NTSE(National Talent Search Examination)

Description:The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) was established by the Government of India in the year 1961 with a view to bringing about qualitative improvement in school education in the country. No sooner the Council was set up than it mounted a number of programmes in this direction. One such programme was to identify and nurture the talented students. Only students studying in Class VIII are eligible to appear for the selection process. As it is organized by an official body (NCERT), it is widely regarded as the toughest and most prestigious examination at high school level in the country. It helps students to proliferate their mental level and also helps them to sharpen their minds.


Eligibility:

Before 2006, all students studying in Class X in any type of recognized school were eligible to appear at the state level examination from the state in which the school is located. The state could impose any other eligibility condition for appearing in the screening examination like any qualifying percentage of marks in the previous annual examination, etc. But from 2006 onwards, a separate examination for Class VIII was started. More than 1,50,000 students appear for the screening examination of the NTSE every year.

From 2008-2009 '''National Talent Search examination'' will be held only for class VIII

State level examination

The state level examination has two parts for nominating the required number of candidates for the second level test to be conducted by the NCERT.

• Part-I:Mental Ability Test (MAT), and
• Part-II: Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)

National level examination

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 3000 students from the entire country). NCERT conducts the National Level NTS each year in the 2nd week of May . The national level examination has two parts for nominating the required number of candidates for the interviews to be conducted by the NCERT in July/August:

• Part-I:Mental Ability Test (MAT), and
• Part-II: Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)(with questions on history, civics, geography, rarely economics, maths, physics, chemistry and biology.)

It is usually conducted on 2nd Sunday in May. For NTSE 2011, National Level Exam was conducted on 8th May 2011.
Website:http://www.ncert.nic.in