What is Cyber Olympiad?

The National Cyber Olympiad (NCO) is one of the seven olympiad examinations hosted by the Science Olympiad Foundation annually. The cyber olympiad is held for all students from classes 1 to 10. This examination can be a great way to test a student’s general knowledge of IT, cyber concepts, and computers. Due to the popularity of IT careers in the country, students flock to participate in the NCO. 

The olympiad can work as great testing and preparation ground for the competitive examinations in the future of students. And henceforth, it’s a great opportunity to direct students toward a future IT and computer engineering career. So, let’s dive deeper into the olympiad and look at its syllabus, examination format, and prizes if you are among the top scorers of NCO in this single-phase national olympiad.

Also Read: IMO Tips - Preparation Tips & Tricks

Cyber Olympiad Syllabus & Exam Pattern

All SOF Olympiads have their external syllabus, which is available for the students in both soft and hard copies. The examination is based on the syllabus provided by SOF, and its difficulty level varies as per the class/standard of the student. The examination format is MCQ based, which much resembles the format of other competitive examinations such as JEE or NEET. Let’s take a clear view of the syllabus and examination pattern for the NCO.

NCO Examination Pattern

The NCO test is divided into three sections, logical reasoning, computers and IT, and an achiever’s section. The examination scores for each section differ based on the standard of the student, but the general norm dictates that the second section, which is computers and IT, carries the most weightage. At the same time, the first and third sections can be an excellent way for you to improve your score further and be one of the top scorers in the olympiad. The type of questions you can expect in each of these sections are mentioned below.

Logical Reasoning Section

The logical reasoning section features questions of varying difficulty, testing student’s ability to 

• Dissect patterns

• Find the odd ones outs

• Mirror images

• Decode patterns

• Figure matrix 

• Ranking test

• Alphabet test 

• Puzzle test

• Verbal reasoning 

• Non-verbal reasoning

You will find these questions in the logical reasoning section of NCO. Not all of these topics are there in each paper, but students can expect their paper to feature questions from these topics only. The logical reasoning section features only 5 questions of 1 mark for students of classes 1 to 4. For students from classes 5 - 10, this section carries 10 marks with 10 questions of 1 mark each. There is no negative scoring in this section, so it is advised that students attempt all the questions to ensure they can score the best.

Computers & IT Section

The computers and IT section of NCO carries the most weightage in the test. This section features questions on the subjects of computers and IT with relevant difficulty according to the student’s standard. There are various topics and sub-topics for this section which vary among hardware and software, so let’s learn in detail about the topics in question.

• Computers in general

• History of computers

• Parts of a computer

• Uses of a computer

• Keyboard and its various key types

• New innovations in IT

• Internet

• Word processor (MS Word) and its options and uses

• Computer Networks

• Windows 7 and above

• Multimedia 

• MS Powerpoint its options and uses

• QBasic its functions and uses

• Hardware, software, and related devices

• MS Excel its options and uses

• Computer Viruses

• Basics of Cybercrime

• HTML its tags, functions, and uses

• Operating System types and features

• Memory and storage devices

• Visual Basic its functions and uses

• Animation in Adobe Flash

• Algorithms and flowcharts in programming

• Input and Output devices

• Database Management

• Scratch

• Python

These are the topics from which you can expect questions in the computers and IT section of your NCO paper. However, you should know that all these sections will not be featured in each student’s paper. The questions will be based on your standard and will be at par with your school’s regular curriculum. This section has the highest weightage on the NCO test as it carries 25 marks featuring 25 individual questions of 1 mark each for classes 1 - 4. For classes 5 - 10, this section carries 35 marks broken down to 35 individual questions of 1 mark each. The syllabus for this section is considerable, so you must prepare well for it. As there is no negative marking in NCO, the best way to score well is to attempt all the questions after going through the syllabus thoroughly.

Achiever’s Section

The achiever’s section is the last part of the paper, and as the name suggests, it’s the most challenging part. This section features the same topics as the previous computers and IT section. However, the difficulty of the questions is amped up significantly. This section is scored differently from the other sections as well, with 5 questions in this section scored at 2 marks each question with a total of 10 marks for the section. This division is for classes 1 through 4. For classes 5 through 10, the section is marked at 5 questions of 3 marks each to a total of 15 marks for the section. It is advised that students attempt this section at the end of their paper. As there are no negative markings, students can feel free to answer all the questions to get the highest score possible.

Prizes For Top Scorers

Top scorers of NCO will be awarded and felicitated handsomely by SOF. The awards are offered in three different categories, international awards, zonal awards, and school-level awards. The top three ranking students are awarded at each level with additional prizes for ranks up to 26 at the zonal level. Some of the prizes students can win by being top scorers of NCO are

• Cash rewards

• Gold/Silver/Bronze Medals

• Certificate of distinction or participation

• Student performance report

To learn more about the prizes you can win by participating in the latest session of NCO, check out the official announcement on SOF’s website (sofworld.org).

Conclusion

The cyber olympiad is attended by thousands of students across the country every year. Now that you know all about NCO, you are one step closer to reaching your goal of becoming a topper at the olympiad. If in the way of preparation, you ever need any help, feel free to check out Vedantu’s olympiad courses specifically curated to help you prepare for NCO and other olympiads. These courses will help you achieve your true potential, score the best you can in the examination, and be the topper. You can check out the course details on Vedantu’s website to learn more.