NSO Syllabus 2026

The National Science Olympiad (NSO) is a prestigious competitive exam for grade 8 students, conducted to test their science and logical thinking abilities. The exam is designed in accordance with the guidelines of NEP 2020, NCF 2023, NCERT, and CBSE.

The NSO exam consists of three main sections: logical reasoning, science, and higher-order thinking.

Major Sections of the NSO Class 8 Syllabus

1. Section 1 – Logical Reasoning: Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning.

This section tests students' thinking and problem-solving abilities. It includes questions on verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Verbal reasoning involves questions involving words, sentences, and statements, while non-verbal reasoning involves questions based on diagrams, patterns, and data.

2. Section 2 – Science:

The Science section covers all the important topics of the Class 8 syllabus. The main topics covered are:

• Crop Production and Management – Methods of farming, irrigation, crop rotation, fertilizers, storage.

• Microorganisms – Types (bacteria, fungi, protozoa, algae), uses, diseases.

• Coal and Petroleum – Fossil fuels, types, uses, conservation.

• Combustion and Flame – Types of combustion, flame structure, fire control.

• Conservation of Plants and Animals – Deforestation, wildlife sanctuaries, biosphere reserves.

• Reproduction and Endocrine System – Asexual and sexual reproduction, human endocrine glands, hormones.

• Force and Pressure – Effects of force, pressure in fluids, applications.

• Friction – Types, advantages, disadvantages, methods to reduce/increase friction.

• Sound – Production, propagation, characteristics, pitch, loudness, noise pollution.

• Chemical Effects of Electric Current – Electrolysis, conductors/insulators, applications.

• Some Natural Phenomena – Lightning, earthquakes, safety measures.

• Light – Reflection, laws of reflection, images in mirrors, human eye, defects of vision.

3. Section 3 – Higher Order Thinking Questions - Syllabus as per Section–2:

This section covers all the topics covered in Section 2, but the questions are of a higher difficulty level. Solving them requires a thorough understanding of the topics and logical thinking.

NSO Class 8 Syllabus 2026 Main Topics

Section	Subject	Main Topics	Difficulty Level
Section 1	Logical Reasoning	Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning	Easy to Moderate
Section 2	Science	Crop Production and Management, Microorganisms, Coal and Petroleum, Combustion and Flame, Conservation of Plants and Animals, Reproduction and Endocrine System, Force and Pressure, Friction, Sound, Chemical Effects of Electric Current, Some Natural Phenomena, Light	Moderate
Section 3	Achievers Section	All topics from Section 2, Higher-Order Thinking Questions	Difficult

Note:

• Level-I questions will be 60% from the current class syllabus and 40% from the previous class syllabus.
• Level-II questions will be all from the current class syllabus.
• Questions in the Achievers Section will always be from the current class syllabus.