Tips to Prepare for NTSE (Stage-II) 2019

National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) is a national level scholarship exam conducted by National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) with an aim to identify and nurture the talented students and help them get a scholarship. NTSE is conducted in two stages where the Stage-I exam is conducted at the state level by state/ union territory authorities and the stage-II exam is conducted at the national level by NCERT. The good news is that from this year NCERT has increased the scholarships from 1,000 to 2,000. In addition, the State quota of Stage-I has also been increased. It is to be noted that the NTSE (Stage-II) 2019 exam will be conducted on 16^th June, 2019.

The revised result of most of the states has already been declared. Therefore, students need to plan their studies wisely and start preparing for the NTSE (Stage-II) exam. If you are also looking for NTSE preparation tips, here are some important points for you:

STEP UP TO OUTSHINE YOUR COMPETITION IN NTSE (STAGE-II) 2019

1. Optimum use of time

As the summer vacations have already commenced, you should make optimum use of this time and enhance your preparation for NTSE (Stage-II) 2019 exam.  For that, it is important to prepare a timetable.  You should dedicate at least 2-3 hours daily to revising all the concepts and brushing your overall knowledge. Apart from that, solve at least one mock test or previous year paper every day. In addition, spare some time for practicing different types of questions. That said, do not forget to devote some time to recreational activities.

2. Understand the Syllabus

From making an effective study plan to forming strategies to perform well in the examination hall, knowledge of syllabus and exam pattern always helps. All subjects are important but Mental Ability and Social Science usually play a very crucial role.  While NTSE (Stage-I) is based on state board syllabus in Maths, Science and Social Science, for stage-II you need to go through CBSE syllabus of class IX & X. Broadly, syllabus of class IX & X of NCERT is tested with some extended boundaries.

3. Test yourself with Previous Year Papers & Mock Tests

Since only a few days are left for NTSE (Stage-II) 2019 exam, you cannot afford to waste your time. This is the time when you should indulge in self-study.

Taking as many mock tests and practice tests as you can is one of the best ways to check not only your progress but also your potential among other students. It helps you stay confident so that you are able to give your best shot on the D-day.

Solving previous years’ papers helps you understand the exam pattern and the type of questions that can be asked. Based on this, you can develop your techniques and strategies to attempt maximum questions in the limited time provided to complete the test. It also helps you analyse your performance and identify your weak areas so that you can work on them and improve your performance and score high in the final exam.

4. Strengths & weaknesses must be identified

Having knowledge of your strengths and weaknesses helps you focus on the right things. If you are aware of your weaknesses, you can look for the solutions. Since the paper is based on the syllabus of CBSE instead of State board, good command on Social Science can give you an edge.

5. Health is priority

Having less time for NTSE (Stage-II) 2019 preparation does not mean you will start neglecting your health. Though you need to study for a few extra hours, make sure that you eat healthy food and have enough sleep. What you eat and for how long you sleep has a direct impact on your performance in the final exam. So, pay equal attention to your health when preparing for NTSE Stage-II exam.

6. Interpret Difficulty Level

In general, Stage-II paper has higher difficulty level as compared to Stage-I.

When you differentiate it subject-wise, you can see that one key type of question in Social Science is Assertion-Reasoning Type question or questions based on statements which are usually not asked in Stage-I and make the paper difficult. Although these questions are usually within the boundary of NCERT, logical/ analytical approach is required to score marks.

Also, if we analyse 2018 paper of MAT, we can find several new trends like many questions were asked in Non-Verbal from topics like Statement & Conclusion, Statement & Argument, Venn Diagram, Logical Arguments, Logical Deduction, Data Sufficiency, Analytical Reasoning, while in Verbal – Blood Relation, Mathematical operations, Data Handling dominated the paper. While few of these topics were new in NTSE (Stage-II), the rest were traditional.

7. NTSE Exam pattern

NTSE (Stage-II) is divided into two sections, Mental Ability Test (MAT) and Scholastic Ability Test (SAT). Conducted in the offline mode, the paper has Objective type multiple choice questions (MCQs). Every correct answer carries one mark. Here are the details of the exam pattern:

8. Enhance your performance through Revision

Revision is the key to success. As you have nearly two weeks to prepare for NTSE 2019, you should not postpone the revision to the last few days before the exam. It is better to keep revising your syllabus regularly and keep solving sample papers to check how much you know.