NSEC Class 12 Syllabus | National Standard Examination in Chemistry (NSEC)

The National Standard Examination in Chemistry is jointly administered by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education and the Indian Association of Physics Teachers. This exam is held every year in November, and it is administered at different locations. The National Science Education Centre promotes and encourages interest in chemistry. The NSEC recognises students’ accomplishments based on their exam results. This exam is for students who desire to pursue chemistry and want to obtain knowledge of the topic while studying for the exam by completing a self-assessment. Students who pass this exam will be eligible to compete in the INCO (Indian National Chemistry Olympiad).

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Overview of Exam

The National Standard Examination in Chemistry (NSEC) is an examination in chemistry for students in India’s higher secondary institutions. The test is usually conducted in late November.

This test is for Indian students who have studied chemistry and excelled in it. This examination is taken by students in higher secondary schools, and the organisers have designated roughly 850 centres in various towns, cities, and villages to make the examination procedure easier.

Syllabus for Class 12

The Class 12 syllabus is created following the academic curriculum that the students are following. Students from any academic board can quickly obtain information about the exam syllabus. The topics for the NSEC olympiad syllabus for Class 12 are listed below.

Serial Number	Name of Chapter	Topics Covered
1	Solid State	Classification of solids based on different binding forces: molecular, ionic, covalent and metallic solids, amorphous and crystalline solids (elementary idea) Unit cell in two dimensional and three-dimensional lattices Calculation of density of unit cell Packing in solids, packing efficiency, voids, number of atoms per unit cell in a cubic unit cell, point defects
2	Solutions	Types of solutions, expression of concentration of solutions of solids in liquids The solubility of gases in liquids and solid solutions Raoult’s law Colligative properties – the relative lowering of vapour pressure, the elevation of boiling point, depression of freezing point, osmotic pressure Determination of molecular masses using colligative properties
3	Electrochemistry	Redox reactions EMF of a cell Standard electrode potential Nernst equation and its application to chemical cells Relation between Gibbs energy change and EMF of a cell Conductance in electrolytic solutions Specific and molar conductivity, variations of conductivity with concentration Kohlrausch’s law
4	Chemical Kinetics	Rate of a reaction (Average and instantaneous) Factors affecting rate of reaction: concentration, temperature, catalyst; order and molecularity of a reaction, rate law and specific rate constant Integrated rate equations and half-life (only for zero and first-order reactions)
5	Surface Chemistry	Adsorption – physisorption and chemisorption Factors affecting adsorption of gases on solids Colloidal state: the distinction between true solutions Colloids and suspension; lyophilic, lyophobic Multi-molecular and macromolecular colloids Properties of colloids; Tyndall effect, Brownian movement, electrophoresis, coagulation
6	General Principles and Processes of Isolation of elements	General principles and processes of isolation of elements Occurrence of metals Concentration of ores Extraction of crude metal from concentrated ore Thermodynamic principles of metallurgy Electrochemical principles of metallurgy Oxidation reduction Refining
7	P-block elements	Group -15 Elements: General introduction, electronic configuration, occurrence, oxidation states, trends in physical and chemical properties; Nitrogen preparation properties and uses; compounds of Nitrogen: preparation and properties of Ammonia and Nitric Acid Group 16 Elements: General introduction, electronic configuration, oxidation states, occurrence, trends in physical and chemical properties, dioxygen: preparation, properties and uses, classification of Oxides, Ozone, Sulphur -allotropic forms; compounds of Sulphur: preparation properties and uses of Sulphur-dioxide Group 17 Elements: General introduction, electronic configuration, oxidation states, occurrence, trends in physical and chemical properties; compounds of halogens, Preparation, properties and uses of Chlorine and Hydrochloric acid, interhalogen compounds, Group 18 Elements: General introduction, electronic configuration, occurrence, trends in physical and chemical properties, uses
8	Coordination Compounds	Introduction, ligands Coordination number Colour, magnetic properties and shapes IUPAC nomenclature of mononuclear coordination compounds Bonding Werner’s theory VBT and CFT
9	Haloalkanes and Haloarenes	Haloalkanes: Nomenclature, nature of C–X bond, physical and chemical properties, optical rotation mechanism of substitution reactions Haloarenes: Nature of C–X bond, substitution reactions (Directive influence of halogen in monosubstituted compounds only)
10	Alcohol, Phenols and Ethers	Alcohols: Nomenclature, methods of preparation, physical and chemical properties (of primary alcohols only), identification of primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols, mechanism of dehydration. Phenols: Nomenclature, methods of preparation, physical and chemical properties, acidic nature of phenol, electrophilic substitution reactions, uses of phenols. Ethers: Nomenclature, methods of preparation, physical and chemical properties, uses
11	Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids	Aldehydes and Ketones: Nomenclature, nature of carbonyl group, methods of preparation, physical and chemical properties, mechanism of nucleophilic addition, the reactivity of alpha hydrogen in aldehydes, uses Carboxylic Acids: Nomenclature, acidic nature, methods of preparation, physical and chemical properties; uses
12	Amines	Amines: Nomenclature, classification, structure, methods of preparation, physical and chemical properties, uses, identification of primary, secondary and tertiary amines Carbohydrates – Classification (aldoses and ketoses), monosaccharides (glucose and fructose), D-L configuration oligosaccharides (sucrose, lactose, maltose), polysaccharides (starch, cellulose, glycogen); Importance of carbohydrates Proteins– Elementary idea of – amino acids, peptide bond, polypeptides, proteins, the structure of proteins – primary, secondary, tertiary structure and quaternary structures (qualitative idea only), denaturation of proteins; enzymes, Hormones – Elementary idea excluding structure Vitamins- Classification and functions Nucleic Acids- DNA and RNA
13	Biomolecules	Carbohydrates Monosaccharides Oligosaccharides Polysaccharides Aldose Ketose
14	Polymers	Classification of polymers Structure Types Properties Polymers and their monomers Polymerization reactions Molecular Mass of polymers Uses of polymers
15	Chemistry in Everyday Life	Chemistry in Food Medicine Industries

Frequently Asked Questions on NSEC Class 12 Syllabus

Why should one write the NSEC Exam?

The National Science Education Centre promotes chemistry as a topic and aims to foster interest in it. The NSEC encourages students’ achievements, depending on their examination results.

Is the NSEC exam subjective or objective?

The NSEC exam is objective. Only multiple-choice questions are asked in the examination.

Explain the NSEC exam pattern in brief.

The exam pattern is described below

Exam Timings – 11.00 am to 1.00 pm
Duration of Exam – Two hours
Test Paper Level/Syllabus – Below CBSE Class 12 syllabus for Chemistry
Test Medium/Language – English and Hindi (as chosen during the registration process)
Type of Questions – Multiple-choice Questions
Total Number of Questions – 80
Total Marks – 240 marks
Scheme of the Marks – 3 marks are awarded for each question and in case of an incorrect answer, one mark is deducted.

Students of which grade can take the NSEC examination?

Students studying in Classes 11 and 12 can take the examination.

Why should one write the NSEC examination?

Students in their senior year of high school should take the NSEC exam, which is a more advanced test. The National Standard Examination in Chemistry is crucial since it is the first level that students must complete before they can compete in the International Chemistry Olympiad. The IAPT administers this exam to assess students’ knowledge of chemistry in order to pick the best candidates to represent India at the international level.