Skip to content

Singapore Primary Science Olympiad (SPSO) — 2025/26 Parent & Student Guide

Download printable cheat-sheet (CC-BY 4.0)

15 Jul 2025, 00:00 Z

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

Item2025 specification
OrganiserNUS High School of Mathematics and Science【NUSHigh-About SPSO】
First run2009
EligibilityPrimary 5 pupils (only) nominated by their schools[NUSHigh-FAQ]
Paper format40 questions, 50 marks: Section A 30 × 1 mark • Section B 10 × 2 marks【NUSHigh-SampleQ】
SyllabusUpper-primary science spiralled with basic data handling & proportional reasoning
LanguageEnglish
MarkingNo penalties for wrong answers
AwardsGold • Silver • Bronze • Merit • Honours Certificate; Top Performing Girl; Top 20 Schools【NUSHigh-Awards】

2 Why parents of IP-bound pupils should care

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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)

WindowMilestoneEvidence
10 Mar - 7 AprSchool registration portal openSPF (School Portal Form) dates on registration page【NUSHigh-Reg】
29 Jun 2025 (Sat)SPSO paper conducted on school premisesSchedule notice [NUSHigh-Info2025]
mid-Jul 2025Results & certificates released to schoolsAwards announcement PDF[NUSHigh-Awards]
Jul - AugNUS High invites medalists to outreach eventsPast 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.

\[ \text{Total marks} = 30 \times 1 + 10 \times 2 = 50 \]


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)

PhaseFocusSample activity
Mar (T-4)Reinforce upper-primary syllabusRe-read cells, cycles, matter, forces
Apr (T-3)Timed Section A drills15 MCQs in 15 min, self-mark
May (T-2)Section B statement logicUse prior SPSO papers: label True/False before shading option
Jun (T-1)Full 40-Q mocksTwo complete papers under exam seating
Final weekStamina & error auditRedo 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).
  • Cultivate multi-discipline curiosity - SPSO photosynthesis-meets-thermodynamics prompts parallel A-Level cross-topic questions.

Eclat's IP micro-classes splice one SPSO or NMOS stem into each Term 1 worksheet, building contest muscle alongside core curriculum.


8 Further reading


9 Call-to-action

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.

Related Posts