NSTSE Syllabus 2025-26: Check NSTSE Exam Syllabus for Class 2nd to 12th

The Unified Council is responsible for releasing the National Science Talent Search Examination syllabus for the academic year 2025-26. The NSTSE Olympiad syllabus 2025-26 will be made available on the official website, unifiedcouncil.com. The questions will be asked from two sections for classes 1 & 2, three sections for Classes 3 to 5, five sections for Classes 6 to 10 and four sections for Classes 11 and 12.

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NSTSE follows the CBSE syllabus, students can also use question papers of ICSE/ISC and various State Board for the NSTSE preparation. In the NSTSE exam, students in classes 3 to 12 will have a critical thinking section for testing their logical and inductive reasoning, tactics & strategies in decision-making, and subjective & objective analysis. Read the entire article to know the NSTSE 2025-26 syllabus in detail.

NSTSE Class 1 Syllabus 2025-26

For Class 1, the paper will consist of 40 objective-type questions. There is no negative marking for the wrong answer. Check the marking scheme and topics of Class 1 NSTSE syllabus as per previous year.

• Mathematics: Numbers up to 100, Ordinal numbers, Addition, Subtraction, Lengths, weight, capacity, Time, Money, and Geometrical Shapes.

• General Science: Living & Non-living things, Plant life, Animal life, Human body, Air water & weather.

NSTSE Class 1 Marking Scheme

NSTSE Class 2 Syllabus 2025-26

A total of 50 questions will be asked in NSTSE 2025-26 for students from class 2. Check the NSTSE syllabus and marks distribution for class 2 below:

• Mathematics: Numbers, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Length, Weight, Capacity, Time, Money, Shapes.

• General Science: Living & Non-living things, Plantlife, Animal life, Human body, Air water & weather, Rock and Minerals, Our universe

NSTSE Class 2 Marking Scheme

NSTSE Syllabus 2025-26 for Classes 3 to 5

The question paper of NSTSE Class 3 to 5 will have 60 questions from three sections for students. The NSTSE syllabus and marks distribution for Classes 3 to 5 are mentioned in the given below sections:

• Mathematics: Numbers, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Fractions, Length, Weight, Capacity, Time, Money, Shapes.

• General Science: Living & Non-living things, Plantlife, Animals their food & Home, birds: beaks claws & nests of the birds, Soil, Air water and weather, Our universe, Human body, Safety & first aid.

• Critical Thinking: This section includes a combination of skills like conscious application in real life, Logical & Inductive Reasoning, Tactics & Strategies in decision-making, higher-order thinking

NSTSE Class 4 Syllabus 2025-26

• Mathematics: Large Numbers, Roman numerals, Addition and Subtraction, Multiplication and division, Factors and Multiples, Fractions, Length, Weight, Capacity, Time, Geometry, Perimeter and Area.

• General Science: Plant life - I, Plantlife - II, Animal life - I, Animal life - II, Food & Digestion, Health & Hygiene, Teeth & Microbes, Safety & First aid, Our clothes, Air water and weather, Our universe.

• Critical Thinking: This section includes a combination of skills like conscious application in real life, Logical & Inductive Reasoning, Tactics & Strategies in decision-making, and higher-order thinking.

NSTSE Class 5 Syllabus 2025-26

• Mathematics: Large Numbers, Factors and multiples, Fractions and Decimals, Measurement of Length, Weight, Capacity, Volume, Time, Temperature, Conversions, Percentages, Ratios, Speed distance and time, Simple interest, Profit and loss, Geometry, Perimeter and area.

• General Science: Plant life, Animal life - II, Human body - I, Human body - II, Soil Rocks & Minerals, Air water and weather, The moon, Matter, Force work & energy.

• Critical Thinking: This section includes a combination of skills like conscious application in real life, Logical & Inductive Reasoning, Tactics & Strategies in decision-making, and higher-order thinking.

NSTSE Class 3 to 5 Marking Scheme

NSTSE Class 6 to 10 Syllabus 2025-26

The NSTSE Syllabus for Classes 6 to 10 will consist of 60 questions for 60 marks asked from 5 subjects. Students can also use the CBSE Class 10 syllabus 2025-26 for better preparation. Class 6 to 10 and marks distribution for this group is as follows:

NSTSE Class 6 Syllabus

• Mathematics: Knowing our Numbers, Whole Numbers, Playing with Numbers, Basic Geometrical Ideas, Understanding Elementary Shapes, Integers, Fractions, Decimals, Data Handling, Mensuration, Algebra, Ratio and Proportion, Symmetry.

• Physics: Motion and Measurement of distances, Light shadows and reflections, Electricity and circuits.

• Chemistry: Sorting materials into groups, Separation of substances,

• Biology: Components of food, Plants, Body movements, Living organisms and their surroundings.

• Critical Thinking: This section includes a combination of skills like conscious application in real life, Logical & Inductive Reasoning, Tactics & Strategies in decision-making, and higher-order thinking.

NSTSE Class 7 Syllabus

• Mathematics: Integers, Fractions and Decimals, Data Handling, Simple Equations, Lines and Angles, Triangle and their Properties, Congruence of Triangles, Comparing Quantities, Rational Numbers, Practical Geometry, Perimeter and Area, Algebraic Expressions, Exponents and Powers, Symmetry.

• Physics: Motion and time, Heat, Electric Current and its Effects.

• Chemistry: Physical and chemical changes, Acids bases and salts, Water - A precious resource.

• Biology: Nutrition in plants, nutrition in animals, Organization in living beings, Respiration in organisms, Transportation in living beings, Reproduction and growth in plants.

• Critical Thinking: This section includes a combination of skills like conscious application in real life, Logical & Inductive Reasoning, Tactics & Strategies in decision-making, and higher-order thinking.

NSTSE Syllabus for Class 8

• Mathematics: Rational Numbers, Linear Equations in One Variable, Understanding Quadrilaterals, Data Handling, Squares and Square Roots, Cubes and Cube Roots, Comparing Quantities, Algebraic Expressions and Identities, Mensuration, Exponents and Powers, Direct and Inverse Proportions, Factorization.

• Physics: Force and Pressure, Friction, Sound, Chemical effects of electric current, Some natural phenomena, Light.

• Chemistry: Coal and petroleum, Combustion and flame.

• Biology: Food production and management, Microorganisms, Conservation of plants and animals, Reproduction in animals.

• Critical Thinking: This section includes a combination of skills like conscious application in real life, Logical & Inductive Reasoning, Tactics & Strategies in decision-making, and higher-order thinking.

NSTSE Exam Syllabus for Class 9

• Mathematics: Number Systems, Polynomials, Co-ordinate Geometry, Linear Equations in Two Variables, Introduction to Euclid’s Geometry, Lines and Angles, Triangles, Quadrilaterals, Circles, Heron’s Formula, Surface Areas and Volumes.

• Physics: Motion, Force and laws of motion, Gravitation & Pressure, Work energy & power.

• Chemistry: Matter in our surroundings, Is matter around us pure, atoms and molecules.

• Biology: Cell, Tissues, Improvement in food resources.

• Critical Thinking: This section includes a combination of skills like conscious application in real life, Logical & Inductive Reasoning, Tactics & Strategies in decision-making, higher-order thinking

NSTSE Exam Syllabus for Class 10

• Mathematics: Real Numbers, Polynomials, Pair of Linear Equations in Two Variables, Quadratic Equations, Arithmetic Progressions, Triangles, Co-ordinate Geometry, Introduction to Trigonometry, Some Applications of Trigonometry, Circles, Areas Related to Circles, Surface Areas and Volumes.

• Physics: Light, reflection & refraction, The human eye and the colourful world, Electricity, Magnetics effects of electric current.

• Chemistry: Chemical reactions & equations, Acids bases and salts, Metals & non-metals, Carbon and its compounds.

• Biology: Life processes, Control & Co-ordination, Reproduction, Our Environment.

• Critical Thinking: This section includes a combination of skills like conscious application in real life, Logical & Inductive Reasoning, Tactics & Strategies in decision-making, and higher-order thinking.

NSTSE Class 6 to 10 Marking Scheme

NSTSE Olympiad Syllabus 2025-26 for Class 11 and 12 (PCM)

The NSTSE exam for classes 11 and 12 will have 60 questions from four sections. Below are the sections and the marking scheme for the same.

NSTSE Syllabus Class 11 (PCM)

• Mathematics: Sets, Relations and Functions, Principle of Mathematical Induction, Logarithms, Complex Numbers & Quadratic Equations, Linear In-equations, Sequences and Series, Trigonometry, Straight Lines, Conic Sections, Permutations and Combinations, Binomial Theorem, Statistics, Mathematical Reasoning, Limits and Derivatives, Probability, Introduction to 3D Geometry.

• Physics: Physical world, Units & measurements, Motion in a straight line, Motion in a plane, Laws of motion, Work energy & power, System of particles & rotational motion, Gravitation, Mechanical properties of solids, Mechanical properties of fluids, Thermal properties of matter, Thermodynamics.

• Chemistry: Basic concepts of chemistry, Structure of atoms, Classification of Elements & Periodicity in properties, Chemical bonding & molecular structure, States of the matter: Gases & liquids, Thermodynamics, Equilibrium, Redox reaction, Hydrogen, s-Block elements, Some pblock elements, Organic chemistry: Basic principles & techniques.

• Critical Thinking: This section includes a combination of skills like conscious application in real life, Logical & Inductive Reasoning, Tactics & Strategies in decision-making, and higher-order thinking.

NSTSE Syllabus Class 12 (PCM)

• Mathematics: Relations and Functions, Inverse Trigonometric Functions, Matrices and Determinants, Continuity and Differentiability, Application of Derivatives, Integrals, Application Integrals, Differential Equations, Vector Algebra, Three Dimensional Geometry, Probability, Linear Programming.

• Physics: Electric charges and fields, Electrostatic potential and capacitance, Current electricity, Moving charges and magnetism, Magnetism and Matter, Electromagnetic induction, Alternating current, Electromagnetic waves, Ray optics and optical instruments, Wave optics, Dual nature of radiation and matter, Atoms, Nuclei.

• Chemistry: Solid state, Solutions, Electrochemistry, Chemical kinetics, Surface chemistry, Isolation of elements, p-block elements, d- and f-block elements, Coordination compounds, Haloalkanes and Haloarenes, Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic acids, Organic compounds containing nitrogen, Biomolecules.

• Critical Thinking: This section includes a combination of skills like conscious application in real life, Logical & Inductive Reasoning, Tactics & Strategies in decision-making, and higher-order thinking.

NSTSE Class 11 and 12 Marking Scheme (PCM)

NSTSE Syllabus for Class 11 and 12 (PCB)

The NSTSE syllabus for PCS Class 11 will have 60 questions from 4 sections, which are Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Critical Thinking. Candidates can also prefer the CBSE 12th syllabus 2025 for the exam. NSTSE syllabus and marks distribution for class 11 and 12 PCB stream are as follows:

NSTSE Syllabus Class 11 (PCB)

• Biology: Diversity in the living world, Structural organisation in plants & animals, Cell structure and functions, Plant physiology, Animal physiology.

• Physics: Physical world, Units & measurements, Motion in a straight line, Motion in a plane, Laws of motion, Work energy & power, System of particles & rotational motion, Gravitation, Mechanical properties of solids, Mechanical properties of fluids, Thermal properties of matter, Thermodynamics.

• Chemistry: Basic concepts of chemistry, Structure of atoms, Classification of Elements & Periodicity in properties, Chemical bonding & molecular structure, States of the matter: Gases & liquids, Thermodynamics, Equilibrium, Redox reaction, Hydrogen, s-Block elements, Some pblock elements, Organic chemistry: Basic principles & techniques.

• Critical Thinking: This section includes a combination of skills like conscious application in real life, Logical & Inductive Reasoning, Tactics & Strategies in decision-making, and higher-order thinking.

NSTSE Syllabus Class 12 (PCB)

• Biology: Reproduction, Genetics and Evolution, Biology and Human Welfare, Biotechnology, Ecology. Physics: Electric charges and fields, Electrostatic potential and capacitance, Current electricity, Moving charges and magnetism, Magnetism and Matter, Electromagnetic induction, Alternating current, Electromagnetic waves, Ray optics and optical instruments, Wave optics, Dual nature of radiation and matter, Atoms, Nuclei.

• Chemistry: Solid state, Solutions, Electrochemistry, Chemical kinetics, Surface chemistry, Isolation of elements, p-block elements, d- and f-block elements, Coordination compounds, Haloalkanes and Haloarenes, Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic acids, Organic compounds containing nitrogen, Biomolecules.

• Critical Thinking: This section includes a combination of skills like conscious application in real life, Logical & Inductive Reasoning, Tactics & Strategies in decision-making, and higher-order thinking.

NSTSE Class 11 and 12 Marking Scheme (PCB)

How to Prepare for NSTSE 2025-26?

Below, we have given some simple steps that will prepare students for the NSTSE exam:

1. Try to cover the NSTSE 2025-26 syllabus at least a month before the exam, which includes the CBSE syllabus of the respective class.

2. Read newspapers, magazines or journals daily to stay updated with the latest trends and information.

3. Clear all your doubts and concepts.

4. Take part in quiz programmes regularly.

NSTSE Selection Process

Students should qualify for the objective-type test with 100% marks or obtain the highest marks in the NSTSE result and get selected for the scholarship amount.

• NSTSE checks how well students are with their skills and concepts underlying the school syllabus.

• This NSTSE exam helps teachers and parents to know the strengths and weaknesses of an individual student.

• CBSE syllabus is very important, as NSTSE follows the same. Along with that, the question papers from various state boards can also be helpful.

NSTSE Sample Papers

Sample papers are always helpful in preparing for the exam. It is advised to practise NSTSE sample papers to know the exam pattern, make preparation strategies, and time management. Students who want an extra edge over the competition and want to ace the exam can make their preparations better by solving sample papers.