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The IIT JAM Physics Syllabus 2026 has been published on the official website jam.iitm.ac.in. Students who are preparing for the exam should go through the syllabus carefully because it helps to plan studies in the right way. The syllabus includes important topics like Mathematical Methods, Mechanics, Oscillations and Waves, Thermodynamics, Electricity and Magnetism, Modern Physics, Optics, Electronics, and Solid State Physics. To do well in these areas, students need clear concepts and regular practice.

The IIT JAM Physics Syllabus 2026 is like a study guide that tells you what to learn, how much to cover, and which parts need more time. Students should start their preparation early, solve previous year papers, and take mock tests to improve speed and confidence. The full and detailed IIT JAM Physics Syllabus 2026 will be updated here once it is officially released.

IIT JAM Physics 2026 Overview

IIT JAM Physics Syllabus 2026

Mathematical Methods

Calculus of single and multiple variables, Partial derivatives, Jacobian, imperfect and perfect differentials, Taylor expansion, Fourier series, Vector algebra, Vector Calculus, Multiple integrals, Divergence theorem, Green’s theorem, Stokes’ theorem. First order equations and linear second-order differential equations with constant coefficients. Matrices and determinants, Complex numbers, Error analysis of Experimental Data: Significant digits and rounding of numbers, Types of errors, mean, median, standard deviation.

Mechanics and General Properties of Matter

Newton’s laws of motion and applications, Velocity and acceleration in Cartesian, polar and cylindrical coordinate systems, uniformly rotating frame, centrifugal and Coriolis forces, Motion under a central force, Kepler’s laws, Gravitational Law and field, Conservative and non-conservative forces. System of particles, Center of mass, equation of motion of the CM, conservation of linear and angular momentum, conservation of energy, variable mass systems. Elastic and inelastic collisions. Rigid body motion, fixed axis rotations, rotation and translation, moments of Inertia and products of Inertia, parallel and perpendicular axes theorem, Principal moments and axes. Kinematics of moving fluids, equation of continuity, Euler’s equation, Bernoulli’s theorem.

Oscillations, Waves and Optics

Differential equation for simple harmonic oscillator and its general solution. Superposition of two or more simple harmonic oscillators. Lissajous figures. Damped and forced oscillations, resonance. Wave equation, traveling and standing waves in one dimension. Energy density and energy transmission in waves. Group velocity and phase velocity. Sound waves in media. Doppler Effect. Fermat’s Principle. General theory of image formation. Interference of light, optical path retardation. Fraunhofer diffraction. Rayleigh criterion and resolving power. Diffraction gratings. Polarization: linear, circular and elliptic polarization. Double refraction and optical rotation.

Electricity and Magnetism

Coulomb’s law, Electric field and potential, Gauss’s law, Electrostatic boundary conditions, Solution of Laplace’s equation for simple cases – upto two dimensions Conductors, capacitors, Linear dielectrics, dielectric polarization, volume and surface bound charges, electrostatic energy. Biot-Savart law, Ampere’s law, Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction, Self and mutual inductance. Alternating currents. Simple DC and AC circuits with R, L and C components. Displacement current, Maxwell’s equations and plane electromagnetic waves, Poynting vector, Poynting’s theorem, Energy of Electromagnetic fields. Reflection and refraction at a dielectric interface, transmission and reflection coefficients (normal incidence only). Lorentz Force and motion of charged particles in electric and magnetic fields.

Kinetic Theory, Thermodynamics

Elements of Kinetic theory of gases. Velocity distribution and Equipartition of energy. Specific heat of Mono-, di- and tri-atomic gases. Ideal gas, van-der-Waals gas and equation of state. Mean free path. Laws of thermodynamics. Zeroth law and concept of thermal equilibrium. First law and its consequences. Isothermal and adiabatic processes. Reversible, irreversible and quasi-static processes. Second law and entropy. Carnot cycle. Maxwell’s thermodynamic relations and simple applications. Thermodynamic potentials and their applications. Phase transitions and Clausius-Clapeyron equation. Ideas of ensembles, Maxwell- Boltzmann, Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein distributions.

Modern Physics

Inertial frames and Galilean invariance. Postulates of special relativity. Lorentz transformations. Length contraction, time dilation. Relativistic velocity addition theorem, mass energy equivalence. Blackbody radiation, photoelectric effect, Compton effect, Bohr’s atomic model, X-rays. Wave-particle duality, Uncertainty principle, the superposition principle, calculation of expectation values, Schr¨odinger equation and its solution for one, two and three dimensional boxes. Solution of Schr¨odinger equation for the one dimensional harmonic oscillator. Reflection and transmission at a step potential, Pauli exclusion principle. Structure of atomic nucleus, mass and binding energy. Radioactivity and its applications. Laws of radioactive decay.

Solid State Physics, Devices and Electronics

Crystal structure, Bravais lattices and basis. Miller indices. X-ray diffraction and Bragg’s law; Intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors, variation of resistivity with temperature. Fermi level. p-n junction diode, I-V characteristics, Zener diode and its applications, BJT: characteristics in CB, CE, CC modes. Single stage amplifier, two stage R-C coupled amplifiers. Simple Oscillators: Barkhausen condition, sinusoidal oscillators. OPAMP and applications: Inverting and non-inverting amplifier. Boolean algebra: Binary number systems; conversion from one system to another system; binary addition and subtraction. Logic Gates AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR exclusive OR; Truth tables; combination of gates; de Morgan’s theorem.

How to Prepare the IIT JAM Physics 2026

Understand the exam – Learn the pattern, question types, and marking system before you start.

Study the syllabus – Learn all topics, but spend extra time on important ones like Math methods, Mechanics, Electricity, Thermodynamics, and Quantum Physics.

Choose good books – Read easy and trusted books to make your basics strong.

Practice a lot – Do past question papers and mock tests to get faster and more confident.

Revise daily – Keep short notes, check formulas often, and follow your study plan every day.

Best Books to Prepare for the IIT JAM Physics

Mathematical Physics :H.K. Dass – Mathematical Physics , Mary L. Boas – Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences,

Mechanics : An Introduction to Mechanics- Kleppner and Kolenkow, Mechanics-D.S. Mathur

Electricity & Magnetism :Introduction to Electrodynamics – David.J. Griffiths.

Kinetic theory And thermodynamics : Heat and Thermodynamics -Zemansky

Modern Physics : Concepts of Modern Physics -Arthur Beiser

Oscillations, Waves & Optics : Optics – Brij Lal & Subrahmanyam , Optics- Ajoy Ghatak

Solid State Physics – Solid State Physics– S.O. Pillai

Electronics –Principles of Electronics -V.K. Mehta