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Talent Certifications Regional Olympiads (India) Physics

NSEP

National Standard Examination in Physics

Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT)
Olympiad stage (national/international)
Annual (a new edition is held each year)

Official website ↗

About This Exam

Talent Certifications Regional Olympiads (India)
Conducted byIndian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT)
Exam typeOlympiad stage (national/international)
FieldPhysics
Who can applyStudents of Class 10, 11 or 12 who are eligible to hold an Indian passport, live and study in India (or in an Indian-system school), have not begun university studies and are not sitting NSEJS in the same year.
Age / classClass 10, 11 or 12 (a date-of-birth window is announced each year)
How oftenAnnual (a new edition is held each year)
StagesStage I: National Standard Examination. Stage II: Indian National Olympiad. Stage III: Orientation-Cum-Selection Camp. Stage IV: training of the Indian team at HBCSE. Stage V: the international Olympiad.Source: Science Olympiad Brochure 2026-27 (English), Stage III p. 16; Stages IV and V p. 20
What it leads toStudents chosen by score and state-wise representation qualify for the Indian National Physics Olympiad (INPhO).
Talent categoryOlympiads
PathwayNSEP > INPhO > OCSC (Physics) > IPhO
RecognitionOfficial / statutory body
LevelNational
AchievementReport card for every candidate and merit certificates for top performers (IAPT brochure).

Exam pattern

First stage of the Science Olympiad programme: the National Standard Examination in Physics (NSEP), conducted by the Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT) with its partner association. Its syllabus is the one HBCSE prints for the National Standard Examination and the Indian National Olympiad together; the paper pattern is not copied here because the HBCSE document describes the second stage.

Read from: Syllabus - Olympiads (HBCSE), title of the Syllabus page

Syllabus

Physics19 topic groups
I. Units and Measurements

Units of measurement; systems of units; SI units, fundamental and derived units. Length, mass and time measurements; accuracy and precision of measuring instruments; errors in measurement; significant figures; Dimensions of physical quantities, dimensional analysis and its applications

Read from: Syllabus - Olympiads (HBCSE), 'Physics' tab, unit I
II. Motion in a Straight Line

Frame of reference, Motion in a straight line: Position-time graph, speed and velocity; Elementary concepts of differentiation and integration for describing motion, uniform and non- uniform motion, average speed and instantaneous velocity, uniformly accelerated motion, velocity - time and position-time graphs; Relations for uniformly accelerated motion (graphical treatment)

Read from: Syllabus - Olympiads (HBCSE), 'Physics' tab, unit II
III. Motion in a Plane

Scalar and vector quantities; position and displacement vectors, general vectors and their notations; equality of vectors, multiplication of vectors by a real number; addition and subtraction of vectors, relative velocity, Unit vector; resolution of a vector in a plane, rectangular components, Scalar and Vector product of vectors; Motion in a plane, cases of uniform velocity and uniform acceleration-projectile motion, uniform circular motion

Read from: Syllabus - Olympiads (HBCSE), 'Physics' tab, unit III
IV. Laws of Motion

Intuitive concept of force, Inertia, Newton's first law of motion; momentum and Newton's second law of motion; impulse; Newton's third law of motion; Law of conservation of linear momentum and its applications; Equilibrium of concurrent forces, Static and kinetic friction, laws of friction, lubrication; Dynamics of uniform circular motion: Centripetal force, examples of circular motion (vehicle on a level circular road, vehicle on a banked road)

Read from: Syllabus - Olympiads (HBCSE), 'Physics' tab, unit IV
V. Work, Energy and Power

Work done by a constant force and a variable force; kinetic energy, work-energy theorem, power; Notion of potential energy, potential energy of a spring, conservative forces: conservation of mechanical energy (kinetic and potential energies); non-conservative forces: motion in a vertical circle; elastic and inelastic collisions in one and two dimensions

Read from: Syllabus - Olympiads (HBCSE), 'Physics' tab, unit V
VI. System of Particles and Rotational Motion

Centre of mass of a two-particle system, momentum conservation and centre of mass motion; Centre of mass of a rigid body; centre of mass of a uniform rod; Moment of a force, torque, angular momentum, law of conservation of angular momentum and its applications; Equilibrium of rigid bodies, rigid body rotation and equations of rotational motion, comparison of linear and rotational motions; Moment of inertia, radius of gyration, values of moments of inertia for simple geometrical objects (no derivation). Statement of parallel and perpendicular axes theorems and their applications

Read from: Syllabus - Olympiads (HBCSE), 'Physics' tab, unit VI
VII. Gravitation

Kepler's laws of planetary motion, universal law of gravitation. Acceleration due to gravity and its variation with altitude and depth; Gravitational potential energy and gravitational potential, escape velocity, orbital velocity of a satellite, Geo-stationary satellites

Read from: Syllabus - Olympiads (HBCSE), 'Physics' tab, unit VII
VIII. Mechanical Properties of Solids

Elastic behaviour, Stress-strain relationship, Hooke's law, Young's modulus, bulk modulus, shear modulus of rigidity, Poisson's ratio; elastic energy

Read from: Syllabus - Olympiads (HBCSE), 'Physics' tab, unit VIII
IX. Mechanical Properties of Fluids

Pressure due to a fluid column; Pascal's law and its applications (hydraulic lift and hydraulic brakes), effect of gravity on fluid pressure; Viscosity, Stokes' law, terminal velocity, streamline and turbulent flow, critical velocity, Bernoulli's theorem and its applications; Surface energy and surface tension, angle of contact, excess of pressure across a curved surface, application of surface tension ideas to drops, bubbles and capillary rise

Read from: Syllabus - Olympiads (HBCSE), 'Physics' tab, unit IX
X. Thermal Properties of Matter

Heat, temperature, thermal expansion; thermal expansion of solids, liquids and gases, anomalous expansion of water; specific heat capacity; Cp, Cv - calorimetry; change of state - latent heat capacity; Heat transfer-conduction, convection and radiation, thermal conductivity, qualitative ideas of Blackbody radiation, Wien's displacement Law, Stefan's law, Greenhouse effect

Read from: Syllabus - Olympiads (HBCSE), 'Physics' tab, unit X
XI. Thermodynamics

Thermal equilibrium and definition of temperature (zeroth law of thermodynamics), heat, work and internal energy. Thermodynamic state variables and equation of state, First law of thermodynamics, isothermal and adiabatic processes; Second law of thermodynamics: reversible and irreversible processes, Heat engine and refrigerator

Read from: Syllabus - Olympiads (HBCSE), 'Physics' tab, unit XI
XII. Behaviour of Perfect Gases and Kinetic Theory of Gases

Equation of state of a perfect gas, work done in compressing a gas; Kinetic theory of gases - assumptions, concept of pressure. Kinetic interpretation of temperature; rms speed of gas molecules; degrees of freedom, law of equi-partition of energy (statement only) and application to specific heat capacities of gases; concept of mean free path, Avogadro's number

Read from: Syllabus - Olympiads (HBCSE), 'Physics' tab, unit XII
XIII. Oscillations and Waves

Oscillations: Periodic motion - time period, frequency, displacement as a function of time, periodic functions; Simple harmonic motion (S.H.M) and its equation; phase; oscillations of a loaded spring-restoring force and force constant; energy in S.H.M. Kinetic and potential energies; simple pendulum derivation of expression for its time period. Free, forced and damped oscillations (qualitative ideas only), Resonance; Waves: Wave motion: Transverse and longitudinal waves, speed of travelling wave, displacement relation for a progressive wave, principle of superposition of waves, reflection of waves, standing waves in strings and organ pipes, fundamental mode and harmonics, Beats, Doppler effect

Read from: Syllabus - Olympiads (HBCSE), 'Physics' tab, unit XIII
XIV. Electrostatics

Electric Charges and Fields: Electric Charges; Conservation of charge, Coulomb's law-force between two point charges, forces between multiple charges; superposition principle and continuous charge distribution; Electric field, electric field due to a point charge, electric field lines, electric dipole, electric field due to a dipole, torque on a dipole in uniform electric field; Electric flux, statement of Gauss's theorem and its applications to find field due to infinitely long straight wire, uniformly charged infinite plane sheet and uniformly charged thin spherical shell (field inside and outside); Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance: Electric potential, potential difference, electric potential due to a point charge, a dipole and system of charges; equipotential surfaces, electrical potential energy of a system of two point charges and of electric dipole in an electrostatic field; Conductors and insulators, free charges and bound charges inside a conductor. Dielectrics and electric polarisation, capacitors and capacitance, combination of capacitors in series and in parallel, capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor with and without dielectric medium between the plates, energy stored in a capacitor; Current Electricity: Electric current, flow of electric charges in a metallic conductor, drift velocity, mobility and their relation with electric current; Ohm's law, electrical resistance, V-I characteristics (linear and non-linear), electrical energy and power, electrical resistivity and conductivity, Carbon resistors, colour code for carbon resistors; series and parallel combinations of resistors; temperature dependence of resistance. Internal resistance of a cell, potential difference and emf of a cell, combination of cells in series and in parallel, Kirchhoff's laws and simple applications, Wheatstone bridge, metre bridge; Potentiometer - principle and its applications to measure potential difference and for comparing EMF of two cells; measurement of internal resistance of a cell

Read from: Syllabus - Olympiads (HBCSE), 'Physics' tab, unit XIV
XV. Magnetic Effects of Current and Magnetism

Moving Charges and Magnetism: Concept of magnetic field, Oersted's experiment; Biot - Savart law and its application to current carrying circular loop; Ampere's law and its applications to infinitely long straight wire. Straight and toroidal solenoids (only qualitative treatment), force on a moving charge in uniform magnetic and electric fields, Cyclotron; Force on a current-carrying conductor in a uniform magnetic field, force between two parallel current-carrying conductors-definition of ampere, torque experienced by a current loop in uniform magnetic field; moving coil galvanometer-its current sensitivity and conversion to ammeter and voltmeter; Magnetism and Matter: Current loop as a magnetic dipole and its magnetic dipole moment, magnetic dipole moment of a revolving electron, magnetic field intensity due to a magnetic dipole (bar magnet) along its axis and perpendicular to its axis, torque on a magnetic dipole (bar magnet) in a uniform magnetic field; bar magnet as an equivalent solenoid, magnetic field lines; earth's magnetic field and magnetic elements; Para-, dia- and ferro - magnetic substances, with examples. Electromagnets and factors affecting their strengths, permanent magnets; Electromagnetic Induction: Electromagnetic induction; Faraday's laws, induced EMF and current; Lenz's Law, Eddy currents. Self and mutual induction; Alternating Current: Alternating currents, peak and RMS value of alternating current/voltage; reactance and impedance; LC oscillations (qualitative treatment only), LCR series circuit, resonance; power in AC circuits, power factor, wattless current. AC generator and transformer; Electromagnetic Waves: Basic idea of displacement current, Electromagnetic waves, their characteristics, their Transverse nature (qualitative ideas only). Electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma rays) including elementary facts about their uses

Read from: Syllabus - Olympiads (HBCSE), 'Physics' tab, unit XV
XVI. Optics

Ray Optics and Optical Instruments: Reflection of light, spherical mirrors, mirror formula, refraction of light, total internal reflection and its applications, optical fibers, refraction at spherical surfaces, lenses, thin lens formula, lensmaker's formula, magnification, power of a lens, combination of thin lenses in contact, refraction of light through a prism; Scattering of light - blue colour of sky and reddish appearance of the sun at sunrise and sunset; Optical instruments: Microscopes and astronomical telescopes (reflecting and refracting) and their magnifying powers; Wave optics: Wavefront and Huygens’ principle, reflection and refraction of plane wave at a plane surface using wave fronts. Proof of laws of reflection and refraction using Huygens’ principle; Interference, Young's double slit experiment and expression for fringe width, coherent sources and sustained interference of light, diffraction due to a single slit, width of central maximum, resolving power of microscope and astronomical telescope, polarisation, plane polarised light, Brewster's law, uses of plane polarised light and Polaroids

Read from: Syllabus - Olympiads (HBCSE), 'Physics' tab, unit XVI
XVII. Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter

Dual nature of radiation, Photoelectric effect, Hertz and Lenard's observations; Einstein's photoelectric equation-particle nature of light. Experimental study of the photoelectric effect; Matter waves-wave nature of particles, de-Broglie relation, Davisson-Germer experiment (experimental details should be omitted; only conclusion should be explained)

Read from: Syllabus - Olympiads (HBCSE), 'Physics' tab, unit XVII
XVIII. Atoms and Nuclei

Atoms: Alpha-particle scattering experiment; Rutherford's model of atom; Bohr model, energy levels, hydrogen spectrum; Nuclei: Composition and size of nucleus, Radioactivity, alpha, beta and gamma particles/rays and their properties; radioactive decay law, half life and mean life; Mass-energy relation, mass defect; binding energy per nucleon and its variation with mass number; nuclear fission, nuclear fusion

Read from: Syllabus - Olympiads (HBCSE), 'Physics' tab, unit XVIII
XIX. Electronic Devices

Semiconductor Electronics: Materials, Devices and Simple Circuits; Energy bands in conductors, semiconductors and insulators (qualitative ideas only); Semiconductor diode - I-V characteristics in forward and reverse bias, diode as a rectifier; Special purpose p-n junction diodes: LED, photodiode, solar cell and Zener diode and their characteristics, zener diode as a voltage regulator

Read from: Syllabus - Olympiads (HBCSE), 'Physics' tab, unit XIX

Official links and how they were checked

  • Olympiads - Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education Verified against the document
    Official website · Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research · 2026 · checked 5 Oct 2026
    Opened https://olympiads.hbcse.tifr.res.in/ on 2026-10-05; it is the Olympiads site of HBCSE (TIFR) and links the Syllabus, Olympiad Books, Information Brochures, Stages and Past papers pages and the 2026-2027 Mathematical and Science Olympiad pages.
  • Syllabus - Olympiads (HBCSE) Verified against the document
    Syllabus · Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research · 2026 · checked 5 Oct 2026
    Opened https://olympiads.hbcse.tifr.res.in/how-to-prepare/syllabus/ on 2026-10-05 and read its text. The page carries the 'Syllabus for National Standard Examination and Indian National Olympiad in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Astronomy and Junior Science' (tabs Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy, Junior Science) and a 'Mathematical Olympiad' tab. Every topic list in this file was cut from that page text and compared back with it (lower-case letters and digits only, ignoring spacing): every unit title and every topic phrase occurs in the page text. Not compared: the page as rendered (images); the lists of recommended books on the Mathematical tab are not syllabus and are not copied.
  • Science Olympiad Brochure 2026-27 (English) Verified against the document
    Exam scheme / pattern · Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research · 2026 · checked 5 Oct 2026
    Downloaded the 32-page PDF linked from https://olympiads.hbcse.tifr.res.in/science-olympiad-2026-2027/ on 2026-10-05 and read its text layer. It describes Stage I (National Standard Examination), Stage II (Indian National Olympiads, p. 15), Stage III (Orientation-Cum-Selection Camps, p. 16), Stage IV (training at HBCSE, p. 20) and Stage V (international Olympiads, p. 20). The statements recorded in this file (stage names, what a camp does, the INO duration and the syllabus level) were each checked against those pages. Dates, venues, quotas and fees on those pages are not copied.
  • Olympiad Books - Olympiads (HBCSE) Verified against the document
    Prescribed / recommended reading (published by the body) · Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research · 2026 · checked 5 Oct 2026
    Opened https://olympiads.hbcse.tifr.res.in/how-to-prepare/olympiad-books/ on 2026-10-05; it lists the books HBCSE sells or recommends for the Science and Mathematical Olympiads (INPhO, INChO, INBO, INAO problem books, experimental problem books, and the Mathematical Olympiad books). It is a book list, not a syllabus, and no chapter cites it.
NSEP →INPhO

Official website ↗

Details checked against official sources on 5 Oct 2026. Always confirm against the current official notification before applying. [1] [2] [3] [4]

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