SOF NSO Class 10 Syllabus 2025-26 & Exam Pattern PDF, Topics, Marking Scheme
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.
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- SOF NSO Class 10 Syllabus 2025-26 - Highlights
- SOF NSO Class 10 Syllabus 2025-26
- SOF NSO Exam Pattern 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 ?
The SOF NSO (National Science Olympiad) Class 9 Answer Key for the 2025-2026 Level 1 exam is expected to be released by the Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) during December 2025.
The NSO exam is conducted in three sets (Set A, Set B, and Set C), and the answer keys are released separately for each set. Since the final NSO exam date (Set C) was held today, December 11, 2025, the official answer keys for all sets (A, B, and C) will be made available shortly this month on the official website, and the links will be updated on the provided page. You can use the answer key corresponding to your exam set to calculate your provisional score for the 60-mark paper and assess your chances of qualifying for Level 2, which is scheduled for February 2026. You can monitor and download the relevant NSO Answer Key for Class 9 directly here: https://school.careers360.com/articles/nso-answer-key
The SOF NSO (National Science Olympiad) Class 9 Sample Question Paper for the 2025-2026 session is available for download on the provided page.
While the actual NSO question paper for the 2025 Level 1 exam has been administered (Sets A and B in November, Set C today, December 11, 2025), this sample paper is crucial because it:
-
Mirrors the Exam Pattern: It exactly reflects the structure of the Olympiad: 50 questions across Logical Reasoning, Science, and the Achievers Section, carrying a total of 60 marks.
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Includes Key Topics: It covers the most important concepts from the Class 9 Science syllabus (Physics, Chemistry, and Biology), ensuring focused revision for the Level 2 exam (scheduled for February 2026).
You can download the SOF NSO Class 9 Sample Paper PDF and other related resources for practice here: https://school.careers360.com/download/sample-papers/sof-nso-class-9-sample-paper-2025-26
Hello,
You can get the Class 6-9 NSO Answer Keys for all sets from the Careers360 website. This website also provides exam patterns, previous years papers, exam paper analysis, syllabus, important dates, question papers along with answer keys, preparation tips also.
LINK: https://school.careers360.com/articles/nso-answer-key
I hope it helps!
Hello,
Here you can access the official NSO (National Science Olympiad) 2025-26 Class 9 Set C answer key from the mentioned link below:
https://school.careers360.com/articles/nso-answer-key
Hope it helps.
Keep checking the official SOF website.. once the exam series ends, the answer key pdfs will be available there for download.. u can check it under the section of 'Answer Keys 2025-26' and then search for ur exam that was NSO and then choose ur class.. and there u can download the pdf.
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