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JEE Main 2027 Physics Syllabus: All 20 Units in NTA’s Words, With 2026 Weightage

By JEEnify Academic Team9 min readUpdated 8 October 2026

Physics is the subject where students most often study the wrong thing well. They spend a week on a topic NTA dropped in 2024, or skim a unit that quietly gives two questions every shift. The fix is boring but it works: read the official syllabus unit by unit, and know what each unit is actually worth.

Below are all 20 units of the JEE Main Physics syllabus in NTA’s own words, with the number of questions each one produced across the 19 JEE Main 2026 shifts (470 Physics questions in all).

2027 status: NTA hasn’t published the 2027 syllabus yet (expected with the bulletin in late October or early November 2026). The Physics syllabus hasn’t changed since 2024, so this is the one to study. See the JEE Main 2027 syllabus overview for the release timeline and the official PDF.

JEE Main 2026 Syllabus PDFOfficial NTA syllabus · Paper 1, 2A and 2B · 17 pages · 1.1 MBDownload
JEE Main 2027 Syllabus PDFExpected late October – early November 2026. We’ll add it here the day NTA publishes it.Coming soon

JEE Main Physics syllabus: all 20 units

JEE Main 2027 Physics syllabus units with NCERT chapters
#UnitNCERT chapter(s)2026 Qs / paper
1Units and MeasurementsUnits and Measurements (11)1.4
2KinematicsMotion in a Straight Line; Motion in a Plane (11)1.0
3Laws of MotionLaws of Motion (11)1.0
4Work, Energy and PowerWork, Energy and Power (11)0.7
5Rotational MotionSystem of Particles and Rotational Motion (11)1.5
6GravitationGravitation (11)0.5
7Properties of Solids and LiquidsMechanical Properties of Solids; Mechanical Properties of Fluids; Thermal Properties of Matter (11)2.3
8ThermodynamicsThermodynamics (11)0.7
9Kinetic Theory of GasesKinetic Theory (11)0.8
10Oscillations and WavesOscillations; Waves (11)1.3
11ElectrostaticsElectric Charges and Fields; Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance (12)1.9
12Current ElectricityCurrent Electricity (12)1.5
13Magnetic Effects of Current and MagnetismMoving Charges and Magnetism; Magnetism and Matter (12)1.3
14Electromagnetic Induction and Alternating CurrentsElectromagnetic Induction; Alternating Current (12)1.5
15Electromagnetic WavesElectromagnetic Waves (12)0.9
16OpticsRay Optics and Optical Instruments; Wave Optics (12)3.0
17Dual Nature of Matter and RadiationDual Nature of Radiation and Matter (12)0.8
18Atoms and NucleiAtoms; Nuclei (12)1.3
19Electronic DevicesSemiconductor Electronics (12)1.1
20Experimental SkillsLab work across Class 11 and 120.2

Class 11 units gave 46% of the 2026 Physics questions and Class 12 units 54%, with the rest from Experimental Skills. Close enough to even that neither year can be left for later.

Which Physics units carried the most questions in 2026

Optics: 3.0 questions per paperOptics3.0Properties of Solids and Liquids: 2.3 questions per paperProperties of Solids and Liqu…2.3Electrostatics: 1.9 questions per paperElectrostatics1.9Current Electricity: 1.5 questions per paperCurrent Electricity1.5Electromagnetic Induction and Alternating Currents: 1.5 questions per paperElectromagnetic Induction and…1.5Rotational Motion: 1.5 questions per paperRotational Motion1.5Units and Measurements: 1.4 questions per paperUnits and Measurements1.4Oscillations and Waves: 1.3 questions per paperOscillations and Waves1.3Magnetic Effects of Current and Magnetism: 1.3 questions per paperMagnetic Effects of Current a…1.3Atoms and Nuclei: 1.3 questions per paperAtoms and Nuclei1.3Electronic Devices: 1.1 questions per paperElectronic Devices1.1Kinematics: 1.0 questions per paperKinematics1.0Laws of Motion: 1.0 questions per paperLaws of Motion1.0Electromagnetic Waves: 0.9 questions per paperElectromagnetic Waves0.9Dual Nature of Matter and Radiation: 0.8 questions per paperDual Nature of Matter and Rad…0.8Kinetic Theory of Gases: 0.8 questions per paperKinetic Theory of Gases0.8Work, Energy and Power: 0.7 questions per paperWork, Energy and Power0.7Thermodynamics: 0.7 questions per paperThermodynamics0.7Gravitation: 0.5 questions per paperGravitation0.5Experimental Skills: 0.2 questions per paperExperimental Skills0.2
JEE Main Physics: average questions per paper across all 19 JEE Main 2026 shifts (1,411 questions, from JEEnify’s solved-paper bank).

Optics was the clear leader at 3.0 questions a paper, roughly one in eight Physics questions. That makes sense once you see how much it covers: mirrors, lenses, prisms, instruments, interference, diffraction and polarisation. Properties of Solids and Liquids came second, and it’s the unit students underestimate most, because it bundles three NCERT chapters (elasticity, fluids, and heat and calorimetry) under one name.

At the other end, Gravitation averaged 0.5 a paper and Experimental Skills 0.2. One year is a small sample, so don’t drop either. But if you’re choosing what to revise the night before a mock, the chart above is a better guide than a chapter’s reputation.

Unit-wise topics, in NTA’s words

Tap a unit to read exactly what the official syllabus lists. Where NTA’s text is shorter than the NCERT chapter, the exam follows NTA.

Unit 1: Units and Measurements1.4 Qs/paper in 2026

Units of measurements, System of units, SI Units, fundamental and derived units, least count, significant figures, Errors in measurements. Dimensions of Physics quantities, dimensional analysis and its applications.

Unit 2: Kinematics1.0 Qs/paper in 2026

The frame of reference, motion in a straight line, speed and velocity, uniform and non-uniform motion, average speed and instantaneous velocity, uniformly accelerated motion, velocity-time, position-time graph, relations for uniformly accelerated motion, relative velocity.

Motion in a plane, projectile motion, uniform circular motion.

Unit 3: Laws of Motion1.0 Qs/paper in 2026

Force and inertia, Newton’s first law of motion, momentum, Newton’s second Law of motion, impulse, Newton’s third Law of motion. Law of conservation of linear momentum and its applications, equilibrium of concurrent forces.

Static and Kinetic friction, laws of friction, rolling friction.

Dynamics of uniform circular motion, centripetal force and its applications: vehicle on a level circular road, vehicle on a banked road.

Unit 4: Work, Energy and Power0.7 Qs/paper in 2026

Work done by a constant force and a variable force, kinetic and potential energies, work-energy theorem, power.

The potential energy of a spring, conservation of mechanical energy, conservative and non- conservative forces, motion in a vertical circle. Elastic and inelastic collisions in one and two dimensions.

Unit 5: Rotational Motion1.5 Qs/paper in 2026

Centre of mass of a two-particle system, centre of mass of a rigid body. Basic concepts of rotational motion, moment of a force, torque, angular momentum, conservation of angular momentum and its applications.

The moment of inertia, the radius of gyration, values of moments of inertia for simple geometrical objects, parallel and perpendicular axes theorems and their applications. Equilibrium of rigid bodies, rigid body rotation and equations of rotational motion, comparison of linear and rotational motions.

Unit 6: Gravitation0.5 Qs/paper in 2026

The universal law of gravitation. Acceleration due to gravity and its variation with altitude and depth. Kepler’s law of planetary motion. Gravitational potential energy, gravitational potential. Escape velocity, motion of a satellite, orbital velocity, time period and energy of satellite.

Unit 7: Properties of Solids and Liquids2.3 Qs/paper in 2026

Elastic behaviour, stress-strain relationship, Hooke's Law, Young's modulus, bulk modulus and modulus of rigidity.

Pressure due to a fluid column, Pascal's law and its applications, effect of gravity on fluid pressure, viscosity, Stoke’s law, terminal velocity, streamline and turbulent flow, critical velocity, Bernoulli's principle and its applications.

Surface energy and surface tension, angle of contact, excess of pressure across a curved surface, application of surface tension: drops, bubbles and capillary rise.

Heat, temperature, thermal expansion, specific heat capacity, calorimetry, change of state, latent heat. Heat transfer: conduction, convection and radiation.

Unit 8: Thermodynamics0.7 Qs/paper in 2026

Thermal equilibrium and the concept of temperature, zeroth law of thermodynamics, heat, work and internal energy. The first law of thermodynamics, isothermal and adiabatic processes. The second law of thermodynamics: reversible and irreversible processes.

Unit 9: Kinetic Theory of Gases0.8 Qs/paper in 2026

Equation of state of a perfect gas, work done on compressing a gas, kinetic theory of gases: assumptions, the concept of pressure, kinetic interpretation of temperature, RMS speed of gas molecules, degrees of freedom, law of equipartition of energy and applications to specific heat capacities of gases, mean free path, Avogadro's number.

Unit 10: Oscillations and Waves1.3 Qs/paper in 2026

Oscillations and periodic motion: time period, frequency, displacement as a function of time, periodic functions. Simple harmonic motion (S.H.M.) and its equation, phase, oscillations of a spring: restoring force and force constant, energy in S.H.M.: kinetic and potential energies, simple pendulum: derivation of expression for its time period.

Wave motion, longitudinal and transverse waves, speed of the travelling wave, displacement relation for a progressive wave, principle of superposition of waves, reflection of waves, standing waves in strings and organ pipes, fundamental mode and harmonics, beats.

Unit 11: Electrostatics1.9 Qs/paper in 2026

Electric charges: conservation of charge, Coulomb's law forces between two point charges, forces between multiple charges, superposition principle and continuous charge distribution.

Electric field: electric field due to a point charge, electric field lines, electric dipole, electric field due to a dipole, torque on a dipole in a uniform electric field.

Electric flux, Gauss's law and its applications to find field due to infinitely long uniformly charged straight wire, uniformly charged infinite plane sheet and uniformly charged thin spherical shell.

Electric potential and its calculation for a point charge, electric dipole and system of charges, potential difference, equipotential surfaces, electrical potential energy of a system of two point charges and of electric dipole in an electrostatic field.

Conductors and insulators, dielectrics and electric polarization, capacitors and capacitance, the combination of capacitors in series and parallel and capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor with and without dielectric medium between the plates, energy stored in a capacitor.

Unit 12: Current Electricity1.5 Qs/paper in 2026

Electric current: drift velocity, mobility and their relation with electric current, Ohm's law, electrical resistance, I-V characteristics of Ohmic and non-ohmic conductors, electrical energy and power, electrical resistivity and conductivity, series and parallel combinations of resistors, temperature dependence of resistance.

Internal resistance, potential difference and emf of a cell, a combination of cells in series and parallel.

Kirchhoff’s laws and their applications, Wheatstone bridge, Metre Bridge.

Unit 13: Magnetic Effects of Current and Magnetism1.3 Qs/paper in 2026

Biot - Savart law and its application to the current carrying circular loop, Ampere's law and its applications to infinitely long current carrying straight wire and solenoid.

Force on a moving charge in uniform magnetic and electric fields, force on a current-carrying conductor in a uniform magnetic field, the force between two parallel currents carrying conductors-definition of ampere, torque experienced by a current loop in a uniform magnetic field: Moving coil galvanometer, its sensitivity and conversion to ammeter and voltmeter.

Current loop as a magnetic dipole and its magnetic dipole moment, bar magnet as an equivalent solenoid, magnetic field lines, magnetic field due to a magnetic dipole (bar magnet) along its axis and perpendicular to its axis, torque on a magnetic dipole in a uniform magnetic field, para-, dia- and ferromagnetic substances with examples, the effect of temperature on magnetic properties.

Unit 14: Electromagnetic Induction and Alternating Currents1.5 Qs/paper in 2026

Electromagnetic induction: Faraday's law, induced emf and current, Lenz’s law, eddy currents, self and mutual inductance.

Alternating currents, peak and RMS value of alternating current/voltage, reactance and impedance, LCR series circuit, resonance, power in AC circuits, wattless current, AC generator and transformer.

Unit 15: Electromagnetic Waves0.9 Qs/paper in 2026

Displacement current, electromagnetic waves and their characteristics, transverse nature of electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-rays, Gamma rays), applications of electromagnetic waves.

Unit 16: Optics3.0 Qs/paper in 2026

Reflection of light, spherical mirrors, mirror formula. Refraction of light at plane and spherical surfaces, thin lens formula and lens maker formula, total internal reflection and its applications, magnification, power of a lens, combination of thin lenses in contact, refraction of light through a prism, microscope and astronomical telescope (reflecting and refracting ) and their magnifying powers.

Wave optics: wavefront and Huygens' principle, laws of reflection and refraction using Huygens principle. Interference: Young's double-slit experiment and expression for fringe width, coherent sources and sustained interference of light. Diffraction due to a single slit, width of central maximum.

Polarization: plane-polarized light, Brewster's law, uses of plane- polarized light and Polaroid.

Unit 17: Dual Nature of Matter and Radiation0.8 Qs/paper in 2026

Dual nature of radiation, Photoelectric effect, Hertz and Lenard's observations, Einstein's photoelectric equation, particle nature of light. Matter waves: wave nature of particle, de- Broglie relation.

Unit 18: Atoms and Nuclei1.3 Qs/paper in 2026

Alpha-particle scattering experiment, Rutherford's model of atom, Bohr model, energy levels, hydrogen spectrum. Composition and size of nucleus, atomic masses, mass-energy relation, mass defect, binding energy per nucleon and its variation with mass number, nuclear fission and fusion.

Unit 19: Electronic Devices1.1 Qs/paper in 2026

Semiconductors, semiconductor diode: I-V characteristics in forward and reverse bias, diode as a rectifier; I-V characteristics of LED, the photodiode, solar cell, Zener diode, Zener diode as a voltage regulator.

Logic gates (OR, AND, NOT, NAND and NOR).

Unit 20: Experimental Skills0.2 Qs/paper in 2026

Familiarity with the basic approach and observations of the experiments and activities:

1. Vernier calipers -its use to measure the internal and external diameter and depth of a vessel.

2. Screw gauge-its use to determine the thickness/ diameter of thin sheet/wire.

3. Simple pendulum-dissipation of energy by plotting a graph between the square of amplitude and time.

4. Metre scale - the mass of a given object by the principle of moments.

5. Young's modulus of elasticity of the material of a metallic wire.

6. Surface tension of water by capillary rise and effect of detergents

7. Co-efficient of viscosity of a given viscous liquid by measuring the terminal velocity of a given spherical body.

8. Speed of sound in air at room temperature using a resonance tube

9. Specific heat capacity of a given (i) solid and (ii) liquid by method of mixtures.

10. The resistivity of the material of a given wire using a metre bridge.

11. The resistance of a given wire using Ohm's law.

12. Resistance and figure of merit of a galvanometer by half deflection method.

13. The focal length of (i) Convex mirror (ii) Concave mirror and (iii)Convex lens, using the parallax method.

14. The plot of the angle of deviation vs angle of incidence for a triangular prism.

15. The refractive index of a glass slab using a travelling microscope.

16. Characteristic curves of a p-n junction diode in forward and reverse bias.

17. Characteristic curves of a Zener diode and finding reverse breakdown voltage.

18. Identification of diode, LED, resistor, a capacitor from a mixed collection of such items

Five things the unit names don’t tell you

  1. Properties of Solids and Liquids is three chapters. Elasticity, fluid mechanics (including viscosity, Bernoulli and surface tension) and thermal properties (expansion, calorimetry, heat transfer). It produced 44 questions in 2026.
  2. Electronic Devices has no transistors. The unit is diodes, LEDs, photodiodes, solar cells, Zener diodes and logic gates. Transistor amplifiers were removed in 2024.
  3. Current Electricity has no potentiometer. Wheatstone bridge and metre bridge stay; the potentiometer went in 2024 (it isn’t in the experiments list either).
  4. Atoms and Nuclei stops at fission and fusion. Radioactivity, decay law and alpha/beta/gamma rays are not in the official text.
  5. Experimental Skills is a real unit with 18 named experiments. Vernier calipers, screw gauge, metre bridge, resonance tube, Zener characteristics and so on. The questions are usually about readings, least count and error, so they’re quick marks if you’ve seen the setup once.

The full list of removed topics across all three subjects is in the JEE Main deleted syllabus guide.

Turning the syllabus into a plan

Read the official text for a unit before you start it and again when you finish. The first read tells you what to learn; the second catches anything you skipped. Then close the unit with past questions: the previous year papers show the exact style NTA uses for each topic, and the Physics formula sheets are built chapter by chapter against this syllabus.

For the study order, problem-solving habits and the mistakes that cost the most marks, read our JEE Main Physics preparation guide. For the other two subjects, see the Chemistry and Maths syllabus pages.

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Key takeaways

  • JEE Main Physics has 20 units, unchanged since 2024. The 2027 syllabus is expected with the bulletin in late October or early November 2026.
  • Optics (3.0/paper) and Properties of Solids and Liquids (2.3/paper) were the heaviest units in 2026.
  • Class 11 and Class 12 units split the paper roughly 46:54.
  • No transistors, potentiometer, radioactivity, Doppler effect or communication systems.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many units are in the JEE Main 2027 Physics syllabus?+

Twenty, from Units and Measurements to Experimental Skills. The list has not changed since 2024, and no change has been announced for 2027.

Which Physics chapters are most important for JEE Main?+

In the 2026 papers, Optics gave the most questions, followed by Properties of Solids and Liquids and Electrostatics. Gravitation and Experimental Skills gave the fewest.

Is the potentiometer in the JEE Main Physics syllabus?+

No. The potentiometer was removed in the 2024 revision, both from Current Electricity and from the experiments list. The Wheatstone bridge and metre bridge remain.

Are transistors in the JEE Main syllabus?+

No. Electronic Devices now covers diodes, LEDs, photodiodes, solar cells, Zener diodes and logic gates. Transistors were removed in 2024.

Is Experimental Skills important for JEE Main?+

It is a full unit with 18 named experiments. It gave few questions in 2026, but they are usually quick ones on readings, least count and errors.

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