NTSE Eligibility Criteria 2024 - As per the latest official notification, the NTSE exam has been stalled till further notice. We will provide the latest updates and information as we receive more.
Check NTSE Official Notification here.
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                NCERT prescribes the eligibility criteria of NTSE 2024 exam for Indian and abroad students. NTSE 2024 eligibility criteria contain the age limit, minimum qualifying marks required to apply for NTSE exam etc. Students must satisfy the complete NTSE eligibility criteria 2024 before filling the forms.
National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) conducts NTSE 2024 exam in 2 stages. Stage 1 of the NTSE will be held at the state level exam whereas the stage 2 exam will be conducted at the national level. Students studying in class 10 are eligible to appear in the NTSE 2024 exam.
Those students who will qualify stage 1 exam will be eligible for the stage 2 exam. It must be noted that Indian students studying abroad can appear directly for the stage 2 exam. Students appearing for the exam must check the NTSE 2024 eligibility criteria carefully.
NCERT has prescribed the age limit for open school students to appear in the NTSE stage 1. Open students should be below the age of 18 years (as of July 1). This age limit is applicable for both Indian students as well as for students of Indian origin studying abroad.
Only Indian students, who are pursuing their studies from schools in India are eligible to fill NTSE form 2024. Complete NTSE exam eligibility criteria 2024 is mentioned below.
Students studying in class 10th from recognized schools are eligible to appear in NTSE stage 1.
Kendriya Vidyalaya, Navodaya Vidyalaya, and Sainik School students can apply for NTSE from the state where their school is located. There will be no domicile restrictions for them.
Open and Distance Learning (ODL) students are also eligible to appear in the NTSE stage 1. They must not be employed anywhere. They must be appearing in 10th exam for the first time.
Some states have a set qualifying percentage of marks in class 9 exam as an eligibility condition for appearing in the NTSE stage 1 exam. Refer to the table below check the minimum qualifying marks required to be obtained in Class 9 before applying for NTSE 2024.
| State | Minimum qualifying Marks (For General Category) | Minimum qualifying Marks (For Reserved Category) | 
| Maharashtra | 60% marks | 55% | 
| Rajasthan | 55% | 50% | 
| Delhi | 60% | 55% | 
| Uttar Pradesh | 55% | 44% | 
| Punjab | 70% | 55% | 
| Bihar | 60% | - | 
| West Bengal | 50% | 40% | 
| Madhya Pradesh | 40% | 32% | 
| Tamil Nadu | 60% | - | 
| Assam | 40% | 32% | 
| Jammu & Kashmir | 60% | 55% | 
| Jharkhand | 55% | 40% | 
| Goa | 70% | 55% | 
| Uttarakhand | 60% | 55% | 
| Gujarat | 55% | - | 
| Manipur | 60% | 55% | 
| Himachal Pradesh | 60% | 55% | 
| Kerala | 55% | - | 
| Haryana | 55% | - | 
| Puducherry | 60% | - | 
| Chandigarh | 61% | 56% | 
| Odisha | 60% | 55% | 
Students who will successfully qualify stage 1 will be eligible to appear in the stage 2 exam.
NTSE stage 2 is a national level examination conducted by NCERT. Indian students studying abroad in class 10 can appear directly in the NTSE stage 2. However, they have to fulfil certain criteria listed below.
The age of a student must be below 18 years.
He/she has obtained at least 60% marks in class 9th annual examination.
Students have to appear in the exam at a centre in India at their own cost.
They have to send the attested copy of mark sheet of class 9 to the Head, Department of Educational Survey Division, NCERT, New Delhi by December 31.
If a student got selected, the scholarship shall be paid to only those who will pursue their further studies in India.
The qualifying marks for NTSE are provided by NCERT. These are the minimum marks that students have to achieve to qualify for the next stage.
Category  | Qualifying Marks in SAT  | Qualifying Marks in MAT  | 
Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes/ Physically Handicapped.  | 32%  | 32%  | 
General/ Economically weaker Sections/ OBC  | 40%  | 40%  | 
As per the provision of NCERT, some seats are reserved for SC/ST and PWD students. This reservation is also applicable to the Indian students studying abroad, only if they continue their further studies in India. Check the table below for reservation criteria.
Category  | Reservation  | 
Schedule Cast  | 15%  | 
Scheduled Tribe  | 7.5%  | 
Person with Disability  | 3%  | 
Read more -
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Application form for NTSE 2024 will be available on the official website ncert.nic.in.
Scholarship of Rs. 1250 per month is awarded for class 11 to 12. Scholarship of Rs. 2000 per month is awarded for Undergraduates and Postgraduates.
NCERT provides around 2000 scholarships every year.
No, there is no negative marking for wrong attempts.
On Question asked by student community
Hello,
If your school is not conducting the NTSE exam, don’t worry — you can still attempt it. You can register directly through your state NTSE office as a private candidate. Check your state education department’s website for the exact procedure and deadlines. Some coaching institutes also assist students with registration and guidance. Make sure to complete registration on time and start preparing, as the exam tests both mental ability and scholastic knowledge.
Hope you understand.
Hello,
There is no official confirmation yet about NTSE for 2025-26 . NCERT has not announced any schedule or notification for this session.
Students should wait for an official update from NCERT.
Hope it helps !
Hey Srijan:)
Thanks for reaching out!
As of now, the NTSE 2025-26 registration date have not been officially announced.Usually the registration process begins in August or September through your state's SCERT or the liaison officer in each state.The stage one exam is generally held in December and stage two in june of the following year.
To get the exact dates and updates, regularly check the official NCERT or your state's SCERT website .
 
Hii
There's no official UP- specific schedule published yet for NTSE 2025 but for reference you can check the previous year pattern of registration and tentative here https://school.careers360.com/articles/ntse-application-form .
 Most likely NTSE Stage 1 registration forms would release in August or sept.  You must keep eye on UP's SCERT website and stay tuned to NCERT and national exam portals, as they will publish official dates and links once available.
 
 
 
Hello Deeksha
The NTSE (National Talent Search Examination) 2025 registrations are expected to start in September 2025 or October 2025. The official notification will be released on the NCERT website as well as on the respective state SCERT portals.
To know more about NTSE: NTSE by CAREERS360
Thank You!!!
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