Strategy
Score 35+ of 50 in Physics by deciding ORDER and TIME, not what to skip
50 Physics questions × 1 mark = 50 marks, inside a 90-minute paper shared with Chemistry, with a penalty of 0 for a wrong answer. Every bubble gets filled; the real decisions are how much of the clock Physics gets, what you answer first, and how long you stay on one question.
- marks out of 50
- 35+
- questions answered — all of them
- 50/50
- a question, on a 55-minute Physics share
- 1.1 min
- total prep time
- ~120 h
The arithmetic of 35+
50 answers at 70% accuracy is 35 correct, which at 1 marks each is 35 marks. Note what that target does not contain: an attempts-versus-accuracy trade-off. Target attempts is 50 because the paper has 50 questions, and the reason it can be the whole paper is the row in the middle of this table.
| What you do with an uncertain question | Marks | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Answer it, and it is right | +1 | Paid |
| Answer it, and it is wrong | −0 | Costs nothing |
| Leave it blank | 0 | Identical to a wrong answer, with no chance of the 1 |
The penalty for a wrong answer on this exam is 0. A blank and a wrong answer score exactly the same, so a guess is free and a blank is strictly worse than one. Every strategy habit imported from an exam that deducts marks — hold back unless you are confident, protect your accuracy, attempt fewer and attempt better — is actively harmful here. What is scarce on this paper is not attempts. It is the clock — about 1.1 minutes a Physics question on the split below — and that is what the three strands are ordered by.
Split the 90 minutes before the paper
Paper II gives you 90 minutes for 100 questions and does not divide them. Physics is questions 1-50 and Chemistry 51-100, but you may answer in any order and spend the time however you like.
The two halves do not cost the same. MHT-CET Chemistry is about 3% HARD and much of it is recall — a name, a structure, a trend. Physics is 18% HARD and more than half its answers are numbers you have to compute. Spending the same 45 minutes on each gives Chemistry time it does not need and starves Physics.
A starting budget to test in your timed mocks: Chemistry in about 35 minutes (0.7 a question), Physics in about 55 (1.1 a question). This is a recommendation, not a measurement — after two timed mocks, move it by your own numbers.
Take Chemistry first if you are faster there: the marks bank quickly and the Physics minutes you save are real. Whichever order you choose, set a time to switch and keep to it — a 90-minute paper with no split drifts, and it always drifts towards the subject you find harder.
- Chemistry · 50 questions
- ~35 min
- Physics · 50 questions
- ~55 min
A starting budget to test in timed mocks — not a measured figure.
Cornerstone — Electrostatics · Rotational Dynamics · Superposition of Waves · Mechanical Properties of Fluids · Wave Optics · Oscillations (768 q · 37% of bank)
Six chapters carry 18.5 questions a paper — 37% of the Physics half, and each is around 20% HARD. They are the chapters you cannot be slow in. None of them is cheap end to end, but five of the six cherry-pick: each hides a page at 12% HARD or less (Gauss's law and capillary rise at 0%, rolling at 8%, the wave equation at 9%, SHM energy at 12%). Prep here is about entering each chapter at its cheap page, not about coverage.
The approach
- Enter each chapter at its cheapest page, not at page one. Electrostatics: Gauss's Law and Electric Flux and the dipole are 29 questions with no HARD one. Fluids: Excess Pressure and Capillary Rise is 38 questions at 0% HARD. Rotational Dynamics: Angular Momentum, Torque, and Conservation is 22 at 5%.
- All six have shipped teaching notes at /notes/mht-cet-physics, with every past-year question tagged to a page. Read a chapter's notes once, then drill page by page.
- Wave Optics is the one that does not cherry-pick: its three big pages are each 21% HARD. Own all three, or plan to lose three marks a paper.
- Superposition of Waves and Sound overlap almost completely — stationary waves, pipes, beats, Doppler. Prepare them together and you get Sound's question a paper nearly free.
- On the paper, the cheap halves go on the first sweep with the quick-wins; the axis theorems, surface tension, beats and spring systems wait for the second pass.
Electrostatics
166 questions · 22% hard
166 q · 22% HARD · the heaviest chapter on the Physics paper, nearly four questions every time. It cherry-picks cleanly: Gauss's law (20 q) and the dipole (9 q) have never produced a HARD question, while Dielectrics in Capacitors runs 39% HARD. Bank the flux and dipole pages first.
Drill — in this order
- Gauss's Law and Electric FluxDrill Gauss's Law and Electric Flux in Electrostatics
- Electric Dipole — Field, Potential, TorqueDrill Electric Dipole — Field, Potential, Torque in Electrostatics
- Capacitance and Combinations of CapacitorsDrill Capacitance and Combinations of Capacitors in Electrostatics
- Electric Potential and Potential EnergyDrill Electric Potential and Potential Energy in Electrostatics
- Energy Stored in a CapacitorDrill Energy Stored in a Capacitor in Electrostatics
- Coulomb's Law and Electric FieldDrill Coulomb's Law and Electric Field in Electrostatics
- Dielectrics in CapacitorsDrill Dielectrics in Capacitors in Electrostatics
HARD-target
These subtopics carry the chapter’s HARD pool. Extra timed reps with a HARD-only filter pay off — not because these questions are worth more (every question on this paper pays the same single mark) but because they are where the minutes go.
- Dielectrics in CapacitorsDrill HARD questions in Dielectrics in Capacitors
- Coulomb's Law and Electric FieldDrill HARD questions in Coulomb's Law and Electric Field
Rotational Dynamics
128 questions · 21% hard
128 q · 21% HARD, and rising — 2.89 a paper in 2023-24, 3.38 in 2025. The axis theorems page is 25 questions at 48% HARD and holds nearly half the chapter's HARD; angular momentum (5%) and rolling (8%) are the cheap pages. Take those first.
Drill — in this order
- Angular Momentum, Torque, and ConservationDrill Angular Momentum, Torque, and Conservation in Rotational Dynamics
- Rotational Kinetic Energy and Rolling MotionDrill Rotational Kinetic Energy and Rolling Motion in Rotational Dynamics
- Kinematics of Circular MotionDrill Kinematics of Circular Motion in Rotational Dynamics
- Dynamics of Circular Motion — Banking, Conical Pendulum, Vertical CircleDrill Dynamics of Circular Motion — Banking, Conical Pendulum, Vertical Circle in Rotational Dynamics
- Moment of Inertia and Radius of GyrationDrill Moment of Inertia and Radius of Gyration in Rotational Dynamics
- Parallel and Perpendicular Axis TheoremsDrill Parallel and Perpendicular Axis Theorems in Rotational Dynamics
HARD-target
These subtopics carry the chapter’s HARD pool. Extra timed reps with a HARD-only filter pay off — not because these questions are worth more (every question on this paper pays the same single mark) but because they are where the minutes go.
- Parallel and Perpendicular Axis TheoremsDrill HARD questions in Parallel and Perpendicular Axis Theorems
Superposition of Waves
123 questions · 20% hard
123 q · 20% HARD. Reading a wave equation — amplitude, ω, k, speed ω/k — is 34 questions at 9% HARD and the cheapest entry. Beats and the sonometer are 41% HARD. Prepare it with Sound.
Drill — in this order
- Progressive Wave, Wave Equation, and VelocityDrill Progressive Wave, Wave Equation, and Velocity in Superposition of Waves
- Superposition, Phase/Path Difference, and InterferenceDrill Superposition, Phase/Path Difference, and Interference in Superposition of Waves
- Stationary Waves and Vibrating StringsDrill Stationary Waves and Vibrating Strings in Superposition of Waves
- Pipes, Resonance Tube, and Doppler EffectDrill Pipes, Resonance Tube, and Doppler Effect in Superposition of Waves
- Beats and SonometerDrill Beats and Sonometer in Superposition of Waves
HARD-target
These subtopics carry the chapter’s HARD pool. Extra timed reps with a HARD-only filter pay off — not because these questions are worth more (every question on this paper pays the same single mark) but because they are where the minutes go.
- Beats and SonometerDrill HARD questions in Beats and Sonometer
Mechanical Properties of Fluids
124 questions · 19% hard
124 q · 19% HARD, and two thirds of it is surface tension. Excess Pressure and Capillary Rise is 38 questions and has never produced a HARD one — the best page in the cornerstone strand. Pressure and buoyancy is 6 questions at 83% HARD and 0.13 a paper: last in the prep queue, still answered on the day.
Drill — in this order
- Excess Pressure and Capillary RiseDrill Excess Pressure and Capillary Rise in Mechanical Properties of Fluids
- Bernoulli, Continuity, Streamline, and TorricelliDrill Bernoulli, Continuity, Streamline, and Torricelli in Mechanical Properties of Fluids
- Viscosity, Stokes' Law, Terminal Velocity, and ReynoldsDrill Viscosity, Stokes' Law, Terminal Velocity, and Reynolds in Mechanical Properties of Fluids
- Surface Tension and Surface EnergyDrill Surface Tension and Surface Energy in Mechanical Properties of Fluids
HARD-target
These subtopics carry the chapter’s HARD pool. Extra timed reps with a HARD-only filter pay off — not because these questions are worth more (every question on this paper pays the same single mark) but because they are where the minutes go.
- Surface Tension and Surface EnergyDrill HARD questions in Surface Tension and Surface Energy
Last in the prep queue
Low prep priority — these go last, and are the first to drop if your hours run out before the exam. This is a prep-order call, not a paper-day one: if one of these turns up in the hall you still answer it, because a blank scores the same as a wrong answer.
- Pressure, Buoyancy, and ArchimedesDrill Pressure, Buoyancy, and Archimedes in Mechanical Properties of Fluids if time allows
Wave Optics
117 questions · 19% hard
117 q · 19% HARD, spread evenly: Young's double slit, single slit and interference intensity are each 21% HARD. No cheap half to take, so own all three. Polarisation (10 q, 10%) is the quick page.
Drill — in this order
- Wavefronts, Huygens, and CoherenceDrill Wavefronts, Huygens, and Coherence in Wave Optics
- Polarisation — Malus and BrewsterDrill Polarisation — Malus and Brewster in Wave Optics
- Young's Double Slit — Fringe Width, Positions and ShiftsDrill Young's Double Slit — Fringe Width, Positions and Shifts in Wave Optics
- Interference Intensity and Coherent SourcesDrill Interference Intensity and Coherent Sources in Wave Optics
- Single Slit Diffraction and Resolving PowerDrill Single Slit Diffraction and Resolving Power in Wave Optics
Oscillations
110 questions · 19% hard
110 q · 19% HARD. SHM kinematics is the biggest page (44 q, 16%) and energy the cheapest (17 q, 12%); spring systems — springs in series and parallel, cut springs — carry the HARD at 28%.
Drill — in this order
- SHM Energy — Kinetic, Potential, and TotalDrill SHM Energy — Kinetic, Potential, and Total in Oscillations
- SHM Kinematics — Displacement, Velocity, Phase, and DampingDrill SHM Kinematics — Displacement, Velocity, Phase, and Damping in Oscillations
- Simple Pendulum — Period, Lift, WeightlessnessDrill Simple Pendulum — Period, Lift, Weightlessness in Oscillations
- Spring-Mass and Other SHM SystemsDrill Spring-Mass and Other SHM Systems in Oscillations
HARD-target
These subtopics carry the chapter’s HARD pool. Extra timed reps with a HARD-only filter pay off — not because these questions are worth more (every question on this paper pays the same single mark) but because they are where the minutes go.
- Spring-Mass and Other SHM SystemsDrill HARD questions in Spring-Mass and Other SHM Systems
Quick-Win — Semiconductor Devices · AC Circuits · Electromagnetic Induction · Kinetic Theory of Gases · Motion in a Plane · Laws of Motion (557 q · 27% of bank)
Bank these first. Six chapters worth 13.3 questions a paper, every one of them at 14% HARD or less — against 18% for the Physics bank as a whole. Every question on this paper pays the same single mark, so the point is not that these are worth more; it is that they cost a fraction of the time. Semiconductor Devices is three questions a paper at 3% HARD, and most of it is reading a gate or a circuit, not computing.
The approach
- Answer every question from these six on the opening sweep of the Physics half. Roughly 13 marks, most of them well inside a minute.
- Semiconductor Devices and Electromagnetic Induction together are six questions a paper at 3% and 9% HARD. If you are short of prep time before the exam, these two are the highest-certainty hours you can buy.
- Semiconductor questions are often a figure — a gate circuit, a diode arrangement. The HARD rate is low, but the figure has to be read, not assumed: trace every gate input to its output before you look at the options.
- Kinetic Theory of Gases is mostly one proportionality — v_rms ∝ √(T/M) — and Motion in a Plane is 6% HARD and rising (1.00 a paper in 2023-24, 1.54 in 2025).
- One chapter outside this strand belongs in the same habit: Magnetic Materials is 33 questions with a single HARD one, below the playbook line at 0.79 a paper. Answer it on the opening sweep whenever it appears.
Semiconductor Devices
129 questions · 3% hard
129 q · 3% HARD — the best return on the Physics paper. Four of its six pages have never produced a HARD question. Logic gates (36 q) are the biggest page and nearly all figure-reading; transistors (29 q, 0% HARD) are α, β and gain.
Drill — in this order
- Band Theory, Doping, and Semiconductor TypesDrill Band Theory, Doping, and Semiconductor Types in Semiconductor Devices
- p-n Junction — Depletion Layer and BiasingDrill p-n Junction — Depletion Layer and Biasing in Semiconductor Devices
- Special Diodes — Zener, LED, PhotodiodeDrill Special Diodes — Zener, LED, Photodiode in Semiconductor Devices
- Diode Circuits and RectifiersDrill Diode Circuits and Rectifiers in Semiconductor Devices
- Transistors — BJT, CE Amplifier, and GainDrill Transistors — BJT, CE Amplifier, and Gain in Semiconductor Devices
- Logic Gates and Boolean AlgebraDrill Logic Gates and Boolean Algebra in Semiconductor Devices
AC Circuits
129 questions · 12% hard
129 q · 12% HARD. Reactance (23 q, 0% HARD) and power (25 q, 4%) are the cheap half; impedance and resonance (65 q together) are about 15% HARD. One impedance triangle does most of the chapter.
Drill — in this order
- Reactance — Inductive, Capacitive, and Single-Element CircuitsDrill Reactance — Inductive, Capacitive, and Single-Element Circuits in AC Circuits
- Power in AC Circuit — Average, Factor, WattlessDrill Power in AC Circuit — Average, Factor, Wattless in AC Circuits
- RMS, Peak, and AC Source CharacteristicsDrill RMS, Peak, and AC Source Characteristics in AC Circuits
- Series LCR — Impedance, Phase and PhasorsDrill Series LCR — Impedance, Phase and Phasors in AC Circuits
- Resonance in Series LCR CircuitsDrill Resonance in Series LCR Circuits in AC Circuits
- LC Oscillations, Transformer, and AC GeneratorDrill LC Oscillations, Transformer, and AC Generator in AC Circuits
Electromagnetic Induction
119 questions · 9% hard
119 q · 9% HARD. Faraday and Lenz (22 q) have never produced a HARD question; motional EMF and rotating rods (19 q, 21%) are the only expensive page.
Drill — in this order
- Faraday's and Lenz's Laws — Induced EMF, Current, and ChargeDrill Faraday's and Lenz's Laws — Induced EMF, Current, and Charge in Electromagnetic Induction
- Self-Inductance, Energy Stored, and LR CircuitDrill Self-Inductance, Energy Stored, and LR Circuit in Electromagnetic Induction
- Mutual Inductance, Coupling, and Transformer/GeneratorDrill Mutual Inductance, Coupling, and Transformer/Generator in Electromagnetic Induction
- Motional EMF and Rotating ConductorsDrill Motional EMF and Rotating Conductors in Electromagnetic Induction
Kinetic Theory of Gases
80 questions · 14% hard
80 q · 14% HARD. Gas laws are 19 questions at 0%; the RMS-speed page (36 q, 22%) is ratio work — v_rms ∝ √(T/M) — and falls to a proportion, not a calculation.
Drill — in this order
- Gas Laws and Ideal Gas EquationDrill Gas Laws and Ideal Gas Equation in Kinetic Theory of Gases
- Average KE, Equipartition, and Specific HeatsDrill Average KE, Equipartition, and Specific Heats in Kinetic Theory of Gases
- Kinetic Theory — Pressure, RMS Speed, and TemperatureDrill Kinetic Theory — Pressure, RMS Speed, and Temperature in Kinetic Theory of Gases
Motion in a Plane
53 questions · 6% hard
53 q · 6% HARD and rising — 1.54 a paper in 2025. Kinematics, relative motion and circular motion (37 q together) have never produced a HARD question.
Drill — in this order
- Kinematics — Equations of Motion, Free Fall, and GraphsDrill Kinematics — Equations of Motion, Free Fall, and Graphs in Motion in a Plane
- Relative Motion and Meeting ProblemsDrill Relative Motion and Meeting Problems in Motion in a Plane
- Uniform Circular Motion — Centripetal Acceleration, BankingDrill Uniform Circular Motion — Centripetal Acceleration, Banking in Motion in a Plane
- Projectile Motion — Range, Height, and Time of FlightDrill Projectile Motion — Range, Height, and Time of Flight in Motion in a Plane
- Vector Operations and ComponentsDrill Vector Operations and Components in Motion in a Plane
Laws of Motion
47 questions · 11% hard
47 q · 11% HARD. Momentum and collisions (17 q, 6%) are the cheap page; connected blocks and lifts are one free-body diagram per body.
Drill — in this order
- Impulse, Momentum, and CollisionsDrill Impulse, Momentum, and Collisions in Laws of Motion
- Newton's Laws — Force, Tension, Lift, and Connected BlocksDrill Newton's Laws — Force, Tension, Lift, and Connected Blocks in Laws of Motion
- Equilibrium, Centre of Mass, and FrictionDrill Equilibrium, Centre of Mass, and Friction in Laws of Motion
Long Tail — Magnetic Fields Due to Electric Current · Thermal Properties of Matter · Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter · Current Electricity · Structure of Atoms and Nuclei · Thermodynamics · Gravitation · Optics (Ray) · Sound (720 q · 34% of bank)
Nine chapters at one to two and a half questions a paper, together 16.7 questions — a third of the Physics half. They are also where the paper is hardest: Dual Nature is 32% HARD, Magnetic Fields and Ray Optics 29%, Current Electricity 24%. They come on the second pass, after the cornerstones' cheap pages and every quick-win are banked. And every one of them still gets an answer: there is no negative marking, so a guess is free and a blank is not.
The approach
- Most of these still cherry-pick. Variation of g is 33 questions at 3% HARD inside Gravitation; radioactive decay is 18 at 6% inside Atoms and Nuclei; the first law is 37 at 11% inside Thermodynamics. Take those pages in prep even if you take nothing else from the chapter.
- Gravitation and Ray Optics both HALVED in 2025 (2.26 to 1.15 and 2.19 to 1.08 a paper). Both are still set every year, so do not drop them — but they no longer earn two questions of prep time. See Trends.
- Dual Nature is the hardest chapter in the bank and also the narrowest: two equations — Einstein's photoelectric equation and de Broglie's λ = h/p — carry all 82 questions. Owning those two is cheaper than the 32% suggests.
- Every chapter here has shipped teaching notes at /notes/mht-cet-physics, with every PYQ tagged to a page.
Magnetic Fields Due to Electric Current
98 questions · 29% hard
98 q · 29% HARD. Force on a moving charge (12 q) has never produced a HARD question; the field of a conductor is half the chapter at 33%, and much of it is a figure of wires and arcs whose fields must be added with their directions.
Drill — in this order
- Force on Moving Charge in Magnetic FieldDrill Force on Moving Charge in Magnetic Field in Magnetic Fields Due to Electric Current
- Magnetic Moment of Current Loop and Galvanometer InstrumentsDrill Magnetic Moment of Current Loop and Galvanometer Instruments in Magnetic Fields Due to Electric Current
- Magnetic Field of Current-Carrying ConductorDrill Magnetic Field of Current-Carrying Conductor in Magnetic Fields Due to Electric Current
- Force on Current-Carrying Conductor and Parallel WiresDrill Force on Current-Carrying Conductor and Parallel Wires in Magnetic Fields Due to Electric Current
HARD-target
These subtopics carry the chapter’s HARD pool. Extra timed reps with a HARD-only filter pay off — not because these questions are worth more (every question on this paper pays the same single mark) but because they are where the minutes go.
- Magnetic Field of Current-Carrying ConductorDrill HARD questions in Magnetic Field of Current-Carrying Conductor
Thermal Properties of Matter
84 questions · 17% hard
84 q · 17% HARD, and 53 of them are radiation. Stefan's law (P ∝ AT⁴) and Wien's law are ratio questions; conduction and calorimetry are small and HARD-free.
Drill — in this order
- Heat Conduction and Thermal ResistanceDrill Heat Conduction and Thermal Resistance in Thermal Properties of Matter
- Calorimetry, Latent Heat, and Heat CapacityDrill Calorimetry, Latent Heat, and Heat Capacity in Thermal Properties of Matter
- Thermal Expansion — Linear, Surface, VolumetricDrill Thermal Expansion — Linear, Surface, Volumetric in Thermal Properties of Matter
- Radiation — Stefan, Wien, Newton's Law of Cooling, Black BodyDrill Radiation — Stefan, Wien, Newton's Law of Cooling, Black Body in Thermal Properties of Matter
HARD-target
These subtopics carry the chapter’s HARD pool. Extra timed reps with a HARD-only filter pay off — not because these questions are worth more (every question on this paper pays the same single mark) but because they are where the minutes go.
- Radiation — Stefan, Wien, Newton's Law of Cooling, Black BodyDrill HARD questions in Radiation — Stefan, Wien, Newton's Law of Cooling, Black Body
Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter
82 questions · 32% hard
82 q · 32% HARD — the hardest chapter in the bank, and one of the narrowest. The photoelectric page is 56 questions at 36%; de Broglie is 26 at 23%. Two equations and their graphs.
Drill — in this order
- de Broglie Wavelength and Matter WavesDrill de Broglie Wavelength and Matter Waves in Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter
- Photoelectric Effect — Stopping Potential, Threshold, and Work FunctionDrill Photoelectric Effect — Stopping Potential, Threshold, and Work Function in Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter
HARD-target
These subtopics carry the chapter’s HARD pool. Extra timed reps with a HARD-only filter pay off — not because these questions are worth more (every question on this paper pays the same single mark) but because they are where the minutes go.
- Photoelectric Effect — Stopping Potential, Threshold, and Work FunctionDrill HARD questions in Photoelectric Effect — Stopping Potential, Threshold, and Work Function
Current Electricity
82 questions · 24% hard
82 q · 24% HARD. Meter conversions (24 q, 17%) and Kirchhoff (19 q, 16%) are the cheap entry; the bridges carry the HARD at 35%. A bridge that looks balanced often is not — check the ratio before you delete the galvanometer arm.
Drill — in this order
- Ohm's Law, Cells, EMF, and Internal ResistanceDrill Ohm's Law, Cells, EMF, and Internal Resistance in Current Electricity
- Galvanometer, Ammeter, and Voltmeter ConversionDrill Galvanometer, Ammeter, and Voltmeter Conversion in Current Electricity
- Kirchhoff's Laws and Circuit AnalysisDrill Kirchhoff's Laws and Circuit Analysis in Current Electricity
- PotentiometerDrill Potentiometer in Current Electricity
- Wheatstone Bridge and Meter BridgeDrill Wheatstone Bridge and Meter Bridge in Current Electricity
HARD-target
These subtopics carry the chapter’s HARD pool. Extra timed reps with a HARD-only filter pay off — not because these questions are worth more (every question on this paper pays the same single mark) but because they are where the minutes go.
- Wheatstone Bridge and Meter BridgeDrill HARD questions in Wheatstone Bridge and Meter Bridge
Structure of Atoms and Nuclei
85 questions · 22% hard
85 q · 22% HARD. Radioactive decay is 18 questions at 6%; the Bohr page (39 q, 28%) is scaling laws — r ∝ n²/Z, v ∝ Z/n, E ∝ Z²/n² — and falls to ratios.
Drill — in this order
- Radioactive Decay and Half-LifeDrill Radioactive Decay and Half-Life in Structure of Atoms and Nuclei
- Hydrogen Spectrum and Spectral SeriesDrill Hydrogen Spectrum and Spectral Series in Structure of Atoms and Nuclei
- Bohr Model and Atomic PropertiesDrill Bohr Model and Atomic Properties in Structure of Atoms and Nuclei
HARD-target
These subtopics carry the chapter’s HARD pool. Extra timed reps with a HARD-only filter pay off — not because these questions are worth more (every question on this paper pays the same single mark) but because they are where the minutes go.
- Bohr Model and Atomic PropertiesDrill HARD questions in Bohr Model and Atomic Properties
Thermodynamics
84 questions · 21% hard
84 q · 21% HARD. The first law is 37 questions at 11%; the processes page (36 q, 31%) holds the HARD — adiabatic relations and work read off a p–V diagram.
Drill — in this order
- First Law, Internal Energy, and Work-Heat RelationsDrill First Law, Internal Energy, and Work-Heat Relations in Thermodynamics
- Carnot Engine, Efficiency, and RefrigeratorDrill Carnot Engine, Efficiency, and Refrigerator in Thermodynamics
- Isothermal, Adiabatic, Isobaric, and Isochoric ProcessesDrill Isothermal, Adiabatic, Isobaric, and Isochoric Processes in Thermodynamics
HARD-target
These subtopics carry the chapter’s HARD pool. Extra timed reps with a HARD-only filter pay off — not because these questions are worth more (every question on this paper pays the same single mark) but because they are where the minutes go.
- Isothermal, Adiabatic, Isobaric, and Isochoric ProcessesDrill HARD questions in Isothermal, Adiabatic, Isobaric, and Isochoric Processes
Gravitation
80 questions · 23% hard
80 q · 23% HARD, and HALVED in 2025 (2.26 a paper to 1.15). Variation of g is 33 questions at 3% HARD — take that page whatever else you cut. Energy and escape velocity are 42% HARD.
Drill — in this order
- Variation of g with Depth, Altitude, Density, and LatitudeDrill Variation of g with Depth, Altitude, Density, and Latitude in Gravitation
- Satellites, Orbital Motion, and Kepler's LawsDrill Satellites, Orbital Motion, and Kepler's Laws in Gravitation
- Gravitational PE, Escape Velocity, and EnergyDrill Gravitational PE, Escape Velocity, and Energy in Gravitation
- Newton's Law of Gravitation and Gravitational ForceDrill Newton's Law of Gravitation and Gravitational Force in Gravitation
HARD-target
These subtopics carry the chapter’s HARD pool. Extra timed reps with a HARD-only filter pay off — not because these questions are worth more (every question on this paper pays the same single mark) but because they are where the minutes go.
- Gravitational PE, Escape Velocity, and EnergyDrill HARD questions in Gravitational PE, Escape Velocity, and Energy
Optics (Ray)
78 questions · 29% hard
78 q · 29% HARD, and HALVED in 2025 (2.19 a paper to 1.08). Lenses and refraction are 50 questions at about a quarter HARD; the prism page is 47%. Sign convention is where the marks go.
Drill — in this order
- Lenses — Lens Formula, Power, and LensmakerDrill Lenses — Lens Formula, Power, and Lensmaker in Optics (Ray)
- Refraction, Apparent Depth, and Total Internal ReflectionDrill Refraction, Apparent Depth, and Total Internal Reflection in Optics (Ray)
- Mirrors and Image FormationDrill Mirrors and Image Formation in Optics (Ray)
- Optical Instruments — Microscope and TelescopeDrill Optical Instruments — Microscope and Telescope in Optics (Ray)
- Prism — Deviation, Dispersion, and Refractive IndexDrill Prism — Deviation, Dispersion, and Refractive Index in Optics (Ray)
HARD-target
These subtopics carry the chapter’s HARD pool. Extra timed reps with a HARD-only filter pay off — not because these questions are worth more (every question on this paper pays the same single mark) but because they are where the minutes go.
- Prism — Deviation, Dispersion, and Refractive IndexDrill HARD questions in Prism — Deviation, Dispersion, and Refractive Index
Sound
47 questions · 21% hard
47 q · 21% HARD. Doppler (19 q, 16%) and pipes (22 q, 27%) — the same pipes and beats as Superposition of Waves. Prepared with that chapter, Sound costs little extra.
Drill — in this order
- Doppler Effect — Moving Source and ObserverDrill Doppler Effect — Moving Source and Observer in Sound
- Pipes, Resonance, Overtones, and BeatsDrill Pipes, Resonance, Overtones, and Beats in Sound
- Sound Wave Properties, Speed, and IntensityDrill Sound Wave Properties, Speed, and Intensity in Sound
The 3 chapters below the playbook line
These sit under 0.9 questions a paper, so none of them ships a playbook — they are listed here so the 24-chapter bank is accounted for rather than quietly truncated at 21. Read the status column first: 2025 brought one of them onto the paper, which matters more than the question counts suggest.
| Chapter | Questions | q/paper | % HARD | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magnetic MaterialsOne HARD question in 33 — a cheap mark on most papers. Below the playbook line on volume only; drill it with the quick-wins. Its notes are at /notes/mht-cet-physics/magnetic-materials. | 33 | 0.79 | 3% | Live |
| Units and MeasurementENTERED in 2025: none in the 29 papers before 2025, then 14 in the 13 papers of 2025 — 1.08 a paper. The recent rate of 0.58 averages in 2024, when it was not set. It has never produced a HARD question, and ten of the 14 are error propagation. Half a day of prep for about a mark a paper. | 14 | 0.58 | 0% | Entering — new in 2025 |
| Mechanical Properties of SolidsSix questions in 42 papers and none in 2025 — too few to call a trend either way. Read the spring and elastic-energy formulas once; do not drill it. | 6 | 0.08 | 17% | Live |
Units and Measurement is the one to add. It was not set once in the 29 papers before 2025, so a student prepping from 2023-24 papers has never met it — then it carried 14 questions in the 13 papers of 2025, none of them HARD. Its recent rate of 0.58 averages in 2024, when it was absent; on 2025 alone it is about a question a paper.
Time investment plan
| Strand | Chapters | Bank share | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cornerstone | 6 | 768 q · 37% | 50 |
| Quick-Win | 6 | 557 q · 27% | 28 |
| Long Tail | 9 | 720 q · 34% | 42 |
| Total | 21 | 2045 q | 120 |
Spend the hours in strand order — Cornerstone first, then Quick-Win, then Long Tail — but note that the order you PREPARE in is not the order you ANSWER in. On the paper the quick-wins and the cheap halves of the split-pass cornerstones go on the opening sweep; the expensive halves and the long tail wait for the second pass, when you know how much clock you actually have. Whatever is still unanswered in the last five minutes gets a guess, because a guess is free.
Start with the 6 cornerstone chapters
768 questions — 37% of the bank — across 6 chapters, on a 50-question paper. You cannot reach a good score without these, and a half-remembered technique here costs you minutes rather than marks.