School Olympiads in 2026: SOF NSO, IMO, IEO Preparation and What Happened to NTSE After Discontinuation

Two questions land on every primary-school parent group chat. Are SOF olympiads worth the registration fee, and is NTSE coming back. The honest answer to the first is sometimes. The honest answer to the second is not soon.

The Science Olympiad Foundation runs the largest school olympiad series in India. SOF reports that 99,499+ schools and millions of students take its papers each year. NSO usually runs in November, IMO in December, IEO in October. Class-wise top 5 percent of Level 1 qualifies for Level 2.

An olympiad medal is a study certificate, not a career certificate.

NTSE has been paused since 2020-21. NCERT has not announced a fresh round, and the scheme awaits central approval. Students should not plan around it.

Two alternative tracks still pay. The NMMS scholarship for Class 8 students in government-aided schools pays ₹12,000 per year through to Class 12 if the family income criteria are met. INSPIRE-MANAK supports young science talent from Class 6 to 10 with an idea-pitch model. KVPY itself was merged into INSPIRE in 2022.

The honest case for SOF olympiads is practice under pressure. The honest case against is the cost, around ₹125 to ₹200 per paper per child, which adds up across five subjects. Pick one or two papers a year tied to your child's stronger subjects. Do not register for all five out of guilt.

If you want a structured prep path, work through last year's question booklet for one subject this month. The pattern repeats year to year, and the skill it builds is the same study skill Class 9 boards and later competitive exams will reward.