JEE Main · Chemistry · 2017–2026
JEE Main Chemistry: chapter-wise weightage
All 3,092 Chemistry questions from the 108 JEE Main shifts Lumi analysed, by chapter, unit and topic. Which chapters carry the marks, how the questions have changed, and what is rising.
- Questions analysed
- 3,092
- 108 shifts, 2017–2026
- Chapters in the syllabus
- 21
- 9 not in the 2026 syllabus
- Chapters for half the questions
- 9
- ranked by share
- From Class 12
- 58%
- 2026: 58%
- Easy
- 41%
- hard: 6.0%
- Numerical answer
- 30%
- 2026: 20%
- Calculation or multi-step
- 37%
- 2026: 48%
- Use a figure
- 22%
- 2026: 19%
Key findings · JEE Main Chemistry
- 1
9 of the 21 Chemistry chapters in the 2026 syllabus carry half its questions. The top five hold 34%: Organic Chemistry: Some Basic Principles and Techniques; Coordination Compounds; Haloalkanes and Haloarenes; Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids; The p-Block Elements.
- 2
Organic Chemistry: Some Basic Principles and Techniques has risen most: 2.4 questions a shift since 2024, up from 1.1 before (out of 25).
- 3
The p-Block Elements has fallen most: 1.1 a shift since 2024, down from 1.3.
- 4
29% of Chemistry questions in the 2026 shifts were easy, against 41% of all 3,092 analysed.
- 5
20% of Chemistry questions in 2026 had a numerical answer, against 30% of all 3,092 analysed.
- 6
16 Chemistry topics were asked in all eight years Lumi analysed, led by d-Block Elements, Colligative Properties, Alkenes and Alkynes.
Chapter weightage
Every Chemistry chapter, ranked
Share is the chapter’s average share of the Chemistry questions, year by year. “A shift” counts are scaled to the 25 questions a subject has in a shift. “Weighted est.” is a model: recent years count more. A guide to effort, not a forecast.
- 1Organic Chemistry: Some Basic Principles and Techniques2.1Class 11 · 6.5% share · 207 questions+1.3
- 2Coordination Compounds1.9Class 12 · 6.4% share · 191 questions+0.4
- 3Haloalkanes and Haloarenes1.5Class 12 · 5.9% share · 141 questions0.0
- 4Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids1.4Class 12 · 5.6% share · 159 questions-0.1
- 5The d- and f-Block Elements1.4Class 12 · 4.6% share · 153 questions+0.6
- 6Amines1.4Class 12 · 4.3% share · 152 questions+0.4
- 7Equilibrium1.3Class 11 · 4.3% share · 127 questions0.2
- 8Solutions1.3Class 12 · 4.2% share · 124 questions+0.3
- 9The p-Block Elements1.3Class 12 · 4.7% share · 146 questions-0.2
- 10Biomolecules1.2Class 12 · 4.1% share · 122 questions+0.3
- 11Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure1.2Class 11 · 4.3% share · 142 questions+0.3
- 12Thermodynamics (Chemistry)1.2Class 11 · 4.2% share · 112 questions0.2
- 13Chemical Kinetics1.2Class 12 · 3.9% share · 115 questions+0.3
- 14Structure of Atom1.2Class 11 · 4.2% share · 115 questions0.1
- 15Some Basic Concepts of Chemistry1.1Class 11 · 3.9% share · 116 questions0.2
- 16Electrochemistry1.1Class 12 · 3.8% share · 115 questions0.2
- 17Classification of Elements and Periodicity in Properties1.0Class 11 · 3.5% share · 98 questions0.3
- 18Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers0.9Class 12 · 3.1% share · 110 questions0.1
- 19Hydrocarbons0.8Class 11 · 3.0% share · 94 questions0.0
- 20Redox Reactions0.4Class 11 · 1.3% share · 49 questions0.0
- 21Practical Chemistry (Qualitative Analysis)0.1Class 11 · 0.2% share · 9 questions0.0
Right: weighted estimate (model, of 25 a shift), and the change since 2024.
Not in NTA's 2026 syllabus: The s-Block Elements (71), General Principles and Processes of Isolation of Elements (70), Surface Chemistry (68), Environmental Chemistry (61), Hydrogen (61), Chemistry in Everyday Life (46), Polymers (46), States of Matter (36), The Solid State (36). Their questions here come from older shifts.
Drill down
Chapter, topic, idea, question
Every Chemistry chapter, opened all the way down: its topics, the ideas inside them, and every question, each linked to its shift.
Squares are the 8 years with analysed shifts, 2017 to 2026. A number is the questions that year when there is more than one; the shade is scaled to one shift, so a year with more analysed shifts (1 to 24 a year) does not look darker. Share is of the level above.
Year by year
Every chapter in every year
Questions a shift for each chapter in the 2026 syllabus, year by year, scaled to the 25 questions a subject has in a shift. Highest weighted estimate first; the total is the raw count across all 108 shifts.
- Organic Chemistry: Some Basic Principles and Techniques · 207 questions0.811.31.612.72.81.8
- Coordination Compounds · 191 questions0.82.11.21.121.82.31.6
- Haloalkanes and Haloarenes · 141 questions3.31.30.80.71.31.81.31.3
- Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids · 159 questions2.51.11.51.20.81.51.41.2
- The d- and f-Block Elements · 153 questions0.80.81.31.10.61.91.41.4
- Amines · 152 questions0.71.611.31.11.41.6
- Equilibrium · 127 questions0.81.210.910.81.11.7
- Solutions · 124 questions0.810.90.9111.61.2
- The p-Block Elements · 146 questions1.70.81.11.51.31.10.81.3
- Biomolecules · 122 questions0.80.910.90.90.81.41.4
- Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure · 142 questions0.81.10.9111.910.9
- Thermodynamics (Chemistry) · 112 questions1.70.70.70.810.91.31.4
- Chemical Kinetics · 115 questions0.80.90.90.90.80.91.41.3
- Structure of Atom · 115 questions1.70.80.90.90.90.91.11.3
- Some Basic Concepts of Chemistry · 116 questions0.81.10.90.90.80.81.41.1
- Electrochemistry · 115 questions0.810.70.90.91.21.30.9
- Classification of Elements and Periodicity in Properties · 98 questions0.81.20.60.60.611.11
- Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers · 110 questions1.20.80.90.810.51
- Hydrocarbons · 94 questions0.81.10.80.80.30.90.50.9
- Redox Reactions · 49 questions0.30.30.30.70.60.3
- Practical Chemistry (Qualitative Analysis) · 9 questions0.030.070.10.10.1
| Chapter | 2017 | ’20 | 2021 | ’22 | 2023 | ’24 | 2025 | ’26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organic Chemistry: Some Basic Principles and Techniques207 questions | 0.8 | 1 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 1.8 |
| Coordination Compounds191 questions | 0.8 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 2 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Haloalkanes and Haloarenes141 questions | 3.3 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids159 questions | 2.5 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.2 |
| The d- and f-Block Elements153 questions | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| Amines152 questions | · | 0.7 | 1.6 | 1 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Equilibrium127 questions | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1 | 0.9 | 1 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.7 |
| Solutions124 questions | 0.8 | 1 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1 | 1 | 1.6 | 1.2 |
| The p-Block Elements146 questions | 1.7 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 1.3 |
| Biomolecules122 questions | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure142 questions | 0.8 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 1 | 1 | 1.9 | 1 | 0.9 |
| Thermodynamics (Chemistry)112 questions | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 1.4 |
| Chemical Kinetics115 questions | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| Structure of Atom115 questions | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.3 |
| Some Basic Concepts of Chemistry116 questions | 0.8 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 1.1 |
| Electrochemistry115 questions | 0.8 | 1 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| Classification of Elements and Periodicity in Properties98 questions | 0.8 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1 | 1.1 | 1 |
| Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers110 questions | · | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Hydrocarbons94 questions | 0.8 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.9 |
| Redox Reactions49 questions | · | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.6 | · | 0.3 |
| Practical Chemistry (Qualitative Analysis)9 questions | · | · | 0.03 | 0.07 | 0.1 | 0.1 | · | 0.1 |
Units
Units, ranked
Chapters in the 2026 syllabus grouped into Chemistry units, by the unit most of their topics belong to. Share is the unit’s average share of the Chemistry questions, year by year.
Chemistry units
AVERAGE SHARE- Organic Chemistry · 7 chapters · ~9.3 a shift (est.)38%
- Inorganic Chemistry · 6 chapters · ~8.1 a shift (est.)32%
- Physical Chemistry · 7 chapters · ~7.5 a shift (est.)30%
- Practical Chemistry (Qualitative Analysis) · 1 chapter · ~0.1 a shift (est.)0%
Trend
Rising and falling chapters
Change in questions a shift (of 25): 2024–26 against 2017–23, for chapters in the 2026 syllabus. A move under half a question in a small chapter is noise.
Rising
- Organic Chemistry: Some Basic Principles and Techniques+1.31.1 → 2.4 a shift · slope +0.19 a year
- The d- and f-Block Elements+0.60.9 → 1.6 a shift · slope +0.08 a year
- Amines+0.40.9 → 1.4 a shift · slope +0.15 a year
- Coordination Compounds+0.41.4 → 1.9 a shift · slope +0.10 a year
- Chemical Kinetics+0.30.8 → 1.2 a shift · slope +0.05 a year
- Solutions+0.30.9 → 1.3 a shift · slope +0.06 a year
- Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure+0.31.0 → 1.3 a shift · slope +0.03 a year
- Biomolecules+0.30.9 → 1.2 a shift · slope +0.06 a year
Falling
- The p-Block Elements−0.21.3 → 1.1 a shift · slope -0.04 a year
- Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids−0.11.4 → 1.4 a shift · slope -0.10 a year
- Haloalkanes and Haloarenes−0.01.5 → 1.4 a shift · slope -0.15 a year
Shape of the questions
How Chemistry questions have changed
Class balance, difficulty, the work asked and the question format in each year's analysed shifts, as shares of that year. Tap a year to open it.
Class 11 and Class 12
Difficulty
What the questions ask you to do
Question format
Multiple choice and numerical value
The two halves of Chemistry
Since 2020, every Chemistry section has had numerical-value questions alongside the multiple-choice ones. How the split moved by year, and which chapters bring the numericals.
Questions by type, by year
By chapter, all shifts
- Organic Chemistry: Some Basic Principles and TechniquesMultiple choice 155 · Numerical 5215552
- Coordination CompoundsMultiple choice 134 · Numerical 5713457
- Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic AcidsMultiple choice 140 · Numerical 19140
- The d- and f-Block ElementsMultiple choice 115 · Numerical 3811538
- AminesMultiple choice 129 · Numerical 2312923
- The p-Block ElementsMultiple choice 127 · Numerical 1912719
- Chemical Bonding and Molecular StructureMultiple choice 97 · Numerical 459745
- Haloalkanes and HaloarenesMultiple choice 117 · Numerical 2411724
- EquilibriumMultiple choice 66 · Numerical 616661
- SolutionsMultiple choice 45 · Numerical 794579
- BiomoleculesMultiple choice 103 · Numerical 1910319
- Some Basic Concepts of ChemistryMultiple choice 51 · Numerical 655165
- Chemical KineticsMultiple choice 34 · Numerical 813481
- Structure of AtomMultiple choice 63 · Numerical 526352
- ElectrochemistryMultiple choice 47 · Numerical 684768
- Thermodynamics (Chemistry)Multiple choice 34 · Numerical 783478
- Alcohols, Phenols and EthersMultiple choice 96 · Numerical 149614
- Classification of Elements and Periodicity in PropertiesMultiple choice 93 · Numerical 593
- HydrocarbonsMultiple choice 72 · Numerical 227222
- Redox ReactionsMultiple choice 23 · Numerical 262326
- Practical Chemistry (Qualitative Analysis)Multiple choice 8 · Numerical 18
Topics
Chemistry topics asked most
The 20 Chemistry topics with the most questions across the 108 shifts. A filled dot is a year the topic was asked.
The d- and f-Block Elements
Coordination Compounds
Classification of Elements and Periodicity in Properties
Solutions
Hydrocarbons
- Amines82
Amines
Some Basic Concepts of Chemistry
Some Basic Concepts of Chemistry
Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure
Haloalkanes and Haloarenes
Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers
The s-Block Elements
Thermodynamics (Chemistry)
Hydrogen
Environmental Chemistry
Electrochemistry
Structure of Atom
Biomolecules
Chemical Kinetics
General Principles and Processes of Isolation of Elements
“A shift” is the topic’s average questions a shift across the eight years, scaled to the 25 questions a subject has in a shift.
Repeats
Chemistry ideas asked more than once
An idea is the specific result or method a question tests. 528 of the 966 Chemistry ideas came in two or more shifts, and 478 in two or more years.
- High and Low Spin States · Coordination Compounds34 times
- Spin-only Magnetic Moment · Coordination Compounds28 times
- Spin-only Magnetism · The d- and f-Block Elements23 times
- Freezing Point Depression · Solutions16 times
- Molarity Calculation · Some Basic Concepts of Chemistry16 times
- Reductive Ozonolysis Products · Hydrocarbons16 times
- Ionization Enthalpy Trends · Classification of Elements and Periodicity in Properties14 times
- Steric Number Calculation · Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure14 times
- Boiling Point Elevation · Solutions13 times
- First Order Integrated Rate Law · Chemical Kinetics13 times
- Hinsberg Test · Amines13 times
- Markovnikov's Rule Application · Hydrocarbons13 times
- High and Low Spin States · Coordination Compounds7 years
- Spin-only Magnetic Moment · Coordination Compounds7 years
- Reductive Ozonolysis Products · Hydrocarbons7 years
- Standard Cell Potential · Electrochemistry7 years
- Relative Lowering of VP · Solutions7 years
- Precipitation Tests for Ionization Isomers · Coordination Compounds7 years
- Spin-only Magnetism · The d- and f-Block Elements6 years
- Ionization Enthalpy Trends · Classification of Elements and Periodicity in Properties6 years
- Steric Number Calculation · Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure6 years
- Boiling Point Elevation · Solutions6 years
- First Order Integrated Rate Law · Chemical Kinetics6 years
- Markovnikov's Rule Application · Hydrocarbons6 years
Papers