Since 1987, the National Standard Examination in Physics (NSEP) has been held throughout India. It is a voluntary test administered by the Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT) that aids in the selection of candidates for the International Olympiad of Science. All the states that have participated in NSEP, as well as the UTs, conduct it on a regional level. Students are permitted to take the question paper home after the examination is over, and they will get the whole examination solution a week later.
We’ve covered all you need to know about the National Standard Examination for Physics (NSEP), including NSEP dates, syllabus, eligibility, NSEP cutoff, and format, as well as how to register for the exam and check your results.
Key Features of NSEP
Many brilliant and aspiring students in the Physics Olympiad Program regard the National Standard Examination in Physics (NSEP) to be a stepping stone. The Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT) organises the NSEP on a national basis, with the support of various centres all around the country. The primary goal of this exam is to be chosen for the International Science Olympiad and, in turn, to identify students who desire to pursue a career in physics. Students in grades below Class 12 are eligible to take this test, which will be conducted in pen-paper or offline style. Only after passing this level will the students be able to advance to the next.
Important Dates for NSEP
| Events | Dates(Tentative) |
| Centre Registration | August 1st, 2023 to August 20th, 2023 |
| Student Enrolment | August 21st, 2023 to September 14th, 2023 |
| Date for NSEP Exam | November 26th, 2023 |
| Expected date of results | December 25th, 2023 |
NSEP Eligibility Criteria 2023
Check the details of NSEP Eligibility criteria below.
- The learner must first and foremost be an Indian citizen.
- Date of birth between 1 July 2004 and 30 June 2009, both days inclusive.
- Must be residing and studying in India since 30 November 2021 or earlier. Must be studying in an Indian school system since 30 November 2021 or earlier. OR Must be studying in an Indian school system since 30 November 2021 or earlier
- Must not have completed (or scheduled to complete) class 12 board examination earlier than 30 November 2023
- Must not have commenced (or planning to commence) studies in a university or equivalent institution by 1 June, 2023.
- Must not be appearing in NSEJS 2023
How to Take the NSEP
- Students who want to take the National Standard Examination in Physics must register through their schools and only at IAPT-registered regional centres in their state.
- For registration at the regional centres, students must pay a Rs. 200 application fee (in cash).
NSEP 2023 Exam Pattern
Check the details of the NSEP Exam pattern below with complete data.
| Exam Timings | 8:30 am to 10:30 am (tentative) |
| Duration of Exam | Two hours |
| Test Paper Level/ Syllabus | Is broadly equivalent to senior secondary level (up to and including Class XII) of CBSE India |
| Test Medium/ Language | Question paper will be in English, Hindi, Gujarati, Bangla, Tamil and Telugu or any Indian Language provided 300 students OPT for it (option during registration).
Type of questions – Objective type with multiple choices |
| Sections | Two parts |
| Total Number of Questions | 60 MCQs |
| Total Marks | 216 Marks |
First Stage
The NSEP examination paper is divided into two sections for the First Stage:
- Part A is worth 144 points and consists of 48 multiple-choice questions, each question has four alternatives, out of which only one is correct. +3 marks credit for correct choice. -1 mark penalty for incorrect choice.
- Part B is worth 70 points and has 12 questions with one or more than one correct alternatives. To get credit, all the correct options and no incorrect options should be marked.
Second Stage
The major goal of the first stage of the NSEP test was to offer a wide variety of options that would aid in gradually expanding the reach and achieving countrywide representation for stage two, without sacrificing quality or merit.
NSEP Syllabus 2023
Listed below is the NSEP Syllabus and important topics for reference.
| Chapters | Important Topics | Total Marks as per last year’s analysis by Resonance |
| Geometrical Optics | Lens, Refraction by spherical surface, Refraction by Prism, Spherical mirror, Refraction in general, Refraction at the plane surface and TIR | 39 |
| Alternating Current | Power consumed in an AC circuit, Resonance | 12 |
| Capacitor | A capacitor with a dielectric, Combination of Capacitors | 6 |
| Centre of mass, momentum & collision | Head-on collision, Motion of com | 12 |
| Circular Motion | Kinematics of circular motion, Circular motion in a vertical plane | 9 |
| Current Electricity | Instruments, Power, energy, battery, EMF, terminal voltage & Kirchhoff’s law | 21 |
| Electro Magnetic Field | Magnetic field due to a magnet and earth, magnetic field due to a straight wire, Magnetic field due to ring, Magnetic Force and torque on a current-carrying loop, dipole moment, Magnetic force on a charge | 21 |
| Electro-Magnetic Induction | Self-inductance EMF & magnetic energy density | 3 |
| Electrostatics | Coulomb’s law, Electric potential and potential difference, Flux calculation and gauss’s law, Conductor and it’s properties, Electric pressure | 12 |
| Semi-Conductor | Diode, Logic Gates, Transistors | 12 |
| Work, power, Energy | Work done by a variable force, work-energy theorem | 12 |
| Simple Harmonic Motion | Equation of SHM, Spring mass system | 9 |
| Thermodynamics | First law of thermodynamics, Root mean square velocity, kinetic energy | 9 |
| Heat Transfer | Thermal conduction in linear conductors | 9 |
| Modern Physics-1 | Electronic transition in the h/h-like atom/species, Photoelectric effect, X-ray | 9 |
| Miscellaneous | Miscellaneous | 9 |
| Newton’s Law of Motion | Calculation of force and acceleration | 6 |
| Fluid | Archimedes principle and force of buoyancy | 6 |
| Rectilinear Motion | Equation of motion and motion under gravity | 6 |
| Sound Wave | Doppler effect, Organ pipes and resonance | 6 |
| Gravitation | Universal law of gravitation | 3 |
| Rotation | Moment of inertia | 3 |
| Surface Tension | Excess pressure in drops and bubble | 3 |
| Wave Optics | YDSE with monochromatic light | 3 |
NSEP Registration 2023
The National Standard Examination in Physics (NSEP) has a simple registration process that allows applicants from all around the country to take part in the test. Candidates can either register on their own or through education centres. Important details of registration and NSEP application form are given in detail here.
| Events | Dates |
| Online Centre registration | August 1st, 2023 to August 20th, 2023 |
| Enrolment start date | August 21st, 2023 |
| Last date of Enrolment | September 14th, 2023 |
Fees for NSEP Registration in 2023
- After enrolling for the NSEP 2023 examination, the student is asked to pay the registration money to complete the NSEP examination registration process.
- Students must pay the registration money to the school administration in order to finish the NSEP registration 2023.
- After receiving cash from all candidates, schools can pay the application cost to IAPT.
- This is a one-time cost, and students who apply and proceed to the next stage, the International Physics Olympiad, will not be charged again.
- The charge will not be reimbursed unless and until it is paid in full.
- The registration price for the NSEP is Rs. 200 per student per subject (per examination) to be paid in cash to the centre in charge. This exam fee cannot be refunded. Students enrolling online have to pay examination fee by bank transfer..
NSEP Result
Check out the complete details of the NSEP result here.
| Events Related to NSEP 2023 | Start Date
(Tentative) |
End Date
(Tentative) |
| Registration for the centres | August 1st, 2023 | August 20th, 2023 |
| Enrollment of the candidates | August 21st, 2023 | September 14th, 2023 |
Other Exams
| NSEB -National Standard Examination in Biology |
| NSEC – National Standard Examination in Chemistry |
