What level is the NSEB syllabus?
The official syllabus broadly covers biology through CBSE Class XII. It also expects earlier-class material, general science through Class X and mathematics through Class XII. Questions may apply familiar ideas to unfamiliar situations.
The map below organises your study; it is not official chapter weighting. Reduced school-textbook coverage should not be assumed to remove topics from the Olympiad syllabus.
Read the official detailed syllabus PDF ↗
Diversity & classification
Classification principles, biological diversity and major groups.
Practise this skill: Compare distinguishing features; explain why a feature is useful for classification.
Plant & animal structure
Tissues, organs, structural organisation and adaptations.
Practise this skill: Draw a structure from memory, then connect each part to its function.
Cells & biomolecules
Membranes, organelles, biomolecules, enzymes, division and cellular respiration.
Practise this skill: Explain a process as a sequence and predict what happens when one step changes.
Plant physiology
Transport, mineral nutrition, photosynthesis, respiration, growth and regulation.
Practise this skill: Link a graph or experiment to its limiting factor and control conditions.
Human physiology
Digestion, exchange of gases, circulation, excretion, movement and coordination.
Practise this skill: Follow the movement of a substance through the body and explain regulation.
Reproduction
Reproductive processes in organisms, flowering plants and humans.
Practise this skill: Compare stages, ploidy and the roles of different structures.
Genetics, molecular biology & evolution
Inheritance, gene expression, variation and evolutionary mechanisms.
Practise this skill: Use a cross or dataset to justify a conclusion; state any assumptions.
Human welfare & biotechnology
Microbes, health, disease, biotechnology principles and applications.
Practise this skill: Separate the mechanism from its application; explain the role of a control.
Ecology & environment
Organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, biodiversity and environmental issues.
Practise this skill: Interpret population changes, food webs and evidence for interactions.
Turn the map into action
Mark each topic as “can explain”, “needs practice” or “new to me”. Start with the middle group for quick, useful progress, while steadily building unfamiliar foundations.
Save your own study checklist →
The official PDF’s filename contains 2022–2023. It is the syllabus document currently linked by IAPT under the 2026–27 programme; we preserve the original source URL.