The National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) is a Scheme   of National Council of Educational Research and Training. It is a Scheme which aims to provide wider platforms to the talented children by motivating them to develop themselves and to nurture them.
Examination: National Talent Search Examination is two tier process.

Stage I : The State is entrusted with the responsibility of conducting of the first tier Screening Examination Known as State Level Talent Search Examination for Selection of stipulated number (State Quota) of candidates of the National Level Examination.

State II : National Level Talent Search Examination is conducted by NCERT for candidates selected through stage – I.

Eligibility : Students studying in Class X in recognized schools in Odisha including Kendriya Vidyalaya, Navodaya Vidyalaya, Sainik School etc. are eligible to appear National Talent Search Examination They must have passed Class – IX Annual Examination Securing at least 60% marks or equivalent . (relaxable by 5% for reserved category). There is no domicile restriction.

State quota of Odisha : 259 candidates are selected for National Level NTSE. Within this quota there is 27% reservation for OBC candidates, 15% reservation for SC candidates, 7.5% reservation for ST candidates and 4% reservation for physically Challenged Children.

Syllabus : There is no prescribed syllabus for State Level NTS Examination . However, questions are generally asked based on the content upto Class X.
Examination Subject : The pattern of written examination will be as follows :
Stage – I : Examination at the State Level will comprise two parts namely (a) Mental Ability Test (MAT) , (b) Scholastics Aptitude Test(SAT).

Stage – II : Examination at National Level will comprise of (a) Mental Ability Test (MAT) , (b) Scholastics Aptitude Test(SAT).

National Means–cum-Merit Scholarship (NMMS) Scheme has been implemented by the Ministry of Education (MoE), Department of School Education & Literacy, Government of India with an objective to explore the poor talented students and provide the financial assistance for continuation of their education.

Examination: National Means Cum Merit Scholarship examination is conducted in one stage only for selection of stipulated number of candidates as per district quota.

Eligibility: Students studying in Class VIII in Government, Government aided or Local Body Schools are eligible to appear NMMS examinations.

• They must have passed Class VII Annual Examination securing at least 55% marks ( Relaxable by 5% for reserved category).
• His/ Her parental income from all sources should not exceed Rs. 3, 50, 000/- (Rupees Three Lakh fifty thousand) only per annum. Students in Government residential Schools like Jawahar Novodaya Vidyalaya and residential school under SC/ST Development Department, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Sainik Schools, KGBV etc. where expenses are paid by the Government, are not eligible under this scheme.

Documents required:

• Parents’ Income Certificate
• Aadhaar Card of the applicant
• Aadhaar linked bank Account Number

State Quota of Odisha: The total number of 3314 scholarships are distributed among 30 (thirty) districts. There is district wise reservation of scholarships for SC, ST, SEBC and Physically handicapped candidates.
Examination Subject: The NMMS examination consists of two papers.

• Mental Ability Test (MAT) : Consists of 90 multiple choice items on reasoning and critical thinking to be answered in 90 minutes. The questions will be on analogy, classification, numerical series, pattern, perceptron, hidden figures, etc. Full mark is 90 and students have to answer all the questions.
• Scholastics Apititude Test (SAT) : Consists of 90 multiple choice items on subjects such as: physics , Chemistry , Biology, History, Political Science, Geography and Economics. Full mark is 90 and students have to answer all the questions.

Scholarship: Selected candidates receive scholarship @ Rs. 1000 (Rupees one thousand) only per month for four years i.e. from Class-IX to XII subject to satisfactory academic performance of the candidates and their continuance in Government and Government aided institutions of eligible category.