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

Manasvini GuptaUpdated on 12 Dec 2025, 11:48 AM IST

The Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) released the 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,

The National Science Olympiad is conducted by the Science Olympiad Foundation for the students from classes 9-12.

The aim of the examination is inculcate a passion for science in the students. The duration of examination is 1 hour.

Check out the official website of Careers360 for the answer keys of all sets. Link below.

https://school.careers360.com/articles/nso-answer-key

Thank you.

Hello,

Here is your SOF NSO Answer Key 2025-26. Kindly open open the link and check it out.

https://school.careers360.com/articles/nso-answer-key

I hope it will help you. For any further query please let me know.

Thank you.

Hello,

Here is your NSO set A class 7th answer key 2025 26. I am providing you the link kindly open and check it out.

https://school.careers360.com/articles/nso-answer-key

I hope it will help you . For any further query please let me know.

Thank you.

Hello,
Here is the link for your 9th standard NSO Science set C solved Question paper for 2025. Kindly check the following link.
https://www.careers360.com/question-nso-9th-2025-26-set-c-answer-key
I hope this helps you.

Hello

To download the NSO 2025–26 answer key, you just need to visit the official SOF website.

There, you will find a section called “Answer Keys 2025–26” where NSO keys for each class and set are uploaded.

Select your class and question set, and the answer key will open as a PDF. You can then save it directly to your phone or laptop.

If it’s not uploaded yet, don’t worry, SOF usually releases it a few weeks after the exam.

You can CLICK HERE for more details.