A ray of light passing through a prism, a phone charger converting current, or a medical scanner creating images may look like everyday technology, but each works through the Physics concepts studied in Class 12. This is why the subject matters beyond the board examination. It creates a foundation for engineering, medicine, electronics, aviation, data science and several competitive entrance tests.
Still, Class 12 Physics often becomes stressful because students try to memorise derivations without understanding the ideas behind them. They may know a formula but fail to identify where it should be applied. Others spend too much time on difficult numericals while neglecting diagrams, definitions, experiments and competency-based questions.
The CBSE Class 12 Physics Syllabus 2026 for the 2025–26 academic session contains 14 chapters arranged across nine units. The complete assessment carries 100 marks, including a 70-mark theory examination and a 30-mark practical assessment. The theory paper has 33 questions divided into five sections, covering MCQs, assertion-reasoning questions, short answers, case studies and long answers.
Understanding the chapter coverage, unit-wise marks and question-paper design allows students to plan revision intelligently. It also prevents them from studying deleted or out-of-syllabus content that will not be assessed in the 2026 board examination.
CBSE Class 12 Physics Syllabus 2026: Overview
| Particulars | Details |
| Board | Central Board of Secondary Education |
| Subject | Physics |
| Subject code | 042 |
| Class | 12 |
| Academic session | 2025–26 |
| Board examination year | 2026 |
| Total marks | 100 |
| Theory examination | 70 marks |
| Practical examination | 30 marks |
| Theory paper duration | 3 hours |
| Total theory questions | 33 |
| Number of units | 9 |
| Number of chapters | 14 |
| Question types | MCQs, assertion-reasoning, short answers, case studies and long answers |
| Prescribed textbook | NCERT Physics Class 12, Parts I and II |
| Calculator use | Not permitted |
CBSE Class 12 Physics Exam Pattern 2026
The theory examination contains five compulsory sections. There is no overall choice, although internal choices are provided in selected questions.
| Section | Type of Questions | Number of Questions | Marks per Question | Total Marks |
| Section A | MCQs and assertion-reasoning | 16 | 1 | 16 |
| Section B | Short-answer questions | 5 | 2 | 10 |
| Section C | Short-answer questions | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| Section D | Case study-based questions | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| Section E | Long-answer questions | 3 | 5 | 15 |
| Total | 33 | 70 |
Section A contains 12 multiple-choice questions and four assertion-reasoning questions. Internal choice is normally available in two questions in Section B, one question in Section C and all three questions in Section E.
Students should read the complete question carefully before selecting an internal choice. Attempting parts from both alternatives does not usually provide extra marks and may waste valuable examination time.
CBSE Class 12 Physics Unit-Wise Weightage
CBSE provides combined marks for groups of related units rather than fixed chapter-wise marks. The distribution helps students understand the relative importance of different portions of the syllabus.
| Units | Main Chapters | Marks |
| Units I and II | Electrostatics and Current Electricity | 16 |
| Units III and IV | Magnetic Effects of Current, Magnetism, Electromagnetic Induction and Alternating Current | 17 |
| Units V and VI | Electromagnetic Waves and Optics | 18 |
| Units VII and VIII | Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter, Atoms and Nuclei | 12 |
| Unit IX | Semiconductor Electronics | 7 |
| Total | 14 chapters | 70 |
This distribution does not mean every board paper will give identical chapter-wise marks. Students should complete all prescribed chapters because questions may be arranged differently within each unit group.
Unit I: Electrostatics
Electrostatics introduces electric charges, fields, potential and capacitance. It creates the base for several later chapters involving electricity and electronics.
Chapter 1: Electric Charges and Fields
Important topics include:
- Electric charges and conservation of charge
- Coulomb’s law
- Force between multiple charges
- Superposition principle
- Continuous charge distribution
- Electric field and field lines
- Electric dipole
- Electric field due to a dipole
- Torque on a dipole in a uniform field
- Electric flux
- Gauss’s theorem
- Applications of Gauss’s theorem
Students should practise field calculations for point charges and standard charge distributions. Diagrams of electric field lines should be neat, correctly directed and properly labelled.
Chapter 2: Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance
The chapter covers:
- Electric potential and potential difference
- Potential due to a point charge and dipole
- Potential due to a system of charges
- Equipotential surfaces
- Potential energy
- Conductors and insulators
- Dielectrics and polarisation
- Capacitors and capacitance
- Series and parallel combinations
- Parallel-plate capacitor
- Energy stored in a capacitor
Numerical questions commonly involve equivalent capacitance, stored energy and the effect of inserting a dielectric.
Unit II: Current Electricity
Chapter 3: Current Electricity
This chapter connects electrical concepts with practical circuits.
Major topics include:
- Electric current
- Drift velocity and mobility
- Relation between current and drift velocity
- Ohm’s law
- Linear and non-linear V-I characteristics
- Resistivity and conductivity
- Temperature dependence of resistance
- Electrical energy and power
- EMF and internal resistance of a cell
- Cells in series and parallel
- Kirchhoff’s rules
- Wheatstone bridge
Students should learn circuit sign conventions carefully. A correct formula can still produce a wrong answer when current direction or potential change is treated incorrectly.
Unit III: Magnetic Effects of Current and Magnetism
Chapter 4: Moving Charges and Magnetism
Important concepts include:
- Magnetic field
- Oersted’s experiment
- Biot–Savart law
- Magnetic field due to a circular loop
- Ampere’s law
- Straight solenoid
- Force on a moving charge
- Force on a current-carrying conductor
- Motion of a charged particle in magnetic fields
- Force between parallel conductors
- Torque on a current loop
- Moving-coil galvanometer
- Conversion of galvanometer into ammeter and voltmeter
Students should practise numerical problems involving charged-particle motion, magnetic force and galvanometer conversion.
Chapter 5: Magnetism and Matter
The syllabus covers:
- Bar magnet as an equivalent solenoid
- Magnetic field lines
- Magnetic dipole
- Torque on a magnetic dipole
- Magnetic properties of materials
- Para-, dia- and ferromagnetic substances
- Magnetisation
- Effect of temperature on magnetic properties
Comparison-based questions on magnetic materials are frequently suitable for MCQs and short answers.
Unit IV: Electromagnetic Induction and Alternating Current
Chapter 6: Electromagnetic Induction
Students should prepare:
- Electromagnetic induction
- Faraday’s laws
- Induced EMF and current
- Lenz’s law
- Motional EMF
- Self-induction
- Mutual induction
Understanding the direction of induced current is more useful than memorising Lenz’s law as a single sentence.
Chapter 7: Alternating Current
Important topics include:
- Alternating current and voltage
- Peak and RMS values
- Reactance and impedance
- AC circuits containing resistance, inductance and capacitance
- LCR series circuit
- Resonance
- Power in AC circuits
- Power factor
- AC generator
- Transformer
Students should practise phasor diagrams and learn how current and voltage behave in resistive, inductive and capacitive circuits.
Unit V: Electromagnetic Waves
Chapter 8: Electromagnetic Waves
This comparatively compact chapter includes:
- Displacement current
- Electromagnetic waves
- Characteristics of electromagnetic waves
- Electromagnetic spectrum
- Radio waves
- Microwaves
- Infrared radiation
- Visible light
- Ultraviolet rays
- X-rays
- Gamma rays
- Practical uses of different waves
Prepare the spectrum in the correct order of wavelength, frequency and energy. Questions may also test the everyday or medical uses of each radiation type.
Unit VI: Optics
Optics and Electromagnetic Waves together form the highest-weightage unit group.
Chapter 9: Ray Optics and Optical Instruments
Major topics include:
- Reflection of light
- Spherical mirrors
- Mirror formula
- Refraction
- Total internal reflection
- Optical fibres
- Refraction at spherical surfaces
- Thin-lens formula
- Lens maker’s formula
- Magnification
- Power of a lens
- Combination of lenses
- Refraction through a prism
- Microscopes
- Astronomical telescopes
Students should follow the Cartesian sign convention consistently. Ray diagrams must show the principal axis, focal points, object and image clearly.
Chapter 10: Wave Optics
The chapter covers:
- Wavefront and Huygens’ principle
- Reflection and refraction using wavefronts
- Interference
- Young’s double-slit experiment
- Fringe width
- Coherent sources
- Diffraction due to a single slit
Students should understand why interference patterns form instead of memorising only the fringe-width expression.
Unit VII: Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter
Chapter 11: Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter
Important areas include:
- Dual nature of radiation
- Photoelectric effect
- Experimental observations
- Einstein’s photoelectric equation
- Particle nature of light
- Matter waves
- De Broglie relation
Graph-based questions involving stopping potential, frequency and photoelectric current deserve regular practice.
Unit VIII: Atoms and Nuclei
Chapter 12: Atoms
The syllabus includes:
- Alpha-particle scattering
- Rutherford’s atomic model
- Bohr model
- Radius and energy of electron orbits
- Hydrogen spectrum
Students should learn the limitations of Rutherford’s model and understand how Bohr’s postulates addressed them.
Chapter 13: Nuclei
Important topics include:
- Composition and size of nuclei
- Nuclear force
- Mass-energy relation
- Mass defect
- Binding energy
- Binding energy per nucleon
- Nuclear fission
- Nuclear fusion
Numericals involving mass defect and binding energy require careful conversion between atomic mass units and energy.
Unit IX: Electronic Devices
Chapter 14: Semiconductor Electronics
The final unit covers:
- Energy bands
- Conductors, insulators and semiconductors
- Intrinsic semiconductors
- Extrinsic semiconductors
- p-type and n-type materials
- p-n junction
- Forward and reverse bias
- Diode characteristics
- Junction diode as a rectifier
Although the unit carries seven marks, it can be highly scoring because many questions are concept-based and supported by clear diagrams.
CBSE Class 12 Physics Practical Exam Pattern 2026
The practical assessment carries 30 marks.
| Practical Component | Marks |
| Two experiments, one from each section | 7 + 7 |
| Practical record of experiments and activities | 5 |
| One activity from either section | 3 |
| Investigatory project | 3 |
| Viva based on experiments and activities | 5 |
| Total | 30 |
Section A mainly covers electricity-related experiments, including resistivity, metre bridge, galvanometer and electrical circuits. Section B covers optics and semiconductor experiments, such as focal-length measurement, prism deviation, refractive index and diode characteristics.
Students should understand the aim, formula, apparatus, circuit or ray diagram, procedure, observations, precautions and likely sources of error for every experiment. A well-maintained file alone is not enough if the student cannot explain the work during the viva.
How to Prepare for CBSE Class 12 Physics Exam 2026
Begin every chapter with NCERT theory and solved examples. Mark formulas with their symbols, SI units and conditions of application.
Do not memorise derivations as blocks of text. Understand the starting principle, each mathematical step and the final physical result. This makes it easier to reproduce a derivation even when the question is worded differently.
Solve numericals in a fixed format: write the given values, convert units, mention the formula, substitute carefully and include the final unit. This presentation can help earn step marks even when the final answer contains a calculation error.
Practise diagrams separately. Circuit diagrams, ray diagrams, graphs and semiconductor symbols should be drawn with a pencil and labelled clearly.
Complete the official sample paper in three hours. After checking the answers, identify whether marks were lost because of weak concepts, missing steps, calculation errors or poor time management.
Keep the last 15 minutes of the board paper for checking question numbers, units, signs, graphs and skipped subparts. Calculators are not permitted, so manual calculations should be part of regular preparation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. How many chapters are included in the CBSE Class 12 Physics Syllabus 2026?
The syllabus contains 14 chapters arranged across nine units, beginning with Electrostatics and ending with Semiconductor Electronics.
Q2. What is the question-paper pattern for Class 12 Physics?
The 70-mark theory paper has 33 questions across five sections. It includes 16 one-mark questions, five two-mark questions, seven three-mark questions, two four-mark case studies and three five-mark long-answer questions.
Q3. Which unit group carries the highest weightage?
Electromagnetic Waves and Optics together carry 18 marks. However, students should not skip other units because CBSE provides combined unit weightage rather than a guaranteed chapter-wise distribution.
Q4. Is NCERT sufficient for the CBSE Class 12 Physics board exam?
NCERT should be the primary source for theory, derivations, examples and diagrams. Students should also solve NCERT exercises, the official sample paper and previous board questions to improve numerical application and answer-writing speed.