- Physics
- Units and measurement, kinematics, laws of motion, work energy and power, rotational motion, gravitation, properties of solids and liquids, thermodynamics, kinetic theory of gases, oscillations and waves; electrostatics, current electricity, magnetic effects of current and magnetism, electromagnetic induction and alternating currents, electromagnetic waves, optics, dual nature of matter and radiation, atoms and nuclei, electronic devices, and experimental skills. Mechanics and electrodynamics together carry the largest share.
- Chemistry
- Physical chemistry covering some basic concepts, atomic structure, chemical bonding and molecular structure, chemical thermodynamics, solutions, equilibrium, redox reactions and electrochemistry, chemical kinetics; inorganic chemistry covering classification of elements and periodicity, p-block, d- and f-block elements, coordination compounds; and organic chemistry covering purification and characterisation, basic principles, hydrocarbons, organic compounds containing halogens, oxygen and nitrogen, biomolecules, and principles of practical chemistry.
- Mathematics
- Sets relations and functions, complex numbers and quadratic equations, matrices and determinants, permutations and combinations, binomial theorem, sequences and series, limits continuity and differentiability, integral calculus, differential equations, coordinate geometry, three-dimensional geometry, vector algebra, statistics and probability, and trigonometry.
A practical observation about weighting. Across recent years the distribution has been reasonably even between the three subjects, but within them the emphasis is not: in physics, mechanics and electrodynamics dominate; in chemistry, physical and organic chemistry carry more than inorganic; in mathematics, calculus and coordinate geometry recur most. Past papers show this far more reliably than any syllabus listing.
A common planning error follows from reading the syllabus as a flat list: candidates study it in the order it is printed, which puts mechanics and basic concepts early and leaves optics, modern physics and organic chemistry to the end. Those late chapters are not less examinable — several of them are among the most reliably represented in the paper — and arriving at them in the final weeks, when there is no time to practise, is a self-inflicted loss.
The syllabus has been trimmed and restored before
Topics have been removed from and added back to the JEE Main syllabus in recent years, sometimes with limited notice, and the class 12 board syllabus has moved separately. Check the current information bulletin rather than working from an older list — a chapter you skipped because a guide said it was dropped is an expensive mistake to discover in the examination hall.
