NTSE - What Is NTSE Exam ?

What is NTSE

About NTSE

NTSE exam is the National level scholarship program by Govt. of India and most venerated exam of India. It is not only about scholarship but a matter of great pride and honour for every student to be recognised as the nation’s talent. The NTSE (National Talent Search Examination) examination is conducted every year at two levels – Stage I (State level) and Stage II (National Level). NTSE Stage I is conducted by States and NTSE Stage II is conducted by NCERT.

NTSE Stage I State level
NTSE Stage II National level

NTSE Eligibility Criteria

According to the criteria laid out by CBSE, NTSE is open for the students of Indian nationality irrespective of whether they study in India or abroad at class X level.
-Candidates studying in India will be selected on the basis of their screening examination will be eligible for NTSE.
-Candidates studying Abroad having Indian Nationality are eligible. They are exempted from the first level and are permitted to appear directly at the second level examination. Click here for more details about NTSE eligibility criteria.


NTSE Eligibility Criteria (Stage 1) • Candidate must have scored a minimum of 60% marks in Class IX. The candidate must be of recognized school in the respective State or Union Territory.
• The Open Distance Learning (ODL) program students will also be considered eligible if they are below 18 years of age as on July 1, YYYY(the same year in which candidate giving the exam) and are not employed when they appear for Class X examination.
NTSE Eligibility Criteria (Stage 2) • Only students who manage to clear NTSE Stage I will be eligible for NTSE Stage II examination.

NTSE Scholarship

NTSE scholars are provided with the scholarship of Rs 1250 per month for Class XI and XII and Rs 2000 per month for graduation and higher studies by Indian government. Apart from this, being an NTSE scholar provides following benefits:


• NDA National Defence Academy Exam organized by UPSC gives preference to NTSE scholars.
• Renowned Engineering College for Information Technology such as IIIT-Hyderabad offers 15 seats to NTSE scholars. This institute is considered equivalent to IIT-Bombay.
• NTSE scholars will have upper edge in Foreign University admissions.
• Preference in various Public and Private sector Jobs.
• IIIT-Delhi, an Engineering College under Government of Delhi, gives ‘bonus marks’ to NTSE scholars.

NTSE Syllabus

Syllabus of NTSE is based on 9th & 10th class level. For Stage 1, NTSE preparation should be state wise & for Stage 2, the preparation should be national level wise. Students are advised to go through each and every topic. NTSE consists of multiple choice questions which are asked from the subjects like Mathematics, Science, Social Science, English, General Knowledge and Mental Ability syllabus. Get complete NTSE syllabus here.

NTSE Exam Pattern

The NTSE is conducted in two stages i.e. Stage I and Stage II. The NTSE paper is available in both the Hindi and English medium. The students have to select any one language from both the languages. The paper is divided into two sections i.e. Mental Ability Test (MAT), and Scholastic Ability Test (SAT). Get details of NTSE exam pattern here.


MAT (Mental Ability Tests) 100 Questions 120 Minutes
SAT (Scholastic Ability Tests) 100 Questions 120 Minutes
• The paper is comprised of Objective type multiple choice questions.
• The examination is conducted through the offline mode only.
• For every correct answer, 1 mark will be given and there is no negative marking at stage 1 and stage 2.
• Reserved category candidates have to secure 32% marks to qualify the test, whereas general category candidates have to secure 40% marks to qualify the test.

NTSE Exam Centers

At the time of filling application form for NTSE, students have to select the particular exam center. The students can check the name of examination center on their admit card once the application form is successfully submitted. The details of the examination center are...


State Contact Details Official Link
A & N Island 3192225093 https://education.andaman.gov.in/#
Andhra Pradesh 0863-2596124 http://bseap.org/
ArunachaPradesh 0360-2203509 http://www.arunachalpradesh.gov.in/education
Assam 0361-2895041 www.madhyamik.in
Bihar - http://scertbihar.co.in/
Chandigarh 01762-288044 http://www.siechd.nic.in/
Chattisgarh 7712263743 http://www.scert.cg.gov.in/
Dadra and Nagar Haveli na http://www.dnh.nic.in/Departments/Educatio n.aspx
Daman & Diu 2602630624  http://www.daman.nic.in/
Goa 8322402609 http://scert.goa.gov.in/
Gujarat 7923261211 http://www.sebexam.org/
Haryana 0124-2309304 http://scertharyana.gov.in/
Himachal Pradesh 0179-2270580 www.himachal.nic.in/scert
Jammu 0191-2592007 http://jkbose.co.in/
Jharkhand 0651-2525601 https://jac.jharkhand.gov.in/jac/result/
Karnataka 080-25302862 www.dsert.kar.nic.in/
Kerala 4842667102 www.scert.kerala.gov.in
Lakshadweep http://www.schoolspedia.com/website/govt-sr-sec-school-kavaratti-lakshadweep
Madhya Pradesh 0755-2551640 www.ssa.mp.gov.in
Maharashtra 022-25783004 http://www.mscepune.in/
Manipur 0385-2429214 http://www.manipureducation.gov.in/
Meghalaya 0364-2535737 http://www.megeducation.gov.in/
Mizoram 3892331559 http://dietaizawl.weebly.com/notice- boardnews.html
Nagaland 0370-2801550 http://scertnagaland.org/Default.aspx
NCT of Delhi www.edudel.nic.in
New Delhi & Western UP 011-25693499
Odisha 6742748437 www.scertodisha.nic.in
Puducherry 4132655745 https://schooledn.py.gov.in/notifications.html
Pune 020-20271666
Punjab 0161-2805551 www.ssapunjab.org
Rajasthan 0294-2584904 www.rajeduboard.nic.in
Sikkim 3592232646 http://sikkimhrdd.org/
Srinagar 1933223329
Tamil Nadu 044-22240739 http://www.dge.tn.gov.in/index.html
Telangana http://bseap.org/Index.aspx
Tripura 3812346040 http://www.scerttripura.org/
Uttar Pradesh 0532-2622058 www.examregulatoryauthorityup.in
Uttarakhand 13502453893 http://www.scert.uk.gov.in/news
West Bengal 033-24865171 www.wbsed.gov.in

NTSE Reservation

a) 15% for students belonging to SC category.

b) 7.5% for students belonging to ST category.

c) 27% for students belonging to OBC category.

d) 4% for Physically Challenged group of students, benchmark disabilities of which –

- 1% each will be reserved for persons with benchmark disabilities under clauses:

- Blindness and low vision

- Deaf and hard of hearing

- Locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy.

-1% for persons with benchmark disabilities under clauses:

- Autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness.

- Multiple disabilities from amongst persons under clauses in the posts identified for each disabilities.

NTSE Exam Highlights

Conducting Body NCERT (National Council of Education Research and Training)
Mode Offline
Medium English and Hindi
Duration 120 Minutes ( For each part)
Type & Number of Questions Objective Type Questions (Stage 1: 200 Questions), (Stage 2: 200 Questions)
Sections 2 (Mental Ability Test and Scholastic Ability Test)

The qualified students are eligible for scholarship on the basis of the final merit list.

To access study material log in at www.ntseguru.in or download NTSE Guru mobile app.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. What are benefits of Ntse?

Ans. Over and above the provision of financial aid throughout a students’ post doctoral studies, getting through with NTSE Exam is a matter of prestige, pride and honor for every student. It also provides an added advantage to students while getting into IIT’s or cracking any Govt. exam.

Q2. What is Ntse exam for?

Ans. NTSE exam is conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). It is a prestigious national level exam, that is conducted only for 10th standard students. NTSE Exam is conducted in two different stages – Stage I and II every year. The objective of the exam is to give recognition to the talented students studying in class 10th.

Q3. What is the fees of Ntse exam?

Ans. NCERT do not charge any fee from the students to conduct the NTSE Stage– 2 examinations, the States and Union Territories do charge some minimum amount of fee which is notified by SCERT for Stage – 1 examination and the amount differs for every state. There are few states who conduct NTSE stage I for free of cost.

Q4. How do I apply for National Talent Search Exam?

Ans. Follow the below steps to apply National Talent Search Exam:

  1. Visit the NTSE official website of your state.

  2. Click on link ‘Apply for NTSE’.

  3. Candidates have to fill the following credentials: Candidates Name, Date of birth, Mobile Number, Email ID, Educational Qualification etc.

  4. After filling all the credentials click on ‘submit’.

  5. Download the NTSE Application Form.

  6. Candidates can also get their Application Form from the office of Liaison Officer.

Q5. What is the use of Ntse exam?

Ans. NTSE is the most prestigious examination for class 10th students. Through the NTSE exam, you will not only be honored by scholarship, But also you will get benefits in govt. jobs and private sectors.

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