NSO (National Science Olympiad) 2023-24: Exam Dates (Released), Exam Pattern, Admit Card, Eligibility, Syllabus, and Result

National Science Olympiad (NSO) Overview

NSO 2023-24 Updates:The National Science Olympiad (NSO) is one of the most prestigious academic competitions in India. It is conducted annually by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). The Science Olympiad Foundation has revealed the schedule for the SOF NSO exam 2023, which will take place on October 17, November 21, and December 5, 2023. Schools have the option of selecting one of the dates for their convenience. The NSO 2023 will be a pen and paper exam, and level 2 exams will be held in February 2024. Students can verify the NSO Exam Dates 2023 on the official website, sofworld.org.

In February 2023, the NSO level 2 exam for the 2022-23 session was conducted, and the results were announced on March 23, 2023, at 3:30 p.m. Students can access their NSO Level 2 results for 2022-23 on the official website using their roll number.

Furthermore, the Science Olympiad Foundation announced the results for the SOF NSO level 1 exam on January 4, 2023. The NSO results 2022-23 level 1 are available online on sofworld.org, and students can check their results by entering their roll number. The SOF NSO exam for 2022 was held on October 18, November 3, and December 1, 2022.

NSO Exam 2023 Highlights

NSO Important Dates 2023-24

The table below shows the important dates for NSO 2023-24:

NSO Exam 2023-24

SOF conducts the NSO scholarship exam annually to foster scientific reasoning and logical ability among students from class 1 to class 12. The rigorous test is divided into two levels: Level 1 is open to all students from class 1 to 12, and those who qualify for Level 1 (from class 3 to 12) are eligible to take the Level 2 exam. Students can register for the SOF NSO exam through their schools, and the registration period ends 30 days prior to the exam date.

Approximately 10 lakh students register for NSO each year, but only schools that have registered with SOF can apply for the exam. Schools must choose a convenient date for the exam and register for it at least 30 days before the exam date. Individual registrations are not accepted, and a minimum of 10 students from each school must register for the SOF NSO.

To register for SOF NSO 2023, students must fill out the application form and pay the registration fee of INR 125.

NSO Exam Pattern and Syllabus 2023-24

The National Science Olympiad (NSO) 2023-24 brings a new exam pattern and syllabus to the competitive examination. NSO 2023-24 has two levels of examination; Level 1 and Level 2. Below are the details on the exam pattern for each level.

NSO Level 1:

The Level 1 exam is designed to encourage maximum student participation, with no strict eligibility criteria. It is open to all school students from classes 1 to 12. The key features of the Level 1 exam include:

1. The test is conducted during school hours at the participant's respective school.
2. The exam is an objective-type test, with 35 multiple-choice questions for classes 1 to 4 and 50 multiple-choice questions for classes 5 to 12.
3. The question paper consists of three sections: Logical Reasoning, Science, and Achievers Section (for classes 1 to 10), and Physics/Chemistry, Achievers Section, Mathematics/Biology (for classes 11 and 12).
4. The medium of the test is English, and each class has a separate question paper.
5. The test paper is based on the syllabi of CBSE, ICSE/ISC, and State Boards.

NSO Level 2:

Level 2 exams are available only to students in Classes 3 through 12 who have performed well on the Level 1 exam. Students in Classes 1 and 2 are evaluated solely on their Level 1 performance. The following students are eligible to participate in the Level 2 exam:

• The top 5% of candidates in each class who took the Level 1 exam
• The top 25 rank holders in each class and zone in the Level 1 exam
• The class topper is eligible for the Level 2 exam if at least 10 students appeared for the exam and achieved 50% qualifying marks.

NSO Syllabus

The National Science Olympiad syllabus has been divided into three sections for each grade, ranging from 1st to 12th, to ensure easy access to the topics. The sub-topics are carefully allocated based on the student's grade level, and there are also mock tests and sample papers available.

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NSO Exam Dates 2023-24

The table below shows the exam dates for NSO 2023:

NSO 2023-24: Eligibility Criteria for Students

To qualify for the National Science Olympiad 2023-24, students must meet the following criteria:

1. Must be enrolled in a school/college in India.
2. Must have completed their secondary education in the year 2023 or prior with Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and/or Biology as core subjects.
3. Must register and take the NSO exam on the dates and timing declared by Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF).
4. Must get their parents/guardian's consent to participate and attend online classes conducted on the same dates.
5. Must have an internet connection with at least 512 Kbps download speed along with a laptop or desktop with audio facility to participate in online classes conducted by SOF or any accredited institute/organization/channel associated with SOF for preparation of NSO exam 2023-24
6. Must agree to not use any form of unfair means to pass the test or during the registration process.

NSO 2023-24: Application Fees and Registration Process

The NSO eligibility criteria state that students from class 1 to 12 are eligible to take the first level Olympiad without any minimum marks requirement. The students who qualify for the second level exam are:

• The top 5% of class-wise students who appeared for the first level exam,
• The top 25 rank holders from each zone and class, and
• The class toppers from each participating school, provided at least 10 students from their class took the exam and scored the 50% qualifying marks. In case of section-wise registrations, students with the highest marks, regardless of their section, will qualify for the second level. In section-wise registrations, the gold medal winner(s) may not necessarily qualify for the second level.

Students from classes 1 and 2 need not appear for the second level NSO exam and will be ranked based on their performance in the first level.

NSO 2023-24: How to Apply

To apply for NSO 2023-24, students from classes 1–12 can submit their registration forms through their schools using the following steps:

1. The prospectus containing registration forms is sent to schools registered with SOF.
2. Students can obtain the registration forms from their respective schools.
3. If a school is not registered with SOF, it can request the prospectus by contacting SOF via phone (0124-4951200) or email (info@sofworld.org).
4. Students should fill in the required details on the registration forms and submit them to their schools.
5. The schools should return the filled registration forms to SOF before the due date.

To streamline the registration process for the NSO olympiads, SOF has introduced an online registration option for schools and students for the 2023-24 academic year. The steps for online registration are as follows:

Step 1:Go to the official website of SOF at sofworld.org

Step 2:Click on the ‘Online Registrations for Schools and Students' tab

Step 3:A separate registration page will open, where schools should select the ‘Registration by Schools' tab and students should select the ‘Registration by Students' tab to initiate registration.

Step 4:Fill in all the required details and submit the registration fee.

Step 5: After completing the form, submit it online.

It should be noted that a registration fee is applicable for NSO registration. The fee structure is as follows:

• INR 125 (including GST) per student for schools in India
• USD 9 per student for international schools

In addition, schools may charge an additional fee of INR 25 (USD 1 for international schools) per student for the expenses incurred towards the honorarium of incharge, teacher remuneration, using study materials provided by SOF, and other miscellaneous expenses.

NSO 2023-24: Results and Cut-off Marks

After the exams, the National Science Olympiad 2023-24 results and cutoff marks have been declared. The results are available on the official website and can be downloaded by the students who appeared in the exam. Here is a brief overview of the NSO 2023-24 Results and Factors affecting Cutoff Marks:

Results

The NSO 2023-24 Results are available on the official website and can be downloaded by the students who appeared in the exam. The results will contain details such as marks obtained by each student in each subject, total marks, and percentage scored.

Cutoff Factors

The cutoff marks for NSO are subject to variation and can be influenced by several factors as mentioned below:

• The total number of applications received.
• The total number of students who participated in the exam.
• The level of difficulty of the question paper
• The number of available seats.

Tips to Score High Marks in NSO Olympiad 

Since its inception, the NSO exams have been an excellent way to evaluate a student's understanding of various subjects. While the NSO Olympiad test covers almost the same material as a regular school exam, the Olympiad's format and approach are significantly different, making it more challenging and a better gauge of a student's progress.

The NSO exams serve as a motivator for students to study harder and gain a better grasp of the subject matter. Here are some suggestions to help you evaluate your progress and prepare better for your Olympiads:

Create a list

Students often depend on study materials provided for their Olympiads, but studying them thoroughly is not sufficient. Making notes as you study helps you comprehend the material better. Jotting down important points while studying makes it easier to revise for the Olympiad, saving you time and effort.

Understand the Syllabus

Familiarize yourself with the syllabus for your Olympiad as a first step. Understanding the syllabus helps you navigate through the topics smoothly, making it easier to cover them. Identifying common themes between your school syllabus and the Olympiad syllabus allows you to focus on areas that require more attention, which is vital to prepare well for your Olympiad exams.

Start Early

Preparing for an Olympiad requires starting early. The more you prepare, the better your chances of success. Putting off studies for later may have consequences, and Olympiads test your conceptual understanding, which requires knowledge of the fundamentals. Cramming the fundamentals and deeper learning into the last-minute preparation is not effective. Start small if you want but always begin early when preparing for your Olympiad.

Practice Makes you Perfect

With a wide range of preparatory books available online, preparing for Olympiads has become much easier. To be well-prepared, a student must obtain as many sample question papers, Olympiad topic pages, and previous years' Olympiad question papers as possible. Practicing improves your problem-solving speed, which is a significant advantage on Olympiad day. Practicing also boosts confidence, and the more problems you solve, the better your understanding of the concepts.

Self-Assessment

Simply studying and practicing is not enough to prepare for an Olympiad. Self-assessment is essential identifying your strengths and weaknesses. Timing yourself while solving sample papers and objectively evaluating yourself helps you examine your performance and mentally prepare for the Olympiad.