Important topic
NTSE Exam Pattern
NTSENTSE Exam Pattern Overview
National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) is a scholarship examination. It is conducted in two stages. Both stages of the exam are further undertaken into two parts. The first part is the Mental Ability Test (MAT), and the second is the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).
Both the stages of the exam are conducted in two parts. The first part is the Mental Ability Test (MAT), and the second is the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).
Features of NTSE Exam Pattern
| Particulars | Details | |
| NTSE Stages | Stage I – State Level Exam | Paper - I Mental Ability Test (MAT) Paper - II Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) |
| Stage II – National Level Exam | Paper - I Mental Ability Test (MAT) Paper - II Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) | |
| NTSE Exam Mode | Offline | |
| NTSE Number of Subjects | 3 (Maths, Science, Social Science) | |
| NTSE Exam Duration | 2 Hrs for Each Stage respectively | |
| Number of Questions in NTSE | 100 Questions in each paper | |
| NTSE Marking Scheme | One mark for each correct answer No negative marking for wrong answers | |
| NTSE Paper Language | English, Hindi | |
NTSE Stage - I Exam Pattern:
Stage I is conducted at the State/UT level by the concerned State/UT authorities. To attempt the paper, candidates must select one language- English or Hindi. Each correct answer is given one mark, and there is no negative marking in this stage. The paper is divided into two parts:
- Paper I - Mental Ability Test (MAT)
- Paper II - Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)
- Paper I - Mental Ability Test (MAT):
It consists of logical and analytical reasoning-based questions. This section tests the reasoning and thinking, evaluating, discriminating and visualising abilities of the candidates. A total of 100 questions are to be answered under this section.
- Paper II - Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT):
This part consists of 100 questions from Science, Mathematics, Social Science and English Language. This section judges the student's reading ability, interpretation, evaluation and general awareness of the subjects. Candidates need to know the detailed NTSE Syllabus to boost their preparation.
| Paper | No. of Questions | Max. Marks | Time Allotted |
| MAT | 100 | 100 | 120 Minutes |
| SAT | 100 | 100 |
NTSE Stage - II Exam Pattern:
Stage II is conducted at the national level. Students shortlisted from the Stage 1 (state-level) examination appear to compete for the scholarship. Further details related to this are given below:
- The paper is divided into two parts - MAT and SAT, as in Stage I. MAT, and SAT (Science-40, Math-20, Social Science-40) will have 100 questions.
- Both exams are 2 hours or 120 minutes in NTSE Stage II Exam.
- There is no negative marking. Only candidates who qualify separately in both papers will be considered for merit.
- A merit list will be prepared based on aggregate marks obtained in MAT and SAT, and candidates will be awarded based on the merit list.
NTSE Stage II Exam Pattern is given below:
| Paper | No. of Questions | Max. Marks | Time Allotted |
| MAT | 100 | 100 | 120 Minutes |
| SAT | 100 | 100 |
