School Corner

Offered by

National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

Background of the Scheme

National Talent Search Scheme is a flagship activity of the NCERT started in the year 1963. The purpose of the scheme was to identify talented students and nurture their talent. Talent refers to the potentiality that manifests itself in a high level of performance in one or more specialized areas. The scheme, therefore, covers areas like Sciences, Social Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, Management and Law. It honours and helps talented students by providing financial assistance in the form of a monthly scholarship. For the courses in Basic Sciences, Social Sciences and Commerce, this assistance is provided up to Ph.D. level. For professional courses like Engineering, Medicine, Management and Law this assistance is given only up to Post Graduation. The NCERT conducts the National Talent Search Examination for students studying in Class VIII only.

Coverage of the Scheme

On the basis of the examination conducted, 1000 scholarships will be awarded for each group of students appearing for Class VIII examinations. The amount of scholarship will be Rs.500/- per month as per NTS rules.

General Eligibility Conditions

Students of Class VIII studying in recognized schools are eligible to appear for the respective Class VIII Stage I examination conducted by the States/UTs in which the schools are located. There will be no domicile restriction.

Mode of Selection

There will be two-stage selection process for award of scholarship. For Stage-I, selection will be done by States/UTs through a written examination. Students who qualify Stage I will be eligible to appear for Stage II examination conducted by NCERT. The written test is followed by an interview. Candidates qualifying the written examination at the national level are invited for an interview. The final award is made on the basis of combined scores of MAT, SAT and the interview.

The pattern of written examination for Class VIII will be 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 and mathematics.

     •Stage II examination at the National level will comprise (a) Mental Ability Test (MAT), (b) Scholastic Ability Test (SAT) covering Social Sciences, Sciences and Mathematics.

Scholarship Amount

The amount of scholarship has been enhanced to Rs 500/- per month for all the students studying in Class IX onwards (irrespective of the class/course) except for Ph.D., wherein it is paid as per UGC norms.

Total Number of Scholarships

A total of (at least) 1,000 students are selected each year.
Reservation:15% scholarships are reserved for SC category students, 7.5% for ST category and 3% for Physically Challenged students.

Important Dates

Please visit the NCERT web site for Dates for Submission of Application Form and conduct of examination etc as they may change time to time

Application Procedure

Please visit the NCERT web site for common application forma and admit card etc as they may change time to time