The IIT JAM Physics Syllabus 2025 has been released by IIT Delhi, the examination conducting authority for IIT JAM. The IIT JAM Physics Syllabus 2025 covers topics such as Mathematical Methods, Mechanics and General Properties of Matter, Oscillations, Waves and Optics, Electricity and Magnetism, Kinetic Theory, Thermodynamics, Modern Physics and Solid State Physics, Instruments, and Electronics.
IIT JAM 2025 exam will be held on February 2, 2025, at 115 exam centers across the nation. Aspiring candidates for the IIT JAM 2025 exam should start their IIT JAM 2025 preparation soon to ace the examination and get a seat in their desired IITs.
To be eligible to be accepted into the IIT JAM MSc Physics program, students should start their preparation according to the Physics syllabus provided below. Candidates need to go through all the units of the syllabus carefully before appearing in the examination. Analyzing the syllabus and exam pattern helps the candidate not only to build a solid base on the topics but also to develop a constructive idea on each topic from every section of the syllabus.
Table of Contents
- IIT JAM Previous Year Question Paper and Answer Key
- What is the IIT JAM 2025 Physics Exam Pattern?
- IIT JAM Physics Syllabus Important Topics
3.1 Important Sections of IIT JAM Physics Syllabus
3.2 IIT JAM Physics Syllabus Important Topics Weightage
- IIT JAM Physics Syllabus Marks Distribution
4.1 IIT JAM Physics Syllabus Number of Questions
- What is the IIT JAM Physics Syllabus?
- One Month Preparation Strategy for IIT JAM Physics
- Important Instructions for IIT JAM
- IIT JAM Physics Books 2024
IIT JAM Previous Year Question Paper and Answer Key
| Particulars | Links |
|---|---|
| IIT JAM 2024 Question Paper | Check Here |
| IIT JAM Question Paper 2023 | Check Here |
| IIT JAM Question Paper 2022 and Answer Key | Check Here |
| IIT JAM Question Paper and Answer Key 2021 | Check Here |
| IIT JAM Question Paper and Answer Key 2020 | Check Here |
| IIT JAM Question Paper and Answer Key 2019 | Check Here |
What is the IIT JAM 2025 Physics Exam Pattern?
The IIT JAM Physics exam has a duration of three hours. In the exam, candidates need to attempt 60 questions which were of 100 marks weightage. These 60 questions are divided into three sections – A, B, and C.
| Section | Type of Questions | No of Question |
|---|---|---|
| A | Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)Each question has four choices with one correct answer. | 30 |
| B | Multiple Select Questions (MSQs)Each question has four choices with one or more correct answers. | 10 |
| C | Numerical Answer Type (NAT)The answer for each question is a signed real number that needs to be entered using the virtual numeric keypad on the monitor. No choices will be shown for these questions. | 20 |
| Total | 60 | |
Also Check:
IIT JAM Physics Syllabus Important Topics
| Topics | Subtopics | Weightage (Approx.) | Insights from Previous Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematical Methods | Vector calculus, Fourier series, matrices, ODEs, PDEs, probability, and statistics | 10-15% | Frequently tested in combination with mechanics and EM topics. |
| Mechanics and General Properties of Matter | Newtonian mechanics, kinematics, conservation laws, fluid dynamics, gravitation, and elasticity | 10-15% | Emphasis on conservation laws and gravitation. |
| Oscillations, Waves, and Optics | Simple harmonic motion, wave equation, superposition principle, and interference & diffraction | 12-15% | Numerical problems on SHM and wave superposition are frequent. |
| Electricity and Magnetism | Electrostatics, current electricity, magnetostatics, EM waves, and Maxwell's equations | 20-22% | High weightage; problems on EM waves and Gauss's law are common. |
| Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics | Laws of thermodynamics, kinetic theory, microcanonical ensembles, and statistical distributions | 10-12% | Questions based on concepts of entropy and ensembles often appear. |
| Modern Physics | Quantum mechanics, Bohr model, Schrödinger equation, and atomic & nuclear physics | 20-25% | Most important topic; quantum mechanics questions are predominant. |
| Solid State Physics, Devices, and Electronics | Crystal structures, energy bands, semiconductors, diodes, and logic gates | 10-12% | Questions on semiconductors and logic gates are direct and formula-based. |
| Optics and Quantum Optics | Interference, diffraction, lasers, and holography | 5-8% | Minor weightage but scoring. |
| Experimental Physics | Error analysis, measurement techniques, and data interpretation | 5-7% | Straightforward but conceptual; error analysis questions are frequent. |
Important Sections of IIT JAM Physics Syllabus
| Chapter Name | Topics |
|---|---|
| Mathematical Methods | Vector Algebra | Vector Calculus | Calculus of single and multiple variables | Multiple Integrals |Divergence Theorem |
| Mechanics and General Properties of Matter | Gravitational Law and field | Kinematics of moving fluids | Newton's laws of motion and applications | Motion | Velocity and acceleration |
| Oscillations, Waves and Optics | Lissajous figures | Differential equation for simple harmonic oscillator and its general solution |Damped and forced oscillators, resonance | Superposition of two or more simple harmonic oscillators |Wave equation, traveling and standing waves in one dimension |
| Electricity and Magnetism | Mean free path | Specific heat of mono-, di-, and triatomic gases | Velocity distribution and equipartition of energy | Ideal gas, van-der-Waals gas, and equation of state | Elements of Kinetic theory of gases |
| Kinetic Theory, Thermodynamics: | Mean free path | Specific heat of mono-, di-, and triatomic gases | Velocity distribution and equipartition of energy | Ideal gas, van-der-Waals gas, and equation of state | Elements of Kinetic theory of gases |
| Modern Physics | Lorentz transformations, length contraction, time dilation | Inertial frames and Galilean invariance | Postulates of special relativity | Relativistic velocity addition theorem, mass-energy equivalence | Radioactivity and its applications |
| Solid State Physics, Devices and Electronics | Miller indices | Crystal structure, Bravais lattices, and basis | Intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors |Simple Oscillators | X-ray diffraction and Bragg's law |
Check:
IIT JAM Previous Year Question Papers
IIT JAM Physics Syllabus Important Topics Weightage
Candidates can go through important topics that they should study to score well in the IIT JAM exam in the table mentioned below:
| Topic | Weightage |
|---|---|
| Oscillation and wave optics | 9-10 |
| Modern Physics | 6-7 |
| Mathematical Physics | 7-10 |
| Electricity and Magnetism | 10-11 |
| Solid state, Devices and Elements | 10-12 |
| Mechanics and General Properties of Matter | 12-15 |
| Kinematic | 10-12 |
IIT JAM Physics Syllabus Marks Distribution
| Section | Total number of Questions | Number of Marks per Question | Total Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section A | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| 20 | 2 | 40 | |
| Section B | 10 | 2 | 20 |
| Section C | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| 10 | 2 | 20 |
IIT JAM Physics Syllabus Number of Questions
| Topics | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 5-Year Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematical Methods | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4.4 |
| Mechanics and General Properties of Matter | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4.6 |
| Oscillations, Waves, and Optics | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3.6 |
| Electricity and Magnetism | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8.8 |
| Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4.4 |
| Modern Physics | 10 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 9.2 |
| Solid State Physics, Devices, and Electronics | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3.4 |
| Optics and Quantum Optics | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2.2 |
| Experimental Physics | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4.0 |
| Total Questions | 45 | 45 | 45 | 45 | 45 | 45 |
What is the IIT JAM Physics Syllabus?
| Chapter Name | Topics |
|---|---|
| Mathematical Methods | Calculus of single and multiple variables, partial derivatives, Jacobian, imperfect and perfect differentials, Taylor expansion, Fourier series. Vector algebra, VectorCalculus, Multiple integrals, Divergence theorem, Green’s theorem, Stokes’ theorem. First order equations and linear second order differential equations with constant coefficients. Matrices and determinants, Algebra of complex numbers. |
| Mechanics and General Properties of Matter | Newton’s laws of motion and applications, Velocityand acceleration in Cartesian, polar and cylindrical coordinate systems, uniformly rotating frame, centrifugal and Coriolis forces, Motion under a central force, Kepler’s laws, Gravitational Law and field, Conservative and non-conservative forces. System of particles, Center of mass, equation of motion of the CM, conservation of linear and angular momentum, conservation of energy, variable mass systems. Elastic and inelastic collisions. Rigid body motion, fixed axis rotations, rotation andtranslation, moments of Inertia and products of Inertia, parallel and perpendicular axes theorem. Principal moments and axes. Kinematics of moving fluids, equation of continuity, Euler’s equation, Bernoulli’s theorem. |
| Oscillations, Waves and Optics | Differential equation for simple harmonic oscillator and itsgeneral solution. Superposition of two or more simple harmonic oscillators. Lissajous figures.Damped and forced oscillators, resonance. Wave equation, traveling and standing waves in onedimension. Energy density and energy transmission in waves. Group velocity and phase velocity.Sound waves in media. Doppler Effect. Fermat’s Principle. General theory of image formation.Thick lens, thin lens and lens combinations. Interference of light, optical path retardation.Fraunhofer diffraction. Rayleigh criterion and resolving power. Diffraction gratings. Polarization: Linear, circular and elliptic polarization. Double refraction and optical rotation. |
| Electricity and Magnetism | Coulomb’s law, Gauss’s law. Electric field and potential. Electrostatic boundary conditions, Solution of Laplace’s equation for simple cases. Conductors, capacitors, dielectrics, dielectric polarization, volume and surface charges, electrostatic energy. Biot-Savart law, Ampere’s law, Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction, Self and mutual inductance. Alternating currents. Simple DC and AC circuits with R, L and C components. Displacement current, Maxwell’s equations and plane electromagnetic waves, Poynting’s theorem, reflection and refraction at a dielectric interface, transmission and reflection coefficients (normal incidence only). Lorentz Force and motion of charged particles in electric and magnetic fields. |
| Kinetic Theory, Thermodynamics: | Elements of Kinetic theory of gases. Velocity distribution and Equipartition of energy. Specific heat of Mono-, di- and tri-atomic gases. Ideal gas, van-der-Waals gas and equation of state. Mean free path. Laws of thermodynamics. Zeroth law and concept of thermal equilibrium. First law and its consequences. Isothermal and adiabatic processes. Reversible, irreversible and quasi-static processes. Second law and entropy. Carnot cycle. Maxwell’s thermodynamic relations and simple applications. Thermodynamic potentials and their applications. Phase transitions and Clausius-Clapeyron equation. Ideas of ensembles, MaxwellBoltzmann, Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein distributions. |
| Modern Physics | Inertial frames and Galilean invariance. Postulates of special relativity. Lorentz transformations. Length contraction, time dilation. Relativistic velocity addition theorem, mass-energy equivalence. Blackbody radiation, photoelectric effect, Compton effect, Bohr’s atomic model, X-rays. Wave-particle duality, Uncertainty principle, the superposition principle, calculation of expectation values, Schrödinger equation and its solution for one, two and three-dimensional boxes. Solution of Schrödinger equation for the one-dimensional harmonic oscillator. Reflection and transmission at a step potential, Pauli exclusion principle. Structure of atomic nucleus, mass and binding energy. Radioactivity and its applications. Laws of radioactive decay. |
| Solid State Physics, Devices and Electronics | Crystal structure, Bravais lattices and basis. Miller indices. X-ray diffraction and Bragg's law; Intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors, variation of resistivity with temperature. Fermi level. p-n junction diode, I-V characteristics, Zener diode and itsapplications, BJT: characteristics in CB, CE, CC modes. Single stage amplifier, two stage R-C coupled amplifiers. Simple Oscillators: Barkhausen condition, sinusoidal oscillators. OPAMP and applications: Inverting and non-inverting amplifier. Boolean algebra: Binary number systems; conversion from one system to another system; binary addition and subtraction. Logic Gates AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR exclusive OR; Truth tables; a combination of gates; de Morgan’s theorem. |
One Month Preparation Strategy for IIT JAM Physics
You can follow the below-provided study plan for one month or you can also make your personalized study plan for IIT JAM Physics syllabus. However, making a study table and following that strictly will help you improve your scores.
| Day | Topics to Cover | Study Hours | Tasks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1-3 | Classical Mechanics | 6-7 hours | Review concepts: Newton’s laws, Lagrangian, Hamiltonian mechanics. Solve 40-50 problems daily. |
| Day 4-6 | Mathematical Physics | 6-7 hours | Focus on vector calculus, matrices, Fourier series, and differential equations. Practice derivations and numerical problems. |
| Day 7-9 | Electricity & Magnetism | 6-7 hours | Study Gauss's law, Ampere’s law, Faraday's law, Maxwell's equations. Solve numerical problems. |
| Day 10-12 | Thermodynamics & Statistical Physics | 6-7 hours | Cover laws of thermodynamics, Carnot cycle, and Boltzmann distribution. Attempt problem sets. |
| Day 13-15 | Quantum Mechanics | 6-7 hours | Study Schrödinger’s equation, uncertainty principle, and wave functions. Solve practice problems and mock tests. |
| Day 16-18 | Solid State Physics, Electronics, & Devices | 6-7 hours | Focus on crystal structures, energy bands, semiconductors, and diodes. Solve numerical questions. |
| Day 19-21 | Optics & Modern Physics | 6-7 hours | Cover interference, diffraction, photoelectric effect, and nuclear physics concepts. |
| Day 22-23 | Revision: Classical Mechanics & E&M | 6-7 hours | Revise concepts, formulas, and problem-solving methods. |
| Day 24-25 | Revision: Quantum Mechanics & Thermodynamics | 6-7 hours | Solve previous years’ questions and focus on weak areas. |
| Day 26 | Full-Length Mock Test 1 | 6 hours | Take a timed test. Analyze and revise mistakes. |
| Day 27 | Full-Length Mock Test 2 | 6 hours | Review time management and difficult topics. |
| Day 28 | Formula Revision + Short Notes | 5-6 hours | Go through formulas, key derivations, and cheat sheets. Focus on revision. |
| Day 29 | Solve PYQs (5 Years) | 6 hours | Practice previous years’ IIT JAM papers under timed conditions. |
| Day 30 | Light Revision + Relax | 4-5 hours | Revise important formulas lightly. Relax and prepare mentally. |
Important Instructions for IIT JAM
You need to keep a few points in mind before appearing for the IIT JAM Physics exam. They are:
- There is a provision for using an online virtual calculator. The candidates, therefore, should not bring any calculator with them.
- Mobile phones and any other electronic devices are strictly prohibited inside the examination hall. Charts, graph sheets, and tables are also NOT allowed inside the examination hall.
- A scribble pad will be provided for rough work. The candidate has to write his/her name and registration number before using it.
- The answers to NAT questions can be entered using a mouse on a virtual numeric keypad (the keyboard of the computer will be disabled).
- The examination will end automatically after the stipulated time. The candidates have to be careful and submit their answers before the end of the examination.
IIT JAM Physics Books 2024
| Book Name | Author/ Publisher |
|---|---|
| IIT JAM Physics Solved Papers & Practice Set | Atique Hasan |
| IIT JAM Theory & Practice Book | Sushil K Tomar |
| IIT JAM Theory & Practice A Comprehensive Book | Sushil K Tomar |
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College.
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