NTSE admit card is an essential document for the students appearing for the NTSE exam, consisting of various details of the candidate. The examination is divided into two stages – Stage 1 (State Level) and Stage 2 (National Level) and so is the admit card. There are two different admit cards provided for the two different stages of the exam. Both the admit cards are released separately. The student will not be eligible to sit for the examination if he/she is unable to produce the NTSE admit card at the time of the entrance.
For each level, the NTSE admit card is released approximately 21 days prior to the examination for the students. A student can access the admit card at the state level only if, he/she has applied for the state level examination. Furthermore, for national level examination, the admit card is released only for the students who have qualified the state level. Find out every significant detail related to NTSE admit card and all its relevant information in this article. It provides you with an insight of NTSE examination, its syllabus, key dates for admit card and more.
NTSE Admit Card– NTSE Overview
National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) is one of the prime activities and the flagship of the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT). It is one of the most popular national examinations conducted all over the country. The objective of the scheme is to encourage and nurture talented students, thereby, supporting them with suitable financial aid.
The scheme includes a wide variety of subjects like sciences, social sciences, engineering, medicine, management and law. Conducted at two different stages namely, state and national level, the examination rewards 2,000 winners with scholarships. The state-level examination is conducted by the individual state/ UT. However, the national level of the examination is conducted by the NCERT.
NTSE Admit Card- Examination Details
The National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) is based completely on the multiple-choice question format (MCQs). This examination is specifically conducted for 10th standard students. The details about the stages of the examination are further given below:
NTSE Stage 1- The stage one of NTSE is held by the respective state / UT where the candidate belongs. The exam is conducted in two primary languages namely, Hindi and English. The motive behind this state-level exam is to receive the recommendation of students from the state on the basis of merit for the examination to be held by NCERT at the next level. The examination at this state is conducted in every state/ UT’s on the first Sunday of November excluding Nagaland, Andaman and Nicobar Island, Mizoram and Meghalaya.
NTSE Stage 2- Stage 2 of NTSE is held by NCERT at the national level. Only the students selected by the state/ UTs are eligible for participating at this level of the examination. They are not required to fill in a separate form for national level examination. The NTSE admit card for national level examination is made available for the selected students online.
Instructions for the examination
- The admit cards for both stages are released separately. Thus, the students are advised not to confuse the state level NTSE admit card with national level NTSE admit card.
- The candidate should reach the examination centre at least half an hour before the examination starts and look up for the seat that bears his/her roll number.
- Calculators of any kind are not allowed in the examination hall.
- The examination will be held in 2 sessions, duration of each being 120 minutes on the same day which will be divided into two parts:
- Mental Ability Test (MAT)
- Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)
- Each question carries 1 mark and an OMR sheet will be provided to the students for marking the answers of their choice.
- Only ballpoint pens should be used by the candidate to mark their answers.
- The list of exam centres for the academic year 2020-21 can be accessed by referring to the NTSE notification.
NTSE Admit Card- Examination Pattern and Syllabus
The examination pattern for NTSE stage 1 and 2 are similar. They are divided into the following categories:
- Mental Ability Test (MAT) – This section tests the student’s problem-solving, intellectual and reasoning skills.
- Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) – This section checks the academic skills of the student. It contains questions similar to the syllabus of a student in his/her 10th standard, questions are usually from subjects like Mathematics, Geography, Science, History, Political Science and Economics.
- Language Test (LT) – This section tests the command over the English language and has questions like fill in the blanks, comprehensions, synonyms and antonyms, tenses etc.
- One mark is awarded for each right answer
- There is no negative marking in the first stage
- 1/3rd mark is deducted for every wrong answer in the second stage
The detailed syllabus for both the sections has been given in the tables below.
Detailed syllabus for MAT Examination
| S.No. | Syllabus for Mental Ability Test |
| 1. | Word Problems |
| 2. | Analogy (Verbal and Non-verbal) |
| 3. | Alphabet and Number Test |
| 4. | Blood Relations |
| 5. | Ranking and Arrangements |
| 6. | Coding- Decoding |
| 7. | Venn Diagrams |
| 8. | Distance and Direction |
| 9. | Mathematical Operations |
| 10. | Series (Verbal and Non-verbal) |
| 11. | Mirror and Water Images |
| 12. | Embedded Figures |
| 13. | Calendar, time and clock |
| 14. | Classification |
Detailed Syllabus for SAT Examination
| S.No. | Subject | Syllabus for Scholastic Ability Test |
| 1. | Science |
|
| 2. | Social Science |
|
| 3. | Mathematics |
|
Detailed Syllabus for Language Test
| Sr. No. | Syllabus for Language Test |
| 1. | Paragraph Completion |
| 2. | Sentence Completion and Formation |
| 3. | One Word Substitution |
| 4. | Synonyms and Antonyms |
| 5. | Rearrangement of Words |
| 6. | English Grammar |
| 7. | Comprehension |
| 8. | English Grammar |
NTSE Admit Card – How to Download?
The NTSE admit card contains the important details for the candidate and also acts as the document that makes the applicant eligible for taking the examination. The admit card for stage 1 is generated by the respective State/UTs of the applicant whereas the admit card for stage 2 is provided for the students who qualify stage 1 by NCERT. The admit cards can be acquired/downloaded approximately 21 days prior to the date of the examination. Find below a detailed step-by-step description of how you can get the NTSE admit card at each stage.
NTSE Admit Card Download – Stage 1
The admit cards for stage 1 can be obtained by the candidate by both ways i.e. online or offline.
- To download the admit card online, the applicant needs to visit the official website of the respective states/ UTs and download it from there.
- For the offline process, the applicant needs to acquire it from the respective chief superintendent officer of the examination centre, allotted centre or liaison officer.
NTSE Admit Card Download – Stage 2
The admit cards for stage 2 can be downloaded by the candidate in the following steps:
Step 1: Visit the official NCERT page- To download the admit card, the applicant needs to click here and go through the examination notifications.
Step 2: Log-in the portal- The candidate needs to provide his/her credentials and log in the portal to access his/her admit card.
Step 3: Download the Admit Card: The candidate will be able to access and download the admit card after providing the correct log-in credentials for NTSE.
Instructions for NTSE Admit Card
- The candidate should thoroughly go through the admit card and look out for any errors (if any). The admit card contains application number, exam date, exam centre, exam shift timings etc.
- The candidate should keep an extra copy of the admit card as well to avoid any panic at the last minute.
- The candidates are advised to carry an identification proof along with the admit cards to the examination centre.
Details present on the Admit card
- Name of the candidate
- Date of Birth
- Roll Number
- Category
- Exam centre
- Exam venue
- Stage of exam
- Exam day instructions
- Candidate’s signature
NTSE Admit Card- Key Dates
The State/UTs and the NCERT release the NTSE admit card approximately 21 days prior to the date of examination. The dates may vary from year to year but the time period usually remains the same. The tentative dates for the admit card have been mentioned in the table below:
Important Dates for NTSE Admit Card 2020-21
| Sr. No. | Event | Time Period (Tentative) |
| 1. | NTSE Admit Card Stage 1 Download Date | 3rd December 2020 |
| 2. | NTSE Admit Card Stage 2 Download Date | May 2021 (tentative) |
NTSE Admit Card – Q&A
Q. If the candidate has not received his/her state-level NTSE admit card, What should he/she do?
NTSE stage 1 admit card is either dispatched or has to be collected personally as per the instructions from the respective state liaison office of the student.
Q. What is the syllabus for NTSE?
The NCERT has not prescribed a definite and specific syllabus for the NTSE. It comprises of two different levels and categories:
MAT (Mental Ability Test)
SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test)
Each level consists of 100 questions in multiple-choice format (MCQ) provided with 4 options. The candidate has to choose the right answer and mark in the provided OMR sheet. Each correct answer carries 1 mark and every wrong answer has a negative mark.
Q. What is the advantage of clearing NTSE?
The National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) nurtures and promotes the talent of students by providing them with scholarships to pursue their education in sciences and social sciences up to doctoral level and in professional courses like medicine and engineering up to second-degree level.
A total of 2,000 scholarships will be allocated, the students who qualify the second round are selected for the scholarship. The amount of the scholarship is INR 1,250 per month for students of class 11th and 12th and INR 2,000 per month for students studying at the undergraduate level or above.
Q. Who are eligible for NTSE scholarships?
An Indian student, studying in class 10th in the country or abroad can apply for NTSE. They will get a scholarship to continue their studies in India at higher secondary, graduation, post- graduation and PhD level.
Q. Can the candidate request for evaluation / rechecking of his/her mark sheet?
No, NCERT does not allow rechecking or re-evaluating particular students mark sheet.
Q. If a candidate has cleared the State Talent Search Examination, how can he/she apply for the National Level Round?
The students selected in the 1st stage of the NTSE examination need not fill any form for the national round. The NTSE admit card for the national round will be received by the applicant from NCERT by the third week of April or later.
