Alerts and Updates for NVS TGT Science

NVS TGT Science paper at a glance

Tier-1 is a common 100-question, 300-mark paper of reasoning, numeric ability, computer literacy, general knowledge, English and one other Indian language; it contains no science whatsoever and only shortlists at 1:10 within each category. Every mark of subject assessment sits in the 2.5-hour Tier-2 paper on 100 marks, which is set at graduation level and is bilingual in English and one of the twelve other Indian languages chosen at application.

Dates and windows

This calendar is common to every post in CBSE Notification 01/2025 across both NVS and KVS, so TGT Science shares it with TGT Mathematics, TGT English and the rest; only the Tier-2 question paper differs. The 27 to 31 March Tier-2 window was split by post, and Trained Graduate Teacher was placed in the 28 March morning shift. The application window closed in three stages: 4 December 2025 as notified, extended to 11 December 2025 by the CBSE notice of 5 December, and reopened until 15 December 2025 by the CBSE notice of 13 December for candidates whom the KVS/NVS qualification mismatch had blocked, after Corrigendum-2 aligned the two sets of qualifications.

What this means for your preparation

The mistake that costs TGT Science candidates the post is treating the paper as an extension of their degree specialisation. A school Science teacher in a Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya teaches physics, chemistry and biology to classes six to ten, and the Tier-2 paper is built to match that composite load. A zoology honours graduate who has not opened a physics textbook since school will lose marks in a third of the paper, and there is nowhere else in the selection to recover them.

No stream covers the whole paper

The eligibility rule itself signals the problem. The notification admits candidates whose honours or main subject was Biology, Life Science, Botany or Zoology, with Chemistry and Botany or Zoology as subsidiaries taken over at least three years or six semesters. That produces an entrant pool weighted heavily towards life sciences, yet the post is TGT Science, covering the full middle and secondary science curriculum. Physics is therefore the systematic weak spot of the cohort: motion, force, work and energy, light, sound, electricity, magnetism and the sources-of-energy block. Budget preparation by deficit rather than by comfort. A biology graduate who scores fully on their own discipline and half on physics is still behind a candidate who is merely even across the three.

Sixty objective marks decide the ranking

Tier-2 is 60 objective questions worth one mark each with 0.25 deducted for a wrong answer, plus 10 descriptive questions of four marks each. Ninety-four correct-answer attempts do not exist here; there are only 70 items in total, so each objective question is worth roughly 1.4 per cent of the whole selection score before the interview is applied. The negative marking is mild at a quarter mark, which means a genuine two-option narrowing is worth attempting on expectation, but a blind guess across four options is not. Mark up the paper in two passes: clear the certainties first, then return to the narrowed items with whatever time the descriptive section can spare.

Ten descriptive answers at graduation level

Forty of the 100 Tier-2 marks are descriptive and cannot be recovered by elimination or luck, and the notification is explicit that there is no re-evaluation of the objective, written or descriptive parts. The stated standard is graduation level, so expect derivations, labelled diagrams, reaction mechanisms, numerical solutions and short explanations rather than one-line recall. Practise writing four-mark answers to a clock: a definition or statement, the working or mechanism, and a labelled figure where the topic admits one. Candidates who spend eighty minutes on the objective half routinely leave two or three descriptive questions blank, which is a direct loss of eight to twelve marks.

208 posts and a 1:10 then 1:3 funnel

NVS notified 208 TGT Science posts: 86 UR, 20 EWS, 56 OBC, 31 SC and 15 ST. Tier-1 shortlisted at 1:10 by category, so roughly 2,080 NVS Science candidates carried forward on the NVS side before Tier-2, and Tier-2 shortlists at 1:3 against notified vacancies for the interview. Science sits mid-table in the NVS TGT vacancy list, well below Computer Science at 653 and Special Educator at 495, and above Social Studies at 157. A mid-sized vacancy count with a very large applicant base is the classic profile for a high cut-off, so plan for a score that clears comfortably rather than one that clears by a mark.

The residential posting is part of the job

This is where NVS diverges sharply from KVS, even though the two recruit through one notification. Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas are fully residential rural schools, and the notification states that teachers are required to stay on the Vidyalaya campus, with rent-free accommodation provided where available. Beyond teaching, the role carries house mastership, remedial and supervisory study duties, co-curricular organisation, escorting students on migration and general student welfare. NVS pays a 10 per cent special allowance for these residential duties on top of Level-7 pay. Initial posting may be anywhere in India, and the notification says requests to change station or region will not be entertained under any circumstances.

Common questions

Is physics and chemistry included in the NVS TGT Science paper or only biology?

The Tier-2 paper is for the composite post of TGT Science, which covers the whole school science curriculum rather than one discipline. The entry qualification is built around Biology, Life Science, Botany or Zoology as the main subject with Chemistry and Botany or Zoology as subsidiaries, so most candidates enter from a life-science background, but the paper is not limited to that background. Treat physics as the section most likely to be under-prepared relative to the rest of the field and allocate revision time accordingly. The notification directs candidates to the detailed syllabus published on the NVS and KVS websites.

How many NVS TGT Science vacancies are there in 2025-26?

Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti notified 208 TGT Science posts in CBSE Recruitment Notification 01/2025: 86 unreserved, 20 EWS, 56 OBC, 31 SC and 15 ST. This is the NVS figure only. Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan vacancies are listed in separate columns of the same document, and the two bodies together advertised 15,762 posts, of which 5,841 are NVS. Within the NVS TGT list, Science is smaller than Computer Science at 653 and Special Educator at 495, and larger than Social Studies at 157 and Library at 134.

Does NVS TGT Science Tier-1 have any science questions?

No. Tier-1 is a two-hour OMR screening test of 100 questions and 300 marks, with each question carrying three marks and one mark deducted for a wrong answer. Its six parts are General Reasoning, Numeric Ability, Basic Computer Literacy and General Knowledge at 60 marks each, English Language Competency at 30 and a language competency test in one other modern Indian language at 30. Nothing in it is subject content. It only shortlists candidates at 1:10 within each category and its marks do not enter the final merit list.

Do I need CTET Paper-II for NVS TGT Science?

Yes. The notification lists a pass in the Central Teacher Eligibility Test Paper-II conducted by CBSE as a mandatory requirement for TGT Science along with the other academic TGT subjects. In addition, candidates need a B.Ed. or integrated B.Ed.-M.Ed. with at least 50 per cent marks, the prescribed graduation subject combination, and competence to teach through both English and Hindi. The upper age limit for TGT is 35 years, with five years relaxation for SC and ST, three for OBC non-creamy layer and ten years for women across categories.

What is the difference between NVS TGT Science and KVS TGT Science if the exam is the same?

The examination, the notification and the calendar are shared, and candidates can apply for both, but the jobs differ. Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas are fully residential co-educational schools in rural districts, and the notification requires teachers to live on campus, taking on house mastership, supervised study, migration escort duty and student welfare alongside classroom teaching. NVS pays a 10 per cent special allowance for these residential duties. Initial posting can be anywhere in India and requests to change station or region are stated not to be entertained under any circumstances.

How is the final NVS TGT Science merit list calculated?

Tier-1 is screening only and contributes nothing to merit. The 100-mark Tier-2 paper, made up of 60 objective marks with 0.25 negative marking and 40 descriptive marks over 10 questions, carries 85 per cent of the final score. The interview, which includes a demonstration lesson, carries the remaining 15 per cent. Candidates are shortlisted from Tier-2 for the interview in a 1:3 ratio against notified vacancies. There is no provision for re-evaluation of the objective, written or descriptive components of Tier-2.