National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has announced NTSE 2012 notification. NCERT has initiated National Talent Search Examination Scheme (NTSE) in 1963 to identify and encourage talented students at the School education level. The main objective of the NTSE Scheme is to offer scholarships to meritorious students and provide financial assistance to them to excel in the higher education. The NTSE scheme covers all disciplines such as Natural, Chemical, Biological and Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, Management and Law. State Governments and NCERT shall conduct examinations at two levels and shortlist the candidates to offer scholarships. NCERT shall award 1000 scholarships for students appearing for Class VIII examinations based on the perormance in written examinations conducted at state and national levels. The scholarship amount for selected students will be 500/- Rupees per month. Following are details of NTSE 2012 notification:

Eligibility and Qualification: All the students studying Class VIII in any recognized schools are eligible for NTSE scholarships. Candidates will be selected based on two-stage examination / selection process for NTSE scholarships. In the Stage-I, selection will be done by respective States / Union Territories through a written examination to the eligible students at the state level. Students who qualify Stage I will be eligible to appear for Stage II examination conducted by NCERT.

Interested candidates can obtain applications from NCERT website www.ncert.nic.in. Application forms can also be obtained from respective state offices. Filled in forms should be sent to concerned atate level offices only. For details such as exam pattern, application procedure and other information, please view www.ncert.nic.in. For examination patterns, last dates for applications for Stage I and Stage II and other details, please visit http://www.ncert.nic.in

Exam Pattern of NTSE Stage I and Stage II:

Stage I examination will be at State / UT levels. This will comprise of two parts, namely 1) Mental Ability Test (MAT) and 2) Scholastic Ability Test (SAT) covering topics such as social sciences, sciences and mathematics.

Stage II examination will be held at the National level. This test will consist of 1) Mental Ability Test (MAT), 2) Scholastic Ability Test (SAT) covering questions from Social Sciences, Sciences and Mathematics.

Address: Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi – 110016; Phone: 011-26560464, 26562704; Website: http://www.ncert.nic.in;
Email: ntse.ncert@yahoo.in

Important Dates for NTSE 2012:

1) For Stage I (State level): Last Date for Submission of Application Forms: 31-8-2011
2) NTSE Stage I exam: 20th November 2011 (On 19th for Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Andaman and Nicobar Islands)
2) For stage II (National level): Examination in All States and Union Territories: 13th May 2012.

Addresses of NTS Liason Officers, 2011-12 for Class VIII:

1) Andhra Pradesh: Deputy Commissiner, Office of the Director of Govt. Examinations, Chapel Road, Abids, Hyderabad – 500001. Phone: 040 – 23237343 / 23237344

2) Karnataka: Director, DSERT, Banashankari, Bangalore – 85. Phone: 080- 26422239. Website: www.dsert.kar.nic.in

3) Kerala: Assistant Professor, SCERT, Vidya Bhavan, Poojappura, Thiruvananthapuram. Phone: 0471- 2341883. Website: www.scert.kerala.gov.in

4) Tamilnadu: Director, Directorate of Govt. Examinations, College Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai -06. Phone: 044- 2827 2088.

5) Lakshadweep: Principal, Govt. Sr. Secondary School, Kavaratti, UT of Lakshadweep- 682555. Phone: 04896 – 262874.

6) Puducherry: Joint Director, Directorate of School Education, Anna Nagar, Puducherry. Phone: 0413- 2207262.

Common Admission Test (CAT) Notification 2011-2012 has been released. CAT 2011 is for admission into Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGPM) in prestigious and most reputed B-Schools called IIMs (Indian Institutes of Management). PGPM offered by IIMs is equivalent to MBA. The CAT 2011 online examination will be conducted for 20 days from 22nd October 2011 to 18th November 2011. The CAT 2011 scores will be considered for admission into PGP in Management in IIMs at Bangalore, Calcutta, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Ranchi, Indore, Kozhicode, Udaipur, Thiruchirapalli, Raipur, Rohtak, Kashipur and RGIIM- Shillong. Along with PGP in Management, some IIMs also offer Fellow Programs based on CAT score. And there are Executive Development programs for working professionals in IIMs. CAT 2011 vouchers can be obtained from designated Axis Bank branches and other outlets across India from 17th August 2011 to 26th September 2011. Cost of application / voucher is Rs. 1600 (For SC, ST candidates Rs. 800). Apart from IIMs, there are so many reputed B-Schools and prestigious private Management Schools which consider CAT scores for admission into their management courses of various types. There is tough competition for seat in prestigious institutes as number of seats in IIMs are limited and cut offs also very high.

Educational Qualifications and Eligibility: The candidates must have a Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline with at least 50 percent marks. Relaxation of 5 percent marks applies for reserved candidates. Candidates those who are appearing for the final year exams of degree in 2012 and those waiting for their results can also apply. All the IIMs have their own eligibility criteria apart from CAT score. They will use CAT scores for short-listing candidates for Group Discussions and Interviews. Candidates have to maintain a valid email account throughout the selection process for communication. CAT voucher must be bought only in the name of the candidate as it appears in SSC or 10th class certificate.

Application Procedure: After purchasing CAT 2011 voucher from designated Banks, candidates need to login to the website www.catiim.in and should watch the CAT 2011 video to understand the procedure. The registration process will be opened from 17th August 2011 and closes on 28 September 2011. Detailed process for registration will be available on the above mentioned CAT 2011 website.

CAT 2011 Test Pattern: The CAT Online test will be conducted in number of venues across the country. There have been changes in the CAT 2011 examination structure and question paper pattern. There will be only two sections instead of earlier three sections. All other details regarding new question paper pattern, application process, test structure, question paper structure, old CAT exam papers, bank branches, Online Test procedure, Programs available in IIMs and Non-IIMs and reporting for the test are available on IIMs websites along with www.catiim.in .

Useful Books for CAT Preparation:

1. How to Prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Arun Sharma
2. The Pearson Guide to Quantitative Aptitude for CAT by Nishit K. Sinha
3. How to Prepare for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT by Arun Sharma
4. The Pearson Guide to Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation by Nishit K Sinha
5. Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension for CAT and other MBA Entrance Exams by TIME (Pearson Publications)
6. How to prepare for Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning for CAT by Arun Sharma
7. The Pearson Guide to Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning for CAT by Nishit K. Sinha
8. Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning for the CAT by TIME (Pearson Publications)

These books are also useful for national level MBA entrance examinations like MAT, XAT, SNAP, FMS and related standard exams.

Important Dates:

1) Registration Starts: 17th August 2011
2) Close of Registration: 28th September 2011
3) CAT 2011 Dates: 22 October 2011 – 18 November 2011
4) Website: www.catiim.in
5) IVRS Number: 1800 103 7383