NCERT conducts the National Talent Search Examination for students studying in Class X. As it is organized by an official body (NCERT), it is widely regarded as the most prestigious examination at the high school level in the country.
The purpose of the scheme is to identify talented students and nurture their talent. It honours and helps talented students by providing financial assistance in the form of a monthly scholarship for courses in Basic Sciences, Social Sciences and Commerce. This assistance is provided till the Ph.D level. For professional courses like Engineering, Medicine, Management and Law, this assistance is given only till Post Graduation.
It is not the scholarship amount that is important but the fact that the selected students receive lifelong recognition for their aptitude in academics. This gives them an edge over the others for future selection in premier institutions and streams of their choice.
On the basis of the examination conducted, 1000 scholarships are awarded to students of Class-X. The amount of scholarship will be Rs 500/- per month as per NTS rules. The number of scholarships and amount is likely to increase very soon.
The pattern of written examination for Class X is as follows:
• Stage I examination at the State/UT level will comprise two parts, namely (a) Mental Ability Test (MAT) and (b) Scholastic Ability Test (SAT) covering Social Sciences, Sciences, Mathematics and English.
• Stage II examination at the National level will comprise: (a) Mental Ability Test (MAT)
(b) Scholastic Ability Test (SAT) covering Social Sciences, Sciences, Mathematics and English.
The NTSE stage-1 written exam was held on 15th December 2013. Delhi Public School R.K.Puram has the highest number of students who have qualified out of 84 students from various schools of Delhi.
