The full form of SOF NSO is the National Science Olympiad.
SOF NSO is a prestigious annual competition for high school students from around the world who are interested in science and its applications. Participants compete in a series of challenging problems that test their scientific temperament and problem-solving skills. The competition aims to inspire and nurture the next generation of scientists and promote excellence in the field of science.
Schools in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan & Nepal have to pay SOF a registration fee of INR 125 and for other countries, it is USD 9 (including GST) per student / Olympiad towards the cost of the examination.
Students can register for the SOF NSO National Science Olympiad through their respective schools only. Individual registrations are not accepted.
Participants of Olympiads are ranked on the basis of marks obtained. Hence, after taking the first level of the test, students can judge themselves academically at five different levels - within the school, at city level, at zonal level, at regional level and above all at International level.
Each student is provided a Student Performance Report (SPR). The SPR analyses the strong and weak areas of the student and also gives a detailed performance comparison of the student vis-à-vis other students at School, City, Zonal and International level. Analysis of the student’s past years’ performance is also provided.
Students are suitably awarded/provided scholarship based on their International, Zonal and School ranking. Prizes are announced annually and include cash awards/scholarships, medals, gifts, certificates etc. Selective International toppers from each class are awarded/provided scholarship at a grand prize distribution ceremony held in Delhi, presided over by eminent personalities. Prizes for zonal winners and school winners are sent to their respective schools. For the year 2022-23, a sum of Rs. 20 crores was spent towards awards/scholarships, felicitations, scholarships etc.
Students of classes 1st to 12th are eligible to appear for the 1st level Olympiads.There is no other eligibility criterion like minimum marks. Students who qualify for the 2nd level exam include.
- Top 5% of students’ class wise, who appear for the 1st level exam,
- Zone wise top 25 rank holders class wise, and
- Class toppers from each participating school where at least 10 students from a class appear in the exam & scores 50% qualifying marks.
Students from classes 1 and 2 are not required to appear for the 2nd level exam and are ranked based on their performance in the first level exam.
All the relevant information is sent to the schools registered with us across countries, along with prospectus, registration forms, posters and other details before the first round of exams and then as the date and venue of the second level is decided, the information is sent to the relevant schools again. The students come to know about the necessary details from their school teachers or through the SOF official website www.sofworld.org or through the SOF facebook page facebook.com/sofworld.
Please let us know the name, e-mail ID, complete address of your school along with name and contact details of the Principal. We will send detailed information and registration forms to your School so that your Principal / Olympiad Teacher-in-charge can register your names for the exam.
The syllabus of the Olympiads is the syllabus as prescribed by the CBSE, ICSE and various state boards. If you sit for the second level and have moved onto the next class, the syllabus will remain the same (i.e. of the previous class). The details of syllabus are also posted on the Foundation’s website. Please click following link to access the syllabus NSO Syllabus.
In general, NCERT books/course books prescribed by the CBSE/ICSE/STATE BOARDS may be referred to for the preparation. We also have following books/testseries/resource material for Olympiad preparation:
Additionally, class XI and XII students can refer to the various MTG competitive books and magazines like Chemistry Today, Biology Today, Mathematics Today and Physics for You.
The above books/materials related to Olympiad are published by MTG – the official academic partner of SOF. Website: www.mtg.in
Certainly. This will give you an opportunity to improve your previous rankings, and if you are successful in doing so, you will again be eligible for certificates and prizes.
You can request your school authority to send your relevant details and fee immediately to us. We will accept it if it reaches us before the last date of registration (usually 30 days before the exam).
Sample Papers are sent to all schools registered for Olympiad exams. SOF website also contains these papers. Sample papers sent to the schools prior to the first level test are helpful and can be used for both levels of Olympiad exams.
In addition to the sample papers, students may also benefit by subscribing to OSDS – Olympiad Skill Development System (please refer to the link NSO SAMPLE PAPERS for details)
For details please click following link: Structure and pattern
Results of Olympiads are declared within 8 weeks of the examination. The results are sent to the schools concerned. The results are also made available on our website.
Although conducted by the same Foundation, ICSO, NSO, IMO, IEO, ICO, ISSO, IHO & IGKO are completely different competitions. Students can register for all the Olympiads in a year as per class eligibility.
All the important information regarding Olympiads, Seminars, etc., like date, time and venue is available on our website. So it is beneficial for you to visit our site www.sofworld.org and www.facebook.com/sofworld.
As soon as we finalize the date and venue of the presentation ceremony, we send out the information to the schools concerned and also share the dates on our website www.sofworld.org and on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/sofworld. So please be in touch with your previous school or/and access our website regularly.
Please request your Principal / Science Teacher to inform us about the non-receipt of the above. We will send duplicate copies to your school as soon as we hear from them.
Send us the complete address of your school in the following format and we will send relevant information and registration forms to you at the appropriate time.
School Name, Postal Address, School E-mail, Principal’s Name, Phone Number & Principal’s E-mail ID.
Please click the following link to know criteria for Ranking.
