The National Cyber Olympiad (NCO) is a competitive exam for students studying in grades 1 to 10. The exam is organised by the Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF). It is one of the well-known olympiad examinations, emphasising computational and reasoning skills in the same manner that other olympiad tests do. The purpose of the test is to help pupils develop their mental powers, logical reasoning skills, and analytical reasoning capabilities. The National Cyber Olympiad has only one level of examination. The SOF organisation usually holds the NCO Exam in December or January.
Please Note: This page will be updated soon
Overview of the Exam
The National Cyber Olympiad is a national cyber security competition open to pupils in grades 1 to 10 across the nation. The primary purpose of the exam is to raise young people’s knowledge of internet security and computer skills, as well as to provide a platform for students to learn more about computers and information technology, and help to upgrade their skills in these areas. Depending on their classes, students of various ages can take the exam. A few of the examination’s goals are listed below.
- Interest in cyber security among students should be stimulated.
- Beginning in primary school, improve their computer skills and knowledge.
- Students will be equipped with the technological abilities they require in today’s digital environment.
Exam Pattern
The NCO test is broken down into three sections.
- Section I includes questions for students in grades 1 to 5 related to patterns, series, and classifications. For students in grades 6 to 10, Section I covers verbal and nonverbal thinking challenges.
- Section II includes questions about computers, information technology, and technical advancements.
- Section III comprises higher-order thinking skill questions. Every grade has the same topic, but the difficulty level varies and continues to increase.
The table below shows the exam schedule for Class 6.
|
Class / Grade |
Section |
Number of questions |
Marks per question |
Total marks |
|
Grade 6 |
Section 1 |
10 |
1 |
10 |
|
Section 2 |
35 |
1 |
35 |
|
|
Section 3 |
5 |
3 |
15 |
|
|
Grand Total |
50 |
60 |
||
Syllabus for Class 6
The SOF NCO Olympiad follows the syllabus of major educational boards, including CBSE, ICSE, State Board, and others. Along with the syllabi of these boards, they also consider the students’ cognitive and logical thinking capacity while designing the exam curriculum. Logical reasoning and mathematical aptitude, both of which are necessary for computer technology, are among the exam’s key topics. The following are the subjects and concepts that students must master in order to pass the exam.
The sixth-grade curriculum is listed below.
Grade VI
|
Section I (Logical Reasoning) |
Section II (Computer & IT) |
HOTS |
|
Reasoning: Verbal and non-verbal reasoning |
|
High-order thinking skills questions based on Section II |
Any sixth-grade computer textbook that includes the above-mentioned themes and concepts is suitable for study. The official website provides the NCO Class 6 syllabus for students to learn more about exam patterns and difficulty levels, in order to better prepare for the exam.