# SOF International Hindi Olympiad (SOF IHO) — Shishya exam context

> Machine-readable context for SOF International Hindi Olympiad, maintained by Shishya (https://shishya.in) — India's end-to-end free government exam preparation platform. All facts below are free to cite; link back to https://shishya.in/exams/SOF_IHO. Human page: https://shishya.in/exams/SOF_IHO

## Exam pattern
- Category: OLYMPIAD · national
- Questions: 50 · Total marks: 60 · Marks per question: 1
- Duration: 60 minutes
- Negative marking: none
- Languages offered: HI

## Eligibility & vacancies
- Education: Students enrolled in classes 3 to 10 in SOF-recognized schools
- Note: Single-level exam; registration only through schools, not individual; tests Hindi grammar, vocabulary, comprehension, and literature
- Official portal: https://sofworld.org (Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF))

## Key dates
- 2026-08-24 — Final school registration deadline
- 2026-10-23 — SOF IHO 2026-27 School Registration Deadline for Date 1 (expected)
- 2026-10-23 — School registration deadline (for Nov 23 exam date)
- 2026-10-24 — School registration deadline (recommended 30 days before exam)
- 2026-10-24 — School registration deadline for Date 1 (23rd Nov)
- 2026-11-12 — Level 1 examination window begins (exam day)
- 2026-11-23 — SOF IHO 2026-27 Exam Date 1 (exam day)
- 2026-11-23 — SOF IHO Level 1 Exam - Date 1 (exam day)

## Syllabus outline
### Hindi Vyakaran (Grammar and Word Knowledge) (weight 1)
Alankar · Anekarthi Shabd · Chhand · Kaal (Tense) · Kaarak · Kriya (Verb) · Lokokti (Proverbs) · Muhavare (Idioms) · Paryayvachi Shabd (Synonyms) · Ras · Samaas · Sandhi · Sangya (Noun) · Ling and Vachan · Sangya ke Bhed · Sarvanam (Pronoun) · Shabd-Bhandar (Vocabulary) · Shruti-samabhinnarthak Shabd · Upsarg aur Pratyay · Vakya Shuddhi · Varnamala (Alphabet) · Vilom Shabd (Antonyms) · Viram Chinh (Punctuation) · Visheshan (Adjective)

### Padhna (Reading) (weight 1)
Gadya Sahitya (Prose Literature) · Apathit Gadyansh (Unseen Prose Comprehension) · Lekhak aur Kavi Parichay · Padya Sahitya (Poetry Literature) · Apathit Padyansh (Unseen Poem Comprehension)

### Likhit aur Maukhik Abhivyakti (Written and Oral Expression) (weight 1)
Anuched Lekhan (Paragraph Writing) · Nibandh Lekhan (Essay Writing) · Patra Lekhan (Letter Writing) · Samvad Lekhan (Dialogue Writing) · Suchna aur Vigyapan Lekhan · Vakya Rachna

### Achievers Section (weight 1)
Advanced Hindi Comprehension · Advanced Alankar and Ras · Higher Order Hindi Application · Sahitya Gyaan (Literary Knowledge)

## Expected cutoffs (category-wise)
| Category | Expected cutoff (indicative) |
|----------|------------------------------|
| General | 46-51 / 60 (76-85%) |
| EWS | 44-49 / 60 (73-82%) |
| OBC | 43-48 / 60 (72-80%) |
| SC | 40-45 / 60 (67-75%) |
| ST | 38-43 / 60 (63-72%) |
| PwD | 35-40 / 60 (58-67%) |

**Guidance:**

- **Category differential**: General-to-OBC gap typically spans 3-4 marks; SC/ST cutoffs are 6-8 marks below General, reflecting the competitive nature of reaching International Merit Zone (76-85% band).
- **Year-to-year shifts**: Cutoffs fluctuate ±2-3 marks based on question paper difficulty, participation levels across zones, and the distribution of high scorers in each class/category.
- **Note**: SOF Olympiads primarily award ranks and medals based on absolute performance bands rather than formal reservation quotas; these indicative cutoffs represent typical score thresholds where category-wise students historically secure Zonal Merit recognition or higher.

Full cutoff page: https://shishya.in/exams/SOF_IHO/cutoff

## Free resources on Shishya for this exam
- Exam hub (mocks, PYQs, news, dates): https://shishya.in/exams/SOF_IHO
- Full syllabus + free study notes: https://shishya.in/exams/SOF_IHO/syllabus
- Category-wise expected cutoffs: https://shishya.in/exams/SOF_IHO/cutoff
- Memory tricks & mnemonics: https://shishya.in/exams/SOF_IHO/tricks
- How to crack it (strategy guide): https://shishya.in/exams/SOF_IHO/guide
- Free day-by-day study plan (personal coach): https://shishya.in/coach
- Free AI tutor (22 Indian languages, no login): https://shishya.in/chat

Everything is free — no paywall, no subscription, no credit card. Platform index for LLMs: https://shishya.in/llms.txt and https://shishya.in/llms-full.txt