NTSE status (checked 15 October 2026): NCERT has not conducted the National Talent Search Examination since the 2021 cycle. Its notice states that the National Talent Search Scheme was approved till 31 March 2021, and that further implementation of the scheme in its present form has not been approved and has been stalled till further orders. No NTSE 2026 notification has been issued. The details on this page come from NCERT's last official NTSE information brochure and are given for reference only.

Key Takeaways

• Social Science had 40 of the 100 SAT questions — as many as Science.

• It covers History, Geography, Political Science and Economics.

• Questions match the Class IX–X level.

NTSE Social Science Syllabus

Social Science carried 40 questions in the SAT paper. It rewards steady reading of NCERT textbooks and careful revision of facts, maps and concepts.

Note: NCERT did not prescribe a fixed NTSE syllabus. Its brochure states that questions conform to the level of Classes IX and X. The topics below follow NCERT Class IX–X textbooks, which have been rationalised in recent years, so use the latest textbooks for study.

History

• Class IX: The French Revolution, Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution, Nazism and the rise of Hitler, forest society and colonialism, pastoralists

• Class X: Rise of nationalism in Europe, nationalism in India, the making of a global world, the age of industrialisation, print culture

Geography

• Class IX: India – size and location, physical features, drainage, climate, natural vegetation and wildlife, population

• Class X: Resources and development, forest and wildlife, water resources, agriculture, minerals and energy, manufacturing industries, lifelines of the economy

Political Science

• Class IX: What is democracy, constitutional design, electoral politics, working of institutions, democratic rights

• Class X: Power sharing, federalism, gender, religion and caste, political parties, outcomes of democracy

Economics

• Class IX: The story of village Palampur, people as resource, poverty, food security

• Class X: Development, sectors of the Indian economy, money and credit, globalisation, consumer rights

Some chapters listed above were removed or shortened in NCERT's rationalised textbooks. Follow the latest edition.

Pro Tip: Use a blank map of India to revise rivers, mountains, crops and minerals. Map-based facts are easy to forget without practice.

Source: NCERT NTSE Information Brochure (latest published edition).

Official Website

For authentic NTSE information, refer only to official NCERT resources:

• NCERT NTSE page: ncert.nic.in/national-talent-examination.php

• NTSE information brochure (last published): Download PDF

• NTS scholarship portal: ntse.ncert.gov.in

• Exam helpline (as listed by NCERT): 011-26560464, ntsexam.ncert@gov.in

Students should not pay any fee or share personal details on unofficial websites claiming to conduct NTSE.

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