NSO

The National Science Olympiad (NSO) is a yearly competitive exam conducted for school students.

Organized by the Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF), this exam aims at cultivating scientific reasoning and logical ability among the students through a rigorous test.

The Science Olympiad Foundation primarily instills scientific curiosity and vigour in young students through competitive exams.

Here’s some more information on NSO.

Here’s a list of competitive exams you can participate in.

• Class:

  You need to be a student in Classes 1 to 12 to be eligible for this exam.

• Boards:

  You must be a student of SSC, ICSE or CBSE boards.

• Qualifying for second level examination:

  The top 5% of students (class-wise) who appear for the first level exam.

  The top 25 rank holders state-wise.

  Class toppers from each participating school; where at least 10 students participate and score a minimum of 50%.

• Year of attempt:

  As long as you’re a student enrolled in any of Classes 1 to 12, you can apply for NSO.

• Number of attempts:

  You can only attempt NSO once in every academic year.

The Science Olympiad Foundation only releases exam dates for the current academic year.

Here are the dates for NSO 2018:

Based on your performance in the first level exam, you are given a rank. This rank determines whether you qualify for the second level exam or not.

If two students score the same marks, ranks are awarded to the student scoring higher marks in priority sections as mentioned below:

In the second level exam, you are ranked on the basis of your total score.

In case two students score the same marks, their ranks are decided on the basis of the below points:

• Higher marks scored in higher priority sections (second level exam)
• Total marks scored in the first level exam
• Higher marks scored in higher priority sections (first level exam)

If two students still score the same marks, they are given the same rank.

• Understand the standard of questions: If you are appearing for NSO, then expect questions of varying difficulty levels that test your logical and observational skills. There will be no direct questions, but an application of a previously studied concept is more likely to form the base of a question.
• Practice sample papers: Solving sample papers will give you a fair idea of the pattern of the questions asked. They are also good for improving the pace at which you attempt the paper in a limited amount of time. NSO sample papers can be obtained from the official website.
• Know the relevant books: You must thoroughly study course books suggested by your school or board (ICSE, CBSE or State Board). In addition to this, you can refer the books available for Olympiad preparations to get a good rank in NSO.

Here are the books prescribed for NSO:

• MTG NSO class wise Workbooks (For Class 1 to 10)
• SOF Olympiad Trainer - Mobile Apps
• OSDS (Olympiad Skill Development System)
• Previous Years' Papers
• Olympiad's Book of Reasoning (for preparation for the reasoning section of NSO)
• E-Quiz

If you’re a class 10 or 12 student, you can also refer to publications like Chemistry Today, Biology Today, Mathematics Today, Physics for You and MTG.

These books contain useful information, including model test papers of various National and International Olympiads.