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Exams · NSEB

Olympiad

NSEB

NSEB 2026 exam (Stage 1): 22 Nov 2026 (official — iapt.org.in). Official site: iapt.org.in.

National Standard Examination in Biology

HBCSE/IAPT Stage-1 biology olympiad. 80 MCQs in 3 hours covering cell biology, genetics, plant & animal physiology, ecology, and evolution.

43 days to exam(official)80 Qs216 marks180 minNegative: −1📅 Dates & updates📋 Full syllabus🎯 Expected cutoff🧠 Tricks & mnemonics📖 How to crack it🔁 Mistake Notebook

Free NSEB mock tests and previous year paper practice — start now.

Full-length mocks with instant scoring and solutions, PYQ-pattern papers, topic-wise tests and Ask Shishya when you're stuck. Your scores and a free day-by-day plan are saved to your account. All free, no credit card. Content is AI-drafted and checked against the official notification.

Sign up with GoogleNo forms. The exam you sign up from becomes your exam.Sign up from an exam's page and that exam is set up as your exam: your dashboard starts from it and your AI tutor chats are saved. Where the exam has practice, your timed mock scores and weak topics are kept too. For students 13 and above. Free, with your Google account, no forms.Try a free 5-question quiz — no signup →
🎓 Preparing for NSEB? Get a free day-by-day plan to exam day. Rebuilt every morning around what you actually did — miss a day, nothing is lost.Build my plan →
~350 vacancies(indicative / typical)✓ Verify on Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT) ↗

Updated 2 Sept 2026 ·Vacancy counts change every cycle — always confirm the exact number in the latest official notification before applying.

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Sourced

Source: official exam authority notification · refreshed weekly. How this works →

✦ Try a NSEB question — free, no signup

Which group of plants is characterized by the presence of archegonia but lacks vascular tissue?

Tap an option to check your answer.

Start with a diagnostic

5 questions across the syllabus to see where you stand.

This becomes your exam: a Daily 5 email on mornings after you visit, and emails about your streak, live tests, exam date and result day, or after a week away. Each has an unsubscribe link.

🧩 Build your own mock — pick exact topics → · every mock readable in हिंदी + 17 languages inside the test

NSEB eligibility

Verified against the official notification. Source ↗ · last reconciled 2026-05.

Education
Currently studying in Class 11 or Class 12 in a recognised Indian school.
Attempts
One attempt per cycle.
Nationality
Indian citizen, OCI, or studying in Indian schools.

NSEB paper analysis — what actually got asked

Topic-by-topic weightage averaged across 2022-2024 papers. Use this to decide where to invest study hours, not where to skim. Source ↗ · verified 2026-05.

Cell + Molecular Biology

50/240 marks avg

  • Cell structure + biomolecules + genetics + biotech

    ~50 marks(21%)

Plant Biology

50/240 marks avg

  • Anatomy + physiology + ecology + evolution

    ~50 marks(21%)

Animal Biology

60/240 marks avg

  • Anatomy + physiology + human systems + reproduction

    ~60 marks(25%)

Ecology + Behaviour + Evolution

40/240 marks avg

  • Population + community + behaviour + Darwinian evolution

    ~40 marks(17%)

Biosystematics + Practicals

40/240 marks avg

  • Taxonomy + classification + applied biology

    ~40 marks(17%)

Takeaways for prep planning

  • NSEB material extends far beyond NCERT — Campbell Biology + Vander's Physiology + Plant Physiology by Taiz & Zeiger are the standard references.
  • Olympiad biology rewards depth, not just NEET-style breadth. Specifically prepare experimental + analytical questions.
  • The IBO international round includes practical exams — Stage 3+ candidates should practise dissections and lab techniques.

NSEB — Frequently asked questions

Is Shishya free for NSEB preparation?
Yes. Every NSEB mock test, PYQ-pattern paper and study tool on Shishya is completely free — no subscription and no credit card. Questions are written with AI to follow each exam's syllabus topics on Shishya, and re-checked whenever a student reports one.
How many NSEB practice questions does Shishya have?
Shishya has 105 NSEB practice questions, written with AI; every one of them has passed an automated answer check (three independent AI solves and an examiner), and any question a student reports is re-checked. They are available as adaptive mock tests with a worked solution for every question.
Are NSEB previous year question papers available?
Yes. The official NSEB previous year papers the conducting body published are linked on this page, and Shishya has free PYQ-pattern practice papers covering 2021–2025 (5 years) — questions freshly worded in the pattern of each year's paper, not the paper itself; each year's page shows how many questions it holds against the real paper's count. Each is a timed practice set with full solutions.
What is the expected cutoff for NSEB?
Cutoffs change every cycle with paper difficulty and vacancies. Shishya maintains indicative score-to-rank bands and category-wise (General/EWS/OBC/SC/ST) expected cutoffs — not official figures — at https://shishya.in/exams/NSEB/cutoff
Is there a full-length NSEB mock test in the real exam pattern?
Yes — Shishya has a free full-length National Standard Examination in Biology mock built to the exam's pattern, with sections in the paper's order, scored with solutions. It is the "Full-Length Mock (Real Pattern)" tile on this page.
Can I build a topic-wise NSEB mock test?
Yes — pick any topics from the NSEB syllabus, choose 10, 25 or 50 questions and the difficulty, and attempt it as a timed mock with solutions and weak-topic analysis, free, at https://shishya.in/exams/NSEB/build-mock — questions can be read in Hindi and 17 other Indian languages inside the test.
How can I prepare for NSEB for free?
Shishya offers NSEB preparation 100% free: adaptive mock tests, official previous year papers (linked from the conducting body) and PYQ-pattern practice papers modelled on each year's paper, the full syllabus (https://shishya.in/exams/NSEB/syllabus), subject-wise memory tricks (https://shishya.in/exams/NSEB/tricks), a free day-by-day coach plan and an AI tutor in 18 Indian languages.

Previous year papers

92 questions across all years

Official papers

Question papers and answer keys as the conducting body published them. Each link opens the body's own file.

Published by Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT)

Previous year paper practice: each year is a set of PYQ-pattern questions — freshly worded in the pattern of that year's paper, not the paper itself. Every card shows how many it holds against the real paper's count.

Practise PYQ-pattern questions topic by topic, across all years →

Mock tests

Take any mock in your preferred language — use the language picker inside the mock to switch (Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, and 15 more).

New to NSEB? Start small:a 25-question subject test first — 4 in 5 aspirants finish these; full mocks after your first win.Pick a subject test ↓

  • NSEB — Quick Practice

    SET

    20 questions · 180 min

    Start mock →

  • NSEB — Full-Length Mock (Real Pattern: 80Q · 180 min)

    FULL

    80 questions · 180 min

    Start mock →

Practice by subject & topic

Full-length subject tests below — 25 questions each, real exam format, instant scoring.Want to drill a single topic? Open it from the syllabus — a topic that has practice questions has a short quiz on its page.

  • Biology

    105 Qs

🎯 Build my own mock

Tell Shishya exactly what to test you on — topics, size, difficulty — and get a fresh mock in seconds. Leave the box blank and we'll target your weakest topics.

Questions
Difficulty

Your rank

vs everyone who has taken this exam

Take a mock to see where you stand on the leaderboard.

Students

4

Mocks taken

12

Average score

44%

Top score

73%

What can I get from NSEB?

Mock-score → expected rank → likely outcome. Use the mocks below to find your current band, then plan how many marks you need to climb.

AI-curated from historic cut-off patterns. Always verify with the latest official notification before making decisions.

News & timeline

See older updates →

Latest news

Important dates

  1. NSEB 2026 centre registration ends

    passed

    Thu, 20 Aug, 2026

    Reportedpw.live

  2. NSEB 2026 student enrolment starts

    passed

    Fri, 21 Aug, 2026

    Reportedpw.live

    Students can register through schools or individually via iapt.org.in

  3. NSEB 2026 student enrolment deadline

    passed

    Mon, 14 Sept, 2026

    Reportedpw.live

    Registration fee: ₹300 per student per subject

  4. NSEB 2026 admit card release (expected)

    21 days away

    Sat, 31 Oct, 2026

    Expected

    Based on previous cycle; IAPT typically releases admit cards in late October

  5. 🏅NSEB 2026 exam (Stage 1)

    43 days away

    Sun, 22 Nov, 2026

    Officialiapt.org.in ↗

    Sunday 22 Nov 2026, 2:30–4:30 pm (IAPT's NSE 2026 schedule; HBCSE's Science Olympiad 2026-27 page gives the same date and time for NSEB).

  6. NSEB 2026 result declaration (expected)

    74 days away

    Wed, 23 Dec, 2026

    Expected

    Based on previous cycle; results usually announced in late December

  7. INBO 2027 — Stage II, for NSEB qualifiers

    113 days away

    Sun, 31 Jan, 2027

    Officialolympiads.hbcse.tifr.res.in ↗

    Indian National Biology Olympiad (stage II): Sunday 31 Jan 2027, 13:30–15:30 (HBCSE, Science Olympiad 2026-27). The list of students selected for the INOs will be published by 15 Jan 2027 on the IAPT website (iapt.org.in); selected students must then register on the HBCSE website to get their INO admit cards.

Syllabus

Tap any topic for its study notes + a 10-question topic test

Biology