JEE Main Physics · Electrostatics PYQ
JEE Main Electrostatics Previous Year Questions (2002–2026)
Electrostatics is a top-5 high-weightage Physics chapter with consistent 1–2 questions per JEE Main session. Together with Current Electricity, Magnetism and EMI/AC, it forms the 23% Electromagnetism block that decides Physics rank at the top percentiles. Capacitor-network problems are especially recurring.
Electrostatics PYQs from 2002 to 2026, tagged by sub-topic (Coulomb, field, potential, Gauss, capacitors, dielectrics) and difficulty. Every question has a solved derivation, free-body/field diagram where relevant and a concept link for revision.
Electrostatics at a Glance
Try 5 Real Electrostatics PYQs
5 real JEE Main questions on Electrostatics, straight from past papers. Try them, then check the answer.
- Q1JEE Main 2026 (Online) 21st January Morning Shift
A point charge of $10^{-8} \mathrm{C}$ is placed at origin. The work done in moving a point charge $2 \mu \mathrm{C}$ from point $A(4,4,2) \mathrm{m}$ to $B(2,2,1) \mathrm{m}$ is $\_\_\_\_$ J. $\left(\frac{1}{4 \pi \epsilon_{\mathrm{o}}}=9 \times 10^9\right.$ in SI units)
$30 \times 10^{-6}$
0
$15 \times 10^{-6}$
$45 \times 10^{-6}$
- Q2JEE Main 2026 (Online) 28th January Evening Shift
Identify the correct statements :
A. Effective capacitance of a series combination of capacitors is always smaller than the smallest capacitance of the capacitor in the combination.
B. When a dielectric medium is placed between the charged plates of a capacitor, displacement of charges cannot occur due to insulation property of dielectric.
C. Increasing of area of capacitor plate or decreasing of thickness of dielectric is an alternate method to increase the capacitance.
D. For a point charge, concentric spherical shells centered at the location of the charge are equipotential surfaces.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below :
A, C and D Only
A, B and C Only
B and D Only
C and D Only
- Q3JEE Main 2025 (Online) 2nd April Morning Shift
A point charge $+q$ is placed at the origin. A second point charge $+9 q$ is placed at (d, 0,0) in Cartesian coordinate system. The point in between them where the electric field vanishes is:
- $(3 \mathrm{d} / 4,0,0)$
- $(\mathrm{d} / 4,0,0)$
- $(4 \mathrm{d} / 3,0,0)$
- $(\mathrm{d} / 3,0,0)$
- Q4JEE Main 2025 (Online) 8th April Evening Shift
Space between the plates of a parallel plate capacitor of plate area 4 cm2 and separation of 1.77 mm, is filled with uniform dielectric materials with dielectric constants (3 and 5) as shown in figure. Another capacitor of capacitance 7.5 pF is connected in parallel with it. The effective capacitance of this combination is _ pF.
(Given $ \epsilon_0 $${}= 8.85 \times 10^{-12} $ F/m)
- Q5JEE Main 2024 (Online) 31st January Evening Shift
Force between two point charges $q_1$ and $q_2$ placed in vacuum at '$r$' cm apart is $F$. Force between them when placed in a medium having dielectric constant $K$${}=5$ at '$r / 5$' cm apart will be:
- $5 F$
- $25 F$
- $F / 5$
- $F / 25$
Practise the full Electrostatics set
Every past-paper question of this chapter, with solutions, timing and your accuracy tracked.
Key Sub-Topics & What's Tested
Coulomb's Law & Superposition
Force between point charges, vector superposition in multi-charge systems, force on a charge inside a ring/line, equilibrium configurations.
Electric Field & Potential
E and V for point charges, continuous charge distributions (ring, disc, line, sheet), relationship E = -dV/dr, equipotential surfaces.
Gauss's Law
Application to spherical/cylindrical/planar symmetries, E for uniformly/non-uniformly charged spheres, conducting vs insulating spheres.
Electric Dipole
Field and potential along axial & equatorial lines, torque and potential energy in uniform field, dipole in non-uniform field.
Capacitors & Capacitance
Parallel plate, spherical, cylindrical capacitors, combinations (series/parallel), unbalanced Wheatstone-style networks.
Dielectrics
Effect on capacitance, partial dielectric insertion, slab and mixed-dielectric configurations, energy density change.
Energy in Capacitors
Energy stored (½CV², ½QV, Q²/2C), energy redistribution when connecting capacitors, loss of energy explained.
Conductors in Electrostatic Fields
Field inside conductors, surface charge density on non-symmetric conductors, induced charges, cavity problems.
Question Type Distribution
| Question Type | Share (approx) | Example Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual MCQ | 25% | Which of these field-line diagrams is consistent with the given charge distribution? |
| Numerical (field/potential) | 40% | Find E at a point on the axis of a ring of charge Q, radius R, distance x. |
| Capacitor Networks | 20% | Find equivalent capacitance of an unbalanced Wheatstone-style capacitor arrangement. |
| Energy & Redistribution | 10% | Two capacitors charged to different voltages are connected — find energy lost. |
| Gauss's Law Application | 5% | Find E inside a spherical shell with non-uniform volume charge density. |
How to Solve Electrostatics PYQs
- 1Memorise the standard field/potential results. Ring axis, disc axis, infinite line, infinite sheet, dipole — these are used directly in ~40% of PYQs.
- 2For capacitor networks, look for symmetry first. Many PYQ networks collapse with a symmetry-based shortcut before you need to do Wheatstone-style analysis.
- 3Gauss's law is for symmetry. If the charge distribution has spherical/cylindrical/planar symmetry, try Gauss first. If not, fall back to direct integration.
- 4Dielectric problems: treat as two capacitors. Partial insertion = series or parallel of the dielectric and air regions. Write equivalent capacitance, then proceed.
- 5Energy loss in capacitor redistribution is real. Don't conserve energy across an isolated-capacitor connection problem — charge conserves, energy does not.
Common Mistakes That Cost Marks
- Sign errors in potential. V is scalar but signed. -dV/dr = E — sign matters for direction of E.
- Using Gauss's law without symmetry. If the field isn't uniform on your chosen Gaussian surface, you can't pull E out of the integral.
- Forgetting induced charge on conductors. When a conductor is placed near a charge, its surface charge redistributes and affects the field around it.
- Treating dielectric as a conductor. Dielectric reduces field by a factor of K; it does not make E zero like a conductor.
- Missing the energy lost in connecting capacitors. Energy after < energy before by the amount dissipated — this is a favourite NTA trick question.
Related JEE Main Practice
Frequently asked questions
How many Electrostatics PYQs should I practise?
Target 70–90 Electrostatics PYQs across 2010–2026 for P1 chapter mastery. Given capacitor-network problems are the highest-repeat category, add 20 capacitor-focused problems after the general pass.
What's the most important result to memorise?
The electric field formulas on the axis of a ring, disc and infinite sheet of charge. These three appear in ~25% of all Electrostatics PYQs either directly or as derivation inputs.
Are Gauss's law PYQs easier or harder than Coulomb's law PYQs?
Easier if the symmetry is clear — Gauss collapses the problem to one-line algebra. Harder when NTA uses Gauss to test conceptual understanding of field inside non-uniform charge distributions.
How do dielectric problems differ from pure capacitor problems?
Dielectrics multiply capacitance by K and reduce the field inside by 1/K. Partial dielectric problems decompose into series/parallel combinations of air and dielectric capacitors. Always draw the decomposition first.
Are capacitor energy-loss problems tested in JEE Main?
Yes — roughly one per paper. The standard setup: two capacitors at different voltages connected together. The 'trick' is that energy is lost (as heat or radiation) while charge is conserved.
Do Electrostatics PYQs connect to Current Electricity?
Yes, frequently — capacitor charging/discharging through resistors (RC circuits) spans both chapters. ~5% of Electrostatics PYQs are RC-circuit-flavoured multi-concept problems.
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