By Naren Sharma:
In India, the NTSE is organized by NCERT to recognize the students who have exemplary intellect and talent in academics. Every year, almost 1,500,000 students appear in this examination out of which only 1,000 scholarships are awarded to students who qualify the national scholarship examination. Only students of Indian nationality can apply and participate in the National Talent Search Examination. Students pursuing their first board or class ten are eligible to participate. This scholarship examination is considered to be the toughest. That being said, it is also considered to be the highest prestigious examination of the country for this level. Related information pertaining to this exam can be gathered from the official website or from other educational sources.
Facilitates higher education
The National Talent Search Examination is being conducted every year since 1963. NTSE is held in two stages. As soon as NCERT declares the date of the examination, detailed information can be downloaded from the website by the interested candidates. After qualifying different levels of this exam, students are awarded with scholarships to continue with higher education in the field of science and social sciences, till they pursue the doctoral degree. If the selected student opts for professional courses like engineering or medical, the scholarship money can be utilized till the second degree in the respective field.
Criteria for application
Besides the Indian national students, those belonging to the Indian origin but pursuing education overseas can also apply for NTSE, but they have to apply directly to the second level. Aspirants both from the country and overseas can download the application forms from the website. Once announced, the dates for the first stage as well as of the second stage of exam are declared on the website. Besides this, one can also download information regarding the eligibility criteria and other necessary documents required during the application process. While filling up the application form, one is also required to mention the State or Union they hail from in the covering letter. Following are the different levels of this examination.
- Mental Ability Test (MAT) – This is of fifty marks and has ninety questions. The applicant has to complete it in 45 minutes.
- Scholastic Ability Test (SAT) – This level is divided into two parts, the first part being the language test and the second part is the aptitude test. In the second part, there will be ninety questions from history, economics, geography, political science, biology, physics, chemistry and mathematics that needs to be answered within ninety minutes. The total mark allocated in the language test is forty and the applicant has to answer the same in forty minutes.
For every wrong answer, one third of the total marks are deducted, though negative marking does not apply to the unanswered questions. This examination is conducted across various cities in the country and in different languages. Seats are reserved as per the rule of Government of India. On successful completion of the scholarship exam, the respective candidate is awarded with a fixed monthly scholarship that can be used to pursue higher studies.