National Science Olympiad

The National Science Olympiad (NSO) is a school-level science competition conducted every year by the Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) for students of Classes 1 to 12. It tests science concepts, logical reasoning and application skills through a 60-minute paper taken in school. This page covers the 2026-27 cycle: dates, fee, eligibility, pattern, syllabus, Level 2 and awards.

One thing to know first: SOF's website now lists this exam as the International Science Olympiad (ISO), while many SOF page addresses, sample paper pages and search results still say NSO. The two names point to the same SOF science olympiad. This guide uses NSO because that is the name most students and parents search for.

Table of Contents

• NSO at a glance

• NSO or ISO: which name is correct

• Important dates for the 2026-27 cycle

• Registration and fee

• Eligibility in brief

• Exam pattern in brief

• Syllabus in brief

• From Level 1 to Level 2

• Awards, scholarships and results

• How to prepare for the National Science Olympiad

• What parents and schools should know

NSO at a glance

NSO or ISO: which name is correct

If you search for the olympiad, you will see both names. SOF's current pages for the 2026-27 session carry the title International Science Olympiad, but the class-wise syllabus and sample paper pages sit at addresses that still contain "nso". Older papers, books and school circulars also say NSO.

For a student, this changes nothing. The class-wise syllabus, the pattern and the registration process described on SOF's pages apply to the same science olympiad. When you check the official site, look for either name in the menu.

Important dates for the 2026-27 cycle

The dates below are taken from SOF's exam schedule page as on 27 October 2026.

Each school picks one of the three Level 1 dates, and SOF does not allow a change of date. Each date has its own question paper. Level 2 dates are tentative and can change, so track the schedule on the official website: https://sofworld.org/exam-schedule. For reference, the previous cycle's Level 2 was held on 8 February 2026 for the rest of India and on 15 February 2026 for Maharashtra.

Registration and fee

Students cannot apply on their own. The school's coordinating teacher registers the school and its students with SOF, and SOF then generates roll numbers and sends the question papers to the school.

Registration steps

1. Get the forms: Registered schools receive the prospectus and forms. A school that has not registered can ask SOF for them through its official contact details.

2. Submit the forms: The coordinating teacher fills in the School Registration Form and the Students' Registration Sheet and sends them to SOF with the fee.

3. Receive roll numbers: SOF registers the students and generates their roll numbers.

4. Take the exam in school: The paper is held during school hours on the date the school chose.

Registration deadline

SOF asks schools to send registrations at least 30 days before the chosen exam date. Counting back from the schedule, that works out to 30 September 2026 for the 30 October exam, 20 October 2026 for the 19 November exam and 3 November 2026 for the 3 December exam. These are calculated dates, not a separately published notice, so ask your school or SOF to confirm what is still open.

Fee

The school add-on covers the olympiad in-charge's honorarium and related expenses. SOF waives the fee for students with a major physical disability and for Indian students whose parent was martyred in defence operations.

Eligibility in brief

Students of Classes 1 to 12 studying in a school registered with SOF can take Level 1. Every student appears for the olympiad of their own class, and no minimum marks in school exams are required. Level 2 is open only to students of Classes 3 to 12 who qualify through Level 1; there is no Level 2 for Classes 1 and 2.

Exam pattern in brief

The Level 1 paper has multiple-choice questions and runs for 60 minutes. The number of questions depends on the class band.

The Achievers Section carries the harder, higher-order questions with more marks per question.

Syllabus in brief

SOF follows the school curriculum of CBSE, ICSE and state boards, and publishes a separate syllabus page for every class. Classes 1 to 10 have a reasoning section and a science section; Classes 11 and 12 have Physics, Chemistry and either Mathematics or Biology. In Level 1, about 60 percent of the questions come from the current class and 40 percent from the previous class. Level 2 and the Achievers Section use the current class syllabus only.

Official class-wise syllabus: https://sofworld.org/sof-nso-syllabus.

From Level 1 to Level 2

Level 1 is the main exam for everyone. Classes 1 and 2 have a single level, so their ranks and awards come from Level 1. Students of Classes 3 to 12 can move to Level 2 through any one of three routes.

• Top 5 percent: The top 5 percent of students in each class who appeared in Level 1.

• Zone rank: The top 25 rank holders of each class from each SOF zone.

• School topper: The class topper of a school, provided at least 10 students of that class appeared and the topper scored at least 50 percent.

SOF divides India and the world into 5 regions and 26 zones for this purpose. If Level 2 cannot be held in a year, SOF treats the Level 1 results as final.

Awards, scholarships and results

Every participant receives a Certificate of Participation and a Student Progress Report that shows strengths, weaknesses and rank comparison at school, city, zone and international level. Higher ranks bring medals, certificates, gifts and cash awards.

SOF's awards page contains a note that is not fully consistent about whether the international list is the top 3 or the top 5 this year, so check the latest figures on https://sofworld.org/nso/about-nso-exam/awards before quoting them. Results are normally declared within 8 weeks of the exam, are sent to schools and are posted on the SOF website.

How to prepare for the National Science Olympiad

The paper rewards clear concepts and quick, accurate reasoning, not memorised facts. A simple plan works for every class.

• Start with the class textbook: NCERT or your board textbook covers most of what is asked. Read each chapter once for understanding and once for revision.

• Revise the previous class too: Because 40 percent of Level 1 comes from the previous class, keep short notes of last year's chapters.

• Practise reasoning daily: For Classes 1 to 10, ten to fifteen minutes of patterns, series, coding and direction problems builds speed.

• Solve official sample papers: They show the real question style and the Achievers Section difficulty.

• Time yourself: Practise a full paper in 60 minutes and note which section eats the most time.

For timed practice in the current pattern, students can attempt NSO online tests on Testkart and use the section-wise analysis to decide what to revise next. Pair them with the official sample papers so that you see both the real paper and your own weak areas.

Using the Achievers Section wisely

The Achievers Section has only 5 questions but carries 10 marks in Classes 1 to 4 and 15 marks in Classes 5 to 12, which is a large share of the total. As far as SOF's published information shows, there is no negative marking in the Olympiad papers, so it is worth attempting every question. Confirm this in your school's prospectus, because SOF's pages we reviewed do not state it in the pattern table.

What parents and schools should know

For parents, the practical points are short. Ask the school olympiad coordinator whether the school is registered with SOF, which exam date it has chosen and when the fee is due. The fee is paid through the school. If your school has not registered, SOF says that sending the school's details to it is enough for the principal to receive forms and information.

Treat the olympiad as a learning exercise before it is a ranking exercise. A child who finishes the preparation with better concepts and better exam habits has gained even if the rank is modest. Keep practice sessions short, review mistakes together and avoid comparing a child with the national rank list.

Schools can find the prospectus, forms, the list of zones and the awards on https://sofworld.org/.