The JEE Main examinations for this year is over, lakhs of candidates from all over the country enrolled in lakhs to study for what is known as one of India’s toughest, if not the most, exams to crack. The JEE Main examinations for this year were fruitful too, a lot of candidates appeared with satisfactory smiles on their faces after finishing the exams.
Many of them had opinions on the different sections of the paper too (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics), especially on the difficulties of each and every section. A number of candidates gave their opinion on the physics section of this year’s JEE Main, calling it ‘moderately difficult’, they further added that there were a ‘good number of numerical questions’ too. As for the Math Section, candidates found it very to be a very lengthy and time-consuming part of the paper, this was mainly due to the huge and lengthy calculations that were involved in giving the answer. The Chemistry section was rated by candidates being the easiest out of the three.
The JEE Main paper is known to be very good at testing a candidate’s abilities, as well as the comprehension & analytical skills in the field of Physics. This is because the Physics syllabus for JEE Mains comprises the Physics syllabus of Class 11th and 12th NCERT textbooks, which is a fairly challenging syllabus (and this is why Class 11th and 12th Science stream is considered to be a challenging stream). The JEE Main results that came out in September this year showed that 18 people had achieved the Rank 1 with a perfect percentile in the exam, if they can achieve it, so can everyone.
Before candidates take the bold move towards studying the other parts of the JEE Main paper (Chemistry and Mathematics), they must study the physics part of the paper first. This is because Physics is considered to be the hardest among the three sections of the JEE paper, sure Maths may be time-consuming and lengthy along with the complexities that Mathematics offers, but many candidates over the years have pointed out physics alone has some of the toughest portions of a JEE Main exam, but they say this without neglecting the difficult questions that the other sections hold too.
Understanding the physics section of the exam requires students to thoroughly understand the syllabus. The physics syllabus for JEE Main is straightforward (not in terms of studying it)- it consists of two sections named after A & B. Section is designated as the theoretical section of the physics paper, while section B is designated as the practical part of the physics paper. An important thing that candidates must note here is that the theory section, part A, holds over 80% weightage in terms of marks in the physics section, while the practical section, part B, holds a mere 20% (but important) weightage in terms of marks.
Now that the syllabus is clear, here are the most difficult topics that a candidate is advised to study thoroughly with constant revision in order to get full marks in the physics section-
- Thermodynamics — Thermodynamics is one of the toughest concepts to grasp in physics, this branch of physics basically deals with the processes surrounding heat transfer, internal energy etc. It is concerned with the work done by a system and the heat it exchanges with its surroundings. Former JEE Main candidates have said that this part of the physics syllabus is lengthy as well, adding to its difficulty, but about 1-2 questions are the maximum number of questions that will appear in the exam from this topic. Questions from this section are conceptual as well as numerical based.
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- Optics — This branch of physics is concerned with the study of light, it is the study of the properties and behavior of light, it is also concerned with the study of its formation & propagation with the changes that it goes through along with its end result. This is a common topic that candidates always have in mind when they think of the hardest topics to study from the physics syllabus of JEE. It is not that big of a topic itself, but the questions that appear from this part of the physics syllabus are considered by many to be very tough, this is because answering the questions from Optics requires candidates to have a thorough understanding of the formulas and concepts of optics. The questions come in varying degrees, with some combinations of various topics like reflection & refraction etc.
- Modern Physics — Modern Physics is the study of a branch of physics that greatly developed in the 20th century. This branch of physics is called modern because it is based on two major breakthroughs of the early 20th century i.e. relativity and quantum mechanics (physics before that was called classical). This section of the physics syllabus and is one of the most scoring parts of the paper. Former candidates have advised students to take extra care while studying this topic because it has a lot of weightage in marks and students cannot afford to skip any of the topics that are found in the modern physics section, this is because almost any of the topics can be asked in JEE Main exam as a separate question. Former candidates also advise studying these specific topics from modern physics very well too- Photoelectric effect, Bohr’s model of an atom, Atomic Spectra & Rydberg equation, and the Quantum mechanical model.
Conclusion
The Physics part of the JEE Main paper may be a very scoring section, but its rewards come at the price of studying difficult and complex physics concepts. This list of important topics will help candidates in studying the topics the right way, and also help them single out what to give special attention to when studying (still, each and every topic is important).
Students should also remember to revise daily so that they do not forget what they have learned, they may also feel free to take JEE Main Physics Revision Notes too.