NDA Physics Guide
How NDA Physics actually works
A 449-question analysis of the Physics half of GAT PART B from 2017 to 2026. We mapped the 14 chapter playbooks, the formula compendium, the year-on-year drift, and the distractor traps — so you can prep what the exam actually tests.
- Past-year questions
- 449
- Papers (2017–2026)
- 18
- Chapters
- 14
- Playbooks
- 14
How the 449 questions break down
All 14 chapters tested in NDA PART B Physics, sized by question count across the 2017–2026 bank. Sorted by share of bank.
| Chapter | Questions | Share | % HARD | Focus subtopics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light and Optics | 97 | 21.6% | 10% | Light Phenomena+Spectrum (29 · recall), Reflection+Mirrors (18 · 17% HARD), Refraction+TIR (17), Optical Instruments (13), Lenses+Lens formula (12 · 25% HARD), Prisms (8). |
| Electricity and Magnetism | 93 | 20.7% | 22% | Magnetism+Effects (16 · 13%), Combination of Resistors (16 · 38% HARD — the bank's biggest HARD pool), Electrical Devices (15 · recall), Electrostatics (13), Power+Energy+Heating (10 · 30%), Current+Ohm's Law (9), Resistance+Resistivity (6), Magnetic Force+Fleming (5 · 40%), Cells+EMF+Kirchhoff (3). |
| Laws of Motion and Forces | 41 | 9.1% | 10% | Newton's Laws (19), Conservation of Momentum+Collisions (8), Types of Forces (6), Impulse+Momentum (5), Friction (3). |
| Heat and Thermodynamics | 39 | 8.7% | 21% | Heat+Calorimetry+Specific Heat (13 · 31% HARD), Temperature+Thermometry (11), Phase Change+Boiling (9), Thermodynamic Processes (6 · 33% HARD). |
| Sound | 34 | 7.6% | 3% | Foundations—sound/perception/ear (11), Wave Equation+Speed+Bands (13), Sound Behaviours—echo/reverb/beats (5), Applications—SONAR/transducers/instruments (5). The bank's lowest-HARD chapter. |
| Modern Physics | 25 | 5.6% | 0% | Atomic Structure (7), Nuclear Physics (5), Photoelectric Effect (4), Quantum+Modern EM (4), Scientists+Discoveries (3), Scientific Acronyms (2). Zero HARD across the whole chapter. |
| Kinematics and Motion | 24 | 5.3% | 25% | Equations of Motion+Graphs (15 · 20% HARD), Circular Motion (3 · 33%), Projectile+Vertical (3), Vectors+Position (3 · 67%). Small chapter, heavy HARD load. |
| Work, Energy and Power | 23 | 5.1% | 9% | Energy+Conservation (10), Work-Energy Theorem+Power (6), Work+Work Done (5), Simple Machines (2). |
| Fluid Mechanics and Properties of Matter | 23 | 5.1% | 30% | Buoyancy+Density+Flotation (16 · 31% HARD), Pressure+Surface Tension (7 · 29% HARD). Smallest chapter by subtopic count, highest %HARD by chapter. |
| Gravitation | 17 | 3.8% | 12% | Gravitational Field+Potential (7), Newton's Law of Gravitation (6), Orbits+Kepler+Escape (4 · 25%). |
| Units, Measurement and Dimensions | 14 | 3.1% | 7% | Units and Dimensions (14 — single subtopic). Mostly EASY definitional recall + a few dimensional-analysis traps. |
| Oscillations and Waves | 13 | 2.9% | 15% | Simple Pendulum (7), SHM+General Waves (6 · 33% HARD). Bridges Sound and Light — same v=fλ machinery in a different setting. |
| Astronomy and Space | 4 | 0.9% | 0% | Astronomy and Space (4 — single subtopic). Pure recall: light year, parsec, black hole, largest planet. Easiest marks in the bank. |
| Energy Sources | 2 | 0.4% | 0% | Energy Sources (2 — single subtopic). Conventional vs non-conventional, bio-mass. Rare topic; don't over-invest. |
What’s inside
Six sections, each answering a different question a candidate walks in with. Read top-to-bottom or jump to what you need.
Strategy
Recall, Apply, Reason — the three skill strands and which chapters live where, with %HARD-aware drill orders.
Playbooks
14 playbooks — one per chapter. The dominant subtopic shape, the traps, and the formulas you need.
Formulas
Single-page index of the ~30 formulas NDA Physics actually tests. Symbols, units, and which chapters touch each.
Trends
How NDA Physics shifted 2017→2026 — Laws of Motion grew 3×, E&M tripled in 2022, the 2026 paper is 22× more HARD-dense than 2021.
Traps
Distractor shapes NDA Physics reuses — series-vs-parallel swap, sign-convention flip, dimensional mismatch, ratio inversion.
Why we built this
Most NDA Physics prep splits two ways: a coaching-class lecture sequence that doesn’t match the chapter weights, or a chapter-list-grind without strategy. We’ve done the third thing: pull every question, tag every subtopic, look at the patterns.
Every claim on this site is verifiable. Click any “Drill these N questions →” link and you’ll see the exact set we’re talking about.
Data snapshot: 18 May 2026. Numbers refresh as new papers land.