📊 MODULE 6 — PYQ ANALYSIS (2015–2024)
10 Years of Question Patterns Decoded
What gets asked, how often, at what difficulty, and how it's changing year by year. This is how you predict exam questions.
~8%
Avg CBSE weightage
from this chapter
from this chapter
2-3
NEET questions
per year avg.
per year avg.
1-2
JEE Main questions
per session
per session
1
JEE Advanced
per year (deep)
per year (deep)
CBSE Board — 10 Year Analysis
Topic-wise Frequency (CBSE 2015-2024)
CBSE Question Type Distribution
| Question Type | Marks | Expected per year |
|---|---|---|
| 1-mark MCQ (definition/concept) | 1 | 2-3 questions |
| 2-mark short answer | 2 | 1-2 questions |
| 3-mark numerical | 3 | 1 question |
| 5-mark long answer/derivation | 5 | 0-1 question |
| Case-based (4-5 marks) | 4-5 | 1 case (2015+) |
CBSE consistently tests: (1) State Newton's 3 Laws with examples, (2) One friction numerical (find acceleration or force), (3) One connected bodies problem (find tension). These three alone cover 70% of marks available from this chapter.
For CBSE boards: Write definitions in exact NCERT language. Use "action and reaction forces act on DIFFERENT bodies" word-for-word. Examiners have a marking key based on NCERT.
Repeated CBSE Question Patterns (Must Prepare):
PATTERN 1 — Almost every year
"Give two examples each of inertia of rest, inertia of motion, and inertia of direction." Worth 3 marks. Students who don't prepare this exactly lose marks on day 1 of boards.
PATTERN 2 — Every 2 years
"A block of mass M is pulled by force F on rough horizontal surface. Find acceleration and normal force." Template numerical. Appears with different angles of force alternately.
PATTERN 3 — Appears in case study
Box on truck scenario — whether box slips, friction direction, acceleration. Post-2021 this appears as case-based question worth 4-5 marks.
PATTERN 4 — Derivation
"Derive the equation of motion for Atwood's machine." or "Derive expression for acceleration and tension in string." Standard 5-mark derivation question that rotates every 2-3 years.
NEET — 10 Year Pattern Analysis
Topic Frequency in NEET (2015-2024)
NEET-Specific Question Types
- Given mass, force, friction coefficient → find acceleration
- Given Atwood machine masses → find tension or acceleration
- Given velocity and mass → find momentum or impulse
- Direct substitution in formula — these are 30-second questions
- "Which is the reaction to..." type
- "Friction is independent of..." type
- "In which case is weightlessness experienced?" type
- Inertia examples identification
- Combined Newton's Law + Kinematics
- Inclined plane with friction (2-step)
- Circular motion with force balance
- Banking of roads formula application
NEET-specific insight: 70% of Laws of Motion questions in NEET can be solved in under 60 seconds if you know the formula and FBD protocol cold. Time management = score in NEET.
High-Frequency NEET Question Topics (Solve These First):
| Topic | NEET Frequency | Difficulty | Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum friction force (static) | Very High | Easy | Formula: f = μN. Know N for incline = mg cosθ |
| Recoil velocity of gun | High | Easy | Conservation of momentum. Initial p = 0. |
| Centripetal force source identification | High | Medium | Memorize table: which scenario → which force provides centripetal |
| Apparent weight in lift | High | Medium | W_app = m(g±a). Direction of a determines ± |
| Impulse from F-t graph (area) | Medium | Medium | Impulse = Area under F-t graph |
| Minimum speed at top of vertical circle | High | Medium | v_min = √(gr) at top; v_min = √(5gr) at bottom |
JEE Main — Pattern & Difficulty Analysis
JEE Main Topic Frequency (2015-2024)
JEE Main Shifting Patterns
2015-2018: Formula-heavy
Direct application of Newton's Laws. Single FBD. One or two unknowns. 2-step calculation sufficient.
2019-2022: Mixed concepts
Combined Laws of Motion + Work-Energy. Friction + circular motion. Multiple body systems with variable parameters.
2023-2024: Concept + Calculation
Questions test conceptual clarity first, then calculation. Wrong concept selection = 0 marks. Numerical answer alone may get partial credit in integer type.
JEE Main 2024 trend: Laws of Motion questions are appearing as part of "integer type" (answer is a number, not MCQ). These require exact numerical answers — approximation fails.
JEE Advanced — Deep Analysis
What JEE Advanced Tests Differently
- Never tests just Laws of Motion alone
- Always combines with at least 1 other concept
- Often tests limiting cases (what happens when μ→0, m→∞)
- Multi-correct MCQ — partial marking for partial correctness
- Comprehension passages with 2-3 linked questions
- Non-inertial frames and pseudo forces
- Constraint relations in complex systems
JEE Advanced students who fail this chapter usually know the concepts but miss the constraint relations. When two bodies are connected by a string over a pulley, their accelerations are related by a constraint. Missing this = wrong equations from the start.
JEE Advanced Topic Pattern (2015-2024):
| Year | Topic Tested | Level |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Wedge + block + pulley system | Hard |
| 2023 | Non-inertial frame + pseudo force | Hard |
| 2022 | Variable friction on incline | Hard |
| 2021 | Rolling body on rough incline | Hard |
| 2020 | Multi-body pulley with rotation | Hard |
| 2019 | Constraint motion on wedge | Hard |
| 2018 | Friction in circular motion | Med |
| 2017 | Variable mass rocket problem | Hard |
| 2016 | Spring-block with friction | Med |
| 2015 | 3-body connected system | Med |
JEE Advanced pattern: Difficulty has been increasing year-on-year. 2015 questions look like JEE Main today. Prepare at the hardest level — it'll make everything below feel easier.
Complete Weightage Table
| Topic | CBSE | NEET | JEE Main | JEE Adv | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newton's 1st Law (Inertia) | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐ | Must Do |
| Newton's 2nd Law (F=ma) | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | Must Do |
| Newton's 3rd Law (A-R pairs) | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | Must Do |
| Free Body Diagrams | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | Must Do |
| Friction (static + kinetic) | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | Must Do |
| Impulse-Momentum Theorem | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | High |
| Conservation of Momentum | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | Must Do |
| Atwood Machine | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐ | High |
| Inclined Plane (with friction) | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | Must Do |
| Circular Motion + Forces | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | High |
| Banking of Roads | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐ | Medium |
| Non-Inertial Frames / Pseudo Force | ⭐ | ⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | JEE Advanced |
| Variable Mass (Rocket) | ⭐ | ⭐ | ⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | JEE Advanced |
| Constraint Relations | ⭐ | ⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | JEE Advanced |
⭐ = Low frequency | ⭐⭐ = Medium | ⭐⭐⭐ = High frequency