SOF NSO Class 10 Syllabus 2025-26 & Exam Pattern PDF, Topics, Marking Scheme

SOF NSO Class 10 Syllabus 2025-26 & Exam Pattern PDF, Topics, Marking Scheme

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NSO Exam Date:27 Nov' 25 - 27 Nov' 25

Manasvini GuptaUpdated on 01 Sep 2025, 10:35 AM IST

The Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) has released NSO 10th syllabus for all sections. Students appearing for the NSO exam should be well-prepared with the updated NSO Class 10 syllabus 2025-26. The SOF NSO is conducted at two levels. The Level 1 NSO exam tests students on their reasoning ability, science, and higher-order thinking skills. For Class 10, the NSO Level 1 paper comprises 50 questions to be solved in 60 minutes. Selected students from NSO Level 1 will qualify for the NSO Level 2 exam, which is based entirely on the Class 10 syllabus. Go through the following sections to check the SOF NSO Class 10 syllabus and exam pattern 2025-26.

This Story also Contains

  1. SOF NSO Class 10 Syllabus 2025-26 - Highlights
  2. SOF NSO Class 10 Syllabus 2025-26
  3. SOF NSO Exam Pattern 2025-26
SOF NSO Class 10 Syllabus 2025-26 & Exam Pattern PDF, Topics, Marking Scheme
SOF NSO Class 10 Syllabus 2025-26

SOF NSO Class 10 Syllabus 2025-26 - Highlights

Students who are going to appear in the National Science Olympiad can go through the table below to get major highlights of the NSO Class 10th syllabus and other details:

Particulars

Details

Exam duration

60 minutes

Total questions

50

Total marks

60

Exam levels

Level 1 and Level 2

NSO Level 1 syllabus distribution

60% from the Class 10 syllabus, 40% from the Class 9 syllabus

NSO Level 2 syllabus distribution

100% from the Class 10 syllabus

Sections in level 1

Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning, Science (Class 9 & 10 topics), Mathematics/Quantitative Aptitude, Achievers Section

Sections in level 2

Science & Achievers Section

Question type

Objective (Multiple Choice Questions)

Official website

sofworld.org

SOF NSO Class 10 Syllabus 2025-26

The NSO exam for Class 10 is divided into four sections. The section-wise syllabus is given below:

Section 1: Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning

  • Verbal Reasoning

  • Non-Verbal Reasoning

  • Series Completion

  • Analogy

  • Coding-Decoding

  • Blood Relations

  • Direction Sense Test

  • Ranking and Ordering

  • Puzzle Test

  • Venn Diagrams

Section 2: Science (Class 9 & 10 Topics)

The main science concepts tested in NSO for Class 10 are as per the Class 10 NCERT syllabus, along with important fundamentals from Class 9. Topics include:

  • Real Numbers

  • Polynomials

  • Pair of Linear Equations in Two Variables

  • Quadratic Equations

  • Arithmetic Progressions

  • Triangles

  • Coordinate Geometry

  • Introduction to Trigonometry

  • Applications of Trigonometry

  • Circles

  • Areas Related to Circles

  • Surface Areas and Volumes

  • Statistics

  • Probability

Section 3: Mathematics/Quantitative Aptitude

This section assesses the application of mathematical reasoning and problem-solving skills. Topics include:

  • Word Problems

  • Data Interpretation

  • Profit & Loss

  • Speed, Time & Distance

  • Time & Work

  • Ratio & Proportion

  • Percentage

  • Simple & Compound Interest

  • Miscellaneous Quantitative Problems

Section 4: Achievers Section (HOTS)

  • Higher-Order Thinking Questions

  • Based entirely on Section 2 topics (Class 10 syllabus)

  • Conceptual and application-driven problems

SOF NSO Exam Pattern 2025-26

The NSO 2025-26 exam will be conducted at two levels. The NSO Level 1 and Level 2 exam pattern is given below for students’ reference:

NSO Exam Pattern 2025-26 for Level 1

Section

No. of Questions

Marks/Question

Total Marks

Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning

15

1

15

Science (Class 9 & 10 topics)

20

1

20

Mathematics / Quantitative Aptitude

10

1

10

Achievers Section

5

3

15

Grand Total

50


60

NSO Exam Pattern 2025-26 for Level 2

Section

No. of Questions

Marks/Question

Total Marks

Science

45

1

45

Achievers Section

5

3

15

Grand Total

50


60

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Questions related to NSO

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to NSO ?

Hello,

29 out of 40 score generally consider very good score if exams difficulty was moderate to high and it show strong conceptual understanding and accuracy although your ranking depends on overall performance of nation wide and your level of class

From this score you can get decent rank and percentile

I hope you find this helpful!!!

Thank you

Hi dear candidate,

You can try again downloading the answer key for Science Olympiad Foundation NSO question papers from class 1st to 12th of set A,B and C on our official website with the link attached below:

SOF NSO Answer Key 2025-26 for Class 1 to 12, Download PDF (Set A, B, C)

BEST REGARDS

Hii,

U can download ur NSO 2025-26 question papers from this link NSO sample papers 2025-26

Hope this information might be useful for u. Good luck.

Hello,

You can access sample papers and previous years question papers for the National Science Olympiad (NSO) from given link:

HELLO,

Don't worry if you have lost your NSO admit card , then you can easily download a duplicate from the official SOF website

  • You need to visit the official website of SOF
  • Then there you will find an link to download Admit card under the section Download menu or student zone
  • There you have to choose NSO and the relevant level
  • There fill your details like School code , class and roll number exactly as provided by school
  • After that submit the details and your admit card will appear on the screen

In case you don't have your roll number or face any issues while downloading the admit card then contact your school coordinator or contact SOF the through the official mail to request assistance

Hope this Helps!