NSO Class 5 Syllabus

The Science Olympiad Foundation conducts the National Science Olympiad examination every year. This NSO exam primarily focuses on Science subjects. The students studying from grades 1 to 12 can take up the examination. This exam helps to recognise and promote future scientists, technologists, IT and other professional talents at a fundamental level, that is, from the school level itself. Olympiad exams induce a healthy competitive spirit among the students and encourage students to participate in national and international platforms. These types of exams help the students to think out of the box and provide a unique chance to showcase their innovative ideas to the world.

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About the NSO Exam

The NSO is a scholarship exam that aims at enriching scientific reasoning and logical ability. There are two levels for the examination. The first is level 1, and the student who qualifies at this level will be eligible to write the level 2 examination. The two levels of the NSO olympiad exam start from grade 3. Students studying in Classes 1 and 2 will have only level 1 examinations, and ranks are given based on their performance.

  • The exam is an objective-type test consisting of 35 multiple-choice questions for Classes 1 to 4 and 50 multiple-choice questions for Classes 5 to 12.
  • To attempt the second level of the NSO examination, the student must hold a position in the top 5% of students class-wise who appear for the 1st level exam and will qualify for the next level.

Exam Pattern for Class 5

The exam is an objective-type test consisting of 50 multiple-choice questions for Class 5. The examination is divided into three sections.

  • Section 1, the questions are based on Logical Reasoning
  • Section 2, the questions are based on Science
  • Section 3, the questions are based on HOTS and is called the Achievers section

The marks distribution for the three sections is shown below.

Class / Grade Section Number of questions Marks per question Total marks
Grade 5 Section 1 10 1 10
Section 2 35 1 35
Section 3 5 3 15
Grand Total 50 60

Class 5 Syllabus National Science Olympiad

The syllabus of NSO Class 5 is according to the general syllabus that a student studies in grade 5. The student from any academic board, such as CBSE, ICSE and other various state boards, can read the syllabus from the prescribed academic curriculum. The syllabus and concepts for the exam are as per the syllabus of grade 5 students.

The NSO syllabus for Class 5 is tabulated below.

Section of the exam Name of the section Topics included in the section
Section 1 Logical Reasoning Verbal and Non-verbal reasoning

  • Patterns
  • Analogy and Classification
  • Coding-Decoding
  • Geometrical Shapes
  • Mirror Images
  • Water Images
  • Embedded Figures
  • Direction Sense Test
  • Ranking Test
  • Alphabet Test
  • Logical Sequence of Words
  • Puzzle Test
Section 2 Science Section The concepts and topics related to Science Subject

  • Plants
  • Animals
  • Human Body and Health
  • Plants
  • Natural Resources and Indian Heritage
  • Pollution and Climate
  • Earth and Universe
  • Matter and Materials
  • Force and Energy
Section 3 Achievers Section This section deals with Higher-Order Thinking Questions. The topics for this section are the same as section 2, but the difficulty level would be a little more

Any prescribed curriculum textbook that includes the topics mentioned above and concepts for grade 5 students’ ability can be used. For better understanding and preparation for the exam, the student can take the NSO mock test for Class 5, which is available on the SOF official website, for further reference on examination patterns and difficulty levels of the exam. This gives a clear picture of how the exam is going to be and also encourages the students to learn writing and time management skills.

Class-wise Syllabus list

NSO Class 1 Syllabus
NSO Class 2 Syllabus
NSO Class 3 Syllabus
NSO Class 4 Syllabus
NSO Class 6 Syllabus
NSO Class 7 Syllabus
NSO Class 8 Syllabus
NSO Class 9 Syllabus
NSO Class 10 Syllabus
NSO Class 11 Syllabus
NSO Class 12 Syllabus

Other SOF Olympiad Exams

Frequently Asked Questions on NSO  

Q1

What are the total marks of the NSO exam for grade 5?

The total mark for the NSO exam for grade 5 is 60.
Q2

Are there any subjective questions in the exam?

The exam is completely objective; that is, only multiple-choice questions are asked in the exam.
Q3

How are the NSO sample papers for Class 5 helpful for students?

The sample paper gives a clear picture of how the exam will be and also encourages the students to learn writing and time management skills.
Q4

How many levels are there for grade 5 in the NSO examination?

There are two levels for grade 5. To attempt the second level of the NSO examination, one must have the following eligibility criteria: the top 5% of students class-wise who appear for the 1st level exam will qualify for the next level, which is level 2.