How to prepare for NTSE 2023: NCERT conducts National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) for Class 10 students. Top 1000 meritorious students are granted scholarships after they qualify in the stage-I and stage-II exams. NTSE intends to identify and encourage the talent and intelligence quotient of the students. The NTSE exam is divided into two categories as MAT (Mental Ability Test) and SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test).

It is important to prepare wisely in order to be meritorious in the NTSE 2023 exam. Each of the MAT and SAT needs to be solved in 2 hours (120 minutes), and a maximum of 100 marks can be scored in each section. Thus, students need to focus on time management while preparing for the NTSE 2023. Continue reading the article to know more about the NTSE preparation tips.

How to Prepare for NTSE 2023: NTSE Preparation Tips

Before starting the preparation of NTSE 2023 exam, students must understand the exam pattern defined by the conducting body. This will help students in having a clear idea about the exam and accordingly students can proceed with their preparation. After that, they can refer to some tips to clear the NTSE exam. Find below some preparation tips to crack the exam of NTSE 2023. 

Tip 1: Check out the Exam Pattern for NTSE 2023

The exam pattern of NTSE 2023 includes all the highlights of the exam question paper. Embibe has tabulated the exam paper pattern for NTSE stage-I and stage-II exams below:

Exam Pattern 2022 For NTSE Stage-I and Stage-II
Papers	Subjects	Number of Questions/Maximum Marks
Paper 1 – Mental Ability Test (MAT)	Aptitude Test	100/100
Paper 2 – Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)	Science, Social Science, Mathematics	100 (Science – 40, Social Science – 40, Mathematics – 20)/100

Check out the exam pattern followed for the NTSE paper by the exam conducting body below:

1. Number of Questions: In each of the mental ability and scholastic aptitude tests, the total number of questions are 100 as per the exam pattern issued by the exam conducting body.  
2. Marking Scheme: As per the marking scheme of NTSE, the candidates will be awarded one mark for every correct answer, and there will be no negative marking in the question paper
3. Exam Category: The authorities will conduct the exam under two categories as Mental Ability Test (MAT) and Scholastic Ability Test (SAT).
4. Duration of Exam: The exam duration of NTSE 2023 for each section (MAT and SAT) will be for two hours for all except the visually-impaired candidates. They will get thirty minutes of extra time after completion of two hours of duration. 
5. Types of Questions: The question paper of NTSE will include only multiple-choice questions. 
6. Minimum Marks Requirements: For the candidates of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe minimum marks requirement is 32% whereas for candidates hailing from general and other backward classes, the minimum marks requirement is 40%. 

Tip 2: Preparation Material for NTSE

The preparation material for the NTSE 2023 includes the mock test papers, previous year question papers, brief notes by coaching academies, question banks to practice, and NCERT books. The candidates must choose the preparation material wisely, as per the requirement for the exam. Those who have completed the entire syllabus should refer to the mock test papers and question banks. The students who have just started the exam preparations must refer to the NCERT and basic syllabus books for the preparation. Candidates can also take the help of the previous year toppers to choose the study material for the NTSE exam preparations. 

Tip 3: Mock Test for NTSE Preparation Online

Candidates must refer to the online mock test papers after completing the entire syllabus from the provided study material. The mock test examines the knowledge of the candidates in all the subjects. They can boost up their paper-solving speed by practicing the mock test papers. Also, the mock test paper helps them become conversant with the actual exam paper pattern of NTSE 2023. Students can find NTSE mock tests on Embibe.

Tip 4: Find Out Strengths and Weaknesses

During the NTSE preparation, candidates must focus on their weaknesses and find out the topics of their strengths. This analysis will help them prepare to handle their weaknesses better. The candidates can refer to the study material, online classes, class notes, etc., to improve their weak sections.

Tip 5: Time Management is the Key

Candidates must learn time-management skills to crack the paper of NTSE 2023. They must prepare a timetable with all the routine activities and subjects covered in the syllabus of NTSE. It helps them to monitor their activities and utilise the time in the best possible manner. Check below for some tips to manage time while preparing for the NTSE exam.

1. Use short tricks to solve the mathematical questions. 
2. Move to the next question if confused about one. Don’t waste time on a single question. 
3. Practice the mock test paper within the time frame allotted by the exam-conducting body. 
4. Practice regularly to solve the mock test papers; this will improve the solving speed. 

Tip 6: List of Subjects Covered in NTSE

NCERT books cover the major part of the NTSE 2023 syllabus. For the rest of the syllabus, candidates have to refer to other books. Find below the topics covered in the stage 1 paper of NTSE. 

Mathematics: Trigonometry, Square Root & Cube Root, Statistics, Surface Areas and Volumes, Triangles, Simple interest & Compound interest, Rational Numbers, Quadratic Equations, Probability, Playing with Numbers, Arithmetic Progressions, Basic Geometry, Circles, Coordinate Geometry, Direct & inverse variation, Exponent, Linear Equation, Mensuration, Number System, Percentage & its Application, Arithmetic, Algebraic Expressions.

Social Science: Solar System, Resources and Development, Population, World History, Water Resources, Vedic Period, Union Government, UN and International Agencies, The Mughal Empire, Agriculture, Atmosphere, Biosphere, Indiandom Struggle, Indian Economics, Democracy and Elections, Culture, Science, and Literature, British Raj, Indian Constitution, Early States, Industries, Industrial Revolution, Indus Valley Civilization, India and its Neighbors, French Revolution, Early Medieval Period, Diversity and Livelihood, Internal Structure of the Earth and Rocks, Introduction and Sources of Ancient Indian History. 

Science: Acid Bases and Salt, Magnetism & Electricity at Work, Carbon and its Compounds, Life Processes, Human Body, Heredity and Evolution, Food Production & Management, Fibers and Plastics, Diversity in Living Organisms, Cellular Level of Organization, Measurement, Metals & Non-Metals, Micro-organisms, Motion and Force, Our Environment, Periodic Classification of Elements, Water, The Universe, Structure of Atom, Source of Energy, Sound, Some Common Diseases, Soil, Reproduction, Plant and Animal Nutrition, Physical and Chemical Changes, Work and energy.

Tip 7: Solve Previous Year Question Papers

After completing the syllabus of NTSE 2023, experts recommend that the candidates refer to the previous years’ papers of NTSE. By solving the previous years’ papers, they get an idea about the exam paper pattern. Previous year papers help the candidates to learn time management to solve the actual question paper, understand the exam paper marking scheme, and get an idea about the pattern of questions covered in the exam paper. The previous years’ papers help candidates to test their exam preparation level. 

Tip 8: Best Books for NTSE

To prepare for the NTSE, candidates must opt for the books recommended by the previous years’ toppers. Check out the list of recommended books to prepare for the NTSE 2023 exam. 

1. Target NTSE Class 10 Stage 1 & 2 Solved Papers (2015-19) by Disha Experts
2. Study Package for NTSE Class X by McGraw Hill Publications  
3. NTSE Practice Sets by Sonal Chauhan, Diwakar Sharma, Arihant Publication 
4. A Complete Study Guide NTSE (MAT + SAT) by Arihant Publication 
5. Practice Paper NTSE Class X (English) 1st Edition by S L Gulati, Stalin Malhotra, Hari Mohan Prasad
6. Study Guide NTSE (MAT + SAT) for Class 10th 2019-202 by Arihant Experts
7. NTSE Explorer MAT + SAT + New English Language Test for Class X (English) by Sonia Lal
8. The Pearson Guide to NTSE Class X (English) 1stEdition by Saurabh Priyadarshini and Navin C Joshi
9. A Comprehensive Manual for NTSE for Class X (English) by Access Publishing

Tip 9: Regular Revision

By doing regular revision, the candidates will be able to crack the question paper of NTSE. For the periodic revision, the candidates can refer to the quick notes, topics summary or other study guides for the NTSE 2023 paper. After every revision, they must solve the previous year’s papers. 

Last-Minute Preparation Tips for NTSE Scholarship 2023

Preparing for NTSE is one thing and scoring maximum marks in exams is another. Students have to adopt an optimistic attitude and avoid any chaos during their exams. Below, Embibe has provided last-minute preparation tips so that candidates can ace their NTSE exams: 

1. Remember to carry essential documents like NTSE admit card.
2. Collecting all the important documents prior to the exam will be helpful.
3. It is recommended that students visit the exam centre before their exams so that they don’t face any problems on the day of the exams. 
4. Students are advised not to mug up.
5. In case of anxiety, students can try to calm their minds by either listening to songs or motivational speeches
6. Students are advised to not be a part of demotivating conversations before exams.

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FAQs on NTSE Preparation Tips 2023

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