‘Target’ aims to prepare students for their School/Board as well as competitive exams of national and international repute like NTSE, NSTSE, JSTSE, NSO, IMO, iOS, iOM, etc.
Besides preparing for the aforesaid exams, the long-term motto is to lay a sound foundation of students in advance as the unit’s name Target Foundations (for class VIII, IX and X) reflects itself, at an early stage to ensure grand success in the elite ‘Medical and Engineering Entrance Tests’ of the country.
The Foundations’ courses are so inclusive and meticulously designed as these also lay strong foundations to students aspiring to appear for CA-CPT exams after their XII standard. Understandably, the programs of this unit help sharpen the skills of average students giving them a head-start to make them emerge toppers in the long run. Credibly, Foundations’ programs work as catalyst in turning average and raw talents stand out cherished ones.
Along with preparation of Engineering & Medical Entrance Exams Target also prepares students for KVPY and NSE (P/C/B/A) at class XI & XII level.
Some Popular Scholarship Exams:

• NTSE - National Talent Search Exams: http://www.ncert.nic.in
• NSTSE - National Science Talent Search Exams: http://www.unifiedcouncil.com/
• JSTSE - Junior Science Talent Search Exam: http://www.edudel.nic.in/welcome_folder/ ntsejsts/JSTS/JSTSdetails.pdf
• KVPY - Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana: http://kvpy.iisc.ernet.in/main/index.htm

Each Olympiad is a separate exam with its own organizing body and a common set of rules and regulations. The Olympiad exams thus serve as a platform to challenge the brightest minds in mathematics and science across the world.
There are various Olympiads held across the world. Some of them are as:

1. The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO, since 1959; not held in 1980)
2. The International Physics Olympiad (IPhO, since 1967; not held in 1973, 1978, 1980)
3. The International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO, since 1968; not held in 1971)
4. The International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI, 1989)
5. The International Biology Olympiad (IBO, 1990)
6. The International Philosophy Olympiad (IPO, 1993)
7. The International Astronomy Olympiad (IAO, 1996)
8. The International Geography Olympiad (IGeO, 1996)
9. The International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL, 2003)
10. The International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO, 2004)
11. The International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA, 2007)
12. The International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO, 2007)

The Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE) is the nodal centre of the country for Olympiad programmes in Mathematics, Sciences and Astronomy. The programmes aim at promoting excellence in science and mathematics among pre-university students.
Mathematical Olympiad Program in India:
The Mathematical Olympiad Program consists of six Stages (For more details, refer link of Olympiad Exams in our website). For Details about Mathematical Olympiad, refer HBCSE website: http://olympiads.hbcse.tifr.res.in/
Science and Astronomy Olympiad Programs in India:
The Science Olympiad program also follows 5 stages (For more details, refer link of Olympiad Exams in our website). Details about Science & Astronomy Olympiads are available on the IAPT website: http://iapt.org.in/
Olympiads conducted by SOF World:

1. NSO – National Science Olympiad: http://www.sofworld.org/nso
2. IMO – International Mathematics Olympiad: http://www.sofworld.org/imo
3. NCO – National Cyber Olympiad: http://www.sofworld.org/nco
4. IEO – International English Olympiad: http://www.sofworld.org/ieo

Olympiads conducted by Silver Zone:

• iOM – International Olympiad of Mathematics: http://silverzone.org
• iOS – International Olympiad of Science: http://silverzone.org
• iSSO – International Social Studies Olympiad: http://silverzone.org
• iTHO – International Talent Hunt Olympiad: http://silverzone.org

NATIONAL TALENT SEARCH EXAMINATION (NTSE)

Overview

The National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) is a national level scholarship program in India started in the year 1963. The purpose of the scheme is to identify talented students and nurture their talent. It covers areas like Science, Social Science, Engineering, Medicine, Management and Law. The scheme is open to students of Indian nationality. It helps students to proliferate their mental level and also helps them to sharpen their minds. It is organized by NCERT and honors talented students by providing financial assistance in the form of a monthly scholarship. For the courses in Basic Sciences, Social Sciences and Commerce, this assistance is provided up to Ph.D. level whereas for professional courses like Engineering, Medicine, Management and Law this assistance is given only up to Post Graduation.

• NTSE is conducted by NCERT for the students of Class X. The exam is conducted at two levels: Stage-I (State Level) and Stage-II (National Level). The NTSE paper consisting of Paper-I: Mental Ability Test (MAT) and Paper-II: Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).
• Quota for State/UT will be computed proportionally on the basis of student’s enrollment in Class IX and X. The scholarships under the present scheme are awarded to the candidates for pursuing courses in sciences and social sciences up to doctoral level and in professional courses like medicine and engineering up to second-degree level subject to the fulfillment of the conditions.

• Important Dates

Dates for Submission of Application Form and conduct of examination are given below:

Stages	Area	Tentative Dates
Stage-I (State Level)	Last date for submission of application form	To be notified by respective States
	Examination in States and Union Territories	Month of November
Stage-II (National Level)	Examination in States and Union Territories	Month of May

Eligibility Criteria

Students of Class X studying in recognized schools are eligible to appear for the Stage-I examination, conducted by the States/UTs, in which the schools are located.

There is no domicile restriction. For further details please visit: www.ncert.nic.in

Structure of Exam:

The written examination for NTSE consists of two stages as Stage-I & Stage-II. Stage - I examination will be at the States/UTs level and Stage - II examination at the National level.

Stage-I examination at States/UTs level will comprise two papers namely Paper-I: Mental Ability Test (MAT) and Paper-II: Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) for nominating the required number of candidates for the second level test to be conducted by the NCERT.

The number of questions, maximum marks and time allotted are as follows:

Paper	Test	Timings	No. of Questions	No. of Marks	Time Duration
Paper-I	Mental Ability Test (MAT)	09.30 am to 11.30 am	100	100	120 minutes
Paper-II	Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)	13.30 pm to 15.30 pm 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm for visually challenged candidates	100(Science-40, Mathematics-20, Social Science-40)	100	120 minutes

*Scheme of Stage-I & II examination will be same. If there is any change in pattern for Stage-II examination then the same will be communicated later on through NCERT website www.ncert.nic.in. Candidates are advised to keep track of updates on NCERT website.

Note:

• The questions in MAT and SAT are multiple choice based questions.
• Candidates are required to answer all the questions in separate Answer sheets.
• Each question has four alternatives.
• The candidate has to select one correct answer from the given alternatives and mark in the answer-sheet as per the instructions
• Each question in both the paper shall carry one mark each.
• A student shall get one mark for correct response.
• There is no negative marking in either of the test papers.

Candidates have to take the examination in following Parts:

Part I: Mental Ability Test (MAT)

This test is given to the candidates to judge their power of reasoning, ability to think, ability to judge, evaluate or discriminate, ability to visualize in the space, spatial orientation, etc. A variety of questions, for example: Analogies, Classification, Series, Pattern perception, Hidden figures, Coding-decoding, Block assembly, Problem solving etc. are used for this purpose.
There shall be 100 multiple-choice type questions in MAT paper, with four alternatives. Each question will carry one mark. Candidates are required to answer the questions on a separate OMR sheet as per instructions given in the test booklet and on the OMR sheet.

Part-II: Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)

The scholastic Aptitude Test will consist of 100 multiple-choice questions of one mark each. Each question shall have four alternatives, out of which only one will be the correct answer. There shall be 40 questions from Science, 40 from Social Science and 20 from Mathematics. Candidates are required to answer the questions on a separate OMR sheet to be provided at the examination centre as per instructions.

• Disclaimer:
1. Some states provide their own customized pattern of exam. Students are requested to refer their state’s State Council Educational Research and Training (SCERT) website for State Level NTSE details.
   For details please visit website: http://www.ncert.nic.in/ pdf/talent_exam19.pdf

JUNIOR SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH EXAM (JSTSE)

Overview

Junior Science Talent Search Examination (JSTSE) is conducted by Science Branch of Directorate of Education, Delhi every year usually in the month of January for the students of recognized schools of Delhi. JSTSE is organized at state level and total 150 scholarships are offered to the shortlisted candidates.

Important Dates

Tentative Month of Notification	July-August
Tentative Month of Level-1 Exam	January

Eligibility Criteria

• 1. Any student of recognized school studying in Class IX in Govt./Govt. Aided /Public/KV/Navodaya/NDMC and must have secured 65% marks in class VIII.
• 2. SC/ST/PH students who have secured 65% marks in class VIII are eligible for the JSTSE.

Exam Structure

Subjects

Paper

No. of Questions

Marks

Time

http://www.ncert.nic.in/pdf/talent_exam19.pdf
• More Information, Log on to website: www.edudel.nic.in

NATIONAL MEANS-CUM-MERIT SCHOLARSHIP (NMMS) EXAM

Overview

It is organized by Ministry of Human Resource and Development, Government of India. It is a centrally sponsored scheme. Under this scheme scholarship is awarded to 1,00,000 students (at National level) selected at the end of class VIII. The objective of the scheme is to award scholarship to meritorious students belonging to economically weaker sections to encourage them to continue their studies till Class XII.

The Centrally Sponsored Scheme “National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS)” was launched in May, 2008. The objective of the scheme is to award scholarships to meritorious students of economically weaker sections to arrest their drop out at class VIII and encourage them to continue the study at secondary stage. Scholarship of Rs. 6000/- per annum (Rs.500/- per month) per student is awarded to selected students every year for study in classes from IX to XII in State Government, Government aided and local body schools. There is quota of scholarships for different states/UTs. Students whose parental income from all sources is not more than Rs. 1,50,000/- are eligible to avail the scholarships. There is reservation as per State Government norms. The selection of students award of the scholarships is made through an examination conducted by the State Governments. Scholarships are disbursed by the State Bank of India directly into the bank accounts of students on quarterly basis.

The students studying in “Kendriya Vidalayas and “Jawahar Vavodaya Vidlayas” are not entitled to get scholarship under this scheme. Similarly, those students studying in Residential Schools run by the State Government Institutions, where facilities like boarding, lodging and education are provided and students studying in private schools are also not eligible for the scholarship under this scheme.

The proposals/list of beneficiaries for the academic year 2019-20 is required to be submitted/ uploaded on-line over National Scholarship Portal (NSP).

Details available on:

https://www.education.gov.in/en/sites/ upload_files/mhrd/files/upload_document/ Scheme_NMMS_updated_12022019.pdf

• Exam Date : Generally in November
• Eligibility Criteria:

• 1. Must have scored 55% and above marks in Class VII examination and has been promoted to class VIII. There is 5% relaxation in marks for reserved category
• 2. Must be studying in Government, Local body and Private aided Schools only
• 3. Parental income from all sources should not exceed than Rs. 1, 50,000/- per annum
• 4. Parental Income Certificate issued by Govt. Employer in case the parents are Govt. Employees and affidavit attested from Magistrate/Notary in case the parents are in any private service / job has to be attached with the form
• Exam Structure

• Exam Structure

1. The examination consists of two parts, namely
(a) Mental Ability Test (MAT) and
(b) Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) covering Science, Social Sciences and Mathematics of classes VII and VIII level.
2. Each test has 90 questions.

1. More Information, Log on to website: http://mhrd.gov.in/nmms

KISHORE VAIGYANIK PROTSAHAN YOJANA (KVPY) Exam

Overview

The "Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana" (KVPY) is a program started in 1999 by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India to encourage students to take up research careers in Basic Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The aim of the program is to identify and encourage talented and motivated students to pursue career in research. It is a national level exam.

• Name of the Entrance Exams: Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) Aptitude Test
• Funded by: Department of Science and Technology (DST, Govt. of India)
• Implemented by: Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore
• Important Dates (Tentative)

Release of Notification: July - August
Closing of Online Application: August
KVPY Aptitude Test: First Sunday of November
Result of Aptitude Test : December
KVPY Interview: January & February
Final Result Declaration: April

Eligibility Criteria

For Stream SA: Students studying in Class XI in Science subjects and having secured minimum 75% (65% for SC/ST/PWD) marks in aggregate in Mathematics and Science in the Class X board examination.
For Stream SX: Students studying in Class XII / (+2) in Science subjects and having secured minimum 75% (65% for SC/ST/PWD) marks in aggregate in Mathematics and Science in the Class X board exam and a minimum of 60% (50% for SC/ST/PWD) marks in aggregate in Mathematics and Science in the Class XII board examination.

• >Exam Pattern of KVPY Aptitude Test for Class XI Students:

For Stream (SA)
SECTIONS	SUBJECTS	Questions in Part-A		Questions in Part-B	TOTAL MARKS (A+B)
Section-1	Mathematics	15	5		25
Section-2	Physics	15	5		25
Section-3	Chemistry	15	5		25
Section-4	Biology	15	5		25
	Total	60	20		100
Total: 60 + 20 = 80 Questions

The question paper consists of two parts for 100 marks. There will be four Sections in Part A (each containing 15 questions) and four Sections in Part B (each containing 5 questions).

• Pattern of KVPY Aptitude Test for Class XII Students:

For Stream (SX/SB)
SECTIONS	SUBJECTS	Questions in Part-A	Questions in Part-B	TOTAL MARKS (A+B)
Section-1	Mathematics	20	10	40
Section-2	Physics	20	10	40
Section-3	Chemistry	20	10	40
Section-4	Biology	20	10	40
	Total	80	40	160
Total: 80 + 40 = 120 Questions

 

The question paper consists of two parts for 160 marks. There will be four Sections in Part A (each containing 20 questions) and four Sections in Part B (each containing 10 questions).
But candidates are allowed to answer any three of the four subjects in Part-A and any two of the four subjects in Part-B.
Marking Scheme:

• Both parts contain only multiple choice questions. All questions are compulsory.
• In Part A - Each correct answer gets 1 mark and for each incorrect answer 0.25 marks will be deducted.
• In Part B - Each correct answer gets 2 marks and for each incorrect answer 0.50 marks will be deducted.

Interview

• Based on the performance in the aptitude test, short-listed students will be asked to appear for an interview which is the final stage of the selection procedure. The merit list is based on 75% weight-age for Aptitude Test marks and 25% weight-age for the interview marks in all the streams.

• Rewards

• Generous Fellowship and contingency grant are provided to the selected KVPY Fellows up to the pre Ph. D. level or 5 years whichever is earlier. In addition, summer camps for the KVPY fellows are organized in prestigious research and educational institutions in the country.

Basic Sciences	Monthly Fellowship	Annual Contingency Grant
SA/SX/SB - During 1st to 3rd years of B.Sc./B.S./B.Stat./B.Math./Integrated M.Sc. /M.S.	Rs. 5000/-	Rs. 20000/-
SA/SX/SB – During M. Sc. / 4th to 5th years of Integrated M.Sc. / M.S. / M. Math. / M. Stat.	Rs. 7000/-	Rs. 20000/-

Disclaimer

• Dates, Pattern of Exams and Fellowship may be revised every year. Please visit the related website for latest update.

Website: http://kvpy.iisc.ernet.in/main/index.htm