- NTSE is currently on hold
- The National Talent Search Scheme was approved only until March 31, 2021, and NCERT stalled the 2021-22 examination after the Ministry of Education did not renew it, so no NTSE has been held since
- When active, NTSE selects Class X students through a two-stage MAT and SAT process and awards 2,000 scholarships worth Rs 1,250 to Rs 2,000 per month
- Officials have indicated the scheme may return in a new format.
What Is the National Talent Search Examination (NTSE)?
The National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) is a national scholarship scheme run by NCERT to identify talented Class X students in India. It tests aptitude across Mental Ability and Scholastic subjects, and successful scholars receive monthly financial support through undergraduate, postgraduate and, in many cases, doctoral study.
NTSE was launched by NCERT to recognise and nurture students with high intellectual ability and clear reasoning across Science, Mathematics and Social Sciences. It is a fully government-funded scheme, and being an NTSE scholar is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious academic distinctions available to a school student in India.
Is NTSE Still Being Conducted in 2026?
As of 2026, NTSE remains on hold. The National Talent Search Scheme was approved only until March 31, 2021, and NCERT stalled the 2021-22 examination because the Ministry of Education did not renew it. No fresh NTSE has been conducted since, though officials have signalled a possible relaunch in a new format.
NCERT's notice stated that "the National Talent Search Scheme was approved till March 31, 2021" and that "further implementation of the scheme in its present form has not been approved and has been stalled till further orders." The 2020-21 cycle was the last one taken to completion. Students should watch NCERT's official NTSE page for any relaunch notice rather than rely on unofficial coaching announcements.
How to Get a Scholarship to Study AbroadRead →Who Is Eligible for NTSE?
Only students studying in Class X at a recognised Indian school may sit NTSE, including Kendriya Vidyalaya, Navodaya and Sainik School students. Candidates must be below 18 years as on July 1 of the exam year, unemployed, and appearing in Class X for the first time. Open and Distance Learning students qualify too.
Eligibility for Stage I is decided by each State or Union Territory, which may set its own qualifying percentage in the previous annual examination. There is no domicile bar beyond studying in a recognised school in that state. Students under the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode are eligible provided they are below 18 years, not employed, and appearing in the Class X examination for the first time.
How Is NTSE Structured Across Two Stages?
NTSE selection happens in two stages. Stage I is a screening test conducted by each State or Union Territory through its SCERT, usually held in November. Candidates who clear Stage I are recommended for Stage II, the national-level examination conducted by NCERT. Final scholars are chosen from Stage II performance alone.
Stage I is purely a qualifying round; marks scored there do not count towards the final scholarship. Each state is allotted a quota of candidates it can forward to Stage II. At the national level, NCERT conducts a single common Stage II examination across the country, and the merit list of scholars is drawn only from Stage II scores.
Government Education Loan for Study AbroadRead →What Is the NTSE Exam Pattern (MAT and SAT)?
Both stages use the same paper structure: a Mental Ability Test (MAT) of 100 questions and a Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) of 100 questions, each carrying 100 marks and lasting 120 minutes. The SAT covers Science (40), Social Science (40) and Mathematics (20). Since 2018 there is no negative marking.
The MAT measures reasoning, logic and the ability to think and evaluate, while the SAT measures reading and subject knowledge. Negative marking, which had been introduced at the national stage in 2014, was abolished in 2018 along with an increase in test duration, so every correct answer earns one mark and no marks are deducted for wrong or unattempted questions.
| Component (NTSE 2026 pattern) | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental Ability Test (MAT) | 100 | 100 | 120 minutes |
| Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) | 100 (Science 40, Social Science 40, Maths 20) | 100 | 120 minutes |
| Total | 200 | 200 | 240 minutes |
What Does the NTSE Syllabus Cover?
The NTSE syllabus is not separately prescribed; it broadly follows the NCERT Class IX and X curriculum. MAT assesses reasoning through analogies, series, coding-decoding, blood relations and figures. SAT tests Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), Social Science (History, Geography, Civics, Economics) and Mathematics. Regular school study plus reasoning practice covers most of it.
There is no fixed, exhaustive syllabus published by NCERT, but the topics below reflect what previous MAT and SAT papers have consistently drawn from.
What Topics Appear in the MAT?
- Verbal and non-verbal analogy and series
- Coding-decoding, blood relations and direction sense
- Alphabet and number tests, mathematical operations
- Venn diagrams, calendars, clocks and ranking
- Figures: embedded, mirror and water images, paper folding, cubes and dice
What Topics Appear in the SAT?
- Science: motion and force, work and energy, light and sound, acids-bases-salts, metals and non-metals, carbon compounds, life processes, heredity and evolution
- Social Science (History): Indus Valley, Mauryan and Mughal empires, French and Industrial Revolutions, the Indian freedom struggle, World Wars
- Social Science (Geography and Civics): resources, agriculture, climate, physiography and drainage of India, the Indian Constitution, judiciary and government
- Mathematics: number systems, polynomials, quadratic and linear equations, trigonometry, coordinate and Euclidean geometry, mensuration, statistics and probability
How Much Is the NTSE Scholarship?
NTSE awards up to 2,000 scholarships each year, with reservations for SC, ST, OBC and Divyang candidates. Scholars receive Rs 1,250 per month during Class XI and XII, Rs 2,000 per month through undergraduate and postgraduate study, and, for PhD, an amount fixed as per University Grants Commission norms.
The number of scholarships was raised from 1,000 to 2,000 in 2019, and the monthly rates were last revised in 2014-15. The scholarship supports study in the sciences and social sciences up to the doctoral level and in professional courses such as medicine and engineering up to the second-degree level, making it one of the few Indian schemes that funds a scholar from school right through to PhD.
| Stage of study (NTSE 2026) | Monthly scholarship |
|---|---|
| Class XI and XII | Rs 1,250 per month |
| Undergraduate and Postgraduate | Rs 2,000 per month |
| PhD | As per UGC norms |
How Should You Apply and Prepare for NTSE?
When NTSE is active, students apply through their school to the State or UT SCERT, usually between August and October, paying a small state-set fee for Stage I. Preparation should combine thorough Class IX and X NCERT study with timed MAT reasoning practice and solving previous years' MAT and SAT papers.
Application forms are released by each state's SCERT in online or offline mode; there is no central application for Stage I. There is no fee for the national Stage II examination. Because the SAT closely tracks the school curriculum, consistent NCERT study handles most of it, while the MAT rewards dedicated reasoning practice and timed mock tests.