The JEE Main syllabus is the Class 11 and 12 NCERT syllabus, with a small set of topics trimmed by the NTA in 2024. The list below is arranged so you can see which chapters tend to carry the most questions — from analysis of the recent sessions — and plan around them. Always confirm against the official NTA bulletin for your session; weightage below is typical, not guaranteed.
Physics
| Chapter | Typical questions per paper |
|---|---|
| Current Electricity | 2–3 |
| Electrostatics | 2–3 |
| Modern Physics (dual nature, atoms, nuclei) | 2–3 |
| Semiconductors | 1–2 |
| Magnetism and Electromagnetic Induction | 2 |
| Optics (ray and wave) | 2 |
| Laws of Motion and Work–Energy | 1–2 |
| Rotational Motion | 1–2 |
| Thermodynamics and Kinetic Theory | 1–2 |
| Oscillations and Waves | 1–2 |
| Units, Dimensions, Errors | 1 |
| Kinematics, Gravitation, Fluids, Solids, EM Waves, AC | 0–1 each |
Physics is where numerical-value questions punish approximation. Practise carrying units and significant figures through.
Chemistry
| Chapter | Typical questions per paper |
|---|---|
| Organic: General Organic Chemistry, Hydrocarbons, Haloalkanes, Alcohols/Phenols/Ethers, Aldehydes/Ketones/Acids, Amines, Biomolecules | 7–9 combined |
| Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure | 1–2 |
| Coordination Compounds | 1–2 |
| Thermodynamics and Thermochemistry | 1–2 |
| Equilibrium (chemical and ionic) | 1–2 |
| Electrochemistry and Chemical Kinetics | 2 |
| Periodic Table, p-block, d- and f-block | 2–3 |
| Mole Concept, Redox, Solutions | 1–2 |
| Atomic Structure | 1 |
Inorganic chemistry is almost entirely NCERT lines turned into MCQs. Reading the book twice beats any coaching module.
Mathematics
| Chapter | Typical questions per paper |
|---|---|
| Calculus (limits, continuity, differentiation, applications, integrals, area, differential equations) | 6–8 combined |
| Coordinate Geometry (straight lines, circles, conics) | 3–4 |
| Vectors and 3D Geometry | 2–3 |
| Matrices and Determinants | 2 |
| Probability and Statistics | 2 |
| Sequences and Series | 1–2 |
| Complex Numbers and Quadratic Equations | 1–2 |
| Permutations, Combinations, Binomial Theorem | 2 |
| Trigonometry and Inverse Trigonometry | 1–2 |
| Sets, Relations, Functions | 1 |
| Mathematical Reasoning / Statistics | 1 |
Mathematics decides ranks because it is the longest section to finish. Speed comes from having done every standard question type at least three times, spaced out.
What the 2024 trim removed (and what it did not)
Removed from JEE Main: Communication Systems, some Environmental Chemistry, States of Matter as a standalone unit, Surface Chemistry, Hydrogen, s-block details, Mathematical Induction, and a few others. Still in JEE though gone from some board papers: parts of Semiconductors, Rotational Motion depth, and several organic reactions. When a coaching note and the NTA bulletin disagree, the bulletin wins.
How to order your preparation
- First pass (Class 11 topics) — Mechanics, then GOC and Bonding, then Calculus basics. These are the foundations everything else leans on.
- Second pass (Class 12 topics) — Electrostatics through Modern Physics; organic reactions through Amines; Calculus applications, Vectors, 3D.
- High-weightage, low-effort chapters — Semiconductors, Units and Dimensions, Coordination Compounds, Matrices, Probability. Each is a few days of work for 1–2 sure questions.
- Previous year papers from the start, not at the end — they show the exact form a chapter takes in the exam.
A weekly shape that works
- Mathematics every day (45–60 minutes of problems, not reading).
- Physics 4 days a week, alternating theory and numericals.
- Chemistry 3 days a week: one organic, one inorganic (NCERT reading + NCERT exercise), one physical (numericals).
- One timed sectional test every week; one full mock every two weeks; every mistake into the Mistake Book with the reason.