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NEB Grade 11 & 12 New Syllabus: Physics
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NEB Grade 11 & 12 Physics Syllabus — Complete Overview

Physics is one of the optional subjects available to Science stream students under the National Examination Board (NEB), Nepal, and it forms the backbone of preparation for engineering, medical, and pure science careers. The curriculum, developed by the Curriculum Development Centre (CDC), Sanothimi, Bhaktapur, is organized into five content areas — Mechanics, Heat and Thermodynamics, Wave and Optics, Electricity and Magnetism, and Modern Physics — spread across Grade 11 and Grade 12. Together these two years build the conceptual and mathematical foundation needed for the NEB board exam as well as entrance examinations like IOE, MBBS/BDS (MECEE), and B.Sc. CSIT.

This page provides a complete, chapter-accurate breakdown of the NEB Physics syllabus for both grades, including exam structure and preparation strategy.

Subject Information at a Glance

  • Subject Name: Physics (Optional, Science Stream)
  • Subject Code: 1011 (Grade 11, as per official NEB notices)
  • Subject Type: Optional (Science faculty)
  • Developed by: Curriculum Development Centre (CDC), Government of Nepal
  • Curriculum Framework: Secondary Education Curriculum 2076, periodically revised (current version: CDC 2082)
  • Total Chapters: 26 (Grade 11) and 25 (Grade 12)
  • Teaching Hours: 128 hours per grade
  • Total Full Marks: 75 (Theory) + 25 (Practical/Internal) = 100, per grade
  • Pass Marks: 27/75 in theory, 8/25 in practical (Grade 12) — both must be passed separately

NEB Grade 11 Physics — Chapter List by Content Area

Grade 11 Physics covers 26 chapters across five content areas, totaling 128 teaching hours.

Mechanics — Chapters 1–8 (45 teaching hours)

  • Chapter 1: Physical Quantities
  • Chapter 2: Vectors
  • Chapter 3: Kinematics
  • Chapter 4: Dynamics
  • Chapter 5: Work, Energy and Power
  • Chapter 6: Circular Motion
  • Chapter 7: Gravitation
  • Chapter 8: Elasticity

Heat and Thermodynamics — Chapters 9–13 (26 teaching hours)

  • Chapter 9: Heat and Temperature
  • Chapter 10: Thermal Expansion
  • Chapter 11: Quantity of Heat
  • Chapter 12: Rate of Heat Flow
  • Chapter 13: Ideal Gas

Wave and Optics — Chapters 14–18 (15 teaching hours)

  • Chapter 14: Reflection at Curved Mirror
  • Chapter 15: Refraction at Plane Surfaces
  • Chapter 16: Refraction Through Prisms
  • Chapter 17: Lenses
  • Chapter 18: Dispersion

Electricity and Magnetism — Chapters 19–23 (27 teaching hours)

  • Chapter 19: Electric Charges
  • Chapter 20: Electric Field
  • Chapter 21: Potential, Potential Difference and Potential Energy
  • Chapter 22: Capacitor
  • Chapter 23: DC Circuits

Modern Physics — Chapters 24–26 (15 teaching hours)

  • Chapter 24: Nuclear Physics
  • Chapter 25: Solids
  • Chapter 26: Recent Trends in Physics

NEB Grade 12 Physics — Chapter List by Content Area

Grade 12 Physics covers 25 chapters across the same five content areas, also totaling 128 teaching hours, but with significantly greater mathematical depth.

Mechanics — 3 chapters

  • Chapter 1: Rotational Dynamics
  • Chapter 2: Periodic Motion
  • Chapter 3: Fluid Statics

Heat and Thermodynamics — 2 chapters

  • Chapter 4: First Law of Thermodynamics
  • Chapter 5: Second Law of Thermodynamics

Waves and Optics — 8 chapters

  • Chapter 6: Wave Motion
  • Chapter 7: Mechanical Waves
  • Chapter 8: Waves in Pipes and Strings
  • Chapter 9: Acoustic Phenomena
  • Chapter 10: Nature and Propagation of Light
  • Chapter 11: Interference
  • Chapter 12: Diffraction
  • Chapter 13: Polarization

Electricity and Magnetism — 6 chapters

  • Chapter 14: Electrical Circuits
  • Chapter 15: Thermoelectric Effects
  • Chapter 16: Magnetic Field
  • Chapter 17: Magnetic Properties of Materials
  • Chapter 18: Electromagnetic Induction
  • Chapter 19: Alternating Currents

Modern Physics — 6 chapters

  • Chapter 20: Electrons
  • Chapter 21: Photons and Photoelectric Effect
  • Chapter 22: Semiconductor Devices
  • Chapter 23: Quantization of Energy
  • Chapter 24: Radioactivity
  • Chapter 25: Recent Trends in Physics

Chapter 25, Recent Trends in Physics, was added in the CDC’s most recent curriculum revision and covers contemporary topics including gravitational wave detection by LIGO, nanotechnology, the discovery of the Higgs boson at CERN, and seismology — including a case study of the 2015 Gorkha earthquake.

NEB Physics Exam Structure (Grade 12 Theory Paper)

The NEB Physics board examination follows this structure:

  • Group A — Multiple Choice: 11 questions × 1 mark = 11 marks (attempt all)
  • Group B — Short Answer: 10 questions, attempt any 8 × 5 marks = 40 marks
  • Group C — Long Answer/Derivation: 5 questions, attempt any 2 × 8 marks = 16 marks
  • Theory Total: 75 marks; Practical: 25 marks; Grand Total: 100 marks
  • Pass marks: 27/75 in theory and 8/25 in practical, passed separately

NEB does not publish an official chapter-wise marks distribution, so the soundest strategy is to study all chapters proportional to teaching hours while paying close attention to chapters that appear consistently in past board papers.

Most Important Chapters Based on Past Paper Patterns

Based on analysis of recent NEB board papers, the following Grade 12 chapters have consistently carried high combined marks across MCQs, short answers, derivations, and numericals:

  • Electromagnetic Induction (Chapter 18) — Faraday’s law, Lenz’s law, AC generator derivation, transformer losses
  • Alternating Currents (Chapter 19) — LCR resonance and impedance numericals
  • Rotational Dynamics (Chapter 1) — moment of inertia derivations, conservation of angular momentum
  • Interference and Diffraction (Chapters 11–12) — Young’s double slit fringe width numericals
  • Photoelectric Effect (Chapter 21) — Einstein’s photoelectric equation numericals
  • Bohr’s Model (Chapter 23) — energy level and spectral series calculations
  • Radioactivity (Chapter 24) — decay law and half-life numericals
  • Fluid Statics (Chapter 3) — Stokes’ law and terminal velocity numericals

Shorter, guaranteed-to-appear topics include Laplace correction (Chapter 7), Brewster’s law derivation (Chapter 13), Lenz’s law (Chapter 18), Carnot efficiency (Chapter 5), Doppler effect cases (Chapter 9), and logic gate truth tables (Chapter 22).

Difference Between Grade 11 and Grade 12 Physics

Grade 11 Physics builds the conceptual and mathematical groundwork: basic mechanics through Chapter 8, introductory thermodynamics, geometric optics, and foundational electricity (DC Circuits). Grade 12 Physics assumes this foundation and moves into significantly more demanding territory: rotational dynamics, fluid statics, the two laws of thermodynamics, a much deeper treatment of waves and optics (8 chapters versus 5 in Grade 11), advanced electromagnetism including AC circuits, and a full treatment of Modern Physics covering electrons, photons, semiconductors, quantization of energy, and radioactivity.

Tips to Score High in NEB Physics Examination

  • Master derivations step-by-step: Group C questions require complete derivations. The most frequently asked include moment of inertia of a uniform rod, Laplace correction, Carnot efficiency, Young’s double slit fringe width, Brewster’s law, Faraday’s and Lenz’s laws, the AC generator EMF equation, the transformer turns ratio, Einstein’s photoelectric equation, Bohr’s energy levels, and the radioactive decay law.
  • Practice numericals daily: Group D requires solving 4 out of 5 numerical problems. Focus practice on terminal velocity, fringe width, LCR resonance frequency, stopping potential, radioactive decay and half-life calculations, Doppler effect shifts, and Carnot efficiency.
  • Don’t neglect Group B short answers: These 3-mark questions often test comparisons and definitions — progressive versus stationary waves, open versus closed organ pipes, diamagnetic versus paramagnetic versus ferromagnetic materials, Seebeck versus Peltier effect, forward versus reverse bias, and types of seismic waves.
  • Draw clean, labeled diagrams: Ray diagrams, circuit diagrams, and phasor diagrams are often graded separately and can secure marks even when a derivation has minor gaps.
  • Maintain your practical notebook: With 25 marks allocated to practical evaluation (8 of which are required to pass), consistent lab attendance and a complete, well-organized practical file directly protect a meaningful share of your total marks.
  • Review the last 5 years of NEB question papers: This reveals recurring question patterns and the exact phrasing and depth expected in both short and long answers.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How many chapters are there in NEB Physics for Grade 11 and Grade 12?

Grade 11 Physics has 26 chapters across five content areas: Mechanics (8 chapters), Heat and Thermodynamics (5 chapters), Wave and Optics (5 chapters), Electricity and Magnetism (5 chapters), and Modern Physics (3 chapters). Grade 12 Physics has 25 chapters across the same five content areas: Mechanics (3 chapters), Heat and Thermodynamics (2 chapters), Waves and Optics (8 chapters), Electricity and Magnetism (6 chapters), and Modern Physics (6 chapters).

What are the passing marks for NEB Physics?

For Grade 12, students need at least 27 out of 75 in theory and 8 out of 25 in practical, and both sections must be passed separately. A similar structure applies to Grade 11.

Does NEB publish official chapter-wise marks distribution for Physics?

No. NEB does not publicly release a chapter-wise marks breakdown for either grade. The Grade 12 theory paper does follow a known group structure (MCQs, Short Answers, Long Answers/Derivations, Numericals, and an Extended Question), but exact per-chapter weightage isn’t officially published.

Which Physics chapters are most important for the Grade 12 board exam?

Based on consistent patterns across recent board papers, Electromagnetic Induction, Alternating Currents, Rotational Dynamics, Interference and Diffraction, the Photoelectric Effect, Bohr’s Model, Radioactivity, and Fluid Statics have appeared with significant marks every year.

What is new in the latest NEB Physics curriculum (CDC 2082)?

The most recent curriculum revision reorganized some chapters and added Chapter 25, Recent Trends in Physics, to Grade 12 — covering gravitational wave detection, nanotechnology, the Higgs boson discovery, and seismology, including the 2015 Gorkha earthquake.

Where can I find Physics notes and important questions for Grade 11 and 12?

You can find detailed Physics study resources, chapter overviews, and important questions on nneducation.com. Browse our Physics Grade XI and Grade XII courses from the Courses section.

Related Resources on NN Education