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PRIL
Panini Linguistics Olympiad
HBCSE Stage-1 linguistics olympiad. Self-contained linguistic puzzles in unfamiliar languages — no prior linguistic knowledge needed. Solved by pattern recognition.
Updated 3 Sept 2026 ·Vacancy counts change every cycle — always confirm the exact number in the latest official notification before applying.
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Source: official exam authority notification · refreshed weekly. How this works →
Free PRIL preparation on Shishya
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Agglutinative MorphologyTurkish 'ev-ler-im-de' means 'in my houses'. What is the correct morpheme breakdown?
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Start with a diagnostic
10 questions across the syllabus to see where you stand.
One email when the official result is out, nothing else.
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PRIL — Frequently asked questions
Is Shishya free for PRIL preparation?
How many PRIL practice questions does Shishya have?
How long is the PRIL exam?
Previous year papers
0 questions across all yearsWe are sourcing PYQs from the official notification PDFs. Coming soon.
Mock tests
All my attempts →Take any mock in your preferred language — use the language picker inside the mock to switch (Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, and 15 more).
PRIL — Quick Practice
FULL20 questions · 180 min
Start mock →PRIL — Full-Length Mock (Real Pattern: 6Q · 180 min)
FULL6 questions · 180 min
Start mock →
Practice by subject & topic
Full-length subject tests below — 25 questions each, real exam format, instant scoring. Want to drill a single topic? Every topic has its own 10-question test in the syllabus.
Morphology
20 Qs
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Your rank
vs everyone who has taken this examTake a mock to see where you stand on the leaderboard.
What can I get from PRIL?
Mock-score → expected rank → likely outcome. Use the mocks below to find your current band, then plan how many marks you need to climb.
ILO Gold medal prospects
95–100% · Rank 1 – 20
- •Indian team member to International Linguistics Olympiad — virtually certain
- •National Top 20 — world-class problem-solving in linguistics
- •Strong Gold/Silver medal prospect at ILO (historically ~30% of top performers medal)
- •Recognition by International Linguistics Olympiad organizing committee
- •Exceptional credential for MIT Linguistics, UC Berkeley Cognitive Science, or similar global programs
- •May receive direct invitations to linguistics research mentorship programs
ILO team finalists
90–95% · Rank 20 – 80
- •Near-certain selection for Indian team to International Linguistics Olympiad (ILO)
- •Top 50 nationally — exceptional analytical linguistics ability
- •Intensive training camp at premier institutions (ISI Kolkata, JNU, etc.)
- •Profile boost for international undergraduate admissions in cognitive science/linguistics
- •Potential medal contender at ILO (Bronze/Silver range based on international field)
ILO team probables
82–90% · Rank 80 – 300
- •High probability of Indian Linguistics Olympiad Training Camp selection
- •National-level Gold Medal with Distinction
- •Strong contender for 4-member Indian team to International Linguistics Olympiad
- •Recognition from Linguistic Society of India
- •Valuable credential for BA Linguistics programs at JNU, DU, University of Hyderabad
Gold medal contention
70–82% · Rank 300 – 1,000
- •Gold Medal at National Level (approximately top 500)
- •Invitation to Indian Linguistics Olympiad Training Camp likely
- •Strong profile addition for humanities/cognitive science admissions
- •Eligible for mentorship programs in theoretical linguistics
- •Consideration for International Linguistics Olympiad (ILO) team selection
National merit zone
55–70% · Rank 1,000 – 3,000
Regional merit range
35–55% · Rank 3,000 – 8,000
Participation level
0–35% · Rank 8,000+
AI-curated from historic cut-off patterns. Always verify with the latest official notification before making decisions.
News & timeline
See older updates →Latest news
Indian students achieved strong results at the 23rd International Linguistics Olympiad held in Bucharest, Romania. India won one gold medal, three bronze medals and received one Honourable Mention at the international competition.
Round 1 of PLO 2026 was held on 15 February 2026 with 525 registered students and 338 appearing. Top performers qualified for the Invitational Camp in Hyderabad and Round 2 selection.
Bangkok, Thailand has been selected to host the 24th International Linguistics Olympiad from July 21-28, 2027. PLO 2027 cycle will select India's team for this event.
Important dates
PLO 2026 Round 1 results announced
passedSun, 15 Mar, 2026
Top performers invited to Invitational Camp at IIIT Hyderabad
🏅PLO 2026 Invitational Camp & Round 2 (expected)
passedWed, 15 Apr, 2026
Usually held April-May at IIIT Hyderabad; top 4 selected for Team India
🏅IOL 2026 - Bucharest, Romania
passedMon, 20 Jul, 2026
23rd International Linguistics Olympiad; India won 1 gold, 3 bronze, 1 Honourable Mention
PLO 2027 Registration opens (expected)
65 days awaySun, 15 Nov, 2026
Registration typically opens mid-November; fee Rs 1000
PLO 2027 Online registration closes (expected)
143 days awayMon, 1 Feb, 2027
Usually early February; spot registration also allowed
🏅PLO 2027 Round 1 exam (expected)
156 days awaySun, 14 Feb, 2027
Typically held mid-February; 4-hour offline exam at centres across India
🏅IOL 2027 - Bangkok, Thailand
313 days awayWed, 21 Jul, 2027
24th International Linguistics Olympiad; July 21-28, 2027
Syllabus
Tap any topic for its study notes + a 10-question topic test
Phonology and Phonetics
Sound Inventories
Identifying the inventory of vowels and consonants in an unfamiliar language sample.
Phonological Alternations
Spotting rules where sounds change across forms (assimilation, deletion, vowel harmony).
Phonetic Transcription
Mapping IPA-like symbols to spoken forms using puzzle-given keys.
Stress and Tone
Predicting stress patterns or lexical tones from given paradigm data.
Morphology
Affixation Patterns
Identifying prefixes, suffixes and infixes from word-translation pairs.
Agglutinative Morphology
Decomposing long words into stem + many morphemes (Turkish, Swahili-style).
Fusional and Templatic Morphology
Untangling overlapping case/number/gender markers; root-and-pattern (Semitic-style) morphology.
Case and Agreement
Working out case-marking and noun-verb agreement systems from examples.
Verb Paradigms
Filling in tense, aspect, mood, person and number cells in a conjugation table.
Kinship Systems
Decoding kin terms — paternal/maternal, generation, gender, marriage relations.
Syntax
Word Order
Inferring SVO/SOV/VSO and modifier-order rules from translated sentences.
Alignment Systems
Distinguishing nominative-accusative vs ergative-absolutive marking from data.
Questions and Negation
Identifying how questions and negation are formed across sentences.
Embedded Clauses
Spotting how relative, complement and adverbial clauses are introduced and marked.
Sentence-Translation Matching
Matching unfamiliar sentences to English translations and explaining each pairing.
Semantics and Pragmatics
Numeral Systems
Bases (Decimal, Vigesimal, etc.)
Cracking number words built on bases other than 10 — base-20, base-12, mixed bases.
Numeral Composition Rules
Working out additive, multiplicative and subtractive numeral construction.
Large Numbers and Counting
Extending a numeral system to write/decode numbers beyond the given examples.
Writing Systems and Transliteration
Alphabets and Abjads
Decoding alphabetic and consonantal scripts from glyph-to-sound mappings.
Abugidas and Syllabaries
Working out syllable-based scripts (Brahmic, Ethiopic) and inherent-vowel rules.
Logographic Scripts
Reasoning over character composition — radicals, semantic and phonetic components.
Transliteration Tasks
Converting between scripts using mapping tables from the puzzle.