Across 101 JEE (Main) shifts from 2020 to 2025, ten chapters carry about 62% of the Physics questions, 49% of Chemistry and 64% of Mathematics. Integral Calculus is the single heaviest chapter in the paper, at 10% of Mathematics, and Electrostatics and Optics lead Physics at 7% each. The mix is steady enough from year to year to plan on, with one important exception in Chemistry, which is set out below.
What follows is the count, subject by subject, then how much it moves between years, then what to do with it.
How many questions does each subject have in JEE Main?
The current paper, as our post on which session counts sets out, is 75 questions: 25 each in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, every one marked +4 for right and −1 for wrong. So each subject is worth 100 marks.
The shifts we counted do not all look like that. In our set, the 2020 and 2025 shifts carry 25 questions per subject, and the shifts from 2021 to 2024 carry 30 per subject. Across all 101 shifts that averages to 29.0 questions per subject, 8,775 questions in all. Because the totals differ by year, everything below is given two ways: the raw count, and the chapter's share of its subject. The share is the number that carries over to the paper you will sit.
Which Physics chapters carry the most marks in JEE Main?
2,925 Physics questions across 101 shifts.
| Chapter | Questions in 101 shifts | Average per shift | Share of Physics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrostatics | 218 | 2.2 | 7% |
| Optics | 212 | 2.1 | 7% |
| Properties of Bulk Matter | 196 | 1.9 | 7% |
| Magnetic Effects of Current and Magnetism | 189 | 1.9 | 6% |
| Electromagnetic Induction and Alternating Currents | 181 | 1.8 | 6% |
| Kinematics | 181 | 1.8 | 6% |
| Current Electricity | 179 | 1.8 | 6% |
| Oscillations and Waves | 161 | 1.6 | 6% |
| Atoms and Nuclei | 160 | 1.6 | 5% |
| Motion of System of Particles and Rigid Body | 136 | 1.3 | 5% |
Those ten make up 62% of Physics. The next group sits close behind: Laws of Motion (134 questions, 5%), Electronic Devices (127, 4%), Gravitation (121, 4%), Physical World and Measurement (115, 4%), Work, Energy and Power (108, 4%), Dual Nature of Matter and Radiation (106, 4%), Thermodynamics (101, 3%), Kinetic Theory (101, 3%) and Electromagnetic Waves (94, 3%).
The thing to notice is how flat Physics is. The heaviest chapter is 7% and the nineteenth is 3%. There is no chapter you can safely drop and no chapter that wins the subject on its own. Electricity and magnetism taken together, meaning Electrostatics, Current Electricity, Magnetic Effects and Electromagnetic Induction, is 767 questions, a little over a quarter of the subject.
Inside the chapters, a few topics do most of the work. Capacitance is 74 of the 218 Electrostatics questions. Interference and diffraction is 63 of the 212 in Optics. Elasticity is 58 of the 196 in Properties of Bulk Matter.
Which Chemistry chapters carry the most marks in JEE Main?
2,925 Chemistry questions across 101 shifts.
| Chapter | Questions in 101 shifts | Average per shift | Share of Chemistry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organic Chemistry: Some Basic Principles and Techniques | 198 | 2.0 | 7% |
| Coordination Compounds | 163 | 1.6 | 6% |
| Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure | 148 | 1.5 | 5% |
| p-Block Elements | 146 | 1.4 | 5% |
| Hydrocarbons | 144 | 1.4 | 5% |
| d- and f-Block Elements | 143 | 1.4 | 5% |
| Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids | 127 | 1.3 | 4% |
| Amines | 125 | 1.2 | 4% |
| Some Basic Concepts of Chemistry | 124 | 1.2 | 4% |
| Solutions | 122 | 1.2 | 4% |
Chemistry is the most spread out of the three. The top ten make up only 49% of the subject, against 62% in Physics and 64% in Mathematics, because Chemistry has 31 chapters in our classification against 21 and 20. Below the top ten come Electrochemistry (108, 4%), Thermodynamics (107, 4%), Equilibrium (105, 4%), Chemical Kinetics (104, 4%), Biomolecules (104, 4%) and Structure of Atom (100, 3%), each about one question a shift.
By branch, the counts in the table lean Organic and Inorganic. Coordination Compounds is driven by crystal field theory (77 of its 163 questions). Organic basic principles is driven by qualitative and quantitative analysis (50) and purification methods (36), which are close to the practical side of the syllabus.
The Chemistry numbers carry a caution that the other two subjects do not. It is the next section but one.
Which Mathematics chapters carry the most marks in JEE Main?
2,925 Mathematics questions across 101 shifts.
| Chapter | Questions in 101 shifts | Average per shift | Share of Mathematics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Integral Calculus | 286 | 2.8 | 10% |
| Matrices and Determinants | 222 | 2.2 | 8% |
| Three Dimensional Geometry | 207 | 2.0 | 7% |
| Limits, Continuity and Differentiability | 192 | 1.9 | 7% |
| Conic Sections | 186 | 1.8 | 6% |
| Sequences and Series | 178 | 1.8 | 6% |
| Differential Equations | 161 | 1.6 | 6% |
| Trigonometry | 160 | 1.6 | 5% |
| Vector Algebra | 145 | 1.4 | 5% |
| Applications of Derivatives | 141 | 1.4 | 5% |
The top ten are 64% of Mathematics. Integral Calculus stands clear of everything else in the paper: 286 questions, nearly three a shift, and within it definite integrals and their properties (90) and area under curves (84) account for more than half.
Calculus as a block, meaning Integral Calculus, Limits, Continuity and Differentiability, Differential Equations and Applications of Derivatives, is 780 questions, 27% of the subject. Add Matrices and Determinants, Three Dimensional Geometry and Vector Algebra and you have 1,354 questions, 46% of Mathematics, from seven chapters.
The rest: Binomial Theorem (132, 5%), Sets, Relations and Functions (129, 4%), Probability (123, 4%), Permutations and Combinations (122, 4%), Complex Numbers (111, 4%), Quadratic Equations (103, 4%), Circles (94, 3%), Straight Lines (84, 3%), Statistics (75, 3%) and Mathematical Reasoning (74, 3%).
How stable is JEE Main chapter weightage from year to year?
Stable at the top, and noisier lower down. Here are each subject's five heaviest chapters, with their share of the subject in each year's shifts.
| Chapter | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrostatics | 9% | 7% | 7% | 7% | 7% | 9% |
| Optics | 8% | 7% | 7% | 7% | 6% | 14% |
| Properties of Bulk Matter | 7% | 6% | 7% | 7% | 7% | 9% |
| Magnetic Effects of Current and Magnetism | 8% | 5% | 7% | 6% | 7% | 8% |
| Electromagnetic Induction and Alternating Currents | 5% | 7% | 7% | 7% | 7% | 3% |
| Integral Calculus | 9% | 10% | 9% | 10% | 11% | 9% |
| Matrices and Determinants | 8% | 8% | 7% | 7% | 7% | 7% |
| Three Dimensional Geometry | 5% | 7% | 7% | 10% | 7% | 7% |
| Limits, Continuity and Differentiability | 8% | 7% | 6% | 4% | 8% | 6% |
| Conic Sections | 6% | 6% | 8% | 6% | 5% | 11% |
| Organic Chemistry: Basic Principles and Techniques | 6% | 4% | 7% | 5% | 11% | 10% |
| Coordination Compounds | 7% | 4% | 4% | 7% | 6% | 9% |
| Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure | 4% | 5% | 4% | 4% | 8% | 5% |
| p-Block Elements | 5% | 4% | 6% | 6% | 5% | 5% |
| Hydrocarbons | 5% | 5% | 5% | 3% | 6% | 6% |
Three things stand out.
Mathematics barely moves. Integral Calculus is between 9% and 11% of the subject in every year, and was the most-asked Mathematics chapter in every year except 2025, when Conic Sections edged it. The top five Mathematics chapters together make up between 36% and 41% of the subject in every year.
Physics is steady except in the smallest year. Electrostatics is in the three most-asked Physics chapters in every one of the six years. The top five together are between 31% and 37% of Physics from 2020 to 2024. The 2025 figures jump about (Optics at 14%, Electromagnetic Induction at 3%), and the reason is the sample: we hold 7 shifts from 2025 against 26 from 2021. A swing of one or two questions a shift moves a small year's percentages a long way.
Chemistry concentrated in 2024 and 2025. The top five Chemistry chapters were between 23% and 27% of the subject from 2020 to 2023, then 36% in 2024 and 34% in 2025. Organic basic principles rose from 4 to 7% to 10 to 11%. The reason is the next section.
Which JEE Main chapters have not appeared in recent shifts?
In the 25 shifts we hold from 2024 and 2025, some chapters that carried regular questions earlier carry none or almost none:
| Chapter | Questions 2020 to 2023 | Questions 2024 and 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Surface Chemistry | 72 | 0 |
| s-Block Elements | 63 | 0 |
| Hydrogen | 56 | 0 |
| Chemistry in Everyday Life | 44 | 0 |
| Isolation of Metals | 72 | 1 |
| Environmental Chemistry | 65 | 1 |
| Polymers | 47 | 1 |
| Solid State | 38 | 1 |
| Communication Systems (Physics) | 61 | 0 |
| Mathematical Reasoning (Mathematics) | 74 | 0 |
When chapters stop being asked, the questions they used to carry go to the chapters that remain, which is why the remaining Chemistry chapters got heavier. If you are reading an older list of "important chapters", this is where it will mislead you most: the numbers for these chapters across all 101 shifts look like two questions a paper, and the recent shifts say nothing.
We are reporting what the papers asked, not the syllabus. Before you drop or keep any chapter, check the current syllabus on the official JEE (Main) site; it is published, and it is the only thing that decides what can be set.
How much of JEE Main is numerical, chapter by chapter?
In our count, 31% of the questions in every subject are numerical-answer questions, the ones where you type a value instead of choosing an option. That share is inflated a little by the 2021 to 2024 shifts, which carry 30 questions a subject in our set against today's 25. Today's paper, per the bulletin, has 5 numerical questions out of 25 per subject, so 20%.
Which chapters lean numerical is still useful to know, because those are the chapters where the rounding rule costs marks. In Chemistry, Solutions (71% numerical) and Some Basic Concepts of Chemistry (69%) are mostly typed answers, while p-Block (14%), Amines (14%) and Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids (13%) are almost all options. In Physics, Motion of System of Particles and Rigid Body (51%) and Current Electricity (48%) lean numerical. Mathematics is evenly spread, between 23% and 39% numerical across its top ten chapters.
How we counted
We counted every question in the complete previous-year papers held in the Nikaalle database. Each question is classified to the NCERT-based chapter and topic it tests. Papers with pages missing from the official file are left out.
For JEE (Main) that is 101 shifts of Paper 1: 14 from 2020, 26 from 2021, 24 from 2022, 12 from 2023, 18 from 2024 and 7 from 2025. That is 8,775 questions, 2,925 in each subject.
The limits are real and worth stating:
- The classification is ours. A question on the energy of a capacitor in a circuit could reasonably sit under Electrostatics or Current Electricity. We put each question under one chapter, and another careful reader might move a few.
- The years are unequal. We hold 26 shifts from 2021 and 7 from 2025. Shares for 2025 and 2023 are based on far fewer questions and move more.
- Shifts differ from each other. An average of 2.2 Electrostatics questions a shift does not mean your shift will have two. Some shifts have one, some four.
- The number of questions changed. Our 2021 to 2024 shifts carry 30 questions per subject, the others 25, which is why we lead with shares.
- Past papers do not bind the next one. The setters are not working from these tables.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the most important chapter for JEE Main Mathematics?
By question count, Integral Calculus: 286 questions in 101 shifts, 2.8 a shift, 10% of the subject, and between 9% and 11% in every year from 2020 to 2025. Matrices and Determinants is second at 8%.
Which chapter has the highest weightage in JEE Main Physics?
Electrostatics, at 218 questions in 101 shifts (2.2 a shift, 7% of Physics), followed closely by Optics (212) and Properties of Bulk Matter (196). Physics is flat, though: no chapter is more than 7% of the subject.
Which chapters carry the most marks in JEE Main Chemistry?
Organic Chemistry: Some Basic Principles and Techniques (198 questions, 7%), Coordination Compounds (163, 6%) and Chemical Bonding (148, 5%). In the 2024 and 2025 shifts the basic principles chapter rose to 11% of Chemistry.
Is JEE Main chapter weightage the same every year?
Close to it at the top. Integral Calculus and Electrostatics hold nearly the same share every year. Chemistry moved most: from 2024, several chapters stopped appearing in our shifts and the remaining ones got heavier.
Can I skip low-weightage chapters for JEE Main?
A chapter worth one question a shift is still four marks, and it is often an easier four than a hard question in a heavy chapter. Lower priority, yes; skip, only after checking the current syllabus and only when time has truly run out.
What to do with these numbers
Use them to order your work, not to cut it.
- Put the heavy, steady chapters first. Integral Calculus, Matrices and Determinants, Three Dimensional Geometry, Electrostatics, Optics, Properties of Bulk Matter, Coordination Compounds and the Organic basic principles chapter have earned their place every year.
- Weigh each chapter by your accuracy on it. A heavy chapter you already score well in needs upkeep, not a fresh month. Multiply the share by your error rate from your last few mocks, as in how to analyse a mock, and the top of that list is your next fortnight.
- Check the syllabus before trusting old lists. The chapters in the recent-shifts table above are where older advice goes stale.
- Practise the numerical-heavy chapters as typed answers. Solutions, mole concept, rigid body and current electricity are where the rounding rule bites.
If you want this ordering built into a week-by-week plan, the JEE (Main) page shows how our plan and mocks follow these weights, and pricing has what is included. For the last stretch before the exam, our last three months post turns these counts into marks per shift.
Sources
- Nikaalle analysis of 101 previous-year JEE (Main) shifts, 2020 to 2025 (method above)
- https://jeemain.nta.nic.in
- https://ncert.nic.in
Checked against the official sources on 25 October 2026.