Visva Bharati MTS Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility

NTA runs the exam on the University's behalf, as a Computer Based Test. For MTS the advertisement says selection is "through written test and trade test/skill test (as would be decided by the University/agency)", and NTA ran both.

The University's Scheme of Examination 2026 (1 June 2026) sets the marking rules for its non-teaching papers:

The 70:30 rule and the cap of 1:15 on interview calls apply to posts with an interview. MTS has a trade or skill test instead.

There's no MTS-specific syllabus. The Scheme of Examination 2026 gives the components for the University's general paper; its worked example (for Assistant Registrar) looks like this:

Two hours, two marks a question. For MTS expect the same heads at class 10 level.

General Awareness. The environment and society, current events and everyday observation; India and its neighbours, covering History, Indian Polity and the Constitution, Art and Culture, Geography, Economics, General Policy, Science and Scientific Research, and national and international organisations and events.

Reasoning Ability. Verbal and non-verbal: analogies, similarities, differences, space visualisation, problem solving, analysis, judgement, decision making, visual memory, discrimination, observation, relationship concepts, arithmetical reasoning, verbal and figure classification, and arithmetical number series.

Mathematical Ability. Number system including simplification, decimals, fractions, LCM and HCF, ratio and proportion, percentage, average, profit and loss, discount, simple and compound interest, mensuration, time and work, time and distance, and tables and graphs.

Test of English or Hindi. Vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, synonyms, antonyms and correct usage, in the language you choose.

Computer Awareness. Computer fundamentals, basic applications, components, hardware and software, operating systems, word processing, the internet, and security and networking.

No syllabus is published for the Stage-II trade or skill test.

No degree, typing speed, computer certificate or experience needed.

Age

Upper limit 32 years for all Group C posts (Levels 1, 2, 4 and 5). It's 35 for Group B and 40 for most Group A.

Taking the age relaxation limits you to your category's reserved vacancies, even if your marks would have put you on the unreserved list. A reserved candidate applying against an unreserved vacancy gets no age or cut-off relaxation.

Certificates

• OBC (NCL): DoPT format, valid for Central Government jobs, non-creamy layer, digitally verifiable, and issued on or after 1 April of the financial year the vacancies are advertised. Both caste and sub-caste must be in the Central List.
• EWS: Income and Assets certificate for the current year, issued on or before the last date of application.
• PwD: at least 40 per cent disability, certificate uploaded with the form.

Without a valid certificate you're treated as Unreserved.

Five per cent of Group C posts at Levels 1 and 2 are reserved for compassionate appointment, though those applicants may still have to take the tests.

Serving employees need a No Objection Certificate at document verification. Past service counts only if you applied through proper channel and bring the release order and last pay certificate when joining.

1. Apply online on the NTA portal and pay the fee.
2. Stage-I: computer based written test, run by NTA.
3. Stage-II: trade or skill test.
4. Selection list, then document verification and appointment by the University.

Passing the 40 or 35 per cent mark makes you eligible; the University then sets its own shortlisting cut-off above that.

How the 2023 cycle split the work

Source: the NTA letter of 4 January 2024. MTS was the only block NTA took all the way, which is why it finished first.

Plus the usual allowances under Government of India and UGC rules; the advertisement doesn't list them. Pension is the National Pension System, unless you're permitted the University's GPF-cum-Pension-cum-Gratuity scheme on the strength of past service.

The job is on one residential campus at Santiniketan, Birbhum district (the publishing department, Granthana Vibhaga, is in Kolkata), supporting departments, labs, libraries, hostels and grounds. No promotion path is published; the posts above MTS in the table are also recruited directly.

Apply online only, through NTA's portal for this recruitment (vbharatirec.nta.ac.in in the 2023 cycle; it no longer loads). Technical problems go to NTA (helpline 011-40759000, vbharatirec@nta.ac.in in 2023); eligibility questions are answered by the advertisement.

Fee

Women and PwD candidates pay nothing. The fee is never refunded, and each post you apply for needs its own fee.

Get your OBC, EWS, SC, ST or PwD certificate in order before applying (dates under eligibility). The 2023 posts were advertised under the September 2022 Recruitment Rules for Central Universities, so earlier applicants had to apply again. When the University cancels and re-advertises a post it has sometimes waived the fee for those who already paid, as in 2025; check the note on your post.

NTA is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education's Department of Higher Education. In 2023 it was given the exams for all thirty posts.

The block is advertised irregularly: No. 2/2021 of 28 January 2021, then No. 1/2023 with 709 vacancies, then No. 04/2025 of 8 July 2025 with six senior posts and no MTS. There's no annual cycle.

NTA picks the cities. First it issues an Examination City Intimation Slip, downloaded with your application number and date of birth, so you can plan travel. NTA's public notice of 25 January 2024 is clear that the slip is not the admit card; the admit card with the centre comes later.

NTA gives each post its own date and session. In February 2024 the sessions ran 09:00 to 12:30 and 15:00 to 18:30, so if you apply for two posts, check they don't clash.

No travel or dearness allowance is paid for any test, so University-run skill tests mean getting to Santiniketan at your own cost.

No annual calendar. The non-teaching block comes out every few years, in bulk.

Advertisement No. 1/2023

Age is counted on the last date of application. In 2025 the University also cancelled three advertisements from 2019 and 2020, so an advertisement can be withdrawn years later.

NTA issues the admit card, not the University, after the city slip (see exam centres). Both are downloaded with your application number and date of birth, so save that number. Nothing is posted.

The Stage-II trade test is a separate call after the written result. NTA notices are reposted on the University's Recruitment page.

No MTS merit list was published. NTA sent the final selection straight to the University on 12 September 2023, and the University appointed from it. Results for other posts go up as dated notices on the Recruitment page.

The University publishes lists of qualified and selected candidates and calls for document verification. It doesn't publish cut-offs, marks or an answer key. A reserved claim without a valid certificate at verification moves you to Unreserved.

Visva-Bharati publishes no cut-off marks. The Scheme of Examination 2026 says only that the University "reserves the right to decide the Cut-off marks for short listing"; the qualifying minimum (40 or 35 per cent) is under exam pattern. Shortlists appear on the Recruitment page.

• Prepare between advertisements. MTS is likely to be the biggest block when the next one comes, and the window is short.
• Cover all five heads at class 10 level, including Computer Awareness. MTS needs no computer qualification, so most candidates skip it, and it's the smallest and easiest syllabus on the paper.
• Use SSC MTS papers for general awareness, reasoning, maths and language; they're the closest published practice. Add computer basics from a class 10 computer applications book. Score yourself on two marks a question with a quarter of that off for a wrong answer.
• Pick the language you read fastest for the language section.
• Only answer what you can narrow down. With that penalty, four wrong answers cancel one right one.
• Decide on age relaxation before applying. There were 177 unreserved posts out of 405.
• Keep your trade skills current if you hold an ITI certificate; Stage-II is likely to draw on it.
• Watch both sites: the University for notices and results, NTA for the form, city slip and admit card.

No sample papers or previous year papers are available for Visva-Bharati MTS. Neither the University nor NTA has published papers or answer keys for this recruitment.

The Scheme of Examination 2026 on the University's Recruitment page is the official guide to the paper. It's updated when a new cycle is prepared.

• Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan
• Recruitment page: every advertisement, notice and result
• Career at VB
• Advertisement No. 1/2023 (PDF) and its corrigendum of 1 May 2023
• NTA letter of 4 January 2024 (PDF): how the MTS selection was run
• NTA public notice of 25 January 2024 (PDF): city slips and the February 2024 sittings
• Scheme of Examination 2026 (PDF)
• Current advertisement No. 04/2025 of 8 July 2025 (PDF)
• National Testing Agency
• Staff Selection Commission, for MTS practice papers

Who conducts the Visva-Bharati MTS exam?

The National Testing Agency, for the University.

How many MTS posts were advertised?

405 in Advertisement No. 1/2023: 177 UR, 89 OBC, 70 SC, 40 EWS and 13 ST.

What qualification is needed?

Class 10, or an ITI pass.

What is the age limit?

32, with the usual category relaxations.

If I take the age relaxation, can I still get an unreserved post?

No. You'll only be considered for your category's reserved posts.

What is the selection process?

A computer based written test, then a trade or skill test. No interview for MTS.

Is there negative marking?

Yes, a quarter of the question's marks.

What is the fee?

₹900 for UR, EWS and OBC, ₹225 for SC and ST. Women and PwD candidates pay nothing.

Is travel allowance paid?

No.

Is an MTS recruitment open now?

No. Watch the University's Recruitment page.