NSO 2025-26: Eligibility, Exam Dates, Results & Awards

If you enjoy working with chemical equations or find the mysteries of physics fascinating, consider applying for the National Science Olympiad (NSO). This prestigious international-level competition is designed for science enthusiasts to assess their aptitude and passion for the subject. Conducted by SOF, the Olympiad aims to identify and nurture scientific talent among students from Classes 1 to 12. Top-ranking participants have the opportunity to win a cash prize of up to ₹50,000, a gold medal, and a certificate of performance. Want to learn more about SOF? Discover the application process, last date to apply, application fees, exam dates and the rewards awaiting top performers below.

NSO Exam 2025-26 Overview

NSO aims to cultivate scientific reasoning and logical ability among the students. The table below gives a brief overview of the NSO and throws light on the objectives, awards, key dates and application process.

Name of Exam	National Science Olympiad (NSO)
Organiser	Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF)
Eligibility	Students in Classes 1 to 12 who are studying in schools recognised by SOF are eligible for NSO.
Exam Duration	1 Hour
Exam Language	English
Exam Mode	Offline
Number of Question Sets in NSO Exam	Three
Exam Registration Fees	₹125
Exam Dates	Level 1 Exam Dates: November 13, 2025 November 27, 2025 December 11, 2025 Level 2 Exam Dates: February 2026 (Tentative)
Last Date to Apply	30 days before the exam
Awards	Up to ₹50,000, a Gold medal, and a performance certificate
How to Apply?	Through respective schools

What is the National Science Olympiad?

The National Science Olympiad (NSO) is an annual competition designed to help young students identify and develop their academic talents in science, equipping them for the competitive world from an early age. NSO is an offline exam which is conducted by schools which are registered with SOF. The exam duration is one hour and there will be three sets of questions for students which are distributed randomly to counter cheating in the exam.

NSO is organised by the Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) and there are two levels in the exam. The Foundation aims to promote scientific temperament among students. It is an NGO that assists the academic development of students of Classes 1 to 12 through various competitions and Olympiads. All the olympiads organised by SOF other than NSO are mentioned below for your reference:

NSO 2025 Important Dates

The students interested in applying for the NSO must be aware of the various key dates to avoid missing the deadlines. Below are all the key dates relevant to the National Science Olympiad 2025-26.

Events	Dates
NSO Exam Dates 2025-26 (Level 1)	November 13, 2025 November 27, 2025 December 11, 2025
Last Date of Application (Level 1)	30 Days Before the Exam Date
NSO Result Date 2025-26 (Level 1)	January 2026 (Tentative)
NSO Exam Dates 2025-26 (Level 2)	February 2026 (Tentative)
Last Date of Application (Level 2)	30 Days Before the Exam Date
NSO Result Date 2025-26 (Level 2)	March 2026 (Tentative)

Note: There are three dates of NSO level 1 exam and schools have the liberty to choose any one of the dates to conduct the exam. Thus, students need to connect with their respective schools for the exact date of the exam.

NSO Eligibility Criteria

NSO 2025-26 is primarily for school students who want to assess their scientific and academic aptitude. However, not all students who want to apply can appear in the exam. There are certain eligibility criteria that a student needs to meet to fill out the NSO application form. These eligibility criteria are mentioned below.

Eligibility for Level 1 NSO Exam

For the Level 1 exam only students of Classes 1 to 12 are eligible to apply.
Only students from schools which are registered with SOF can apply for the exam.
There is no criteria for minimum marks to appear in the exam.

Eligibility for Level 2 NSO Exam

The Level 2 NSO exam is for students in Classes 3 to 12 only.
There is no Level 2 exam for students in Classes 1 & 2.
To qualify for NSO Level 2, students must be in the top 5% on the Level 1 exam.

NSO Application Process

The students of Classes 1 to 12 can apply for the NSO exam through their respective schools. One can follow the below steps to apply-

A prospectus containing the registration forms will be sent to the schools registered with SOF. [Note: In case the school is not registered with SOF, it can still request the prospectus by contacting SOF through phone (0124-4951200) or email (info@sofworld.org)]
Students can receive the registration forms from their respective schools by paying the registration fees.
Students must fill out the NSO registration forms with the required details and submit it to their respective schools.
The schools must then return the duly filled registration forms to SOF before the due date.

NSO Application Fees

Applicants must note that they need to pay a registration fee to apply for NSO. The fee is in the following manner-

Registration fee of ₹125 (including GST) per student for schools in India
Registration fee of USD 9 per student for international schools

Note: Schools may collect an additional amount of ₹25 (USD 1 for International schools) per student towards honorarium of incharge, remuneration to teachers to teach, guide using study material supplied by SOF and other miscellaneous expenses.

School Registration Process for NSO

As mentioned above schools need to register with SOF to conduct the NSO exam. Schools are needed to fill the School Registration Form 2025-26 before the deadline to register with SOF. The last date of application is August 30, 2025 for schools. Direct link for SOF NSO School Registration Form pdf is provided below.

Particulars	Details
School Registration Form 2025-26 PDF	View/Download
Last date for registration for schools	August 30, 2025

Note: This form is not for students but for schools who want to register to conduct the NSO exam for 2025-26.

NSO Exam Pattern

NSO 2025-26 will have two levels of examination; Level 1 and Level 2. Only the top 5% of the students who pass the level 1 exam will be able to attend the level 2 exam. Below are the details on the exam pattern for each level.

NSO Level 1 Exam

The first level test is organised in the respective schools of the participants during school hours.
The exam itself is an objective-type test of 60 minutes, comprising 35 objective-type multiple-choice questions for Class 1 to 4 and 50 multiple-choice questions for Class 5 to 12.
The question paper has three sections: Logical Reasoning, Science, Achievers Section (for Class 1 to 10) and Physics/Chemistry, Achievers Section, Mathematics/Biology (for Classes 11 and 12).
The medium of the test is English and each class has a separate question paper.
The test paper is based on CBSE, ICSE/ISC and State Board syllabi.

NSO Level 2 Exam

Only Classes 3 to 12 students participate in it as Class 1 and 2 students are judged based on their performance in Level 1 only.
Class wise top 5% of candidates in Level 1 exam participate in the exam.
Class-wise and zone wise top 25 rank holders in Level 1
Class topper is eligible where at least 10 students appear in the exam and score 50% qualifying marks

NSO 2025-26 Sample Question Papers

Students who wish to appear in the NSO 2025-26 exam should download the sample question papers to understand the difficulty of the exam. It will also help them understand the type of questions that are asked in the exam. Below we have added the NSO 2025-26 sample question papers for Classes 1 to 12.

Particulars	Direct PDF Links
NSO Sample Paper for Class 1	Click Here
NSO Sample Paper for Class 2	Click Here
NSO Sample Paper for Class 3	Click Here
NSO Sample Paper for Class 4	Click Here
NSO Sample Paper for Class 5	Click Here
NSO Sample Paper for Class 6	Click Here
NSO Sample Paper for Class 7	Click Here
NSO Sample Paper for Class 8	Click Here
NSO Sample Paper for Class 9	Click Here
NSO Sample Paper for Class 10	Click Here
NSO Sample Paper for Class 11	Click Here
NSO Sample Paper for Class 12	Click Here

NSO Sample OMR Sheet

NSO exam question paper has multiple choice questions and students will get an OMR sheet to answer the questions. It is very important to learn about the OMR sheet especially for students who have not used an OMR sheet before. Below we have added images of the NSO exam sample OMR sheet for your convenience.

Instructions for Filling the NSO OMR Sheet

First Page of the NSO OMR Sheet

NSO 2025-26 Marking Scheme

Students will get one mark for each correct answer and there is no negative marking in the NSO exam. For each class and each level of the exam the total marks will vary. Students interested in knowing about the marking scheme for the NSO exam can refer to the table below.

NSO 2025-26 Level 1 Exam Marking Scheme

Class	Section	No. Of Questions	Marks/Question	Total Marks
1st to 4th	Section – 1: Logical Reasoning	5	1	5
	Section – 2: Science	25	1	25
	Section – 3: Achievers Section	5	2	10
	Grand Total	35		40
5th to 10th	Section – 1: Logical Reasoning	10	1	10
	Section – 2: Science	35	1	35
	Section – 3: Achievers Section	5	3	15
	Grand Total	50		60
11th & 12th	Section – 1: Physics & Chemistry	25	1	25
	Section – 2: Achievers Section	5	3	15
	Section – 3: Mathematics/Biology	20	1	20
	Grand Total	50		60

NSO 2025-26 Level 2 Eam Marking Scheme

Class	Section	No. Of Questions	Marks Per Question	Total Marks
3rd & 4th	Science	30	1	30
	Achievers Section	5	2	10
	Grand Total	35		40
5th to 10th	Science	45	1	45
	Achievers Section	5	3	15
	Grand Total	50		60
11th & 12th	Physics & Chemistry	25	1	25
	Achievers Section	5	3	15
	Mathematics/Biology	20	1	20
	Grand Total	50		60

NSO 2025-26 Syllabus

It is very important to know the NSO syllabus before attempting the exam. The syllabus for each class in the Science Olympiad is different. Students can check the NSO syllabus in the table below.

Class	NSO Syllabus
Class 1	Section 1: Logical Reasoning Patterns, Odd One Out, Measuring Units, Geometrical Shapes, Spatial Understanding, Grouping of Figures, Analogy, Ranking Test, Figure-based Problems. Section 2: Science Living and Non-living Things, Plants, Animals, Human Needs, Good Habits and Safety Rules, Air and Water, Weather, The Sky. Section 3: Achievers Section Higher Order Thinking Questions based on Section 2 syllabus.
Class 2	Section 1: Logical Reasoning Patterns, Odd One Out, Measuring Units, Geometrical Shapes, Analogy, Ranking Test, Grouping of Figures, Embedded Figures, Coding-Decoding. Section 2: Science Plants, Animals, Human Body, Food, Housing and Clothing, Family and Festivals, Good Habits and Safety Rules, Transport and Communication, Air, Water and Rocks, Earth and Universe. Section 3: Achievers Section Higher Order Thinking Questions based on Section 2 syllabus.
Class 3	Section 1: Logical Reasoning Patterns, Analogy and Classification, Alphabet Test, Coding-Decoding, Ranking Test, Grouping of Figures, Figure Matrix, Mirror Images, Geometrical Shapes, Embedded Figures, Possible Combinations, Clock and Calendar. Section 2: Science Plants and Animals, Birds, Food, Housing, Clothing, Occupation, Transport, Communication, Safety Rules, Human Body, Earth and Universe, Matter and Materials, Light, Sound, Force, Our Environment. Section 3: Achievers Section Higher Order Thinking Questions based on Section 2 syllabus.
Class 4	Section 1: Logical Reasoning Patterns, Alphabet Test, Coding-Decoding, Ranking Test, Mirror Images, Geometrical Shapes and Solids, Embedded Figures, Direction Sense, Possible Combinations, Analogy and Classification, Clock and Calendar. Section 2: Science Plants, Animals, Food and Digestion, Human Needs, Matter and Materials, Force, Work and Energy, Our Environment, Earth and Universe. Section 3: Achievers Section Higher Order Thinking Questions based on Section 2 syllabus.
Class 5	Section 1: Logical Reasoning Patterns, Analogy and Classification, Geometrical Shapes, Mirror and Water Images, Direction Sense, Ranking Test, Alphabet Test, Logical Sequence of Words, Puzzle Test, Coding-Decoding, Clock and Calendar. Section 2: Science Animals, Human Body and Health, Plants, Natural Resources and Indian Heritage, Pollution and Calamities, Earth and Universe, Matter and Materials, Force and Energy. Section 3: Achievers Section Higher Order Thinking Questions based on Section 2 syllabus.
Class 6	Section 1: Logical Reasoning Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Section 2: Science Food and Components, Materials Around Us, States of Water, Separation Methods, Parts and Classification of Plants and Animals, Adaptations, Characteristics of Living Beings, Life Cycles, Exploring Magnets, Length and Motion, Temperature, Solar System, Natural Resources (Air, Water, Forests, Soil, Rocks and Minerals, Fossil Fuels, Renewable/Non-Renewable Resources). Section 3: Achievers Section Higher Order Thinking Questions based on Section 2 syllabus.
Class 7	Section 1: Logical Reasoning Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Section 2: Science Heat, Motion and Time, Electric Current and Effects, Light, Acids, Bases and Salts, Physical and Chemical Changes, Nutrition, Respiration, Transportation and Reproduction in Plants and Animals, Conservation of Resources (Forests, Wastewater). Section 3: Achievers Section Higher Order Thinking Questions based on Section 2 syllabus.
Class 8	Section 1: Logical Reasoning Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Section 2: Science Crop Production, Microorganisms, Coal and Petroleum, Combustion and Flame, Conservation, Reproduction and Endocrine System, Force, Pressure, Friction, Sound, Chemical Effects of Current, Natural Phenomena, Light. Section 3: Achievers Section Higher Order Thinking Questions based on Section 2 syllabus.
Class 9	Section 1: Logical Reasoning Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Section 2: Science Motion, Force and Laws of Motion, Gravitation, Work and Energy, Sound, Matter (States and Composition), Atoms and Molecules, Structure of Atom, Cell, Tissues, Natural Resources, Food Improvement Techniques. Section 3: Achievers Section Higher Order Thinking Questions based on Section 2 syllabus.
Class 10	Section 1: Logical Reasoning Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Section 2: Science Chemical Reactions, Acids, Bases and Salts, Metals and Non-metals, Carbon Compounds, Life Processes, Control and Coordination, Reproduction, Heredity, Light (Reflection, Refraction), Human Eye, Electricity, Magnetism, Environment and Its Management. Section 3: Achievers Section Higher Order Thinking Questions based on Section 2 syllabus.
Class 11	Section 1: Physics & Chemistry Physics: Units and Measurements, Mechanics, Properties of Matter, Thermodynamics, Oscillations, Waves. Chemistry: Basic Concepts, Atomic Structure, Periodic Table, Bonding, Thermodynamics, Equilibrium, Redox Reactions, Organic Chemistry Basics, Hydrocarbons. Section 2: Achievers Section Higher Order Thinking Questions based on Section 1 syllabus. Section 3: Mathematics or Biology Mathematics: Sets, Relations, Logarithms, Complex Numbers, Inequalities, Sequences, Trigonometry, Straight Lines, Conic Sections, Permutations, Binomial Theorem, Statistics, Limits, Derivatives, Probability, 3D Geometry. OR Biology: Diversity in Living World, Structural Organisation, Cell, Plant and Human Physiology.
Class 12	Section 1: Physics & Chemistry Physics: Electricity, Magnetism, Electromagnetic Induction, Waves, Optics, Modern Physics, Semiconductors. Chemistry: Solutions, Electrochemistry, Kinetics, d- & f-block Elements, Coordination Compounds, Haloalkanes, Alcohols, Aldehydes, Ketones, Amines, Biomolecules. Section 2: Achievers Section Higher Order Thinking Questions based on Section 1 syllabus. Section 3: Mathematics or Biology Mathematics: Relations, Inverse Trigonometry, Matrices, Differentiability, Derivatives, Integrals, Differential Equations, Vectors, 3D Geometry, Probability, Linear Programming. OR Biology: Reproduction, Genetics, Evolution, Human Welfare, Biotechnology, Ecology.

NSO Answer Key 2025-26

Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) releases the answer keys for the NSO exam before the final result is announced. Answer keys provide students with the correct answer to all the questions in the exam, which they can use to self-evaluate their performance. The answer key is released separately for all three sets A, B & C. The NSO answer key for 2025-26 is yet to be released. Once released, students will be able to get the PDF link for the answer key below. The answer key of NSO 2024-25 was released in March 2025, and students will find the direct links below.

Particulars	SOF NSO Answer Key Link
NSO Set A Answer Key 2025-26	January 2026 (Tentative)
NSO Set B Answer Key 2025-26	January 2026 (Tentative)
NSO Set C Answer Key 2025-26	January 2026 (Tentative)
NSO Set A Answer Key 2024-25	Click Here
NSO Set B Answer Key 2024-25	Click Here
NSO Set C Answer Key 2024-25	Click Here

NSO Results 2025-26

NSO results are released within 6 to 8 weeks after the exam. Since the level 1 exams for NSO 2025-26 will be held in the months of November and December 2025, the results are expected to be announced in January 2026. After the result of the level 1 NSO exam is released, SOF will announce the NSO level 2 exam for which the result is expected to be released in March 2026. The result is released on the official website of SOF, and students can check it using their roll number for the olympiad. Students can check the steps below to know the process to check the NSO result 2025-26.

1. Visit the official result page of SOF (https://results.sofworld.org/results).

2. Select NSO from the drop-down menu.

3. Enter your roll number in the prescribed manner.

4. Now click on the ‘View Result’ option to view or download your NSO result.

Also Read – NSO Results: The Ultimate Guide

NSO Awards

The top-performing students and schools will be felicitated with awards at the international and zonal levels. Awards and scholarships are granted based on the student’s level and rank. For classes 3 to 12, winners of the second level receive international and zonal awards or scholarships, while for classes 1 and 2, awards and scholarships are provided at the first level itself, recognizing class toppers.

Each winner is eligible for only one award or scholarship per exam, and they will receive the highest-level award they qualify for. For example, the top three international rank holders will receive awards based on their international rankings, and any awards they qualify for at the zonal level will be passed to the next eligible rank holder. Similarly, if a zonal award winner also qualifies for a class topper award, the class topper award will be given to the next rank holder. This ensures fair distribution and recognition based on merit.

Students will be able to find the detailed information of various NSO awards for students and schools in the tables below.

NSO Level 2 Awards for Students – International level

Rank	Awards	Number of awards
1st	₹50,000 each, a gold medal and a certificate of outstanding performance	12
2nd	₹25,000 each, a silver medal and a certificate of outstanding performance	12
3rd	₹10,000 each, a bronze medal and a certificate for outstanding performance	12

NSO Level 2 Awards for Students – Zonal Level

Rank	Awards	Number of awards
1st	₹5,000 each, a gold medal and a certificate of zonal excellence	312
2nd	₹2,500 each, a silver medal, and a certificate of zonal excellence	312
3rd	₹1,000 each, a bronze medal and a certificate of zonal excellence	312
4th to 10th	Gifts worth ₹1,000 each, a medal of distinction, a certificate of distinction and a certificate of zonal excellence	2,184
11th to 20th	A certificate of zonal excellence, a medal of distinction, and a certificate of distinction	4,680
26th and above	A merit certificate	All

NSO Level 1 Awards for Students – Zonal level

Rank	Awards	Number of awards
1 to 25	A medal of distinction and a certificate of distinction	7,800
26 and above	A participation certificate	All

NSO Awards for Students – School Level

Particulars	Details
Students who score 100% marks in NSO	Gold Medal
Top rankers in the class (For 5-9 students writing the exam)	Gold Medal of Excellence
Top three rank holders in the class (For 10-25 students writing the exam)	Gold Medal of Excellence
Top 10% rank holders in class (For more than 25 students writing the exam)	Gold Medal of Excellence
All students in the Level 1 of the NSO exam	Participation Certification
All students in the Level 2 of the NSO exam	Merit Certificate
Top 25 rank holders from each class	Medals of Distinction
Top rankers from all 26 Zones	Medals of Distinction

SOF NSO Awards for Schools

There are awards for various top-performing schools too. The tables below discuss the various awards for schools participating in the Science Olympiad by SOF.

NSO Awards at the International level – For Schools

Category	Awards	Number of awards
Best Principal	₹25,000 each, citation and a trophy	20
Best Teacher	₹10,000 each, citation and a trophy	10

NSO Awards at Zonal level – For Schools

Category	Awards	Number of awards
Best Principal	₹10,000 each, citation, and a trophy	130
Best Teacher	₹5,000 each, citation, and a trophy	78

NSO Awards at District level – For Schools

Category	Awards	Number of awards
Best Principal	₹2,500 each, citation, and a trophy	500
Best Teacher	₹1,000 each, citation, and a trophy	400

SOF NSO Awards at the School Level

Awards	Receivers
Appreciation Certificate	To all principals and teachers
Appreciation Gifts	To selected principals and teachers

NSO Student Performance Report

All the participants of the NSO receive a Student Performance Report (SPR) which is a detailed analysis of how the students attempted the Level 1 exam of the Olympiad. It helps students and their parents get an idea of their performance in the Olympiad. This, in turn, helps students understand their strengths and weaknesses. SPR helps identify the areas where a student needs to work. The SPR has six sections:

Section A – provides the student’s marks and rank achieved in School/City/Zone/at International level.
Section B – provides a section-wise performance score of the student.
Section C – provides correct answers to questions asked in the Olympiad exam, the answers given by the student and a performance comparison of the student’s answers vs other students in the Zone and at the International level.
Section D – provides a percentage score analysis of the student with a comparison with the Class, City, Zone and International level.
Section E – provides a comparison of average marks analysis at the School, City, Zone and International level.
Section F – provides a comparison of the student’s performance in the Olympiad exams during the past 8 years.

NSO Contact Information

In case any queries remain, students can get in touch directly with the SOF in any of the following ways:

Category	Details
Address	1st Floor, Plot no. 99, Sector – 44, Pin- 122003, Gurgaon (Haryana), India
Office	406, Taj Apartment, Ring Road, Adjacent Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, India. Pin – 110029
Phone	(0124)-4951200, 9312680855, 9312680857
Registration Queries	(0124)-4951200, info@sofworld.org
Exam Queries	(0124)-4951200, info@sofworld.org
Result/Awards	(0124)-4951200, result@sofworld.org
Roll No./Admit Cards	(0124)-4951200, rollnumber@sofworld.org
General Queries	(0124)-4951200, info@sofworld.org

FAQs

What is the full form of NSO?

The full form of NSO is National Science Olympiad. It is conducted by SOF, which stands for Science Olympiad Foundation.

What is the purpose of NSO?

The purpose of the NSO exam is to identify talented school students in science and support their passion and academic growth in the subject.

Who can appear in the NSO?

Students from Classes 1 to 12 are eligible for the NSO Level 1 exam. For Level 2, only students from Classes 3 to 12 are eligible, and only the top 5% from Level 1 qualify.

How to check NSO results?

NSO results can be checked online on the official SOF results portal: https://results.sofworld.org/results.

When is the NSO 2025-26 exam?

NSO Level 1 exam will be held on November 13, 2025; November 27, 2025; and December 11, 2025. Level 2 exam is expected in February 2026.