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NSO 2023-24 Eligibility Criteria

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Last updated date: 27th Mar 2024
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Olympiads

NSO Exam Eligibility 2023

The eligibility criteria for the NSO exams are something that all the candidates must fulfil in order to appear in the exams. The SOF prescribes the NSO eligibility criteria. Candidates who are willing to attempt the National Science Olympiad exams this year must ensure that they meet the requirements of the eligibility criteria of NSO 2023. Also, NSO is a two-stage exam and, hence, the NSO eligibility criteria are different for the Level 1 and Level 2 exams. If you are looking for complete information on NSO 2023 eligibility criteria, go through the article below. 

What are Some Basic NSO Exam Eligibility Criteria?

Some basic NSO exam eligibility criteria are discussed below:

  1. Schools - Only the schools that have registered themself with SOF can apply for NSO. Schools have to choose any convenient date for the exam and register for it 30 days prior to the date of the exams. Students can register for the SOF NSO exam from their respective schools. A minimum of 10 students need to register from each school is compulsory for the SOF NSO exam.

  2. Class - Only students for classes 1 to 12 are eligible for NSO exams.

  3. Subject - Science is the mandatory subject in which the applicant has a keen interest.

  4. Boards - Only students studying in CBSE, ICSE, and State board are eligible for the NSO exam.

  5. Year of Attempt - As long as the child is studying in any of the classes from 1 to 12 can apply for the NSO exam.

  6. Number of Attempts - Students can apply for the NSO exam only once in each academic year.

 

NSO Eligibility Criteria - Details

NSO is mainly conducted for the students who want to judge their scientific and academic aptitude. The Olympiad is conducted in two 2 levels i.e. in Level 1 and Level 2.

 

NSO Exam Eligibility for Level 1

There are no specific NSO exam eligibility criteria for Level 1. Students of classes 1 to 12 can appear for the level 1 Olympiad exam. There are no criteria for the minimum marks obtained by students in their academics. The NSO exam is open for school students studying in classes 1 to 12.

 

NSO Exam Eligibility for Level 2

Only the students who scored well in level 1 are eligible for the Olympiad exam level 2. The following students are eligible for Olympiad exams.

  • The top 5% of students from each class who attempted Level 1 are eligible for the level 2 exam.

  • The top 25 rank-holders from each zone who attempted Level 1 are eligible for the level 2 exam.

  • Rank-holders from each participating school were a minimum of 10 students who attempted exams and scored 50% qualifying marks.

  • If the registration is received section-wise, students with the maximum marks regardless of the section will be eligible for the NSO Level 2 exam. For the section-wise registration, students who receive gold medals may not necessarily be eligible for second Level Olympiad exams.

Students of Classes 1 and 2 are not eligible for NSO Level 2 exams. Their performance is judged on the basis of the results of the Level 1 exams only. 

 

What is the NSO Exam?

NSO is a competitive exam organized every year by the Science Olympiad Foundation for the students studying in school. NSO stands for National Science Olympiad Exams. The Olympiad is being arranged to give students a stage to publicize their talent and awareness of Science at the national level. The selected students get an opportunity to win up to INR 50,000 and other benefits. The NSO aims at nurturing scientific reasoning and logical ability in young students through a diligent test. The Science Olympiad Foundation visualizes the scientific interest and enthusiasm in young talents through competitive exams.

 

NSO Eligibility - About the Science Olympiad Foundation

The Science Olympiad Foundation was created in 1999 by Mahabir Singh. The aim of the SOF was to institute a series of national-level Olympiads that would test students in critical academic skills and provide an arena to hone their competitive spirits. The main Olympiads that were founded by the SOF were as follows:

  • The National Science Olympiad (NSO) - This Olympiad, as the name suggests, is dedicated to testing the students’ abilities in the three pure sciences, i.e. Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. It also tests the students’ critical thinking skills and logical reasoning capabilities.

  • The International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) - This is also a national-level exam that tests students on their Mathematical abilities, along with logical thinking and reasoning skills.

  • The National Cyber Olympiad (NCO) - This exam is focused on the computer and IT skills of the students. For younger students, the syllabus only includes the basics of computers, while older students focus on advanced computers and coding.

  • The International General Knowledge Olympiad (IGKO) - This exam tests a student’s knowledge of current affairs and general facts.

  • The International English Olympiad (IEO) - This one focuses on honing a student’s English language skills and knowledge of literature.

On this page, you will find the Eligibility criteria for the National Science Olympiad (NSO), as well as get answers to some of the usual questions that students have regarding this exam. 

The National Science Olympiad (NSO) Level 1 exam will take place this year between the end of November to the end of December. The aim of the NSO is to evaluate talent and scientific acumen among young students. The NSO is a great platform for students that helps them to assess their ability for scientific reasoning and logical thinking. The Olympiad encourages a greater scientific awareness among young people. 

On average, about 56000 students appear in the NSO exam each year. All students from classes 1st to 12th are eligible to appear for the 1st level National Science Olympiad. There are no minimum marks criteria for the first level. But for the second, here are the eligibility criteria: 

  • The top 5% of students of classes who participate in the 1st level exam

  • Zone wise top 25 rank holders class wise

  • And class toppers from participating schools where at least 10 students from a class appear in the exam & score 50% qualifying marks 

  • Students from classes 1 & 2 are not required to appear for the 2nd exam.

NSO 2023 Important Dates

The Science Olympiad Foundation has published the NSO 2023 Exam dates along with the tentative result dates. Students can also find the answer key release details below.

Exam

Answer Key Release

Result

  • There are 3 dates schools can choose for the conduction of NCO Exam.

  • The school can select either of these  3  dates - 17th October 2023, 21st November 2023 & 5th  December 2023.


  • The downloadable answer keys to questions will be released by SOF 3-4 weeks after the NSO Exam.

  • The answer keys for NSO  will be released separately for set A and Set B. 


  • NSO Results are expected to be  declared within 8 weeks of each Exam. 

  • The results are sent to schools as well as uploaded on the official website.

 

NSO 2023 Exam Registration Process

The NSO 2023 Registration Process is very easy. For a simpler understanding, go through the table below:

Step

Event

Step 1

SOF registered schools receive the prospectus and application forms for students.

Step 2

Schools distribute the application forms to students to fill.

Step 3

Students fill the application forms and submit the same with a fee of INR 125.

Step 4

Schools return the  duly filled application forms and the fees to SOF within the due date.

Step 5

Students are assigned a roll number by the coordinating teacher.

Step 6

Students can download the NSO admit card from the official website, a week before the exam. Hall tickets will also be sent to students’ registered Email ID and mobile number.

NSO Exam Paper Pattern and Structure 2023

It is important to be aware of the NSO Exam Paper Pattern before students start preparing for the exam. This will help them to be familiar with the topics that can come in the paper.  The following table will aid the students appearing for NSO-2023 in getting an overview of the exam pattern.

Class

Topic

No of Questions

Marks for Each Question

Total Marks

1-4

Logical Reasoning

5

1

5

Science

25

1

25

Achievers Section

5

2

10

Grand Total

35


40

5-10

Logical Reasoning

10

1

10

Science

35

1

35

Achievers Section

5

3

15

Grand Total

50


60

11-12

Physics and Chemistry

25

1

25

Achievers Section

5

3

15

Mathematics/Biology

20

1

20

Grand Total

50


60

How to Study for NSO?

To study for the NSO, you should first make sure you have all the material you need. Ensure that you have the reference books that have been recommended, and download the syllabus if you haven’t already. Another useful method of studying is to download sample papers and practise solving them to get an idea of what the exam is like. It is important to make sure you time yourself according to the exam parameters when you solve the sample papers, to teach yourself how to solve the paper within the time limit. Vedantu has sample papers as well as the syllabus available for free on the website and mobile app, so all the materials you need are available for easy access in one place. To download the syllabus, and to download the sample papers. Just create an account with Vedantu and you can access the sample papers, syllabi, and more for free.

 

NSO 2023 Mock Papers

The NSO cut-off will be released in January 2024. However, to ensure that students are able to score well regardless of the knowledge of the cut-off  marks, Vedantu has made available in its website NSO mock papers for students. These sample papers will aid the participating students in scoring good marks. The students can practise these sample papers to get an idea about the type of questions to be asked. This will also help the students to time themselves efficiently for the test.


NSO 2023 Preparation Tips

Appearing for the NSO Exam can make the students a little nervous. This is why Vedantu brings you easy-to-follow tips that can aid the students in scoring good marks in the Exam.

  1. Be thorough with the NSO Syllabus

  2. Go through the Exam structure and pattern.

  3. Identify your tough spots and work on them more.

  4. Take help of relevant books for concept clarity.

  5. To become more efficient in your preparation, create and follow a time table.

  6. Take regular breaks.

  7. Practise sample papers and time yourself.

FAQs on NSO 2023-24 Eligibility Criteria

1. Should the Participants Refer to Any Specific Book for the Preparation of The NSO Exam?

NCERT books/Coursebooks issued by the CBSE, ICSE /state boards can be used to prepare for NSO exams. Along with the NCERT and other course books, the following books can also be referred to:

  • MTG class wise workbooks( for all classes from 1 to 12)

  • ‘SOF Olympiad Trainer’ mobile app designed by SOF for guiding the students looking to attempt the exam.

  • Previous year papers and sample papers by Vedantu.

  • Different magazines can be used which discuss subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Physics for you etc.

  • Olympiad books of reasoning ( for preparing the reasoning section of the NSO olympiad exam).

2. What are the Important Benefits of Olympiad Exams for a Student?

Some important benefits of the Olympiad exam for students are:

  1. They are feasible to judge a student’s conceptual understanding of the particular subject,

  2. Enhance the problem - solving skills of the students and challenge them to think logically.

  3. Prepare the students for competitive exams by assessing students' aptitude along with the subject knowledge.

  4. Improving the student’s performance at school as the Olympiad exam sharpens the thinking and learning process of the students which helps them to grasp the concepts easily which has been taught at school.

  5. Induce the quality of hard work among the students by encouraging them to prepare diligently for the exam and improve their academic as well as Olympiad performance.

3. How to Participate in the NSO Olympiad Exam?

Prospectus including the registration form of the NSO exam is sent to schools registered with SOF Olympiad. Schools who have not registered with SOF Olympiad can also request a registration form by sending an email to the foundation.


The school’s coordinating teachers can also generate student’s roll numbers as per the guidelines mentioned in the prospectus issued by SOF. A copy of the student's roll number, student's registration form, and school registration form is sent to the Science Olympiad Foundation's office before the last date of submission of forms.

The foundation then further sends the question paper to the school after the applicant school and student get registered.

4. What is the NSO Student Performance Report?

Every student who attempts the SOF NSO exam is offered a student performance report. The student's performance report shows a detailed analysis of how the particular student attempted in the NSO level 1 exam.


The SPR contains a total of six sections. Each of these sections provides a subjective analysis of the student’s performance. Moreover, a comparative analysis is also drawn between the student’s performance and their peers. The aim of sharing SPR with students is to make them understand their strengths and areas requiring improvement in absolute terms and also on a competitive level comprising lakhs of students of his/her class who attempted the NSO exam.

5. What exactly is NSO?

The National Science Olympiad is a nationwide competitive exam held by the Science Olympiad Foundation. This exam is available to all students from Class 1 to Class 12, and the syllabus varies accordingly (you can download the syllabus for free on the Vedantu website or app). The exam aims to test the students’ knowledge of scientific concepts and teach them about the different sciences as well as the main developments in the field of science. This is done to inculcate a sense of love for science from a young age, and hopefully raise a new generation of brilliant scientists. It increases scientific acumen in students, and inculcates love and appreciation for Science, while also teaching students important skills like critical thinking, lateral thinking, and the ability to perform a task under pressure.