SOF Olympiad 2025-26: Negative Marking Rules, Check Marking Scheme Details

SOF Olympiad 2025-26: Negative Marking Rules, Check Marking Scheme Details

Manasvini GuptaUpdated on 27 Dec 2025, 01:41 PM IST

The Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) organises multiple SOF Olympiads annually. Each exam is structured according to the student’s Class level and aims to assess both fundamental knowledge and logical reasoning. One of the most frequently asked questions by students and parents is whether SOF Olympiad exams have negative marking. They should note that the SOF follows no negative marking policy in its Olympiads. The no-negative-marking policy in the SOF Olympiad allows participants to attempt all questions confidently. The complete marking scheme of each SOF Olympiad is available on the official website, sofworld.org.

This Story also Contains

  1. SOF Olympiads 2025-26: Negative Marking and Marking Scheme Overview
  2. How to Approach SOF Olympiad Exams if There is No Negative Marking?
  3. How is the SOF Olympiad Marking Scheme Structured?
SOF Olympiad 2025-26: Negative Marking Rules, Check Marking Scheme Details
SOF Olympiad 2025-26: Negative Marking Rules, Check Marking Scheme Details

SOF Olympiads 2025-26: Negative Marking and Marking Scheme Overview

Students can refer to the table below, which provides details of each SOF Olympiad exam for 2025-26, including information on whether negative marking is applicable. The total number of questions and the overall marks for each Olympiad are also provided. Students should note that the number of questions varies depending on the class level of the participating student:

Olympiad Name
Total Questions (Approx.)
Total Marks
Negative Marking
NSO (Science)
35-50
40-60
No
IMO (Mathematics)
35-50
40-60
No
IEO (English)
35-50
40-60
No
IGKO (General Knowledge)
35-50
40-60
No
ICSO (Computer Science Olympiad)
35-50
40-60
No
IHO (Hindi Olympiad)
35-50
40-60
No
ISSO (Social Studies)
35-50
40-60
No

How to Approach SOF Olympiad Exams if There is No Negative Marking?

  • As there is no negative marking in SOF Olympiad exams, students must confidently attempt all questions.
  • Participants should focus more on the Achievers Section. It can significantly increase scores as each question carries a lot more marks than the other sections' questions.
  • Practice by going through time-bound tests. Use the official SOF sample papers PDFs provided on the official website to practice and understand the exam pattern even more.

Also, Check and Download:

How is the SOF Olympiad Marking Scheme Structured?

Though each SOF exam varies slightly in format, a general marking scheme is followed across all. The official marking scheme can be accessed at sofworld.org. The general marking scheme details are as follows:

  • The Logical reasoning section tests reasoning and problem-solving skills.
  • The subject-specific section is focused on core concepts (Math, Science, English, etc.)
  • Lastly, the Achievers section consists of higher-difficulty questions and carries greater mark weightage, particularly for higher classes. While questions in the other sections typically carry 1 mark each, those in the Achievers Section are awarded 2 to 3 marks, depending on the class level.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Where can I find the SOF exam official marking scheme?
A:

Students can check the marking scheme at sofworld.org.

Q: Can students attempt all questions without the fear of penalties?
A:

Yes, since no negative marking is applicable in the SOF Olympiad exam, students can attempt every question without worrying.

Q: Is there negative marking in any SOF Olympiad exam?
A:

No. There is no negative marking in any of the SOF Olympiads, including NSO, IMO, IEO, IGKO, ICSO, IHO, and ISSO.

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Questions related to IMO

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to IMO ?

Dear Student,

Level 1 SOF admit card can be collected from their respective school authority. Online, it can be found on sofworld.org, once link is activated.

HELLO,

The SOF IMO Level 1 results for the 2025 2026 session are expected to be released in January 2026 , typically around second week of January. You can check the results directly on the official SOF website that is results.sofworld.org (//results.sofworld.org) .

Here you can visit the link to

Hello,
I have attached the link for IMO Exam results 2025 - 2026 in which you can get your Math Olympiad results, including section - by - section scores and qualifying IMO class. Kindly check the below link and find your results.
https://school.careers360.com/articles/imo-result
I hope this helps you.

Hello

You can download it from the official SOF website once it becomes available.

The IMO 2025–26 Set C official answer key hasn’t been released yet because SOF usually uploads it a few weeks after the exam

Here I am attaching a link, you can access the answersheet directly by

Hello,

You can get the IMO Set-B Answer Key 2025-26 from the Careers360 website. This website also provides previous years papers, exam patterns, marking schemes, question paper analysis, question papers along with answer keys, syllabus, important dates, preparation tips.

LINK: https://school.careers360.com/articles/imo-answer-key

I hope it helps!