JEE Main · Physics · Motion in a Plane

Kinematics in 2D: JEE Main previous year questions

Name: Kinematics in 2D: JEE Main previous year questions
Creator: Lumi

20 questions in the 108 JEE Main shifts Lumi analysed, in 5 of 8 years. Pattern: Asked most years. 6 came in 2024–26. Here is how it is asked and which ideas come back.

Questions: 20; in 19 of 108 shifts
Years asked: 5/8; last asked 2024
Chance in a shift: 19%; calibrated model, how we compute it
Weighted estimate: 0.1; model; history: 0.1 a shift on average, typically 0.0–0.3

Key findings

01
Asked in 5 of 8 years with analysed shifts and in 19 of 108 shifts: 20 questions, #144 of 196 topics. Last asked in 2024.
02
55% of its questions since 2020 tested an idea no earlier year had asked; 6 repeated an idea from the year before.
03
The most repeated idea is Vector Component Resolution, asked 6 times in 6 shifts (2020, 2021, 2023, 2024), most often as “components of vector parallel to another”.
04
JEE Main has asked 11 of the 56 ideas in this topic; 44 have never been asked, directly or inside another question.
05
Mostly asked as single correct (55%); 30% need a numerical answer, 50% are easy and 5% hard.
06
The skill tested most is calculation (50%), then multi-step (25%).

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: 0 in 1 shift · 2020: 3 in 12 shifts · 2021: 5 in 24 shifts · 2022: 3 in 24 shifts · 2023: 3 in 12 shifts · 2024: 6 in 18 shifts · 2025: 0 in 8 shifts · 2026: 0 in 9 shifts.

Up to 2023: 0.1; a shift, of 25
Since 2024: 0.1; -0.1
Usual gap: 1.0 yrs; between years asking it
Shifts with it: 19/108; 18% of analysed shifts

How it is asked

Difficulty, format and skill

Across all 20 questions on Kinematics in 2D since 2017.

Difficulty

QUESTIONS

109

Easy10 · 50%
Medium9 · 45%
Hard1 · 5%

Format

Single correct · 11 Q55%
Numerical value · 6 Q30%
Diagram based · 3 Q15%

Skill tested

Calculation · 10 Q50%
Multi-step · 5 Q25%
Application · 3 Q15%
Conceptual · 2 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.

’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 11 of the 56 ideas in this topic. 44 have never been asked yet.

1144

Asked directly11 · 20%
Touched inside another question1 · 2%
Never asked44 · 79%

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

Open18 · 90%90%5/834335
10 ideas inside
- OpenRepeated6 · 33%33%4/822
- OpenRepeated3 · 17%17%2/82
- OpenRepeated2 · 11%11%2/8
- Open1 · 6%6%1/8
- Open1 · 6%6%1/8
- Open1 · 6%6%1/8
- Open1 · 6%6%1/8
- Open1 · 6%6%1/8
- Open1 · 6%6%1/8
- Open1 · 6%6%1/8
Open1 · 5%5%1/8
Open1 · 5%5%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

11 different ideas were tested; 4 came more than once.

Vector Component Resolution6×
components of vector parallel to another
Single correct · 6 shifts · 2 numerical
Uniform Circular Motion3×
ratio of instantaneous to average velocity in circular motion
Single correct · 3 shifts
Independence of Axes2×
x-coordinate at given y with constant acceleration
Numerical value · 2 shifts · 1 numerical
Vector Calculus for 2D Kinematics2×
direction of vector from time-dependent velocity
Single correct · 2 shifts
Equation of Trajectory1×
nature of motion from coordinates as function of time
Single correct · 1 shift
Horizontal Strike on an Incline1×
height ratio for maximum fall time
Numerical value · 1 shift · 1 numerical
2D Kinematics with Variable Acceleration via Calculus1×
acceleration from position components
Single correct · 1 shift
Projectile from a Moving Frame1×
velocity of object dropped from accelerating vehicle
Single correct · 1 shift
Angular to Linear Kinematics Conversion1×
speed of light spot on wall from rotation
Diagram based · 1 shift
Kinematic Equations for Angular Motion1×
revolutions under uniform angular acceleration
Numerical value · 1 shift · 1 numerical
Relative Velocity Vector Subtraction1×
relative speed from position functions
Numerical value · 1 shift · 1 numerical

Idea	Times	Shifts	Format	Numerical
Vector Component Resolutioncomponents of vector parallel to another	6	6	Single correctCalculation	2
Uniform Circular Motionratio of instantaneous to average velocity in circular motion	3	3	Single correctApplication	–
Independence of Axesx-coordinate at given y with constant acceleration	2	2	Numerical valueCalculation	1
Vector Calculus for 2D Kinematicsdirection of vector from time-dependent velocity	2	2	Single correctApplication	–
Equation of Trajectorynature of motion from coordinates as function of time	1	1	Single correctConceptual	–
Horizontal Strike on an Inclineheight ratio for maximum fall time	1	1	Numerical valueMulti-step	1
2D Kinematics with Variable Acceleration via Calculusacceleration from position components	1	1	Single correctCalculation	–
Projectile from a Moving Framevelocity of object dropped from accelerating vehicle	1	1	Single correctMulti-step	–
Angular to Linear Kinematics Conversionspeed of light spot on wall from rotation	1	1	Diagram basedMulti-step	–
Kinematic Equations for Angular Motionrevolutions under uniform angular acceleration	1	1	Numerical valueCalculation	1
Relative Velocity Vector Subtractionrelative speed from position functions	1	1	Numerical valueCalculation	1

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

Kinematics in 2D 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.

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

Kinematics in 2D questions, year by year

JEE Main 20246 questions in 5 shifts

JEE Main 20233 questions in 3 shifts

JEE Main 20223 questions in 3 shifts

JEE Main 20215 questions in 5 shifts

JEE Main 20203 questions in 3 shifts

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