Homi Bhabha Exam Class 6 Syllabus 2026-27: Topic-wise Guide

The Homi Bhabha exam Class 6 syllabus covers science from Std 4, Std 5 and Std 6, plus general knowledge in science. It is set by the Greater Bombay Science Teachers' Association (GBSTA), which conducts the Dr. Homi Bhabha Balvaidnyanik Competition (HBBVS) every year. For 2026-27, the Level I written test is on 28 November 2026.

GBSTA does not publish a chapter-wise syllabus. It names the textbooks and gives an approximate weightage for each class. The topic lists on this page are built from those textbooks so that you have a working checklist. This page also explains a change that matters this year: Maharashtra introduced new Std 4 and Std 6 textbooks in 2026-27, and you need to plan for it.

Homi Bhabha Exam Class 6 Syllabus at a Glance

The written test has 100 MCQs worth 100 marks, to be solved in 90 minutes. GBSTA's official weightage gives a rough idea of how many questions come from each source.

The question counts are estimates from the weightage, not a fixed split. For the full structure of all four stages.

Key Points to Know Before You Start

• Understanding over memory: GBSTA has said it gives less emphasis to knowledge-based questions and more to understanding, reasoning, correlation and application. Expect questions that describe a situation and ask you to explain or predict.

• All boards, one syllabus: Most questions come from Maharashtra State Board science textbooks, with related content from CBSE, ICSE and IB books. A CBSE or ICSE student should still read the Maharashtra books for the areas their own books do not cover.

• New Std 6 textbook this year: Maharashtra introduced new textbooks for Std 2, 3, 4 and 6 in the 2026-27 session under the revised NEP-based curriculum. GBSTA's syllabus note does not say which Std 6 edition the 2026-27 paper follows.

• Std 4 and Std 5 are unaffected for you: A student in Std 6 in 2026-27 studied Std 4 and Std 5 with the earlier books, so those two parts are on familiar ground.

The practical answer is to study by topic rather than by chapter number. The topics below appear in the earlier Std 6 book and are core Class 6 science in every curriculum, so they stay useful whichever edition the paper follows. If your school uses the new book, cover its chapters too, and check GBSTA's authentic book, which comes with the registration fee, for the content GBSTA itself treats as core.

Std 6 Science Syllabus (About 60% of the Paper)

This is the largest and most important part. The table groups the 16 chapters of the earlier Maharashtra Std 6 General Science textbook into themes and suggests where to begin.

Living World, Body and Health

• Living things: Characteristics of living things and how plants and animals adapt to their surroundings.

• Classification: Grouping plants (flowering and non-flowering) and animals (with and without a backbone), and the reasons behind each grouping.

• Nutrition and diet: Nutrients and their functions, balanced diet, deficiency diseases, and food habits for good health.

• Skeleton and skin: Parts and functions of the skeletal system, types of joints, and the structure and care of the skin.

Matter and Materials

• States of matter: Solids, liquids and gases, and changes of state such as melting, evaporation and condensation.

• Properties: Hardness, solubility, transparency and conductivity of common substances.

• Substances in daily use: Natural and man-made materials, their uses and their effect on the environment.

Physics Topics

• Motion and force: Types of motion (linear, circular, oscillatory, random), types of force, and the effects of force on objects.

• Work, energy and machines: Forms of energy, energy conversion, and simple machines such as levers and inclined planes.

• Sound and light: How sound is produced and travels, sources of light, transparent and opaque objects, and how shadows form.

• Magnets: Magnetic and non-magnetic materials, poles, attraction and repulsion, and uses of magnets.

Earth and Environment

• Natural resources: Air, water and land as resources, their uses, pollution and conservation.

• Disaster management: Natural and man-made disasters, preparedness and first response.

• The universe: Stars, constellations, the solar system and the Moon.

Physics topics such as motion, force, simple machines, light and magnets lend themselves to reasoning questions, so practise "what will happen if" questions on them. They also connect directly to the practical round.

For CBSE Students: Std 6 Topic Mapping

CBSE students study the NCERT Class 6 Science textbook, Curiosity. Most of its chapters overlap with the Maharashtra topics above. Use this table to see what you already know and what to add.

ICSE and IB students should follow the same approach: list your own Class 6 science chapters against the themes above and fill the gaps from the Maharashtra book.

Std 5 Science Syllabus (About 20% of the Paper)

In Maharashtra State Board, Std 5 science sits inside Environmental Studies Part 1. That book also contains civics and geography chapters. Since the competition tests science, give priority to the science-based chapters listed here.

Start with the solar system, motions of the Earth, internal organs and infectious diseases. These topics link to Std 6 and to general science knowledge, so studying them pays off twice.

Std 4 Science Syllabus (About 10% of the Paper)

Std 4 science is also part of Environmental Studies Part 1. Around 10 questions come from here, so a focused revision of the science chapters is enough.

Life cycles, safe drinking water, food and nutrition, and day and night are worth revising first, because they connect directly to Std 5 and Std 6 topics.

General Knowledge in Science (About 10% of the Paper)

This section has no fixed list. GBSTA describes it as general knowledge in science and science around day-to-day life. Based on that description, prepare these areas:

• Science in daily life: Why things happen around you, such as why ice floats, why milk curdles or why iron rusts.

• Scientists and inventions: Major Indian and world scientists, including Dr. Homi Bhabha, and what they are known for.

• Space and technology: Indian space missions, satellites and everyday technology.

• Health and environment: Common diseases and their prevention, conservation, and important science and environment days.

• Units and instruments: Units of measurement and the instruments used to measure length, mass, time and temperature.

Fifteen minutes a day with a science news section or a children's science magazine is enough to build this area steadily.

Is There a Syllabus for the Practical, Interview and Project Rounds?

There is no separate written syllabus for the later stages. Each one builds on the same science you study for the written test.

GBSTA's practical examination information page lists sample practicals for Std 6. Going through them with real objects at home is the most direct preparation for the practical round.

Topics That Serve More Than One Stage

Several topics help in the written test and in the later rounds. Studying them well once saves time later.

How to Cover the Homi Bhabha Class 6 Syllabus

A simple plan of about eight weeks works well before the written test. Adjust it to the time you have.

1. Weeks 1 to 3, Std 6 core: Read the Std 6 chapters theme by theme. After each theme, write five "why" questions and answer them in your own words.

2. Weeks 2 to 4, Std 4 and Std 5: Revise the science chapters of both Environmental Studies books in short daily sessions alongside Std 6.

3. Weeks 4 to 6, practice by topic: Solve topic-wise MCQs and previous papers. Note every mistake in an error notebook with the correct reason.

4. Throughout, general science: Spend about 15 minutes a day on science in daily life, scientists and space news.

5. Weeks 7 and 8, full tests: Take full 100-question tests in 90 minutes. Review each one the same day and revise from your error notebook.

The Homi Bhabha exam Class 6 syllabus is broad, but the weightage makes the priority clear: Std 6 science first, then Std 5 and Std 4, with steady general science reading throughout. For dates, fees and selection rules, read the Homi Bhabha exam Class 6 overview.