NSTSE (National Science Talent Search Examination), also called as National Maths and Science Olympiad, is a diagnostic test to measure ...
NSTSE (National Science Talent Search Examination), also called as National Maths and Science Olympiad, is a diagnostic test to measure the concepts of a student in his academic studies – mathematics & science. This test can be taken by students studying in Class-II to Class-XII. It is conducted by Unified Council, which is a private educational organisation based in Hyderabad.
This blog article introduces you to NSTSE and tells you why you should appear in it. You can also go through my blog article titled: NSTSE 2013 Notification, Form & Eligibility to know about how to apply for NSTSE 2013.In another blog article titled: NSTSE exam pattern, syllabus, papers & books, you can find the prep materials for NSTSE.
In many times, NSTSE is confused with its homonym NTSE (National Talent Search Examination) – but actually both are completely two different exams. NTSE is a scholarship exam, which is conducted by NCERT for Class-VIII students. You can find more about NTSE in my previous blog post titled: NTSE 2016 Exam Date Notification, Form & Eligibility..
Is NSTSE a scholarship exam?
Yes & No. NSTSE does not offer you scholarship in the form of annual or monthly grants like NTSE, but for the top scorer (among all the classes), it offers one-time cash reward of Rs. 2 lakhs. It also offers following reward schemes for rankers in each class:
Top 3 rankers: Tablet PC + Memento + Medal.
Next 7 rankers (i.e. Ranks 4-10): Rs. 1000/= cash.
Next 15 rankers (i.e. Ranks 11-25): Rs. 500/= cash.
Ranker 26-100: Talent & Olympiad Exams Resource Book by Brain Mapping Academy.
Ranker 1-100: Encyclopedia Britannica CD pack worth Rs. 995/= + Medal + certificate of appreciation.
It also offers following discount coupons for ranker 1-100 in each class:
50% (Rs.900) on Unified Knowledge Box Activity kit: For class II-VI.
50% (Rs.750) on Ambition IIT/AIEEE material.
All students who appear in NSTSE are awarded a Participation certificate.
Why should you appear in NSTSE?
NSTSE measures your fundamental concept in the subjects, while board exams measure your recall capacity (i.e. how much you can memorize). This is the most notable difference between NSTSE and the school/board exams. And how does that help you?
The measurement of the concepts enables you to find what is your area of strength and weakness, thus helping you to strengthen your weak areas. If your those weak areas are not addressed, the conceptual gaps multiplies in the higher classes and a "phobia" is developed for that subject.
On the other hand, if the concepts in the subjects are well-understood, they not only helps you to score better marks in board exams, but also helps you to score better marks in the future competitive entrance exams like IIT-JEE, AIEEE, AFMC, AIIMS, GRE, GMAT, CAT etc., as these entrance exams tests the fundamental concepts in subjects.
Thus while deciding to appear for NSTSE, you should forget about the scholarship (i.e. reward schemes) of NSTSE – the main reason that you should go for it is – it prepares you for the future entrance exams!
Is NSTSE costly?
No, it is damn cheap. NSTSE exam fee is only Rs.150.
There are two fee payment options: Rs. 150 & Rs. 200.
For the Rs, 200/= option, you get set of NSTSE sample question papers (Rs. 40/-) free.
Besides the test fee of Rs. 100/=, Student's Performance Report (SPR) costs you Rs.15 & Postage costs you the remaining amount.
So cost of the exam should not be factored while deciding or not to take NSTSE.
How popular is NSTSE?
Every year, a huge number of students appears in NSTSE.
Popularity of NSTSE can be gauged from the fact that in NSTSE-2011, 3.7 lakh students appeared in it. In NSTSE 2012, 3.75 lakh students had appeared. Thus every year the number of students appearing in NSTSE is growing by leaps and bounds!
Hope the above introductory article has helped you to know about NSTSE and how to apply for it. To know about this exam better and prepare for the same, please tune into my next blog article titled: NSTSE exam pattern, syllabus, papers & books.
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