JEE Main · Physics · Ray Optics and Optical Instruments

Spherical Mirrors: JEE Main previous year questions

Name: Spherical Mirrors: JEE Main previous year questions
Creator: Lumi

18 questions in the 108 JEE Main shifts Lumi analysed, in 7 of 8 years. Pattern: Asked most years. 6 came in 2024–26. Here is how it is asked and which ideas come back.

Questions: 18; in 18 of 108 shifts
Years asked: 7/8; last asked 2026
Chance in a shift: 19%; calibrated model, how we compute it
Weighted estimate: 0.2; model; history: 0.2 a shift on average, typically 0.0–0.3

Key findings

01
Asked in 7 of 8 years with analysed shifts and in 18 of 108 shifts: 18 questions, #149 of 196 topics.
02
67% 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 Mirror Formula Application, asked 3 times in 3 shifts (2021, 2025, 2026), most often as “object positions for given magnification in mirror”.
04
JEE Main has asked 12 of the 59 ideas in this topic; 45 have never been asked, directly or inside another question.
05
Mostly asked as single correct (50%); 33% need a numerical answer, 17% are easy and 6% hard.
06
The skill tested most is multi-step (44%), then calculation (28%).

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: 1 in 12 shifts · 2024: 1 in 18 shifts · 2025: 3 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: 1.0 yrs; between years asking it
Shifts with it: 18/108; 17% of analysed shifts

How it is asked

Difficulty, format and skill

Across all 18 questions on Spherical Mirrors since 2017.

Difficulty

QUESTIONS

314

Easy3 · 17%
Medium14 · 78%
Hard1 · 6%

Format

Single correct · 9 Q50%
Numerical value · 6 Q33%
Diagram based · 3 Q17%

Skill tested

Multi-step · 8 Q44%
Calculation · 5 Q28%
Application · 2 Q11%
Recall · 1 Q6%
Data or graph · 1 Q6%
Diagram reading · 1 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 12 of the 59 ideas in this topic. 45 have never been asked yet.

1245

Asked directly12 · 20%
Touched inside another question2 · 3%
Never asked45 · 76%

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.

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

OpenRepeated3 · 17%17%3/8
- 10 Apr ’23 S1 · Q47
  An object is placed at a distance of 12 cm in front of a plane mirror. The virtual and erect image is formed by the mirror. Now the mirror…
  easySingle correct
- 26 Aug ’21 S1 · Q8
  Car B overtakes another car A at a relative speed of $40\ \mathrm{ms^{-1}}$ . How fast will the image of car B appear to move in the mirror…
  mediumSingle correctAsked the year before
- 3 Sep ’20 S2 · Q25
  When an object is kept at a distance of 30 cm from a concave mirror, the image is formed at a distance of 10 cm from the mirror. If the…
  mediumNumerical valueNew idea
OpenRepeated3 · 17%17%3/8
OpenRepeated3 · 17%17%3/8
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 · 6%6%1/8
Open1 · 6%6%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

12 different ideas were tested; 3 came more than once.

Mirror Formula Application3×
object positions for given magnification in mirror
Single correct · 3 shifts · 1 numerical
Linear Magnification3×
ratio of image sizes in two mirrors
Single correct · 3 shifts
Image Velocity (Axial Motion)3×
image shift when plane mirror moves
Single correct · 3 shifts · 1 numerical
Longitudinal Magnification1×
image length of rod on mirror axis
Diagram based · 1 shift
Autocollimation with Plane Mirror Combination1×
separation of plane and convex mirrors for coincident images
Single correct · 1 shift
Concave Mirror: Virtual Image Case1×
image position for moving object
Numerical value · 1 shift · 1 numerical
Multiple Reflections in Two-Mirror Systems1×
total deviation by two inclined plane mirrors
Numerical value · 1 shift · 1 numerical
Virtual Object in Convex Mirror1×
lens and convex mirror combination retracing object
Numerical value · 1 shift · 1 numerical
Field of View of Spherical Mirrors1×
extent of observer path that sees mirror image
Numerical value · 1 shift · 1 numerical
Focal Length Relation1×
focal length and radius of curvature of mirror
Single correct · 1 shift
Concave Mirror: Real Image Cases1×
nature of image from figure of mirror
Diagram based · 1 shift
Magnification vs Object Distance Graph1×
graph of magnification vs object distance
Diagram based · 1 shift

Idea	Times	Shifts	Format	Numerical
Mirror Formula Applicationobject positions for given magnification in mirror	3	3	Single correctMulti-step	1
Linear Magnificationratio of image sizes in two mirrors	3	3	Single correctCalculation	–
Image Velocity (Axial Motion)image shift when plane mirror moves	3	3	Single correctCalculation	1
Longitudinal Magnificationimage length of rod on mirror axis	1	1	Diagram basedMulti-step	–
Autocollimation with Plane Mirror Combinationseparation of plane and convex mirrors for coincident images	1	1	Single correctMulti-step	–
Concave Mirror: Virtual Image Caseimage position for moving object	1	1	Numerical valueCalculation	1
Multiple Reflections in Two-Mirror Systemstotal deviation by two inclined plane mirrors	1	1	Numerical valueMulti-step	1
Virtual Object in Convex Mirrorlens and convex mirror combination retracing object	1	1	Numerical valueMulti-step	1
Field of View of Spherical Mirrorsextent of observer path that sees mirror image	1	1	Numerical valueMulti-step	1
Focal Length Relationfocal length and radius of curvature of mirror	1	1	Single correctRecall	–
Concave Mirror: Real Image Casesnature of image from figure of mirror	1	1	Diagram basedDiagram reading	–
Magnification vs Object Distance Graphgraph of magnification vs object distance	1	1	Diagram basedData or graph	–

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

Spherical Mirrors 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

Idea, year, question

Every idea inside this topic

Spherical Mirrors questions, year by year

JEE Main 20262 questions in 2 shifts

JEE Main 20253 questions in 3 shifts

JEE Main 20241 question in 1 shift

JEE Main 20231 question in 1 shift

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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