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What is a NIOS TMA?
TMA stands for Tutor Marked Assignment. For every subject your child takes, NIOS publishes one assignment each academic year. It appears on the learner's dashboard on the NIOS student portal (sdmis.nios.ac.in). TMAs apply to learners admitted through Stream 1, the regular admission route most homeschoolers use.
Your child writes the answers by hand at home, uploads them, and an NIOS evaluator marks them and sends feedback.
How many marks is a TMA worth?
- Each TMA is out of 20 marks.
- It carries 20% weightage of the theory part of that subject.
- TMA marks are shown separately on the marksheet, next to the public exam marks.
- There is no separate pass mark for the TMA, but it counts in your child's total for the subject (see the pass rule in our exam guide).
In some subjects the TMA also covers lessons that the public exam doesn't. In Science and Technology (212), for example, 13 of the 32 lessons are assessed only through the TMA, so skipping it means those lessons are never assessed at all.
What does a TMA look like?
- Questions 1–3: short answers, 2 marks each (choose one of two options for each)
- Questions 4–5: long answers, 4 marks each (again one of two options)
- Question 6: a project, 6 marks (choose one of two projects; guidelines are given with it)
What to write on the TMA front page
At the top of the first page, write your child's name, enrolment number, study centre (AI) name and the subject. Use one-sided lined paper, and make sure the answers are in your child's own handwriting.
How to upload a TMA
- Log in to the NIOS student portal and open the TMA section on the dashboard.
- Download the TMA for each subject your child has taken.
- Write the answers by hand, then scan or photograph the pages.
- Upload them through the dashboard before the last date. NIOS accepts TMAs online only (since 2021).
TMA last dates for 2026-27
The dates are the same for Class 10 (Secondary) and Class 12 (Senior Secondary):
- For the April–May public exams: upload by 31 January
- For the October–November public exams: upload by 31 July
- Feedback from the TMA evaluator: within a month of uploading
Where to find the TMA papers
The TMA for each subject is on the student dashboard. NIOS also lists every subject's TMA for 2026-27 on its Tutor Marked Assignment page.
Getting help with TMAs
An educator can explain the questions, help your child plan the project and review a draft. The answers still need to be your child's own work and handwriting. On HomeLearn you can find NIOS educators for Class 10 and 12, online or at home, and many offer a free trial.
Preparing for the exams too? Read how to pass NIOS exams.
Sources
- NIOS, Tutor Marked Assignments, Secondary and Senior Secondary Course 2026-27 (introductory pages) — nios.ac.in TMA page
- NIOS Notification 01/2022 (7 January 2022): TMAs to be uploaded online
- NIOS Science and Technology (212) course bifurcation (TMA vs public exam lessons)