Frequently Asked Questions

ISTSE stands for Indian School Talent Search Exam. It is a scholarship olympiad for students of Classes 1 to 10 designed to assess academic understanding, reasoning skills and subject knowledge.

ISTSE is a single level examination, open to all the students of class 1 to 10. Quetion paper will comprise of Mental & Logical Ability, Mathematics, Science and English questions. ISTSE exam is conducted separately online for direct/individual candidates and paper-based only through schools.

• ISTSE - Online (For direct/individual candidates): Indian School Talent Search Exam (ISTSE) online is India’s favourite and most popular online olympiad examination. This exam is conducted for the students of class 1 to 10. Any student can participate in this exam as it is open to all.
• ISTSE - Online / Paper-based (Only through Schools): Paper-based ISTSE exam is conducted through school. Students have to fill the form in the school and exam will be conducted inside-school campus during school hours.

If you are a student and want to participate in the paper-based ISTSE exam, please contact your school teacher. They will be able to provide you examination form.

If you represent a school and want to conduct ISTSE exam at your school, please register your school by clicking HERE.

ISTSE typically includes questions from Mental & Logical Ability, Mathematics, Science, English and Scholars Section, depending on the class and exam pattern.

Participating in the ISTSE (Indian School Talent Search Examination) offers several benefits for students:

Academic Advantage:

• Skill Development: Participating in ISTSE aids in developing various skills such as time management, critical thinking, and application-based learning, which are valuable in academic and real-life situations.
• Comprehensive Assessment: ISTSE evaluates students' knowledge across multiple subjects, providing a holistic understanding of their strengths and weaknesses in Mental & Logical Ability, Mathematics, Science, and English.
• Enhanced Learning Experience: Preparing for ISTSE encourages students to delve deeper into subjects beyond their regular curriculum, promoting a more profound understanding of fundamental concepts and principles.
• Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: ISTSE's diverse question patterns challenge students to think critically and solve problems creatively. Engaging with these questions helps develop analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Global Benchmarking: Participating in ISTSE allows students to compete on a global platform, benchmarking their performance against peers from different cities, states, and countries. This exposure offers a global perspective and an understanding of academic standards.

Convenience:

• Online Exam Format The online format of the ISTSE exam enables students to take the test from home, ensuring accessibility while maintaining the integrity of the examination process.
• Open to All Individuals: Students from classes 1 to 10 can participate in the ISTSE exam directly, without school intervention.
• Mock Tests for Practice: Each student receives 3 online mock tests for practice, providing an opportunity to understand the exam setup, standard, and pattern.
• Physical Certificate: Medals, shields, and certificates are couriered to all eligible students at their provided address without additional charges.

Awards and Recognition:

• Scholarship Opportunities: ISTSE offers unique opportunities for top-performing students, as the top three participants from each class receive monthly scholarships for one year(12 months), rewarding academic excellence and motivating further achievement.
• Recognition and Awards: ISTSE recognizes high achievers at different levels with certificates and awards, boosting students' confidence and encouraging further excellence.

Overall, participating in the ISTSE Olympiad offers a multifaceted learning experience that extends beyond academic knowledge, focusing on skill development, global exposure, and recognition, all of which can significantly benefit students in their academic journey and beyond.

Students studying in Classes 1 to 10 can participate in ISTSE. Individual students can appear through the online exam, while school students can also participate through their school in the paper-based school exam.

ISTSE is conducted in two formats: Online Exam, where individual students register directly and appear from home, and School Olympiad, a paper-based exam conducted through registered partner schools on their campus.

No. Individual students should use the Online Olympiad registration flow. The School Olympiad page is only for school-based participation.

The school exam is conducted inside the registered school campus during school hours, following the instructions and process shared by the ISTSE team.

Students of Classes 1 to 10 can participate through their registered school.

Yes. The ISTSE team provides guidance related to registration, student data collection, exam communication and conduct of the school-based exam. Coordinators may also assist schools in some regions.

Not necessarily. Final top ranks may depend on both written performance and the video interview/viva, as applicable for the session. Multiple students may also qualify around the cut-off.

Interview evaluation may consider number of correct responses, quality of answers, clarity, accuracy and response speed. Incorrect or vague answers may reduce the final interview marks.

Depending on rank and exam rules, students may receive certificates, medals, shields and scholarships. Schools may also receive recognition for school toppers or outstanding participation.

30 minutes video interview of 100 marks will be conducted for top 10 marks holders to decide the top 10 ranks. Apart from general questions, student will be asked 20 academic questions from maths, science, english and reasoning.

In Interview, marks will be awarded for:

• number of questions answered correctly.
• quality of the answer
• ability to interpret the question.
• faster response time for answering each question.
• Note: Every question did not carry the same weightage.

In Interview, marks will be deducted for:

• number of prompts required to answer a question correctly.
• incorrect or shortness or vagueness of answer.
• malpractice or cheating or prompt by other person during the interview

Note: Marks will not be affected by fluency in English or poor internet.

Note: Appearing in the interview/viva does not guarantee that you will get a top 10 rank. If 20 students are there as top 10 marks holder, then, in the most probable cases, these students will get any rank between 1 to 20.

To evaluate subjective questions, we look for keywords in the answer. The answer to each subjective question should contain these keywords.

For example, if the question is 'What is photosynthesis?" then, keywords will be "sunlight", "carbon dioxide", "chlorophyll", "oxygen".

If the student uses only two keywords, he/she will get marks only for those keywords. Some keywords have more weightage than others based on their importance.

Yes, attendance is indeed compulsory for all selected candidates. Failure to attend the viva/interview will result in the cancellation of your participation in the exam. This cancellation means that you will not be eligible for any certificates, medals, or rewards.

We strongly encourage you to attend the viva/interview as scheduled to avoid any unfavourable consequences.

Please Note:The fee paid by you will be forfeited if you do not attend the viva/interview. We regret to inform you that we will not issue any refunds in this scenario.

In the video viva/interview, a student must score a minimum of 30%. Otherwise, it may be considered an indication that the student used malpractice during the examination, which may lead to disqualification. This disqualification means that you will not be eligible for any certificates, medals, or rewards.

Top Ten Scorers Rule:

• As per our rules, the top ten scorers must undergo a mandatory 30-minute video interview or viva session worth 100 marks.
• This interview aids in finalizing the rankings for the top ten positions.
• We also conduct a thorough document verification to maintain the examination's fairness and integrity.
• A student must score at least 30% in the video viva/interview.

Disqualification Procedure:

• If a student, even after the interview, is found not to meet our exam criteria, they will be disqualified.
• Typically, if a disqualification is identified, we invite the next highest scorer for the top 10 interview process. However, if the disqualification is discovered at the last minute and we can't conduct additional interviews, that particular rank may remain vacant. This is because all top 10 students must undergo the mandatory interview/viva.
• If a student is among the top mark holders in the written examination but scores less than 30% in the video viva/interview, it will be considered an indication that the student may have used malpractice during the examination. This may lead to disqualification.

We are dedicated to ensuring the highest standards of examination fairness and integrity. Rest assured, the final rankings are always accurate and justified.