This is an introductory article on National Talent Search Examination NTSE) - telling you what is it and why you should appear in the same.
NTSE (National Talent Search Examination) is a very prestigious school-level scholarship exam conducted by NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) every year in the month of May, notification for which is issued in the July/August month of previous year.
As per Wiki, Close to 1,50,000 students appear in this scholarship exam every year, in which only 1000 gets the scholarship - thus only 1 in every 150 is ultimately selected - the acceptance rate is only 0.67%! Compare this with the acceptance rate of Ivy League institutes like Harvard –7.1% (22,955 students applied, 2,058 accepted), Yale – 8.3%... source: NY Times.
Above means that getting a seat in Harvard is easier than getting the NTSE scholarship!
This blog post is introductory in nature and would focus on What is NTSE and Why NTSE. In three subsequent blog posts, I have covered:
What is NTSE?
NTSE is a very prestigious exam held by NCERT every year to identify bright young Indian minds (studying in India as well as in abroad) and offer scholarships right from Class-X onwards till he/she completes Ph.D. In fact it is one of the very few Catch-Them-Young programs launched by Government, which has been a resounding success.
NTSE has been conducted for the last 50 years by NCERT – It was started for only Delhi in 1963 and was called National Science Talent Search Scheme (NSTSS). In 1964, it was extended to all the state/union territories. Thus NTSE is almost as old as NCERT, which came into existence in 1961.
Why NTSE?
i) Instant recognition:
As said, NTSE is a very prestigious exam and once you clear it, you get instant recognition at a very young age. When you grow older and write your own resume for jobs/admissions etc., credential of a NTSE scholar puts you far ahead of others.
ii) Monetary benefits:
You can self-support some of your study cost with the scholarship amount of Rs. 1250/= per month right from Class-XI.
iii) Exposure to a National Level Test:
Yes, this is the greatest reason why you should go for NTSE. At the very young age of 12/13, you are exposed to a National Level Test! Since the exam is very competitive and you have to pass through written test as well as Interview at so young an age, when you attempt NTSE, you are groomed automatically for the future exams like IAS, CAT, GRE etc. It is very rare to find a NTSE scholar who has not succeeded in his further careers. Thus regardless of whether you clear NTSE, you should at least make an attempt, just for the experience.
Therefore you should appear NTSE – for recognition, for money and as well as for the experience.
How much is the NTSE scholarship amount:
1.0 Rs. 1250/= per month in Class-XI & XII.
2.0 Rs. 2000/= per month in Under-graduation & PG studies.
3.0 As per UGC norms in Ph.D. level .
3.0 As per UGC norms in Ph.D. level .
What is the Exam Pattern of NTSE?
NTSE is a two stage scholarship exam:
Stage-1) State Level: Written Test only for the purpose of screening qualifying students.
Stage-2) National Level: Written Test.
State Level examination is conducted by each State/UT to screen out students and to recommend the qualifying students to NCERT for the National Level examination. NCERT than conducts the National Level examination.
Thus after NCERT brings out the advertisement regarding NTSE along with the application form, the whole responsibility of the exam shifts to State Level.
At State Level, the particular Liaison Officers accepts the application forms, conducts the State Level examination and than recommends the list of qualifying students to NCERT. So for all purposes after you Download the application form for State Level NTSE Examination, till you are called by NCERT for the written test of National Level examination, you have a single point of contact – the NTSE Liaison Officer of the state you belong to.
Hope above introductory information on NTSE exam helped you in knowing about the exam in a nutshell. In my continuing blog post, I would cover "NTSE 2016 Exam Dates, Eligibility & Forms" to help you apply for the exam and "NTSE Syllabus & Exam Pattern" as well as "NTSE Sample Papers & Books" to help you prepare for the NTSE exam. Do keep visiting this blog!
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