Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) · Science · Class 6
International Science Olympiad (ISO) — formerly National Science Olympiad (NSO) Class 6: syllabus, dates and exam pattern (2026–27)
Everything you need in one place — the exact NCERT chapters this paper tests, all 3 exam dates, the registration window, and the full marking scheme. Updated for the 2026–27 session.
Last verified against Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF)'s own site on 11 August 2026.
2026–27 exam dates
Date 1
30 October 2026
Date 2
19 November 2026
Date 3
3 December 2026
Registration: Your school picks one of the three dates above, and registrations must reach SOF 30 days before that chosen date — so 30 September 2026 for the October date, 20 October for the November date, and 3 November for the December date. The school chooses the date, not the family, and once chosen it cannot be changed. Ask your school coordinator which date they have picked and work backwards from that one cutoff.
The deadline is set by your school, not by you
Most parents find the exam date and assume they have until then. The registration window closes long before it, and for some papers it has already started closing. Here is how it actually works.
- Your school registers your child and your school picks which of the 2–3 dates the class sits. The family does not choose.
- For SOF papers, registrations must reach SOF exactly 30 days before that chosen date — and once the school has chosen, the date cannot be changed.
- CREST is the exception: it registers students directly, online, with no school involved. It is the one body a parent can act on alone.
Closing next
Indian Talent Olympiad — Set A
Registration closes 31 August 2026 · all five subjects
SOF IEO (English)
If your school picks 30 September 2026, registration closes 31 August 2026 · English
SOF IMO (Maths)
If your school picks 23 October 2026, registration closes 23 September 2026 · Maths
Every deadline in this box was checked against that exam body's own website on 11 August 2026. Bodies do move dates — we re-check every Monday.
Exam pattern
How the NSO paper is structured
| Section | Questions | Marks per question | Section total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logical Reasoning | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Science | 35 | 1 | 35 |
| Achievers Section | 5 | 3 | 15 |
| Total | 50 questions | — | 60 marks · 60 minutes |
Roughly 60% of questions come from the current Class 6 syllabus and 40% carry over from Class 5.
Syllabus
Science syllabus mapped to NCERT Curiosity (Class 6, 2026-27)
Ch 1. The Wonderful World of Science
Olympiad syllabus label: Science in Everyday Life / Measurement
Ch 2. Diversity in the Living World
Olympiad syllabus label: Getting to Know Plants / Living Organisms
Ch 3. Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body
Olympiad syllabus label: Food: Where Does It Come From? / Components of Food
Ch 4. Exploring Magnets
Olympiad syllabus label: Fun with Magnets
Ch 5. Measurement of Length and Motion
Olympiad syllabus label: Motion and Measurement of Distances
Ch 6. Materials Around Us
Olympiad syllabus label: Sorting Materials into Groups
Ch 7. Temperature and its Measurement
Olympiad syllabus label: Heat — Thermometers
Ch 8. A Journey through States of Water
Olympiad syllabus label: Water / States of Matter
Ch 9. Methods of Separation in Everyday Life
Olympiad syllabus label: Separation of Substances
Ch 10. Living Creatures: Exploring their Characteristics
Olympiad syllabus label: Body Movements / Getting to Know Plants
Ch 11. Nature's Treasures
Olympiad syllabus label: Air Around Us / Natural Resources
Ch 12. Beyond Earth
Olympiad syllabus label: The Solar System / Stars
The Logical Reasoning section (10 questions) is a separate reasoning spine — verbal and non-verbal reasoning — not tied to the science chapters above.
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