What is SOF ISO Class 8?

SOF ISO Class 8 is the Science Olympiad Foundation's International Science Olympiad for students studying in Class 8. It tests Science, Logical Reasoning and Higher Order Thinking Skills.

Is SOF ISO the same as NSO?

From the 2026–27 session, SOF NSO has been renamed SOF International Science Olympiad (ISO).

When is SOF ISO Class 8 in 2026?

Schools can conduct Level 1 on 30 October, 19 November or 3 December 2026. Each school selects one date.

Does Class 7 syllabus come in Class 8 ISO?

Yes. Level 1 follows a 60% current-class and 40% previous-class syllabus model. Therefore, Class 8 students should also revise Class 7 material.

SOF ISO Class 8 2026-27: Dates, Syllabus & Exam Pattern

The SOF International Science Olympiad (ISO) Class 8 is a school-level science and reasoning competition conducted by the Science Olympiad Foundation for students studying in Class 8.

From the 2026–27 academic session, SOF has renamed its earlier National Science Olympiad (NSO) as the SOF International Science Olympiad (ISO). The change reflects the competition's wider international participation and benchmarking, while the familiar science-olympiad format continues.

For Class 8, the Level 1 paper contains 50 multiple-choice questions for 60 marks and must be completed in 60 minutes. The paper has three components: Logical Reasoning, Science and the Achievers Section.

SOF ISO Class 8 Level 1 Exam Dates 2026–27:

30 October 2026
19 November 2026
3 December 2026

A participating school chooses one of these dates for its students.

SOF ISO Class 8 2026–27 Overview

Particular	Details
Exam	SOF International Science Olympiad
Short Name	SOF ISO
Former Name	SOF National Science Olympiad / NSO
Conducting Body	Science Olympiad Foundation
Class	8
Academic Session	2026–27
Level 1 Date 1	30 October 2026
Level 1 Date 2	19 November 2026
Level 1 Date 3	3 December 2026
Exam Mode	Offline
Medium	English
Duration	60 minutes
Total Questions	50
Maximum Marks	60
Sections	Logical Reasoning, Science, Achievers Section
Level 2	Yes, for qualifying Class 8 students
Level 2 Timing	Tentatively February 2027
Registration	Through participating school
Standard Registration Fee in India	₹170 per student
Individual Registration	Not accepted

SOF states that the ISO is open to students from Classes 1 to 12 studying in schools participating in the Olympiad programme.

SOF ISO Class 8 Exam Dates 2026–27

Schools may choose any one of the three official Level 1 dates:

Exam Option	Date
Date 1	30 October 2026
Date 2	19 November 2026
Date 3	3 December 2026

Important: Each exam date has a different question paper.

Once a school selects its examination date, SOF states that the date cannot subsequently be changed.

Schools are generally expected to submit registrations at least 30 days before the selected examination date.

What Is SOF ISO?

The SOF International Science Olympiad is designed to assess students in:

Scientific understanding
Application of concepts
Scientific reasoning
Problem solving
Logical reasoning
Higher-order thinking

It is not simply a test of textbook memorisation.

Olympiad questions may require students to apply familiar science concepts to unfamiliar situations, interpret diagrams, compare observations or select the most scientifically valid conclusion.

SOF conducts the examination annually for students from Classes 1 to 12.

NSO vs ISO: Has SOF NSO Been Renamed?

Yes. From the 2026–27 academic session:

SOF NSO → SOF ISO

The full new name is SOF International Science Olympiad.

SOF officially announced that the National Science Olympiad was transitioning to ISO from the 2026–27 session.

Students searching for older terms such as NSO Class 8, SOF NSO Class 8 or National Science Olympiad Class 8 are therefore referring to the predecessor name of the current SOF ISO science competition.

SOF ISO Class 8 Level 1 Exam Pattern

Class 8 falls within the Classes 5–10 examination pattern.

Section	Questions	Marks per Question	Total Marks
Logical Reasoning	10	1	10
Science	35	1	35
Achievers Section	5	3	15
Total	50	—	60

The total examination duration is 60 minutes.

The Achievers Section contains only five questions but contributes 15 marks, making each Achievers question worth three times a standard Science or Logical Reasoning question.

SOF ISO Class 8 Syllabus 2026–27

The official Class 8 syllabus has three broad sections.

Section 1: Logical Reasoning

SOF describes this section as Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning.

Students may therefore encounter reasoning involving patterns, sequences, relationships, classifications, visual reasoning and other logical structures.

The Logical Reasoning section contains 10 questions for 10 marks in Level 1.

Section 2: Science

The official Class 8 Science syllabus contains the following topics:

Exploring the Investigative World of Science
The Invisible Living World: Beyond Our Naked Eyes
Health: The Ultimate Treasure
Particulate Nature of Matter
Elements, Compounds and Mixtures
How Nature Works in Harmony
Exploring Forces
Solute, Solvent and Solutions
Electricity: Magnetic and Heating Effects
Light: Mirrors and Lenses
Our Home: Earth, a Unique Life Sustaining Planet
Pressure, Winds, Storms and Cyclones
Keeping Time with the Skies

These topics form the core Science portion of the Class 8 ISO syllabus.

Section 3: Achievers Section

The Achievers Section tests Higher Order Thinking Skills, commonly referred to as HOTS.

Its syllabus is based on the same Science topics listed in Section 2. However, the questions are generally designed to demand deeper application.

A student may need to:

Interpret a scientific situation
Combine two or more concepts
Analyse an experiment
Study a diagram
Apply a rule in an unfamiliar context
Identify cause and effect
Compare multiple scientific statements

Each Achievers question is worth 3 marks. With five such questions, the section contributes 15 out of 60 marks, or 25% of the total score.

Class 7 Syllabus Is Also Important in Level 1

One of the most important SOF rules is that Level 1 is not based entirely on the current class syllabus.

SOF states that Level 1 questions are generally:

Syllabus	Approximate Level 1 Coverage
Current Class — Class 8	60%
Previous Class — Class 7	40%

The Achievers Section is based on the current Class 8 syllabus only. Students should therefore not ignore Class 7 science concepts while preparing for Level 1.

SOF ISO Level 2 for Class 8

SOF ISO is a two-level Olympiad for Class 8.

Students who perform strongly in Level 1 can qualify for Level 2.

For the 2026–27 session, SOF states that the Level 2 examination for ISO, IEO and IMO will be conducted for students from Classes 3 to 12.

The date is expected to be announced by December 2026, with SOF indicating that the examination will tentatively take place on the second or third Sunday of February 2027.

Who Qualifies for SOF ISO Level 2?

A Class 8 student can qualify for Level 2 by satisfying any one of the following criteria:

Top 5% of students internationally, class-wise, appearing in Level 1
Top 25 rank holders from each zone, class-wise
Class topper from a participating school where at least 10 students from that class appeared and the topper scored at least 50% marks

This means a student does not necessarily need to be in the international top 5% if they qualify through the zonal or school-topper route.

SOF ISO Class 8 Level 2 Pattern

For Classes 5 to 10, including Class 8, Level 2 contains:

Section	Questions	Marks per Question	Marks
Science	45	1	45
Achievers Section	5	3	15
Total	50	—	60

Level 2 therefore does not include the separate Logical Reasoning section that appears in Level 1.

The Level 2 syllabus is based on the current Class 8 syllabus only.

Level 1: Class 8 + Class 7 coverage

Level 2: Class 8 only

SOF ISO Eligibility for Class 8

A student studying in Class 8 at an eligible participating school can appear for the Class 8 ISO Level 1 examination.

SOF does not prescribe a minimum school percentage or previous Olympiad score for Level 1 eligibility.

Students do not need to:

Score a particular percentage in Class 7
Hold a previous Olympiad rank
Pass a preliminary test
Have participated in NSO previously

SOF ISO Registration 2026–27

Registration is conducted through participating schools.

Individual student registrations are not accepted. Students should therefore register through their respective school authorities.

A school can register as an SOF examination centre without paying an institutional registration fee.

SOF requires at least 10 students from a school to register for the ISO.

SOF ISO Registration Fee

For schools in India, Bhutan and Nepal, SOF states that the registration fee is:

₹170 per student per Olympiad, including GST

Schools may additionally charge up to ₹30 per student towards expenses such as the Olympiad in-charge, teacher remuneration and related administration.

SOF also provides fee exemptions in specified cases, including students with major physical disabilities and eligible Indian students whose parents were martyred during defence operations.

Is SOF ISO Conducted Online or Offline?

SOF ISO 2026–27 is conducted in offline mode through participating schools.

Level 1 is held during school hours at the student's participating school.

What Is the Language of SOF ISO?

The medium of the examination is English.

Students should therefore be comfortable reading scientific questions, diagrams and reasoning instructions in English.

Which School Boards Does SOF ISO Follow?

SOF states that question papers are set with reference to:

CBSE
ICSE/ISC
State Board syllabi

The Olympiad therefore does not operate as a test tied exclusively to one particular school board.

However, questions are designed at an Olympiad level and can demand more reasoning and application than ordinary school examinations.

Is SOF ISO Class 8 Hard?

The syllabus itself overlaps heavily with school-level science, but the style of questioning makes the examination more demanding.

The paper tests students through:

Scientific reasoning
Application-based questions
Higher-order thinking
Diagrams
Experiments
Observation
Inference
Logical reasoning

The Achievers Section is particularly important because its five higher-order questions carry 15 marks. A student can understand the textbook content correctly but still struggle if they have not practised Olympiad-style application questions.

How Important Is Logical Reasoning?

Logical Reasoning contributes 10 questions and 10 marks to Class 8 Level 1.

That is one-sixth of the total 60 marks.

Reasoning can therefore make a meaningful difference to rank, particularly when students have similar Science scores.

Both verbal and non-verbal reasoning are included in the official syllabus.

Are Image-Based Questions Asked in SOF ISO?

Science and reasoning Olympiad questions can naturally include:

Figures
Diagrams
Experimental setups
Optical arrangements
Pattern sequences
Scientific illustrations
Charts
Visual comparisons

Visual questions can be particularly relevant in non-verbal reasoning, Light, Electricity, experimental science and higher-order application questions. Students should therefore practise interpreting visual information rather than limiting preparation to text-only questions.

SOF ISO Class 8 Awards 2026–27

SOF provides recognition at International, Zonal and School/Class levels.

For Classes 3 to 12 in two-level Olympiads such as ISO, International and Zonal final awards are based on Level 2 performance.

For 2026–27, SOF lists International Rank awards for the top five Level 2 rank holders:

International Rank	Scholarship
Rank 1	₹50,000
Rank 2	₹25,000
Rank 3	₹10,000
Rank 4	₹7,500
Rank 5	₹5,000

The top three International rank holders also receive Gold, Silver and Bronze International Medals respectively, along with a Certificate of Outstanding Performance.

SOF also provides zonal awards, school-level recognition, medals and certificates under its published award criteria.

What Happens If Level 2 Is Not Conducted?

SOF states that if Level 2 cannot be conducted for reasons beyond its control, the Level 1 results will be treated as final for determining rankings and awards.

Under normal circumstances, however, ISO Level 2 is planned for students in Classes 3 to 12.

How Are SOF ISO Ranks Decided?

A student with a higher total score generally receives the higher rank.

If students obtain equal total marks, SOF applies section-wise priority to break ties.

For science Olympiad ranking, the higher-priority sections can therefore become important when two students achieve the same overall score.

Student Progress Report

SOF provides participating students with a Student Progress Report (SPR).

The report is designed to show areas of strength and weakness and compare performance at different competitive levels such as school, city, zone and international level.

The Student Progress Report provides more information than simply the student's raw score and can help identify areas that need further improvement.