptitude Test – Scholastic Aptitude Test check the student’s knowledge on subjects like Science, Math, and Social Science, where Science, and Social Science of are of 40 marks each and Mathematics is of 20 marks. Though NCERT has not specified specific syllabus for SAT and majorly include all the topics and chapters of class 10th. Mathematics, Science, and Social Science are the integral part of SAT syllabus that includes all the chapters of all these three subjects. SAT is also of 100 marks and the exam is of 2 hours duration.
Students need to accordingly prepare for both the exam. There is no negative marking in the exam so students can take chances while answering the paper.
NTSE Preparation
Students preparing for the 2022 NTSE exam should study the complete syllabus and cover every topic in detail to do good in the exam. Practicing and solving previous year question papers will help students to understand the question pattern, types of questions asked, as well as the marking scheme of the NTSE. Students should practice it hard and should have clarity of every concept, as this will help them do well in the exam. Some of the tips that should follow to be successful in the exam are:
- Students should prepare a separate note of important points and formulae so that they can easily refer to them before the exam to easily remember them.
- Students should not study in a stretch and should take a small break between their studies to maintain their focus and concentration.
- Students to prepare well for the exam can seek assistance and mentor from institutes like FIITJEE that for years have been mentoring and preparing students for coveted examinations.
- Students can cover most of the NTSE syllabus by thoroughly preparing with the NCERT books of class 10th. In case if they find difficulty in understanding, then they can seek help from reputed coaching institutes like FIITJEE.
- Students can seek help from the experienced FIITJEE faculty for their NTSE preparation, as they explain complex topics in an easy to understand manner through illustrations, images, and graphs that will help students grasp the concepts and remember it easily.
- Students should take mock tests, practice tests and previous year question papers, as this is the best way to check their progress and also their preparation. This will further help students to analyse their performance and look for the improvement techniques that will help them score good in the exam.
Good Resources for NTSE Preparation
In addition to their NCERT books students can also study from the below given books:
- NTSE X English Practice Papers by TMH Books
- Class X English 1st and 2nd Edition by McGraw Hill
- The Pearson Guide to NTSE Class X English by Saurabh Priyadarshini and Navi C. Joshi
- NTSE Explorer By Sonia Lal
- R.S. Aggarwal’s handbook
- Arihant & Tata McGraw Hill books
FIITJEE 