NSO Syllabus 2024-25 for Class 1 to 12, National Science Olympiad Level 1 & 2 Syllabus

Table of Contents

The National Science Olympiad (NSO) is a science competition aimed at students in Classes 1 through 12. The Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) holds the National Science Olympiad (NSO) every year to assess students’ grasp of science. Interested students preparing for this competition must through the National Science Olympiad Syllabus 2024 & Paper pattern to understand the demands of the exam. On this page, we have shared the NSO Syllabus 2024-25 for Class 1 to 12 in detail.

NSO Syllabus 2024

The exam conducting body designed the NSO Syllabus 2022-25 based on the academic curriculum of CBSE, ICSE, and several state boards. The SOF NSO syllabus is structured such that all concepts and theories are thoroughly taught, by the class being studied. The syllabus for the National Science Olympiad is divided into three sections for each class, commencing from class 1 through class 12 as follows:

Section 1: Logical Reasoning This section focuses on questions about verbal and nonverbal reasoning.
Section 2: Science Section, which includes all important topics and sub-topics from the current and prior class Science Syllabuses.
Section 3: Achiever’s Section, which contains Higher Order Thinking Questions on the same topics covered in Section 2. It is advisable to move to this section only after you have completed the previous two.

NSO Syllabus 2024-25- Exam Levels

According to the SOF Olympiad Exam schedules, the National Science Olympiad (NSO) 2024-25 will take place on October 18, November 12, and December 3, 2024. There are two levels to the examination. The first is level 1, and students who pass this level will be entitled to take the level 2 exam.

The two levels of the NSO Olympiad exam begin in grade 3. Students in classes 1 and 2 will only take level 1 examinations, and their performance will determine their rank. Check out the summary of the NSO exam scheme in the table below.

Particulars	NSO Level 1	NSO Level 2
Type of Questions	Multiple-choice Questions (MCQs)	Multiple-choice Questions (MCQs)
Time Duration	60 min	60 min
Total Number of Questions and Marks	Class 1 – 4: 35 (40 marks) Class 5 – 12: 50 (60 marks)	Class 3 – 4: 35 (40 marks) Class 5 – 12: 50 (60 marks)
Section wise distribution	Class 1 – 10: Section-1: Logical Reasoning Section-2: Science Section-3: Achievers Section Class 11 – 12: Section-1:Physics/Chemistry Section-2: Achievers Section Section-3: Mathematics/ Biology	Class 1 – 10: Section-1: Science Section-2: Achievers Section Class 11 – 12: Section-1: Physics/ Chemistry Section-2: Achievers Section Section-3: Mathematics/ Biology
Medium of Paper	English	English
Syllabus	CBSE, ICSE/ISC and State Board syllabi	CBSE, ICSE/ISC and State Board syllabi

Things to be Remember:

Questions of level-I Olympiad exams will be 60% from the current class syllabus and 40% from the previous class syllabus, e.g. Class-7 NSO exam will have 60% questions from the class-7 syllabus and 40% questions from the class 6 syllabus.
Questions of level-II Olympiad exams will be from the current class syllabus only.
Questions in the ACHIEVERS SECTION will be from the current class syllabus only.

National Science Olympiad Syllabus 2024-2025 Class 1 to 12

The Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) releases the NSO Science Olympiad syllabus 2024-25 from Class 1 to 12 on its official website. Students who are preparing for the National Science Olympiad 2024 have to study the NSO Olympiad syllabus 2024 of their respective classes thoroughly. Students can now view the detailed syllabus class-wise for the NSO exam, which is presented below.

NSO Syllabus 2024-25 For Class 1

Sections		Topics
Section 1: Logical Reasoning		Patterns, Odd One Out, Measuring Units, Geometrical Shapes, Spatial Understanding, Grouping, Analogy, Ranking Test, Problems based on Figures.
Section 2: Science		Living and Non-living Things, Plants, Animals, Human Beings and Their Needs, Good Habits and Safety Rules, Air and Water, Weather and The Sky.
Section 3: Achievers Section		Higher Order Thinking Questions – Syllabus as per Section – 2.

NSO Syllabus 2024-25 For Class 2

Sections	Topics
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 the Universe.
Section 3: Achievers Section	Higher Order Thinking Questions – Syllabus as per Section – 2.

Science Olympiad Syllabus 2024-25 For Class 3

Sections	Topics
Section 1: Logical Reasoning	Patterns, Analogy and Classification, Alphabet Test, Coding-Decoding, Ranking Test, Grouping of Figures and Figure Matrix, Mirror Images, Geometrical Shapes, Embedded Figures, Possible Combinations, Clock and Calendar.
Section 2: Science	Plants and Animals, Birds, Food, Housing, Clothing and Occupation, Transport, Communication and Safety Rules, Human Body, Earth and Universe, Matter and Materials, Light, Sound and Force, Our Environment.
Section 3: Achievers Section	Higher Order Thinking Questions – Syllabus as per Section – 2.

NSO Syllabus For Class 4

Sections	Topics
Section 1: Logical Reasoning	Patterns, Alphabet Test, Coding-Decoding, Ranking Test, Mirror Images, Geometrical Shapes and Solids, Embedded Figures, Direction Sense Test, 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 – Syllabus as per Section – 2.

NSO Syllabus For Class 5

Sections	Topics
Section 1: Logical Reasoning	Patterns, Analogy and Classification, Geometrical Shapes, Mirror and Water Images, Direction Sense Test, 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 – Syllabus as per Section – 2.

NSO Syllabus For Class 6

Sections	Topics
Section 1: Logical Reasoning	Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
Section 2: Science	Motion and Measurement of Distances, Light, Shadows and Reflections, Electricity and Circuits, Fun with Magnets, Air Around Us, Sorting Materials into Groups, Separation of Substances, The World of Living (Characteristics of Living Beings, Parts of Plants, Body Movements in Animals and Adaptation), Components of Food.
Section 3: Achievers Section	Higher Order Thinking Questions – Syllabus as per Section – 2.

NSO Syllabus For Class 7

Sections	Topics
Section 1: Logical Reasoning	Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning
Section 2: Science	Heat, Motion and Time, Electric Current and its Effects, Light, Acids, Bases and Salts, Physical and Chemical Changes, Nutrition in Plants and Animals, Respiration in Organisms, Transportation in Plants and Animals, Reproduction in Plants, Natural Resources and Their Conservation (Forests: Our Lifeline, Wastewater Story).
Section 3: Achievers Section	Higher Order Thinking Questions – Syllabus as per Section – 2.

NSO Syllabus For Class 8

Sections	Topics
Section 1: Logical Reasoning	Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
Section 2: Science	Crop Production and Management, Microorganisms, Coal and Petroleum, Combustion and Flame, Conservation of Plants and Animals, Reproduction and Endocrine System, Force and Pressure, Friction, Sound, Chemical Effects of Electric Current, Some Natural Phenomena, Light.
Section 3: Achievers Section	Higher Order Thinking Questions – Syllabus as per Section – 2.

NSO Syllabus For Class 9

Sections	Topics
Section 1: Logical Reasoning	Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
Section 2: Science	Motion, Force and Laws of Motion, Gravitation, Work and Energy, Sound, Matter in Our Surroundings, Is Matter Around Us Pure, Atoms and Molecules, Structure of Atom, Cell-The Fundamental Unit of Life, Tissues, Natural Resources, Improvement in Food Resources.
Section 3: Achievers Section	Higher Order Thinking Questions – Syllabus as per Section – 2.

NSO Syllabus For Class 10

Sections	Topics
Section 1: Logical Reasoning	Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
Section 2: Science	Chemical Reactions and Equations, Acids, Bases and Salts, Metals and Non-metals, Carbon and Its Compounds, Life Processes, Control and Coordination, Reproduction in Organisms, Heredity, Light- Reflection and Refraction, Human Eye and Colourful World, Electricity, Magnetic Effects of Electric Current, Our Environment and Its Management.
Section 3: Achievers Section	Higher Order Thinking Questions – Syllabus as per Section – 2.

NSO Syllabus For Class 11

Sections	Topics
Section 1: Logical Reasoning	Physics: Units and Measurements, Mechanics, Properties of Matter, Heat and Thermodynamics, Oscillations, Waves. Chemistry: Some Basic Concepts of Chemistry, Structure of Atom, Classification of Elements and Periodicity in Properties, Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure, Thermodynamics, Equilibrium, Redox Reactions, Organic Chemistry – Some Basic Principles and Techniques, Hydrocarbons.
Section 2: Science	Higher Order Thinking Questions – Syllabus as per Section – 1.
Section 3: Achievers Section	Sets, Relations and Functions, Logarithms, Complex Numbers & Quadratic Equations, Linear Inequalities, Sequences and Series, Trigonometry, Straight Lines, Conic Sections, Permutations and Combinations, Binomial Theorem, Statistics, Limits and Derivatives, Probability, Introduction to 3-D Geometry. OR Diversity in the Living World, Structural Organisation in Plants and Animals, Cell: Structure and Functions, Plant Physiology, Human Physiology.

NSO Syllabus For Class 12

Sections	Topics
Section 1: Logical Reasoning	Physics : Electricity and Magnetism, Electromagnetic Induction, Alternating current, Electromagnetic waves, Optics, Modern Physics, Semiconductor Electronics. Chemistry : Solutions, Electrochemistry, Chemical Kinetics, The d- and f-Block Elements, Coordination Compounds, Haloalkanes and Haloarenes, Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers, Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids, Amines, Biomolecules.
Section 2: Science	Higher Order Thinking Questions – Syllabus as per Section – 1.
Section 3: Achievers Section	Relations and Functions, Inverse Trigonometric Functions, Matrices and Determinants, Continuity and Differentiability, Application of Derivatives, Integrals, Application of Integrals, Differential Equations, Vector Algebra, Three Dimensional Geometry, Probability, Linear Programming. OR Reproduction, Genetics and Evolution, Biology in Human Welfare, Biotechnology, Ecology.

Science Olympiad Syllabus 2024-25 & Pattern

After reviewing the NSO Syllabus, students should consult the NSO test pattern to learn about the marking scheme and sorts of questions presented, which will aid in their preparation for the NSO exam. The exam is an objective test with 35 multiple-choice questions for grades 1–4, and 50 multiple-choice questions for grades 5–12. The duration of the Olympiad Science Exam is one hour. Check out the SOF NSO Exam Pattern 2024-25 given in the table below

SOF NSO Exam Pattern 2024-25
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