JEE Main · Chemistry · The d- and f-Block Elements

d-Block Elements: JEE Main previous year questions

Name: d-Block Elements: JEE Main previous year questions
Creator: Lumi

110 questions in the 108 JEE Main shifts Lumi analysed, in 8 of 8 years. Pattern: Asked most years. 54 came in 2024–26. Here is how it is asked and which ideas come back.

Questions: 110; in 73 of 108 shifts
Years asked: 8/8; last asked 2026
Chance in a shift: 71%; calibrated model, how we compute it
Weighted estimate: 1.0; model; history: 0.9 a shift on average, typically 0.3–1.4

Key findings

01
Asked in 8 of 8 years with analysed shifts and in 73 of 108 shifts: 110 questions, #3 of 196 topics. It came in every year with analysed shifts.
02
40% of its questions since 2020 tested an idea no earlier year had asked; 38 repeated an idea from the year before.
03
The most repeated idea is Spin-only Magnetism, asked 23 times in 21 shifts (2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025, 2026), most often as “count paramagnetic ions”.
04
JEE Main has asked 31 of the 51 ideas in this topic; 15 have never been asked, directly or inside another question.
05
Mostly asked as single correct (49%); 27% need a numerical answer, 34% are easy and 5% hard. It went up from 0.6 to 1.3 questions a shift since 2024.
06
The skill tested most is recall (30%), then conceptual (28%).

Questions a shift, year by year

Out of the 25 Chemistry 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: 3 in 12 shifts · 2021: 23 in 24 shifts · 2022: 24 in 24 shifts · 2023: 5 in 12 shifts · 2024: 33 in 18 shifts · 2025: 11 in 8 shifts · 2026: 10 in 9 shifts.

Up to 2023: 0.6; a shift, of 25
Since 2024: 1.3; +0.7
Usual gap: 1.3 yrs; between years asking it
Shifts with it: 73/108; 68% of analysed shifts

Recent framings

statement I/II on coloured and diamagnetic ions
statement I/II on catalytic properties
count correct statements on d-block catalysts

Revise first

Spin-only Magnetism · asked 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025, 2026
Acid-Base Character of Oxides · asked 2017, 2021, 2024, 2025
Enthalpy of Atomization · asked 2025, 2026

How it is asked

Difficulty, format and skill

Across all 110 questions on d-Block Elements since 2017.

Difficulty

QUESTIONS

3768

Easy37 · 34%
Medium68 · 62%
Hard5 · 5%

Format

Single correct · 54 Q49%
Numerical value · 30 Q27%
Two statements · 11 Q10%
Other · 10 Q9%
Assertion–reason · 3 Q3%
Match the list · 2 Q2%

Skill tested

Recall · 33 Q30%
Conceptual · 31 Q28%
Multi-step · 28 Q25%
Application · 11 Q10%
Calculation · 7 Q6%

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.

’17’20’21’22’23’24’25’26

Idea asked for the first time
Idea asked in an earlier year

Coverage of the topic

JEE Main has asked 31 of the 51 ideas in this topic. 15 have never been asked yet.

31515

Asked directly31 · 61%
Touched inside another question5 · 10%
Never asked15 · 29%

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.

chapterAskedShareYears’17’20’21’22’23’24’25’26

Open105 · 95%95%8/8322245301010
31 ideas inside
- OpenRepeated23 · 22%22%6/846822
- OpenRepeated8 · 8%8%4/824
- OpenRepeated7 · 7%7%4/8222
- OpenRepeated7 · 7%7%4/832
- OpenRepeated5 · 5%5%3/83
- OpenRepeated5 · 5%5%3/83
- OpenRepeated4 · 4%4%4/8
- OpenRepeated4 · 4%4%2/83
- OpenRepeated4 · 4%4%4/8
- OpenRepeated4 · 4%4%2/83
- Open3 · 3%3%1/83
- OpenRepeated3 · 3%3%2/82
- OpenRepeated3 · 3%3%3/8
- OpenRepeated3 · 3%3%3/8
- OpenRepeated2 · 2%2%2/8
- Open2 · 2%2%1/82
- OpenRepeated2 · 2%2%2/8
- OpenRepeated2 · 2%2%2/8
- Open2 · 2%2%1/82
- Open1 · 1%1%1/8
- Open1 · 1%1%1/8
- Open1 · 1%1%1/8
- Open1 · 1%1%1/8
- Open1 · 1%1%1/8
- Open1 · 1%1%1/8
- Open1 · 1%1%1/8
- Open1 · 1%1%1/8
- Open1 · 1%1%1/8
- Open1 · 1%1%1/8
- Open1 · 1%1%1/8
- Open1 · 1%1%1/8
Open2 · 2%2%2/8
Open1 · 1%1%1/8
Open1 · 1%1%1/8
Open1 · 1%1%1/8

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

31 different ideas were tested; 21 came more than once.

Spin-only Magnetism23×
count paramagnetic ions
Numerical value · 21 shifts · 12 numerical
Acid-Base Character of Oxides8×
count acidic oxides plus primary valency
Single correct · 8 shifts · 1 numerical
Oxidation State Trends8×
statement i/ii on group 6 oxidation states
Single correct · 8 shifts · 1 numerical
Color and Catalysis7×
statement i/ii on coloured and diamagnetic ions
Single correct · 7 shifts · 1 numerical
Permanganate Reactions5×
manganate disproportionation then sum of spin-only moments
Single correct · 5 shifts · 1 numerical
Standard Electrode Potential Trends5×
magnetic moment of ion that cannot liberate h2
Single correct · 5 shifts · 1 numerical
Enthalpy of Atomization4×
statement i/ii on d-block and cft splitting
Numerical value · 4 shifts · 2 numerical
Ionization Enthalpy Irregularities4×
order of ionisation enthalpy of two elements
Single correct · 4 shifts · 1 numerical
Electronic Configuration4×
electronic configuration of actinoid
Single correct · 4 shifts
Specific KMnO4 Oxidations in Neutral/Alkaline Medium4×
predict product of oxidation by reagent
Single correct · 3 shifts · 1 numerical
Dichromate Reactions3×
count correct statements on chromium compounds
Other · 3 shifts
Ionization Enthalpy Irregularities3×
statement i/ii on ionization enthalpy and cfse
Single correct · 3 shifts
Specific d-Block Industrial Catalysts3×
count correct statements on d-block catalysts
Match the list · 3 shifts
Chromyl Chloride Test Reactions3×
identify compounds in reaction sequence
Single correct · 3 shifts · 1 numerical
Disproportionation of Manganate(VI)3×
count correct statements on cr and mn compounds
Numerical value · 3 shifts · 2 numerical
Preparation Steps of Potassium Dichromate3×
atoms of a type in product of reaction
Numerical value · 3 shifts · 2 numerical
Mechanisms of Catalytic Activity2×
statement i/ii on catalytic properties
Other · 2 shifts
Aqueous Stability of Cu+ vs Cu2+2×
relative stability of oxidation states
Numerical value · 2 shifts · 1 numerical
Preparation Steps of Potassium Permanganate2×
predict product of reaction sequence
Single correct · 2 shifts
HCl Limitation in KMnO4 Titrations2×
assertion-reason on permanganate titration
Assertion–reason · 2 shifts
Chromate-Dichromate pH Equilibrium2×
product of chromate with hydrogen peroxide
Numerical value · 2 shifts · 1 numerical
Interstitial Compounds Properties1×
odd-one-out among properties of interstitial compounds
Single correct · 1 shift
Chromyl Chloride Test1×
terminal oxygens in product of sequence
Numerical value · 1 shift · 1 numerical
Ligand-to-Metal Charge Transfer (LMCT)1×
origin of colour of compounds
Single correct · 1 shift
Thermal Decomposition of KMnO41×
predict products of decomposition
Single correct · 1 shift
Actinoid vs Lanthanoid Contraction1×
assertion reason on 5f electrons
Assertion–reason · 1 shift
Disproportionation of Manganate1×
spin-only moment of product
Numerical value · 1 shift · 1 numerical
Melting Point Maxima and Anomalies1×
metal with highest melting point
Single correct · 1 shift
Specific KMnO4 Oxidations in Acidic Medium1×
predict product of redox reaction
Single correct · 1 shift
Density Trends and Maxima1×
order/ranking of density of 3d metals
Single correct · 1 shift
Stability of Transition Metal Halides1×
identify halides that exist for given metal
Single correct · 1 shift

Idea	Times	Shifts	Format	Numerical
Spin-only Magnetismcount paramagnetic ions	23	21	Numerical valueMulti-step	12
Acid-Base Character of Oxidescount acidic oxides plus primary valency	8	8	Single correctMulti-step	1
Oxidation State Trendsstatement i/ii on group 6 oxidation states	8	8	Single correctConceptual	1
Color and Catalysisstatement i/ii on coloured and diamagnetic ions	7	7	Single correctConceptual	1
Permanganate Reactionsmanganate disproportionation then sum of spin-only moments	5	5	Single correctConceptual	1
Standard Electrode Potential Trendsmagnetic moment of ion that cannot liberate h2	5	5	Single correctConceptual	1
Enthalpy of Atomizationstatement i/ii on d-block and cft splitting	4	4	Numerical valueMulti-step	2
Ionization Enthalpy Irregularitiesorder of ionisation enthalpy of two elements	4	4	Single correctRecall	1
Electronic Configurationelectronic configuration of actinoid	4	4	Single correctRecall	–
Specific KMnO4 Oxidations in Neutral/Alkaline Mediumpredict product of oxidation by reagent	4	3	Single correctRecall	1
Dichromate Reactionscount correct statements on chromium compounds	3	3	OtherConceptual	–
Ionization Enthalpy Irregularitiesstatement i/ii on ionization enthalpy and cfse	3	3	Single correctConceptual	–
Specific d-Block Industrial Catalystscount correct statements on d-block catalysts	3	3	Match the listRecall	–
Chromyl Chloride Test Reactionsidentify compounds in reaction sequence	3	3	Single correctRecall	1
Disproportionation of Manganate(VI)count correct statements on cr and mn compounds	3	3	Numerical valueApplication	2
Preparation Steps of Potassium Dichromateatoms of a type in product of reaction	3	3	Numerical valueMulti-step	2
Mechanisms of Catalytic Activitystatement i/ii on catalytic properties	2	2	OtherConceptual	–
Aqueous Stability of Cu+ vs Cu2+relative stability of oxidation states	2	2	Numerical valueConceptual	1
Preparation Steps of Potassium Permanganatepredict product of reaction sequence	2	2	Single correctRecall	–
HCl Limitation in KMnO4 Titrationsassertion-reason on permanganate titration	2	2	Assertion–reasonConceptual	–
Chromate-Dichromate pH Equilibriumproduct of chromate with hydrogen peroxide	2	2	Numerical valueRecall	1
Interstitial Compounds Propertiesodd-one-out among properties of interstitial compounds	1	1	Single correctRecall	–
Chromyl Chloride Testterminal oxygens in product of sequence	1	1	Numerical valueMulti-step	1
Ligand-to-Metal Charge Transfer (LMCT)origin of colour of compounds	1	1	Single correctConceptual	–
Thermal Decomposition of KMnO4predict products of decomposition	1	1	Single correctRecall	–
Actinoid vs Lanthanoid Contractionassertion reason on 5f electrons	1	1	Assertion–reasonConceptual	–
Disproportionation of Manganatespin-only moment of product	1	1	Numerical valueMulti-step	1
Melting Point Maxima and Anomaliesmetal with highest melting point	1	1	Single correctRecall	–
Specific KMnO4 Oxidations in Acidic Mediumpredict product of redox reaction	1	1	Single correctRecall	–
Density Trends and Maximaorder/ranking of density of 3d metals	1	1	Single correctRecall	–
Stability of Transition Metal Halidesidentify halides that exist for given metal	1	1	Single correctRecall	–

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

d-Block Elements questions, year by year

The newest 40 show their opening words as they appeared in the official paper; older ones name the idea they tested. Open one for its options and the official answer.

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.

Key findings

Questions a shift, year by year

Difficulty, format and skill

Difficulty

Format

Skill tested

New idea, or one asked before?

Coverage of the topic

Chapter, idea, question

Every idea inside this topic

d-Block Elements questions, year by year

JEE Main 202610 questions in 8 shifts

JEE Main 202511 questions in 7 shifts

JEE Main 202433 questions in 16 shifts

JEE Main 20235 questions in 4 shifts

JEE Main 202224 questions in 16 shifts

JEE Main 202123 questions in 18 shifts

JEE Main 20203 questions in 3 shifts

JEE Main 20171 question in 1 shift

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