JEE Main · Chemistry · Organic Chemistry: Some Basic Principles and Techniques
Inductive and Electromeric Effects: JEE Main previous year questions
10 questions in the 108 JEE Main shifts Lumi analysed, in 6 of 8 years. Pattern: Asked most years. 6 came in 2024–26. Here is how it is asked and which ideas come back.
- Questions
- 10
- in 10 of 108 shifts
- Years asked
- 6/8
- last asked 2026
- Weighted estimate
- 0.1
- model; history: 0.1 a shift on average, typically 0.0–0.1
Key findings
- 01
Asked in 6 of 8 years with analysed shifts and in 10 of 108 shifts: 10 questions, #178 of 196 topics. The years that asked it were 1.2 apart on average.
- 02
50% of its questions since 2020 tested an idea no earlier year had asked; 3 repeated an idea from the year before.
- 03
The most repeated idea is Carbocation Stability, asked 4 times in 4 shifts (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025), most often as “order/ranking of carbocation stability”.
- 04
JEE Main has asked 5 of the 50 ideas in this topic; 35 have never been asked, directly or inside another question.
- 05
Mostly asked as diagram based (40%); 0% need a numerical answer, 30% are easy and 20% hard.
- 06
The skill tested most is conceptual (90%), then recall (10%).
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: 0 in 1 shift · 2020: 1 in 12 shifts · 2021: 0 in 24 shifts · 2022: 1 in 24 shifts · 2023: 2 in 12 shifts · 2024: 3 in 18 shifts · 2025: 1 in 8 shifts · 2026: 2 in 9 shifts.
- Up to 2023
- 0.1
- a shift, of 25
- Since 2024
- 0.2
- 0.1
- Usual gap
- 1.2 yrs
- between years asking it
- Shifts with it
- 10/108
- 9% of analysed shifts
How it is asked
Difficulty, format and skill
Across all 10 questions on Inductive and Electromeric Effects since 2017.
Difficulty
QUESTIONS- Easy3 · 30%
- Medium5 · 50%
- Hard2 · 20%
Format
SHARE- Diagram based · 4 Q40%
- Single correct · 3 Q30%
- Other · 2 Q20%
- Two statements · 1 Q10%
Skill tested
SHARE- Conceptual · 9 Q90%
- Recall · 1 Q10%
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 5 of the 50 ideas in this topic. 35 have never been asked yet.
- Asked directly5 · 10%
- Touched inside another question10 · 20%
- Never asked35 · 70%
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
Idea, year, question
Every idea JEE Main tested in this topic, with its eight years. Open one to read the questions.
- 4 Apr ’25 S2 · Q63In which pairs, the first ion is more stable than the second ? (A) [figure: 1-methoxycyclohexyl cation] & [figure: 1-methylcyclohexyl…
mediumOtherAsked the year before
- 30 Jan ’24 S2 · Q73The correct stability order of carbocations is
easySingle correctAsked the year before
- 10 Apr ’23 S2 · Q73The decreasing order of hydride affinity for following carbocations is: A. (carbocation…
hardOtherAsked the year before
- 24 Jun ’22 S2 · Q73Arrange the following carbocations in decreasing order of stability.
hardDiagram basedNew idea
- 4 Apr ’25 S2 · Q63
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
5 different ideas were tested; 2 came more than once.
order/ranking of carbocation stability
Other · 4 shiftsstatement i/ii on carbanion stability
Diagram based · 3 shiftsorder/ranking of electron withdrawing power
Single correct · 1 shiftfind incorrect statement on electromeric effect
Single correct · 1 shiftorder/ranking of dipole moment
Diagram based · 1 shift
| Idea | Years asked | Times | Shifts | Format | Numerical |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbocation Stabilityorder/ranking of carbocation stability | 4 | 4 | OtherConceptual | – | |
| Carbanion Stabilitystatement i/ii on carbanion stability | 3 | 3 | Diagram basedConceptual | – | |
| -I Effect Order of Neutral Withdrawing Groupsorder/ranking of electron withdrawing power | 1 | 1 | Single correctRecall | – | |
| Electromeric Effectfind incorrect statement on electromeric effect | 1 | 1 | Single correctConceptual | – | |
| Inductive Effect on Dipole Momentorder/ranking of dipole moment | 1 | 1 | Diagram basedConceptual | – |
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
Inductive and Electromeric Effects 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 20262 questions in 2 shifts
- 4 Apr, Shift 1Q63Increasing order of electron withdrawing power of following functional groups is: a. b. c.…
Idea: -I Effect Order of Neutral Withdrawing Groups
New ideaMediumSingle correct - 5 Apr, Shift 1Q63Given below are two statements: Statement I: On the basis of inductive effect, the order of stability of alkyl carbanions is…
Idea: Carbanion Stability
EasyTwo statements
JEE Main 20251 question in 1 shift
- 4 Apr, Shift 2Q63In which pairs, the first ion is more stable than the second ? (A) [figure: 1-methoxycyclohexyl cation] & [figure: 1-methylcyclohexyl…
Idea: Carbocation Stability
Asked the year beforeMediumOther · figure
JEE Main 20243 questions in 3 shifts
- 4 Apr, Shift 1Q75Which among the following is incorrect statement ?
Idea: Electromeric Effect
New ideaEasySingle correct - 4 Apr, Shift 2Q74Correct order of stability of carbanion is -
Idea: Carbanion Stability
MediumDiagram based · figure - 30 Jan, Shift 2Q73The correct stability order of carbocations is
Idea: Carbocation Stability
Asked the year beforeEasySingle correct
JEE Main 20232 questions in 2 shifts
- 10 Apr, Shift 2Q73The decreasing order of hydride affinity for following carbocations is: A. (carbocation…
Idea: Carbocation Stability
Asked the year beforeHardOther · figure - 13 Apr, Shift 1Q73Among the following compounds, the one which shows highest dipole moment is
Idea: Inductive Effect on Dipole Moment
New ideaMediumDiagram based · figure
JEE Main 20221 question in 1 shift
- 24 Jun, Shift 2Q73Arrange the following carbocations in decreasing order of stability.
Idea: Carbocation Stability
New ideaHardDiagram based · figure
JEE Main 20201 question in 1 shift
- 9 Jan, Shift 1Q40The increasing order of basicity for the following intermediates is (from weak to strong)
Idea: Carbanion Stability
New ideaMediumDiagram based · figure
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.