JEE Mains Most Important Topics of Physics

JEE or Joint Entrance Examination is an engineering examination conducted by CBSE every year. Clearing the examination renders a candidate eligible to apply for premier engineering colleges across India. Two examination constitutes JEE Mains, and Advance. Both the examinations differ from each other on various grounds- difficulty, syllabus, eligibility, qualification, examination pattern, and ranking.

While the former gets you into NITs and architectural colleges, the latter, the tougher among the two, renders you eligible for IITs. A candidate is required to clear the Mains and needs to secure a good rank to be eligible to appear for the Advance examination.

JEE Main tests your ability your comprehension and analytical ability of Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. A good framework of 11^th and 12th-grade science and maths is all you really need to crack the examination. This article solely explores the areas you need to tackle to score well in Physics- the important topics, the weight of each topic, the effort you need to put into these topics, and a strategic way to prepare them to maximize your efforts.

JEE Main Important Topics
JEE Mains Most Important Topics of Maths
JEE Main Most Important Topics of Chemistry

Complete Physics Syllabus and Important Chapters for JEE

The physics syllabus of the examination consists of two sections- A and B. Section A pertains to the theoretical while Section B is the practical part. Both of them carry 80% and 20% of weightage respectively. Before you begin to prepare for the examination, you need to know the entire syllabus inside out.

It should be noted that not every topic holds the same weightage. So, knowing where to focus your efforts will maximize your return. Yes, in the long run, every single concept is important, but for the purpose of examination, concentrating on a few topics will help you score better.

Broadly, the syllabus for Physics can be divided into five parts:

Mechanics
Electrodynamics and Magnetism
Thermodynamics
SHM and Wave Motion
Optics and Modern Physics

Strategic Guide for Conquering Physics

Mechanics, Electrodynamics, and Magnetism hold the major weightage. All three topics require high effort. Allot a major portion of your time on these topics. Since you need to prepare for Chemistry and Mathematics as well, and assuming that your daily study time is an average of 12 hours, allow at least 4 hours for Physics.

Out of these four hours, spend at least 1hr 15mins every day on Mechanics and Electrodynamics. Spend another 15 minutes to revise whatever you have studied for maximum retention. Spend the rest on Electrodynamics and Magnetism.

Tips to Master Mechanics:

Build a strong math foundation– Have a basic idea of vectors and graphs, and also learn to differentiate and integrate.
Concentrate on understanding concepts and how they can be applied- Understand the definition of the various concepts. This builds a strong base for understanding how it can be applied.
Break your learning into two parts– Break your study of mechanics into two: learning the basic concepts (Kinematics, Momentum, etc.) and where you should apply them (Gravitation, SHM, etc.)
Solve mixed type problems-The questions asked always to follow a trend of mixing in 3-4 chapters. So, having a good grasp of the concepts is integral.
Special attention must be paid to fluid mechanics- It uses all of the concepts of mechanics, so DO NOT skimp out on any.
Use drawings to learn- A great way to learn, they can ease your way through learning physics.

Mechanics covers 25%-30% of the weightage of the Physics paper.

Download Previous Years JEE Mains and Advanced Sample Papers

Tips to Master Electrodynamics and Magnetism:

Make proper use of Kirchoff’s laws– Used for solving current electricity systems, remember that when applied for two smaller paths, you will not get a new equation but a linear combination of the two.
Try to look at the question from the perspective of energy conservation– If your equations violate energy conservation, it is incorrect.
Have a clear understanding of induced EMF– A quick hack: The direction of your thumb gives the direction in which magnetic flux must be calculated. The induced EMF in the direction of the fingers will then be the negative of the rate of change of magnetic flux in the direction of the thumb.
Practice a lot in Magnetics– A few basic laws: Biot-Savart’s Law and Ampere’s Law, and using integration is all that is required in magnetism. Get a good grasp on this, and you can ace the magnetism part of the syllabus.

Electrodynamics and Magnetism cover 25% of the weightage of the Physics paper.

Thermodynamics is included in both Chemistry and Physics. Figure out the differences between the two to avoid confusion. Thermodynamics should be followed after Electrodynamics, Magnetism, and Mechanics, in order of the amount of time you put in your study. Allot an hour for this topic, and spend another 15 minutes to revise the concepts you have studied.

Tips to Master Thermodynamics:

The important concepts of thermodynamics are a state function, thermodynamic process, heat capacity, and extensive and intensive properties. Brush up on these topics vigorously.
Pay close attention to the sign convention of the quantities as it may produce a wrong answer if you get the sign wrong.
As it involves integral calculation, practice numerical based questions.
Understand the objective and purpose of chemical reactions and physical changes.

Thermodynamics covers 8% of the weightage of the Physics Paper.

SHM and Wave Motion depend on each other. SHM provides a backbone for Wave Motion. SHM also provides insight on Mechanics, so this should be next in your study list. Spend 30 minutes on SHM and Wave Motion and use the next 15 minutes on revising what you have studied.

Must See: JEE Main 2021 Answer Key

Tips to Master SHM and Wave Motion:

SHM and Wave Motion is very basic but involves cumbersome calculations. Applying algorithms and concepts in the correct order is all that is required to arrive at correct answers.
A little common sense, intuition, and guesswork can help you crack questions
DO NOT FORGET formulae, since the chapter depends entirely on it
Since there is not a variety of problems available, so the few questions that are available should be enough for JEE

SHM and Wave Motion covers 10% of the weightage of the Physics Paper.

Optics is not difficult and is one of the easiest topics of JEE. Practicing enough questions will help you master it. Modern Physics is mostly theoretical and your focus should be on understanding Bohr’s model. Spend the time remaining on these two chapters since it requires the least effort but carries a lot of weightage.

Modern Physics and Optics weightage is 25%-30%.