NTSE now for Class 10

Changes in NTSE

From this year the NCERT will conduct the National Talent Search Examination for students studying in Class 10th only.

No. of Scholarships: On the basis of the examination conducted, 1000   scholarships will be awarded for group of students appearing for Class 10th, in all over India.

Reservation: 15 % scholarships will be reserved for students belonging to the SC category, 7.5% scholarships for students belonging to the ST category.

Scholarship: Awardees of NTS Examination will receive a sum of Rs. 500/- per month as per NCERT rules.

Selection: There will be two-stage selection process for award of scholarship. (a) Stage – I, selection will be done by States / UTs through a written examination. Students who qualify Stage I will be eligible (b) Stage II examination conducted by NCERT.

Important Dates : Dates of submission of Applications Forms and Conduct of examination are given below :

Stage	Area	Dates
Stage I (State)	Last Date for Submission of Application Form	31st August, 2012
	Examinations date in Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Andaman and Nicobar Islands	17th November 2012
	Examination date in All other states and Union Territories	18th November 2012 (Sunday)
Stage II (National)	Examination date in All States and Union Territories	12th May 2013 (Sunday)

Eligibility  : Students of Class 10th studying in recognized schools are eligible to appear for the respective Class 10th Stage I examination conducted by the State/UTs in which the schools are located. There will be no domicile restriction.

Examination : The pattern of written examination for Class 10th will be as follows :-

• Stage I examination at the State/UT level will comprise two parts, namely (a) Mental Ability Test (MAT) and (b) Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) covering social sciences, sciences and mathematics.

• Stage II examination at the National Level will comprises

1. Mental Ability Test (MAT) 90 Marks.
2. Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) covering social sciences (35 Marks), sciences (35 marks) and Mathematics (20 marks).
3. Detailed scheme of marks will be as follows :

• sciences :- History 10 marks, Geography 10 marks, Political science 10 marks, Economics 05 marks, 

• Science – Physics 12 marks, Chemistry 11 marks, Biology 12 marks.
  

How much to sleep

Sleep is essential. During sleep, your body recuperates (repairs itself). You also dream while sleeping. Many scientists say that it is during dreams that the whole day’s memory is recognized in the brain.

The time a person requires to sleep varies. Some people require more than 8 to 10 hours of sleep while others may need just 5 or 6 hours. Sleeping between 4 to 10 hours is normal. Most people sleep between 6 to 8 hours a day.

While too little sleep may make you feel restless, too much sleep can make you feel lazy. If you sleep well, you will feel energized on waking up and ready for a new day. 

You can do the following to get good sleep:

•     Keep your room quiet and dark. If you do not have a separate room, you may not be able to do this. At least, you can request the other members of your family to try to be quiet.

•     Eat less of sugar, salt, fats (oils and ghee), difficult-to-digest foods, especially at night.

•     Take time to slow down. If you are doing something very active and suddenly you go to bed, you may not get sleep. So spend the last hour or so doing relatively unstressful activities.

•     Try to go to bed at the same time every night.

How do you know that the amount of sleep that you got is sufficient?

If after eight hour of sleep, you still feel drowsy, this means that you need more sleep. Once you have understood the exact amount of sleep that you need, ensure that you get it – at any cost. The cost of lack of  sleep, outweighs any possible benefits (such as more time to study etc). If your answer to any one of the following is a yes, you may be suffering from lack of complete sleep.

1.   Feel drowsy during the day.

2.   When you are bored, you got to sleep

3.   Feel tired most of the time

4.   Cannot concentrate most of the time

5.   Feel anxious most of the time

6.   Don’t feel alert

7.   Low energy levels during the day.

Remember we had discussed before that sleep is a necessary ingredient for almost all mental faculties including:

1.   Memory

2.   Creativity

3.   Problem solving skills

4.   Retention

Sleeping for a little while (half an hour to over one hour) during day time is of great value. An afternoon nap means two fresh mornings in 24 hours. After you have studied for 5-6 hours, the brain is swimming with facts, a nap of 30-45 minutes is required to recharge the brain. For example, you can sleep when you come back from school. This will make you fresh again. So, you can study more efficiently in evening and night.

Try it for sometime and if you like it, continue.

Nature of Memory Recall | Key Concepts / Key Words

Get ready for a small exercise: Describe any book you have read, or any place you have visited, or any film or TV program you have watched. Close your eyes and do it for about 2 minutes.People do not tell word-for-word for what happened. What they remember is main features, outlines, main incidents of film. These are key words of key concepts. 

You remember things as key words and key concepts rather than word-for-word details and word-for-word descriptions. This is the very nature of your memory.

Use the following guidelines while drawing or writing a mind map.

•    Use a key word or key phrase at the centre. 

•    Then draw lines from the centre.

•    On each line, write key words in CAPITAL letters. Use of capital letters helps in revision and memory.

•    Use only one word per line. This makes it easy to make connections.

•    Let ideas flow. Do not try to “think” hard. Just write down whatever comes to your mind. The aim is to write everything that your mind thinks about the central idea. Since your mind thinks faster than you can write, you should not pause or stop momentarily. Just keep writing or drawing.

Mind maps use only key words and key concepts while linear notes use complete sentences and paragraphs. The key words and key concepts use only 20% of the words. So, if you use linear notes, you waste time in writing those 80% additional words, and more importantly, you waste time in reading those 80% additional words every time you revise. In linear notes, you waste time searching for the key words because they are mixed up with non-key words.

The mind map has the following additional advantages :

•    Mind map clearly shows the central idea of lesson.

•    The relative importance of any idea is clearly shown: the ideas nearer to the centre are more important.

•    The links or connections between key ideas are clearly shown.

•    The nature of the structure makes it easy to add new information without scratching or writing in small letters.

•    Each mind map looks different from others- it helps memory.

When you use mind map notes, you do not have to worry about the problems usually associated with linear notes such as: order, sequence, emphasis of ideas, beginning, ending, organization etc. These problems are simply eliminated in the mind map technique.

Exercise : Spend 15 minutes and prepare your own mind map notes for this book.

Importance of Notes

Why should you make notes : Some of the advantage of making notes are :

•    Making notes while attending the class help you concentrate better in the class.

•    Notes making also aid in improving the retention. They help in transferring information from short term to long term memory.

•    Notes helps in revising the contents of the lecture faster. Research says that with the help of personalised notes you can revise a chapter 10 times faster than revising directly from the book.

The Amount of  Notes to Take

There is no limit to the amount of notes to take down. The amount will depend on;

•    The content of the lecture : If the lecture deals with solid facts, laws and principles. It may necessitate a great quantity of notes

•    How familiar you are with the topic: The less familiar you are with the subject, more detailed notes you require. If you are familiar, just an outline of the lecture will suffice

•    Whether the information is readily available in a text- book or else where: If no other source is readily available , complete notes will have to be taken down

Cornell Notes

Cornell Notes is a system of making and using notes that promotes active learning. Before the lecture (or reading) you set up your notebook pages with a vertical line dividing the page roughly 1/4 (left) and 3/4 right. The wider right side is used to make notes, draw graphs and record the important information from the lecture or reading. It’s a good idea to leave a line or two between each major note or piece of information. The left column is used to write questions and keywords that relate to the information recorded on the right. Each major point on the right ought to have a question or keyword on the left. 

Depending on the speed of the professor and the amount of information that needs recording in the right column, you may or may not have time to write the questions and keywords in the left column. If you do, that’s great. If you don’t, then you should fill in the left column as soon as possible, and for sure before the end of the day. The questions and keywords serve an important function. You will be using these to remember the key points in the right column during several practice sessions. 

Once you have the questions and keywords in the left column, you are ready to do a practice session. Use a blank sheet of paper to cover the right column. Now, without peeking, look at the questions and keywords on the left and try to remember the information on the right. Say the answers to yourself, or write them down on the blank sheet. Don’t just say to yourself, “I know that...” You want to be able to repeat or paraphrase the information on the right with good accuracy. If it is information that needs to be perfect (e.g., a formula), then that is what you want. However, if it is information that is more general, then an accurate paraphrase is probably better. Your first practice session should be as soon as possible, ideally right after class if you have a spare period, or in your first break. If you wait too long, you will find that you can’t remember much of the information in the right column. If that’s the case, then you waited too long. As you practice, Keep Score. If you remembered the information accurately and without peeking, then give yourself a tick (check mark) under the question or keyword on the left. If you had to peek or didn’t remember the information very well, give yourself an “X.” 

Spider Notes

This is one of the most effective ways of note making. The final notes should always be in condensed form, at the same time they should include all the important information so as to help in subsequent and final revision before exams.

In spider notes, the primary idea is placed in the centre of the page so that the secondary and tertiary ideas can follow quickly and easily facilitate a harmonious thought process. 

Advantages of Spider Notes over Linear Notes

1.    About 60% time is saved by noting only the relevant words.

2.    About 80% time is saved by reading only relevant words.

3.    About 80% revision time is saved.

4.    About 85% time is saved by not having to search for keywords amongst unnecessary verbiage.

5.    Essential key words are more easily discernible.

6.    Concentration on main issue is enhanced.

7.    Quick and appropriate association is made between the keywords.

8.    The brain finds it easier to accept and remember visually stimulating, multidimensional spiders, rather than monotonous, boring linear notes.

Where to study

You may think that the physical condition of work such as the room furniture, lighting and ventilation are relatively unimportant. They do help you to concentrate better and work effectively. Research shows that students who habitually work in libraries do better than those who do not. The sight of others working simultaneously gives encouragement to work harder. Your behavior is disciplined and distraction from other sources is minimal. Keep following things in mind while planning where to study.

•Does your study area receive adequate light? Incorrect placement of the light source, excessive and insufficient light can cause eye strain. 

•  Does your study area receive adequate ventilation? Lack of circulating air can make you sleepy. In a room where there is inadequate circulation, the concentration of carbon dioxide increases. As a result, the brain does not receive a sufficient supply of oxygen and one tends to feel sleepy. Inadequate oxygen also causes poor concentration.

•  Does your study area offer space and comfort? You need a clear desk for writing and a comfortable chair for reading. Don’t get too comfortable. While studying, sit in an upright position. Do not slouch over your books while  reading or writing. It would be ideal to have a small shelf within arm’s reach, from your study table. 

•    Is there a lot of clutter on your study table? Keep your workspace neat. In addition, keep relevant stationary, such as paper and pen, at hand so that you don’t have to get up every five minutes to look for something. Ensure that you have sufficient space while writing. 

•    Are there too many distractions? Loud music, the blaring TV and people talking loudly can distract you. Control the noise level around your study area. Do friends distract you easily? Learn to say ‘no’ to your friends. However, if you cannot say ‘no’ easily, you can try hiding from them. 

Remember, hiding is not a permanent solution and is not recommended as a normal practice. Don’t answer phone calls while studying, most calls can wait.

The Right Time to Study

No definite part of the day can be said to be the ideal time for studying. Some may be mentally alert in the mornings, while others may prefer evenings or night . Research, however, shows that mental output is higher in the morning than in the evening or at night. Your mind will be fresh after a good eight hour sleep . So the morning hours are the most valuable and best time for serious work. Do not fritter away your morning hours. Organize your work like ironing and laying out your clothes for the next day, the night before. Keep together your books, files and papers required for work, in order, the previous night, This way you start your day with a flying start and will not end up wasting your morning time.

In addition to your regular scheduled sessions, it is good to make use of odd moments for other purposes. Every subject includes a certain amount of rote learning like formulas, vocabulary, laws etc. Write down these on small cards or on a small note-pad. 

They can be learnt while waiting for others, for a bus or in the canteen. It is useful to carry a text book to glance at while traveling in a bus or waiting for someone. These are useful supplements and help to keep your brain ‘ set’ for information relating to your subject.

NEW IIT JEE Pattern- 2013 (JEE Mains and JEE Advanced)

The new pattern of the engineering entrances will be implemented from 2013 and will have a common exam for the IITs, National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) and other central educational institutions, merging the JEE and AIEEE (All India Engineering Entrance Examination). Here are its salient features:

* There will be two exams, the joint entrance examination, JEE "main" followed by the JEE "advanced".

*Eligibility for appearing in IIT JEE exam to be changed from current 60% marks to percentile rank. Joint Admission Board ( JAB) has to release the cut-off rank after declaration of boards result.

* These combine the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) and the IIT-JEE, with the "main" exam being equivalent to AIEEE, and "advanced" being equivalent to the IIT-JEE.

 

* Only top 150,000 candidates (including all categories) from the JEE "main" will be qualified to appear in the JEE "advanced" examination. 

 

* However, only students who come in among the top 20 percent scorers in their respective board will be considered eligible for the IITs.

* The "advanced" exam will be held by the IITs, just like the IIT- JEE. It will be conducted by a Joint Admission Board (JAB) and Joint Implementation Committee of the IITs, the same which so far conducted the JEE.

* Admission to IITs will be based on the rank in the "advanced" exam.

* The JEE "main" will be conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education ( CBSE), and it will coordinate with the IITs. It will be implemented from 2013. 

* Admission to the National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) will be based on the "main" exam score.

* Admission to several deemed universities will also be on the basis of scores in the "main" exam, which earlier took students on basis of AIEEE scores. A minimum percentage criterion will be fixed for these too.