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India season is live
The National Standard Examination in Biology is stage 1 of India's road to the International Biology Olympiad. Here is exactly how to enrol, who is eligible, what it costs, and how to know if you are ready.
Registration window
Student enrolment 21 Aug – 14 Sep 2026 via IAPT-registered schools/centres (iapt.manageexam.com). Exam: 22 November 2026.
Eligibility
Class 12 or below, Indian passport / residency per IAPT-HBCSE rules, within the age cutoff for IBO 2027.
Exam pattern
60 MCQs · 216 marks · 2 hours, with negative marking. NCERT Class 11–12 depth plus Campbell-level application questions.
Where to enrol
Through your school if it is an IAPT centre, else any nearby registered centre — the IAPT site lists them by state.
Confirm your eligibility (class, age cutoff, residency) against the current IAPT notification.
Find your exam centre: ask your school first; otherwise use the IAPT centre list and contact the centre in-charge.
Fill the NSE enrolment form at the centre and pay the exam fee before the deadline — late enrolment is rarely entertained.
Keep your enrolment number safe; you will need it for the admit card and results.
Start structured preparation immediately — the gap between NCERT and NSEB level is the main reason first attempts fail.
Dates, fees and cutoffs are set by IAPT each season — always verify against the current notification at iapt.org.in before relying on them.
For the 2026 season, student enrolment runs 21 August – 14 September 2026 on the IAPT portal. Here is the exact flow a student (or parent) follows:
Open iapt.manageexam.com and choose the student enrolment option for NSE 2026-27.
Search for your exam centre: pick your state and city to see the IAPT-registered centres near you. If your own school is a registered centre, choose it.
Fill the enrolment form: student name (exactly as in school records), class, date of birth, school name, and the exams you are enrolling for — select NSEB (you can add NSEP/NSEC/NSEA in the same enrolment if you want multiple subjects).
Pay the fee online — ₹300 per exam for the 2026 season.
Save the confirmation and your enrolment number. You will need it for the admit card and to check results on iapt.org.in.
Before exam day (22 November 2026), download the admit card when IAPT releases it and confirm your centre address.
Portal labels can change between seasons — if a screen differs, follow the current IAPT instructions. If your school coordinates enrolment centrally, hand the form and fee to your coordinator instead.
Take our free 30-question diagnostic built from olympiad-level questions. Get a per-topic gap report and a readiness band in 30 minutes.
Start the diagnostic — freeFor the 2026 season, student enrolment runs 21 August – 14 September 2026 on iapt.manageexam.com, with the NSEB exam on 22 November 2026. Register through your school or an IAPT-registered centre as soon as the window opens — late registration is rarely allowed.
Students in Class 12 or below on the qualifying date, holding an Indian passport (or meeting IAPT/HBCSE residency rules), who have not completed Class 12 board exams and were born on or after the cutoff IAPT announces for the season (roughly 20 years before the IBO year). Most serious contenders sit it in Class 11 or 12; ambitious Class 9–10 students may also appear.
The NSE enrolment fee is ₹300 for the 2026 season (set by IAPT each year) and is paid to the registered centre at the time of enrolment.
NSEB is a 2-hour paper of 60 multiple-choice questions (216 marks, negative marking) covering Class 11–12 biology at NCERT depth plus Campbell-level application. About 300 students nationally (via the MAS rule plus state quotas) qualify for INBO.
The pathway is NSEB → INBO (late January–early February) → OCSC selection camp at HBCSE (April–June) → the 4-member Indian team for the International Biology Olympiad. INBO performance also earns certificates and is a strong signal on college applications in India and abroad.