Complete NTSE Preparation Guide for STAGE-1 Examination

I have already made a post regarding basic information about NTSE Examination. So, if you haven't visited that post yet, I would recommend you to read that first - 

https://atharvadehadraya.blogspot.com/2020/05/ntse-stage1-stage2.html

So, let's begin with this post.

REGISTERING FOR NTSE

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NTSE State Level (Stage 1) registrations generally begin in July or August. So keep an eye out for the forms and make sure that you have all the necessary documents required. 

Some essential details and documents include your Photograph(According to the specified size), AADHAR Card, School Dise Code, Any special ID number (If issued by the State Government such as SAMAGRA ID in case of Madhya Pradesh).

Fill all the entries carefully and submit the form in time because I have seen students being careless about form submission even if a long period is provided to do so.

PAPER PATTERN

Since 2018-19, the paper pattern for Stage 1 has been changed and made uniform for all states. So, the "Language Test" which used to be a part of Stage 1 till 2018 has now been removed. 

COMPLETE PAPER IS BASED ON MCQ PATTERN.

THERE IS NO NEGATIVE MARKING.

The paper is divided into two sections-

1. MAT (Mental Ability Test) : 

• Number of Questions : 100
• Time : 120 Minutes (2 Hours)
• Description : It consists of questions based on LOGICAL REASONING and MENTAL APTITUDE which cover topics such as figure pattern, series, coding-decoding, analogies, mirror images etc.

2. SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) :

• Number of Questions : 100 
• Time : 120 Minutes 
• Description : It consists of questions based on Science (40 Questions), Social Science (40 Questions) and Mathematics (20 Questions). Topics covered in State Board textbooks of these subjects are the basis of questions asked.

THE IDEAL PREPARATION STRATEGY

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• The best way to be ahead of other aspirants is to take a lead and edge over them. The key to this is to start your preparation much earlier than others do.

• If you are a IX standard student right now and aim to clear NTSE with flying colours in X standard, you can begin with practice of basic MAT questions as it will benefit you a lot.

• If you have just got into X standard, your key time has already started since you finished up with your Final Exams of IX. When most students will be planning how to enjoy their vacations, you can take a lead by starting your preparation early. I don't mean that one shouldn't enjoy his/her holidays, but what I want to say is to keep your prep going on in some way or the other during the vacations. 

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• You should first purchase the State Board Books of CLASS IX and X for Social Science, Science and Mathematics. Get yourself acquainted with the syllabus of all subjects.

• Begin with Social Science preparation first as it contains a hefty syllabus and you have to cover History, Geography, Political Science and Economics plus remember nearly every line written in it. So, try that you read Social Science EVERY SINGLE DAY, at least for half an hour. You will notice that with time, you get comfortable with it. 

• Believe it or not, Social Science plays a huge role in determining your chances of selection in NTSE. Because many students score good in MAT, Science and Maths, Social Science becomes the DECIDING factor. So, this is sufficient to acclaim Social as probably the most important segment of NTSE exam.

• Suppose you are able to absolutely rock other sections, and your marks are MAT - 95, Science - 35/40, Maths - 18/20. Total comes out as 148. Great! But many students will reach the same milestone of marks for these sections, looking at the craze and popularity of this exam among class X students nowadays.

• And 40 questions of Social are still left. Now, everything will rely upon your knowledge of Social Science. And for many states such as Madhya Pradesh, Delhi etc. the cut offs are very high (185 for MP and about 180 for Delhi in 2019-20). So, to reach upto that mark, can you build your potential to get at least 37/40 in Social Science?

• All this was not to demotivate you but to describe how important your ACCURACY and Knowledge of Social Science is.

• Let's come back to the preparation part. So, as you read Social Sc. from your book, highlight important points as you read any chapter for the SECOND TIME. When you read a chapter for the FIRST TIME, understand the theme of it. Highlighting does not mean to simply colour the whole book. Be specific with what you highlight as it will be easier to revise.

• If you have greater efficiency, you can make short notes of the chapters. Use only charts so that you can cover one chapter on a single A-4 size paper. I personally did not make notes for Social but I was regular with my revision of chapters which I read the previous day. If you have ANY doubt, don't feel shy, straight away ask it to your teachers, after all they are for your help.

• Study topics of Maths and Science at least once from State Board Material.

• Keep solving MAT from a good book. Do not waste a lot of time solving topics like CLOCKS and CALENDERS, Statement-Conclusion and many more which have very less or NO WEIGHTAGE in the paper. I will be posting soon on "BEST BOOKS FOR NTSE Preparation". 

• To improve your preparation and make it interesting, I used to discuss questions with my friends and we all together used to tell each other about what all new things we have read about. This creates a healthy competition and boosts your morale. Beware of those guys who just want to waste your time.

• Make targets week-wise and keep track of them.

• Never OVERSTRESS yourself with the load to score good and don't feel depressed at any moment. NTSE is not the FINAL EXAM of your LIFE. You are going to get loads of chances ahead as well. ALWAYS  BE POSITIVE.

• As you prepare, give one mock test per week from May/June to August (Plus those previous year papers which are more than 7 years old). This helps you build exam temperament.

• As soon as you enter September, ensure that you are finished with full syllabus and revised it at least once. Then you can begin to give the previous 7/8 years question papers of your state. It gives you a good idea of the real paper pattern. Ask your doubts of these papers to the teachers in time and work on your weak topics.

• In October, you may continue with mock tests but give priority to previous revision as well. Increase the frequency of your Social Science revision. 

• Your goal should be to completely revise the whole Social Science book AT LEAST 5-6 times before you go for the FINAL BATTLE. I have experienced it myself that if one has good command and confidence on MAT and Social Science, then there is greater probability of his success in the exam plus a positive approach while solving the paper.

• All your loopholes must be sorted out until you enter November. Do not read anything new in last two weeks. Just focus on revising.

• Avoid too much interaction about the exam even with your good friends as it might make you feel less confident of your preparation.

• Have trust on your prep and ROCK THE EXAM!

PAPER SOLVING STRATEGY

Now come the strategies to be used during solving the NTSE paper:

• The first thing I would like to suggest is to fill all the ENTRIES in the OMR sheet carefully as you are not going to get a new one if you fill an entry incorrectly.

• The SECOND most IMPORTANT THING is to bubble your answer in the OMR as soon as you solve it. DO NOT WAIT TILL THE END TO MARK ALL YOUR ANSWERS TOGETHER. Trust me, I have seen many good students who solved the whole paper very nicely but couldn't mark answers at the end due to lack of time. Eventually, they did not qualify and absolutely REGRETTED it later on. So, as soon as you solve a question, mark its answer in the OMR immediately and carefully.

• For MAT, you've got to solve 100 questions in 120 minutes, so you have got 1 minute 12 seconds per question, which is a reasonable amount of time. DO NOT GET STUCK ON A QUESTION. Skip a question if you are unable to get any clue about it within 20-30 seconds. Do easiest questions first.

• Best way to find easy questions is to skip the tough and long ones and overview the whole paper, which won't take much of your time. EASY to MODERATE QUESTIONS MAKE ABOUT 80-90% of the whole paper, so a tough one is tough for everyone. 

• Be accurate. Don't rush through the questions. Try to complete the 90% easy-moderate questions in about 100 minutes. In remaining time, solve the difficult ones. Less pressure may let you solve even the difficult MAT problems with ease and better concentration. 

• During the break between MAT and SAT papers, avoid discussing the paper with your friends and even with your parents. Also, take a very light meal during the break like Fruits, Salad etc. Do not eat anything HEAVY which might make you feel sleepy during the SAT paper.In the SAT paper, begin solving with Social Science first as it takes hardly 20 minutes to solve all 40 questions provided your revision is up to the mark. Try to be accurate as you are going to get only one chance.  

• As soon as you finish with Social, go to Biology and Chemistry section as they are THEORETICAL and again they would require very less time to solve. Now, solve the Physics section and don't get stuck on any one question. If you are unable to get it at that moment, try it later on. Try to complete the whole science section in 40-50 minutes. At the end, attempt the Mathematics section. Make sure you have at least 35-40 minutes remaining so that you don't have to rush through the questions. In Maths, I recommend you to solve a question on that page itself so that you don't take wrong values for calculation and clearly watch out for what actually is asked in the question. 

• Keeping these things in mind during the exam will really help you a lot.

AT LAST...
"All the best for your NTSE EXAM!"

I Hope this post answers most questions regarding NTSE STAGE 1 Exam.
Stay Tuned for Post regarding BEST BOOKS FOR NTSE STAGE 1.