The morning shift of 4 April 2026, the second exam day of JEE Main 2026 Session 2. Below is the Physics section question by question, the chapter split, where the hundred marks sat, how tough it was, and the official paper and answer key from NTA.
The shift
| Date | 4 April 2026 |
|---|---|
| Shift | Shift 1 — 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM IST |
| Paper | Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech) |
| Whole paper | 75 questions, 300 marks, 180 minutes |
| Physics | Q26 to Q50 — Section A 20 MCQ (80 marks), Section B 5 numeric (20 marks) |
| Marking | +4 right, −1 wrong, nothing for a blank |
Physics, question by question
| Q | What it asked | Chapter |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | Screw gauge — least count from the pitch and the divisions | Units and Measurements |
| 27 | Bulk modulus of water — percentage drop in volume | Mechanical Properties of Solids |
| 28 | Rough 45° incline takes longer than a smooth one — coefficient of friction | Laws of Motion |
| 29 | Light nuclei joining to form a heavier one — energy released | Nuclei |
| 30 | Sphere cut into a small sphere and a disc — ratio of moments of inertia | Rotational Motion |
| 31 | Two projectiles at different angles — ratio of their ranges | Motion in a Plane |
| 32 | Stopping potential against frequency for three metals — which gives the fastest electrons | Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter |
| 33 | Single slit — distance between two minima on the screen | Wave Optics |
| 34 | Two wires joined end to end under a load — net extension | Mechanical Properties of Solids |
| 35 | Two gases mixed — temperature of the mixture | Kinetic Theory of Gases |
| 36 | Gas on a given pressure–volume relation — difference in temperature of two samples | Thermodynamics |
| 37 | Raising the range of a voltmeter | Current Electricity |
| 38 | Two four-bit numbers through a logic circuit — the output | Semiconductor Electronics |
| 39 | Rod lying on the axis of a concave mirror — length of the image | Ray Optics |
| 40 | Capacitor plates pulled apart — how the stored energy changes | Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance |
| 41 | Flat spiral coil of many turns — magnetic moment | Moving Charges and Magnetism |
| 42 | Capacitor, resistor and two diodes — time constant | Semiconductor Electronics |
| 43 | Network of cells and resistors — voltage and current between two points | Current Electricity |
| 44 | Telescope objective — diameter needed for a given resolution | Wave Optics |
| 45 | Light at the Brewster angle — the reflected wave | Wave Optics |
| 46 numeric | Two forces acting together — work done over a given displacement | Work, Energy and Power |
| 47 numeric | Soap bubble — work needed to grow its radius | Mechanical Properties of Fluids |
| 48 numeric | SHM given as v2 against x — time period | Oscillations |
| 49 numeric | Force that grows with time — power at a given instant | Work, Energy and Power |
| 50 numeric | Series LCR with a given power factor — difference of the reactances | Alternating Current |
Chapter by chapter
| Chapter | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Wave Optics | 3 | 12 |
| Current Electricity | 2 | 8 |
| Mechanical Properties of Solids | 2 | 8 |
| Semiconductor Electronics | 2 | 8 |
| Work, Energy and Power | 2 | 8 |
| Alternating Current | 1 | 4 |
| Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter | 1 | 4 |
| Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance | 1 | 4 |
| Kinetic Theory of Gases | 1 | 4 |
| Laws of Motion | 1 | 4 |
| Mechanical Properties of Fluids | 1 | 4 |
| Motion in a Plane | 1 | 4 |
| Moving Charges and Magnetism | 1 | 4 |
| Nuclei | 1 | 4 |
| Oscillations | 1 | 4 |
| Ray Optics | 1 | 4 |
| Rotational Motion | 1 | 4 |
| Thermodynamics | 1 | 4 |
| Units and Measurements | 1 | 4 |
All 19 shifts of JEE Main 2026, counted together chapter by chapter: JEE Main Physics important chapters.
Nineteen chapters for twenty-five questions.
Where the 100 marks sat
| Part of Physics | Questions | Marks | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanics | 6 | 24 | 24% |
| Properties of Matter and Heat | 5 | 20 | 20% |
| Electrodynamics | 5 | 20 | 20% |
| Optics | 4 | 16 | 16% |
| Modern Physics and Electronics | 4 | 16 | 16% |
| Units, Dimensions and Measurement | 1 | 4 | 4% |
This is a different shape from 2 April. Optics and modern physics together took 32 marks, well above the 16 to 24 they usually get, and mechanics was the lightest it has been in this session. A student who had left optics and semiconductors for later lost real marks here.
How tough it was
| Level | Questions | Share | Which ones |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight recall or one step | 7 | 28% | 26, 27, 31, 32, 37, 47, 49 |
| Two or three steps | 11 | 44% | 28, 29, 33, 34, 35, 38, 41, 44, 46, 48, 50 |
| Long or awkward | 7 | 28% | 30, 36, 39, 40, 42, 43, 45 |
Harder than either 2 April shift. Seven heavy questions instead of four. The sphere cut into a sphere and a disc, the gas on an odd pressure–volume law, the rod on the mirror axis, the moving capacitor plates, the diode circuit, the cell network and the Brewster angle wave all needed real setting up. Anyone who spent too long on the first of these ran out of time at the end.
All 25 Physics questions, solved
Q1 · Units and Measurement · on the pattern of Q26
In a screw gauge the circular scale moves 3 mm along the main scale in 6 complete rotations. The circular scale carries 50 divisions. The least count of the screw gauge is ______ mm.
Answer 1 × 10−2 mm
Where it goes wrong Treating 3 mm as the pitch. The pitch is for one rotation, so the total travel must be divided by the number of rotations first.
Q2 · Mechanical Properties of Solids · on the pattern of Q27
The pressure on a sample of water is raised by 4.2 × 107 N/m2. The percentage decrease in its volume is ______. (Bulk modulus of water = 2.1 × 109 N/m2)
Answer 2 %
Where it goes wrong Forgetting to turn the fraction into a percentage and answering 0.02.
Q3 · Laws of Motion · on the pattern of Q28
A block takes 25 % more time to slide from the top to the bottom of a rough inclined plane than it takes on an identical smooth plane. Both planes are at 45° to the horizontal. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the block and the rough plane is ______.
Answer 0.36
Where it goes wrong Taking the ratio of times as the ratio of accelerations. Time goes as one over the square root of acceleration, so the ratio must be squared.
Q4 · Nuclei · on the pattern of Q29
Two nuclei of mass number 4 combine with one nucleus of mass number 6 to give a nucleus of mass number 14. The binding energies per nucleon for mass numbers 4, 6 and 14 are 7.0 MeV, 5.5 MeV and 7.5 MeV. The energy released in the process is ______ MeV.
Answer 16 MeV
Where it goes wrong Using the binding energies per nucleon directly instead of multiplying each by its own mass number first.
Q5 · Rotational Motion · on the pattern of Q30
A solid sphere of mass M and radius R is cut into two unequal pieces. The smaller piece, of mass M/64, is made into a solid sphere of radius r, and the larger piece is made into a circular disc of radius 2R. If I1 is the moment of inertia of the small sphere about a diameter and I2 that of the disc about its own diameter, then I2/I1 = ______.
Answer 2520
Where it goes wrong Using (1/2)ma2 for the disc. That is about the axis through its centre and perpendicular to it; about a diameter it is half of that.
Q6 · Motion in a Plane · on the pattern of Q31
Two projectiles are thrown with the same speed at 15° and 45° to the horizontal. The ratio of their ranges is 1 : x. The value of x is ______.
Answer 2
Where it goes wrong Using sinθ instead of sin2θ. The range formula carries twice the angle.
Q7 · Dual Nature of Radiation · on the pattern of Q32
Stopping potential is plotted against the frequency of the incident light for three metals X1, X2 and X3. The three lines are parallel and meet the frequency axis at 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 × 1014 Hz respectively. For the same incident frequency, which metal gives out electrons with the greatest kinetic energy?
Answer X1
Where it goes wrong Looking at the slope. All three lines have the same slope h/e; only the intercept separates the metals.
Q8 · Wave Optics · on the pattern of Q33
A slit of width a is lit by light of wavelength λ. The screen is at a distance D from the slit. The distance on the screen between the 1st and the 4th minima on the same side of the centre is ______.
Answer 3λD/a
Where it goes wrong Using the double slit condition a sinθ = (n + ½)λ. For a single slit the whole number multiples give the minima, not the maxima.
Q9 · Mechanical Properties of Solids · on the pattern of Q34
A wire A of length 0.5 m and Young’s modulus 1 × 1011 N/m2 is joined end to end to a wire B of the same radius, whose length and Young’s modulus are both twice those of A. The pair hangs from a rigid support and a 1 kg load is fixed to the free end. The net increase in the length of the combination is about ______ mm. (radius of both wires 0.2 mm, g = 10 m/s2, the mass of the wires is neglected)
Answer about 0.8 mm
Where it goes wrong Assuming the longer wire must stretch more. Here its larger Young’s modulus cancels its larger length exactly.
Q10 · Kinetic Theory of Gases · on the pattern of Q35
One gas has n1 moles at temperature T1, volume V1 and pressure P1. A second gas has n2 moles at T2, V2 and P2. They are mixed, and the mixture has pressure P and volume V. The temperature of the mixture is ______.
Answer T = T1T2PV / (T2P1V1 + T1P2V2)
Where it goes wrong Taking the plain average (T1 + T2)/2. That is only right when the two samples have equal numbers of moles.
Q11 · Thermodynamics · on the pattern of Q36
An ideal gas follows P = P0[1 + (V0/V)2]−1, where P0 and V0 are constants. Two samples A and B, of 3 moles each, are at volumes V0 and 2V0 on this curve. The difference in their temperatures, TB − TA, is ______. (R = gas constant)
Answer 11P0V0 / 30R
Where it goes wrong Putting V0/V the wrong way up in the bracket. For sample B it is ½, so its square is ¼, not 4.
Q12 · Current Electricity · on the pattern of Q37
A voltmeter of internal resistance x Ω reads up to 25 V. To make it read up to 100 V, what change is needed?
Answer Connect a resistor of 3x Ω in series with the voltmeter
Where it goes wrong Putting the resistor in parallel. Parallel is for an ammeter, where a shunt carries the extra current; a voltmeter needs a series multiplier.
Q13 · Semiconductor Electronics · on the pattern of Q38
Two four-bit binary numbers A = 1100 and B = 1010 are fed bit by bit into an OR gate, and the output of that gate is passed through a NOT gate. The final output Y is ______.
Answer Y = 0001
Where it goes wrong Adding the two numbers as binary arithmetic. A logic gate works on each bit on its own, with no carry.
Q14 · Ray Optics · on the pattern of Q39
A rod of length 15 cm lies along the principal axis of a concave mirror of focal length 10 cm, with its nearer end 20 cm from the mirror. The length of the image is ______ cm.
Answer 6 cm
Where it goes wrong Multiplying the rod’s length by a single magnification. The magnification is different at the two ends, so each end has to be traced on its own.
Q15 · Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance · on the pattern of Q40
A parallel plate air capacitor is charged and then disconnected from the battery. Its plates are then pulled apart at a steady speed v. If x is the separation at any instant, the rate of change of the stored electrostatic energy is proportional to xα. The value of α is ______.
Answer 0
Where it goes wrong Keeping the battery connected in your head. At constant voltage U = ε0AV2/2x and the rate goes as x−2; at constant charge it does not depend on x at all.
Q16 · Moving Charges and Magnetism · on the pattern of Q41
An insulated wire is wound into a flat spiral coil of N = 100 turns. The innermost turn has radius 2 cm and the outermost 4 cm. A current of 30 mA flows through it. The magnetic moment of the coil is α × 10−2 A·m2. The value of α is about ______.
Answer about 0.88
Where it goes wrong Using the plain average radius (r1 + r2)/2 and squaring it. The area depends on r2, so the average has to be taken of r2, not of r.
Q17 · Semiconductor Electronics · on the pattern of Q42
A capacitor of 30 μF, a resistor of 200 Ω and two identical diodes are joined in one loop, with the two diodes in parallel with each other and that pair in series with the resistor and the capacitor. The forward resistance of a diode is 20 Ω and its reverse resistance is very large. The time constant of the circuit is α × 10−3 s. The value of α is ______.
Answer 6.6
Where it goes wrong Putting the two diode resistances in parallel to get 10 Ω. Only one diode conducts at a time, so there is nothing to put in parallel.
Q18 · Current Electricity · on the pattern of Q43
Three identical cells of emf 18 V and negligible internal resistance are joined in parallel. The combination is connected through a 1 Ω resistor to a parallel pair of 3 Ω and 6 Ω resistors. The voltage across the parallel pair and the current drawn from the cells are ______.
Answer 12 V and 6 A
Where it goes wrong Adding the emfs of the three cells to get 54 V. Cells in parallel share the current, they do not add their voltages.
Q19 · Wave Optics · on the pattern of Q44
A telescope with an objective of diameter D is used to look at a distant star emitting light of wavelength 500 nm, at a resolution of 2.5 × 10−7 radian. The value of D is ______ cm.
Answer 244 cm
Where it goes wrong Dropping the factor 1.22. That factor is what separates the circular aperture from a slit.
Q20 · Wave Optics · on the pattern of Q45
Unpolarised light falls on the flat surface of a transparent medium of refractive index √3 kept in air, at the Brewster angle. The angle of incidence, the angle between the reflected and refracted rays, and the state of the reflected light are ______.
Answer 60°; the reflected and refracted rays are 90° apart; the reflected light is fully plane polarised, with its vibrations perpendicular to the plane of incidence
Where it goes wrong Saying the refracted ray is polarised too. The refracted ray is only partly polarised; it is the reflected one that is fully polarised at this angle.
Q21 · Work, Energy and Power · numeric · on the pattern of Q46
A 1 kg block is acted on at the same time by two forces (3i + 2j + k) N and (i − 2j + 3k) N, and moves 10 m along the direction (3i + 4k)/5. The work done in this process is ______ J.
Answer 56 J
Where it goes wrong Finding the work of each force separately and then adding the magnitudes. Adding the vectors first is quicker and avoids sign slips.
Q22 · Mechanical Properties of Fluids · numeric · on the pattern of Q47
The surface tension of a soap solution is 5 × 10−2 N/m. The work needed to increase the radius of a soap bubble from 1 cm to 2 cm is α × 10−6 J. The value of α is ______. (π = 22/7)
Answer 377
Where it goes wrong Using 4πT instead of 8πT. A drop has one surface, a bubble has two.
Q23 · Oscillations · numeric · on the pattern of Q48
The velocity of a particle in simple harmonic motion along the x-axis obeys v2 = 36 − 9x2, where x is the displacement. The time period of the motion is ______ s.
Answer 2π/3 s, about 2.09 s
Where it goes wrong Reading ω straight off the constant 36. The coefficient of x2 is what gives ω2; the constant gives ω2A2.
Q24 · Work, Energy and Power · numeric · on the pattern of Q49
A body of mass 3 kg starts from rest under a time dependent force F = (3t i + 6t2 j) N, where i and j are unit vectors along x and y. The power produced by the force at t = 2 s is ______ W.
Answer 140 W
Where it goes wrong Using v = at with the value of a at t = 2 s. The acceleration is changing, so the velocity has to be found by integrating.
Q25 · Alternating Current · numeric · on the pattern of Q50
An inductor, a capacitor and a 60 Ω resistor are joined in series across an a.c. supply. The power factor of the circuit is 0.6. The difference between the inductive and the capacitive reactance is ______ Ω.
Answer 80 Ω
Where it goes wrong Subtracting R from Z to get 40 Ω. The three quantities form a right triangle, so they add as squares, not directly.
The official paper and answer key
Both are NTA’s own files, opened straight from the government store. Nothing here is a copy.
Official question paper →Official answer key →
Other shifts of this session: 2 April Shift 1 · 2 April Shift 2.
All shifts, date by date: JEE Main Previous Years Papers.
Sit a paper in the same shape, free
25 questions. 45 minutes. Out of 100. Marked the way JEE Main marks it, with a hint and the answer key for every question you miss. No payment, no card, and no account needed to start.
Reading a past paper tells you what was asked. Sitting one on the clock tells you what you can do. Only the second one moves your score.