JEE Main · Physics · Thermal Properties of Matter
Calorimetry: JEE Main previous year questions
20 questions in the 108 JEE Main shifts Lumi analysed, in 7 of 8 years. Pattern: Asked most years. 5 came in 2024–26. Here is how it is asked and which ideas come back.
- Questions
- 20
- in 20 of 108 shifts
- Years asked
- 7/8
- last asked 2026
- Weighted estimate
- 0.2
- model; history: 0.2 a shift on average, typically 0.1–0.3
Key findings
- 01
Asked in 7 of 8 years with analysed shifts and in 20 of 108 shifts: 20 questions, #143 of 196 topics. The years that asked it were 1.5 apart on average.
- 02
63% of its questions since 2020 tested an idea no earlier year had asked; 4 repeated an idea from the year before.
- 03
The most repeated idea is Latent Heat and Phase Change, asked 4 times in 4 shifts (2020, 2021, 2022), most often as “maximum ice melted by hot block”.
- 04
JEE Main has asked 12 of the 56 ideas in this topic; 42 have never been asked, directly or inside another question.
- 05
Mostly asked as single correct (65%); 30% need a numerical answer, 60% are easy and 0% hard.
- 06
The skill tested most is calculation (75%), then data or graph (10%).
Questions a shift, year by year
Out of the 25 Physics questions in a shift. Years differ in how many shifts Lumi analysed, so each year is scaled to one shift.
Raw count: 2017: 1 in 1 shift · 2020: 4 in 12 shifts · 2021: 4 in 24 shifts · 2022: 6 in 24 shifts · 2023: 0 in 12 shifts · 2024: 2 in 18 shifts · 2025: 2 in 8 shifts · 2026: 1 in 9 shifts.
- Up to 2023
- 0.3
- a shift, of 25
- Since 2024
- 0.1
- -0.1
- Usual gap
- 1.5 yrs
- between years asking it
- Shifts with it
- 20/108
- 19% of analysed shifts
How it is asked
Difficulty, format and skill
Across all 20 questions on Calorimetry since 2017.
Difficulty
QUESTIONS- Easy12 · 60%
- Medium8 · 40%
- Hard0 · 0%
Format
SHARE- Single correct · 13 Q65%
- Numerical value · 6 Q30%
- Diagram based · 1 Q5%
Skill tested
SHARE- Calculation · 15 Q75%
- Data or graph · 2 Q10%
- Multi-step · 2 Q10%
- Conceptual · 1 Q5%
Repeats
New idea, or one asked before?
Each column is a year. Blue questions tested an idea no earlier year had asked; navy ones went back to an idea from an earlier year. 2017 is the first year, so everything in it counts as new. Heights are question counts, and Lumi analysed 1 to 24 shifts a year, so compare the split inside a column rather than heights across years.
- Idea asked for the first time
- Idea asked in an earlier year
Coverage of the topic
JEE Main has asked 12 of the 56 ideas in this topic. 42 have never been asked yet.
- Asked directly12 · 21%
- Touched inside another question2 · 4%
- Never asked42 · 75%
Ideas come from Lumi’s JEE syllabus map. A never-asked idea is not a safe skip: across all of JEE Main, 22% of questions since 2024 tested an idea no earlier year had asked.
Drill down
Chapter, idea, question
Every idea JEE Main tested in this topic, with its eight years. Open one to read the questions.
11 ideas inside
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.
Ideas
Every idea inside this topic
12 different ideas were tested; 4 came more than once.
maximum ice melted by hot block
Numerical value · 4 shifts · 2 numericaltemperature rise from falling water
Single correct · 3 shiftsfuel burn rate from heat required
Single correct · 3 shifts · 1 numericalidentify heating curve for phase changes
Diagram based · 2 shiftsmass split between cooling and evaporation
Numerical value · 1 shift · 1 numericaltrue statement selection on melting of ice
Single correct · 1 shifttemperature change on different scale
Single correct · 1 shiftinitial speed of bullet from melting
Single correct · 1 shiftmass of ice melted in mixing
Numerical value · 1 shift · 1 numericalmass of steam from calorimeter mixing
Single correct · 1 shiftmixing temperature from table of mixtures
Numerical value · 1 shift · 1 numericalinitial temperature in calorimetry
Single correct · 1 shift
| Idea | Years asked | Times | Shifts | Format | Numerical |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latent Heat and Phase Changemaximum ice melted by hot block | 4 | 4 | Numerical valueCalculation | 2 | |
| Mechanical Equivalent of Heattemperature rise from falling water | 3 | 3 | Single correctCalculation | – | |
| Specific Heat Capacityfuel burn rate from heat required | 3 | 3 | Single correctCalculation | 1 | |
| Heating and Cooling Curvesidentify heating curve for phase changes | 2 | 2 | Diagram basedData or graph | – | |
| Evaporative Cooling Fractionmass split between cooling and evaporation | 1 | 1 | Numerical valueCalculation | 1 | |
| Volume Change on Meltingtrue statement selection on melting of ice | 1 | 1 | Single correctConceptual | – | |
| Specific Heat Temperature Scale Conversiontemperature change on different scale | 1 | 1 | Single correctCalculation | – | |
| Bullet Impact Meltinginitial speed of bullet from melting | 1 | 1 | Single correctCalculation | – | |
| Ice-Water Equilibrium Trapmass of ice melted in mixing | 1 | 1 | Numerical valueCalculation | 1 | |
| Steam Injection Phase Dynamicsmass of steam from calorimeter mixing | 1 | 1 | Single correctCalculation | – | |
| Three-Liquid Mixingmixing temperature from table of mixtures | 1 | 1 | Numerical valueMulti-step | 1 | |
| Water Equivalentinitial temperature in calorimetry | 1 | 1 | Single correctCalculation | – |
Times and shifts count every analysed shift. Across JEE Main, 78% of questions since 2024 went back to an idea an earlier year had asked; the rest were new. All repeated ideas
Every question
Calorimetry questions, year by year
The opening words of each question as it appeared in the official paper, with the idea it tested. Open one for its options and the official answer.
JEE Main 20261 question in 1 shift
- 5 Apr, Shift 2Q47The heat extracted out of gram of water initially at 50 C to cool it down to 0 C is sufficient to evaporate …
Idea: Evaporative Cooling Fraction
New ideaMediumNumerical value
JEE Main 20252 questions in 2 shifts
- 3 Apr, Shift 1Q33During the melting of a slab of ice at 273 K at atmospheric pressure:
Idea: Volume Change on Melting
New ideaMediumSingle correct - 8 Apr, Shift 2Q32Water falls from a height of 200 m into a pool. Calculate the rise in temperature of the water assuming no heat dissipation from the water…
Idea: Mechanical Equivalent of Heat
EasySingle correct
JEE Main 20242 questions in 2 shifts
- 4 Apr, Shift 1Q38On celcius scale the temperature of body increases by C. The increase in temperature on Fahrenheit scale is :
Idea: Specific Heat Temperature Scale Conversion
New ideaEasySingle correct - 30 Jan, Shift 2Q37A block of ice at is slowly heated and converted to steam at . Which of the following curves represent the…
Idea: Heating and Cooling Curves
EasyDiagram based · figure
JEE Main 20226 questions in 6 shifts
- 25 Jul, Shift 2Q53A block of ice of mass 120 g at temperature 0°C is put in 300 g of water at 25°C. The g of ice melts as the temperature of the water…
Idea: Ice-Water Equilibrium Trap
New ideaEasyNumerical value - 24 Jun, Shift 2Q44A 100 g of iron nail is hit by a 1.5 kg hammer striking at a velocity of 60 . What will be the rise in the temperature of the…
Idea: Mechanical Equivalent of Heat
EasySingle correct - 25 Jun, Shift 1Q54A steam engine intakes 50 g of steam at C per minute and cools it down to C. If latent heat of vaporization of steam…
Idea: Latent Heat and Phase Change
Asked the year beforeEasyNumerical value - 25 Jun, Shift 2Q35A copper block of mass 5.0 kg is heated to a temperature of and is placed on a large ice block. What is the maximum…
Idea: Latent Heat and Phase Change
Asked the year beforeEasySingle correct - 26 Jun, Shift 2Q54A geyser heats water flowing at a rate of 2.0 kg per minute from C to C. If geyser operates on a gas burner, the rate…
Idea: Specific Heat Capacity
Asked the year beforeEasyNumerical value - 27 Jun, Shift 2Q39A lead bullet penetrates into a solid object and melts. Assuming that 40% of its kinetic energy is used to heat it, the initial speed of…
Idea: Bullet Impact Melting
New ideaMediumSingle correct
JEE Main 20214 questions in 4 shifts
- 3 Aug, Shift 1Q22A steam engine intakes 80 steam at 100°C per minute and cools it down to 30°C. The heat energy consumed by the steam engine per minute…
Idea: Latent Heat and Phase Change
Asked the year beforeEasyNumerical value - 26 Aug, Shift 2Q12The temperature of equal masses of three different liquids , and are C, C and C respectively. The…
Idea: Specific Heat Capacity
New ideaMediumSingle correct - 27 Aug, Shift 2Q7The height of victoria falls is 63 m. What is the difference in temperature of water at the top and at the bottom of fall ? [Given 1…
Idea: Specific Heat Capacity
New ideaEasySingle correct - 25 Jul, Shift 1Q14Two different metal bodies A and B of equal mass are heated at a uniform rate under similar conditions. The variation of temperature of…
Idea: Heating and Cooling Curves
New ideaMediumSingle correct · figure
JEE Main 20204 questions in 4 shifts
- 8 Jan, Shift 2Q23Three containers , and have water at different temperatures. The table below shows the final temperature T when different…
Idea: Three-Liquid Mixing
New ideaMediumNumerical value - 3 Sep, Shift 2Q7A calorimeter of water equivalent 20 g contains 180 g of water at C. 'm' grams of steam at C is mixed in it till the…
Idea: Steam Injection Phase Dynamics
New ideaMediumSingle correct - 4 Sep, Shift 1Q7The specific heat of water = 4200 J kgK and the latent heat of ice = J kg. 100 grams of ice at 0°C is…
Idea: Latent Heat and Phase Change
New ideaEasySingle correct - 5 Sep, Shift 1Q6A bullet of mass 5 g, travelling with a speed of 210 m/s, strikes a fixed wooden target. One half of its kinetic energy is converted into…
Idea: Mechanical Equivalent of Heat
New ideaMediumSingle correct
JEE Main 20171 question in 1 shift
- 2 Apr (offline)Q8A copper ball of mass 100 gm is at a temperature T. It is dropped in a copper calorimeter of mass 100 gm, filled with 170 gm of water at…
Idea: Water Equivalent
EasySingle correct
Questions from the official JEE Main Paper 1 shifts published by NTA (CBSE for 2017). Questions NTA dropped are left out. Topic and idea tags, counts and notes are Lumi’s.