NATIONAL TALENT SEARCH EXAMINATION

HISTORY


Soon after NCERT was established in 1961, a programme to identify and nurture the talented students took up there the shape of a scheme called National Science Talent Search Scheme (NSTSS) in the year 1964. The objective of this scheme was to identify talented students and awarding them with scholarships. During the first year of the implementation of the scheme, it was confined to the then Union Territory of Delhi wherein only 10 scholarships were awarded to the Class IX students.

History of the previous NTSE testing schemes


In the year 1964 the scheme was extended to all the states and the union territories in the country with 350 scholarships for the students of Class IX. These scholarships were awarded on the basis of a written examination, a project report and an interview. The written examination comprised the Science Aptitude Test and an Essay on a given scientific theme. The candidates were to submit the project report at the time of the written examination. A stipulated number of candidates selected on the basis of these three components were then subjected to personal interview. The performance of the candidates on these four components was eventually employed for the purpose of awarding scholarships. These scholarships were awarded for pursuing education only in basic sciences up to doctoral level.
With the introduction of 10+2+3 pattern of education, the NSTS scheme also underwent a change in the year 1976. It was no longer confined to only basic sciences but was extended to Social Sciences, Engineering and medicine as well. It was renamed as National Talent Search Scheme (NTSS). Since the education system in India was undergoing a change, the scheme was made open to the students of Classes X, XI and XII and separate examinations were conducted for each class. The number of scholarships was raised to 500. The selection procedure was also changed. Now the candidates were subjected to two objective type written tests namely the Mental Ability Test (MAT) and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). A stipulated number of candidates qualifying these two tests were subjected to a face-to-face interview. The final awards were made on the basis of composite scores obtained in the MAT, the SAT and the interview.
The number of scholarships was again enhanced from 500 to 550 in the year 1981. These 50 scholarships were exclusively meant forScheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates. The number of scholarships was once again escalated to 750 in the year 1983 with a provision of 70 scholarships especially for SC/ST candidates. This arrangement continued until the scheme was decentralized in the year 1985. Yet another change in the scheme was effected from the year 2000 wherein the number of scholarships was raised from 750 to 1000 with the provision of reservation for SC and ST candidates based on the national norms of 15% and 7.5% respectively.
The scheme was partially decentralized in 1985 and was confined to only class X. Under the new arrangement, the selection of candidates for the awards became a two-tier process. The states and the union territories have been entrusted with the responsibility of conducting the first tier screening examination known as State Level Talent Search Examination. Each state and union territory selects and recommended a stipulated number (state quota) of candidates for the national level examination to be conducted for about 3000 candidates by the NCERT.
The states got complete autonomy to design and conduct their written examinations. However, they were advised to follow the national pattern which comprised MAT and SAT. The MAT, which consisted of 100 multiple choice type questions, was to be attempted by all the candidates. The SAT consisted of 25 multiple choice type questions each on eight subject areas namely Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Geography, Civics and Economics. The candidates could choose any four out of these eight subjects and had to answer a total of 100 questions in the SAT.
A stipulated number of candidates who qualified at the national level examination were called for face-to-face interviews. The award of scholarships was finally determined on the basis of the candidates’ scores obtained in all three components namely the MAT, the SAT and the Interview.
A crucial modification in the scheme was again made in the year 1995 when the provision of choice in the SAT was abolished and all the subjects were made compulsory. These subjects were Science, Social Science and Mathematics with 40, 40 and 20 questions respectively.
The scholarships under the present scheme are awarded to the candidates for pursuing courses in sciences and social sciences up to doctoral level and in professional courses like medicine and engineering up to second-degree level subject to the fulfillment of the conditions provided . also, an important decision was taken in the year 2008, when NTSE is open only to the students of class VIII as against class X earlier.


NTSE Scheme at Present

Selection procedure


Identification of talent comprises a two-stage selection process.
(1) First Level NTSE conducted by the State / UT (usually in November)
(2) Second Level NTSE conducted at the National Level (usually in May)


State level examination


The first level exam is the state level examination, which has two parts for nominating the required number of candidates for the second level test to be conducted by the NCERT.
(1) Part-I:Mental Ability Test (MAT), and
(2) Part-II: Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)(with questions on History, Civics,
Geography, Economics, Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology.)
Students of any Board studying at any recognized school can participate. Those who get qualified an enter the Second Level National Exam. The results of the same will be out on March of the next year.

National level examination


Candidates acquiring more than the required percentage in the state level examination and standing within a specified number of top ranks (state quota) are eligible to appear for the national level examination (about top 4000 students from the entire country). The national level examination has two parts for nominating the required number of candidates for the interviews to be conducted by the NCERT in May:
(1) Part-I:Mental Ability Test (MAT), and
(2) Part-II: Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)(as told before.)
The results of the same shall be out by July/ August the same year.

SYLLABUS


Syllabus for I Level Exam:-


MAT: The syllabi will comprise of all lessons that are taken from NTSE books, such as TaTa McGraw Hills, Mission NTSE, Pearson Longman,etc.
SAT: This will include most questions as those that are taken at the State, prescribing the State Syllabus. Most questions will be from the State Syllabus of Std. 8 while fewer questions shall also come from CBSE and ICSE Syllabus.


Syllabus for II Level Exam


MAT: The syllabi will comprise of all lessons that are taken from NTSE books, such as TaTa McGraw Hills, Mission NTSE, Pearson Longman, S Chand, Arihant, etc.
SAT: This will include most questions as those that are taken at the CBSE and ICSE, prescribing the NCERT Syllabus. Most questions will be from the Syllabus of Std. 8, 9, and 10 and will be very tough.
Rewards
The students who qualify all the stages of NTSE successfully are eligible for scholarship. The amount of scholarship has been enhanced toRs. 500/- per month for all the students studying in Class VIII onwards except for Ph.D., wherein it is paid according to UGC norms. The older system of book grant has been removed. The criterion of parental income for deciding payment of scholarship has also been discontinued. Initially, there used to be a third level in the examination in which interview was supposed to be held.But now certain changes are made in the exam structure and from 2011 no interviews would be held in NTSE.




No Interview :-


Under pressure from a stream of Right to Information applications, the National Council for Education Research & Training (NCERT) has decided to drop the interview format from the National Talent Search Scheme from this year.
The decision was taken at a recent executive committee meeting. Started out in the 1960s, the National Talent Search Scheme offers a thousand scholarships to talented school children after they clear a two-stage selection process in the eight standard.
Some 4,000 students appear for the second stage national level examination and around 1,500 of them are usually called for an interview. Of them, 1,000 are then granted the scholarship on the basis of their performance in the interview.
The NTS consists of a stage I exam conducted at the state level and a stage II exam at the national level. The NTS stage II will be held on May 8 this year.
The interview segment had come under increasing criticism with doubts raised about its objectivity. Of late, the RTI applications had also been becoming a headache.
Aggrieved parents whose wards may have not made it past the interview round are now quick to file a RTI application with the NCERT, demanding to know their raw scores, their scores in the interview and the method of assessment, leaving the council groping in the dark for answers.
Unable to handle the mounting criticism, the NCERT decided to scrap the interview format.
“In spite of taking all precautions and monitoring of the process of selection of the talented students, a large number of dissatisfied students and their parents are against the process of selection, particularly the interviews. An in-house analysis revealed that the majority of grievances is directed towards the award of marks in the interview, where an element of subjectivity cannot be ruled out....” the NCERT Executive Committee said in the minutes of a recent meeting accessed by The Indian Express.
“In view of the public grievances and increasing number of RTI applications received for the disclosure of raw marks awarded by experts, etc, it is suggested that the interviews be discontinued,” it said.
Sources in NCERT said scores attained by students in the written examination will be used for deciding the final merit list. The NCERT is not the only organisation finding it difficult to handle the pressure of RTIs.
The issue has, in fact, troubled IIM Ahmedabad so much that it has been on the agenda of their Board of Governors meet more than once.
The institute has finally decided to put RTI queries under greater scrutiny and the direct discretion of its director.