NTSE is a national-level examination to identify students with high intellect to provide scholarships. Conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), NTSE stands for National Talent Search Examination. It is basically a National Level Scholarship Programme to be offered to the candidates of secondary level.

This examination is conducted twice every year at 2 levels and lakhs of students appear for this scholarship exam every year.

What is NTSE full form in English?

The full form for NTSE is the National Talent Search Examination, which is conducted every year by NCERT or National Council of Educational Research and Training.

What is NTSE?

NTSE or National Talent Search Examination is a national-level scholarship program in India that is conducted to recognize students of high intellect and sheer academic talent. Every year around 14 lakhs students appear for this scholarship exam. The scholarships are awarded to candidates for pursuing courses especially in sciences and social sciences up to Ph.D. level and professional courses up to second-year level. Out of 1000 scholarships awarded to the students, 775 falls under the unreserved category.

An Overview of NTSE:

Conducted by	National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)
Exam mode	Offline
Exam duration	2 hours for each stage
Type of questions	Objective type questions
Number of questions	Stage 1- 200 questions, Stage 2- 200 questions
Sections	Mental Ability Test (MAT), Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)
Medium of questions	English and Hindi

Eligibility Criteria for NTSE:

There are different criteria for each stage, which you should keep in mind very carefully. Take a look at the details below before you prepare and apply for the examination.

• NTSE candidates must be Indian nationals.
• Candidates must be Class 10 students of a recognized private or government school in India.
• If a candidate is below the age of 18 and studying in Class 10 from an open or distance learning school is also eligible to apply.

 Exam Pattern of NTSE:

There are two stages in this examination and each stage consists of two sections. One is the Mental Ability Test (MAT) and another one is the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).

Stage 1 examination is the state-level exam conducted by NCERT where the selection is done by the States and UTs following a written examination. And the Stage 2 examination can be taken by only those who qualify in Stage 1.

STAGE 1 & STAGE 2 PAPER PATTERN:

Test	No Of Questions	Maximum Marks	Time
MAT	50	50	45 min
LT	50	50	45 min
SAT	100	100	90 min
TOTAL	200	200	180 min

** Stage 2 exam has negative marking in the evaluation process. For each wrong answer, one-third of the marks will be deducted. There will be no negative marking for the unattempted questions.

Crucial things to know about NTSE:

1. Every year around 12 to 14 lakh students appear for the examination. Out of which only five thousand students get selected for stage 2.

1. Out of these five thousand students, only one thousand get selected for the NTSE scholarship.

1. These one thousand scholarships are awarded in the different stages of education i.e. Rs. 1250/ month for Class 11 and 12.
2. Scholarship of rs. 2000 is fixed for Undergraduates and Postgraduates, and Ph.D. s per the UGC norms.

1. Last but not least, if you are looking for the best study material for NTSE then you should definitely opt for the NCERT Class 9 and 10 textbooks.
2. Every year the first stage of the NTSE exam takes place in November and the result is announced in January while the Stage 2 exam will be in May. The result of Stage 2 gets announced mostly in August.

NTSE Exam full Form – Advantages of being an NTSE Scholar

The NTSE full form in English is the National Talent Search Examination and the NTSE full form in Hindi is Rashtriya Prathiba Khoj Pariksha.  It is a very prestigious exam, where the person who has secured high ranking has the following benefits:

• If you are an NTSE Scholar, there is numerous monetary support you will receive from the central government. Students who are wanting to pursue studies in sciences and social sciences up until the doctoral level will receive scholarships. For science courses like engineering or medicine, the scholarship is available up to the postgraduate level. The scholarship for Ph.D. programs is according to the UGC standards.
  Attempting and securing a scholarship through NTSE boosts your core confidence. It will help you to take up further competitive classes with more competition and zeal. The preparation process undertaken for this exam will help them prepare for further competitive exams in the higher classes.
• Being an NTSE scholar is an added advantage when you are looking forward to studying abroad. It will help you to easily differentiate between whether to choose to do MS or MBA. Also, those applying for US scholarships get added marks for being an NTSE qualifier. This is especially because the universities abroad are quite familiar with the NTSE exams and give preference to the qualifiers.
• Certain colleges in India have seats reserved for NTSE scholars. Cracking this competitive exam might be your ticket to gaining admissions to one of the top colleges in the country. You can obtain direct admission to these colleges on the basis of your NTSE scores.
• During the NDA selection process, students who have qualified for NTSE are highly benefited.
• The NTSE Scholar is a big plus on the resume putting you ahead of others when it comes to job interviews. They are also given an extra preference when it comes to government jobs.