Q: What does Singapore Primary Science Olympiad (SPSO): 2025/26 Parent & Student Guide cover? A: What the SPSO really tests, how the 40-question paper is graded, and why a Primary 5 gold can super-charge an Integrated-Programme Physics trajectory.
TL;DR SPSO is a one-round, 50-mark theory contest for Primary 5 pupils organised by NUS High School of Mathematics and Science every year since 2009. Schools register candidates in March → the paper is sat on campus in late June. Results (Gold, Silver, Bronze, Merit, Honours) ship to schools by mid-July; top scorers are also named Top Girl and the Top 20 School Teams. No negative marking, but Section B's 2-mark items demand multi-statement reasoning. Early mastery of multi-concept MCQs gives future IP students a head-start in Physics and research interviews.
1 SPSO at a glance
Item
2025 specification
Organiser
NUS High School of Mathematics and Science【NUSHigh-About SPSO】
First run
2009
Eligibility
Primary 5 pupils (only) nominated by their schools\[NUSHigh-FAQ]
Paper format
40 questions, 50 marks: Section A 30 x 1 mark • Section B 10 x 2 marks【NUSHigh-SampleQ】
Syllabus
Upper-primary science spiralled with basic data handling & proportional reasoning
Language
English
Marking
No penalties for wrong answers
Awards
Gold • Silver • Bronze • Merit • Honours Certificate; Top Performing Girl; Top 20 Schools【NUSHigh-Awards】
2 Why parents of IP-bound pupils should care
Early Olympiad literacy - SPSO questions blend life, physical & earth science. That cross-topic fluidity mirrors Integrated-Programme Physics where mechanics, electricity and data analysis collide.
School-endorsed recognition - medals appear on direct-school-admission (DSA-Sec) and talent-development portfolios, signalling curiosity and grit even if DSA points are not formally attached.
Bridging to NMO∑ & NJSO - top Primary 5 scorers often progress to NMOS (math) or Junior Science Olympiads in lower secondary, extending the competitive head-start.
3 Timeline (2025 edition)
Window
Milestone
Evidence
10 Mar - 7 Apr
School registration portal open
SPF (School Portal Form) dates on registration page【NUSHigh-Reg】
29 Jun 2025 (Sat)
SPSO paper conducted on school premises
Schedule notice \[NUSHigh-Info2025]
mid-Jul 2025
Results & certificates released to schools
Awards announcement PDF\[NUSHigh-Awards]
Jul - Aug
NUS High invites medalists to outreach events
Past event photos; exact 2025 invite list TBC
Tip for parents: confirm your child's school deadline - many collect names 2-3 weeks before the official close to process fees and invigilator lists.
4 Inside the 40-question paper
4.1 Section A - 30 quick-fire MCQs (1 mark each)
Focus: direct recall and single-step reasoning (e.g. reading a bar graph of temperature vs time).
4.2 Section B - 10 two-mark “statement” MCQs
Each stem gives four statements; candidates shade 1, 2, 3 or 4 depending on which statements are correct - a miniature practice for A-Level data-response logic.
4.3 No negative marking
Pupils should attempt every blank once time permits - teach systematic elimination strategies.
Total marks=30×1+10×2=50
5 Scoring & awards
The raw 50-mark script is scaled and ranked nationally.
NUS High neither publishes cut-off scores nor medal percentages.
Certificates are printed with holographic seals; Gold, Silver, Bronze & Merit also list the pupil's school.
Special accolades: Top Performing Girl and plaques for the Top 20 Schools based on aggregated team score【NUSHigh-Awards】.
6 Preparation roadmap (T-4 months → T-0)
Phase
Focus
Sample activity
Mar (T-4)
Reinforce upper-primary syllabus
Re-read cells, cycles, matter, forces
Apr (T-3)
Timed Section A drills
15 MCQs in 15 min, self-mark
May (T-2)
Section B statement logic
Use prior SPSO papers: label True/False before shading option
Jun (T-1)
Full 40-Q mocks
Two complete papers under exam seating
Final week
Stamina & error audit
Redo only wrong questions; sleep ≥ 9 h
Anecdote: Gold medalists surveyed by NUS High in 2023 reported ≤ 4 complete papers and daily 30-min bursts as their main prep, not marathon cramming.
7 Link to Integrated-Programme tuition
Integrated-Programme Physics & Math classes can exploit SPSO style items to:
Drill unit-conversion fluency early.
Practise graph reading & interpolation (a perennial SPSO Section B task).
Parents: Check with your child's science head before the end of Term 1 to keep in mind the necessary registration details.
Students: Try out the SPSO sample questions
Last updated 15 Jul 2025. Next refresh when the 2026 SPSO circular is released.
