NEET Physics Wave Optics PYQ Analysis 2020–2026: Topic-wise Trends & Practice
Wave Optics (NEET Physics): 10 questions in 2020–2026, 2.6% of the subject. Topic-wise trends, difficulty split, repeated topics and PYQ practice.
Edurack Team
October 13, 2026
Wave Optics gave 10 of the 387 NEET Physics questions asked between 2020 and 2026 (Re-NEET 2026 included). That is 2.6% of the subject and the #20 chapter out of 30 by weightage, about 1.3 questions per paper. It peaked at 2 in NEET 2020.
Of the 10 questions tagged for difficulty, 40% were easy, 40% medium and 20% hard, so this is a fairly balanced mix of easy and moderate questions.
Its weight has stayed steady: 1 questions per paper in 2020–2022 and 1.3 across 2025, 2026 and Re-NEET 2026.
Year-wise questions from Wave Optics
| Paper | Questions |
|---|---|
| NEET 2020 | 2 |
| NEET 2021 | 0 |
| NEET 2022 | 1 |
| NEET 2023 | 1 |
| NEET 2024 | 2 |
| NEET 2025 | 2 |
| NEET 2026 | 2 |
| Re-NEET 2026 | 0 |
Difficulty split
| Level | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 4 | 40% |
| Medium | 4 | 40% |
| Hard | 2 | 20% |
Topic-wise analysis
Every topic tagged under Wave Optics, most-asked first. "Papers" is the number of the 8 papers in which the topic appeared.
| Topic | Total Qs | Easy | Medium | Hard | Papers | Asked in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polarisation (Polarisation by Reflection (Brewster's Law)) | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2020, 2024 and 2025 |
| Interference of Light Wave and Young's Double Slit Experiment (YDSE) (Positions of Fringes on Screen) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2020 and 2022 |
| Coherent and Incoherent Sources of Light (Superposition of the Waves, Interference, And Energy Conservation) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2026 |
| Interference of Light Wave and Young's Double Slit Experiment (YDSE) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| YDSE (Fringe Width) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2024 |
| YDSE (Young's Double Slit Experiment (Alternate Method)…) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2026 |
Which topics matter most
Most-tested topics
- Polarisation (Polarisation by Reflection (Brewster's Law)): 4 Qs
- Interference of Light Wave and Young's Double Slit Experiment (YDSE) (Positions of Fringes on Screen): 2 Qs
- Coherent and Incoherent Sources of Light (Superposition of the Waves, Interference, And Energy Conservation): 1 Q
- Interference of Light Wave and Young's Double Slit Experiment (YDSE): 1 Q
- YDSE (Fringe Width): 1 Q
Topics that keep coming back
These appeared in three or more different papers:
- Polarisation (Polarisation by Reflection (Brewster's Law)): 3 papers (2020, 2024 and 2025)
What the latest papers asked
Topics from NEET 2026 and Re-NEET 2026:
- Coherent and Incoherent Sources of Light (Superposition of the Waves, Interference, And Energy Conservation)
- YDSE (Young's Double Slit Experiment (Alternate Method)…)
Where the hard questions came from
- Interference of Light Wave and Young's Double Slit Experiment (YDSE) (Positions of Fringes on Screen): 1 hard of 2
- Interference of Light Wave and Young's Double Slit Experiment (YDSE): 1 hard of 1
How to use this data
- Start with the 1 recurring topic above. They account for 4 of the chapter's 10 questions (40%).
- 40% of tagged questions were easy, so NCERT lines, definitions and standard examples are worth locking in first.
- 20% were hard. After the basics, practise multi-step and application questions from the hard-tagged topics.
- Re-solve the 2 topics from NEET 2026 and Re-NEET 2026, since they show the current style of questions.
- Then attempt the chapter's past questions under a timer and note which topics cost you marks.
Practise Wave Optics PYQs
Solve every Wave Optics question from 2020–2026 with solutions on Edurack:
- Practise Wave Optics PYQs
- See the full Wave Optics blueprint page
- NEET Physics PYQ analysis: all chapters
Related chapters
- Thermodynamics: #19 in Physics, 10 questions
- Laws of Motion: #21 in Physics, 9 questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions came from Wave Optics in NEET 2020–2026?
Wave Optics contributed 10 NEET Physics questions across the 8 papers from 2020–2026, which is 2.6% of the subject.
Which topics of Wave Optics are asked most often?
The most-tested topics are Polarisation (Polarisation by Reflection (Brewster's Law)): 4 Qs, Interference of Light Wave and Young's Double Slit Experiment (YDSE) (Positions of Fringes on Screen): 2 Qs and Coherent and Incoherent Sources of Light (Superposition of the Waves, Interference, And Energy Conservation): 1 Q.
Is Wave Optics easy or difficult in NEET?
Of 10 difficulty-tagged questions, 40% were easy, 40% medium and 20% hard.
Was Wave Optics asked in NEET 2026?
Yes. It had 2 questions in NEET 2026 and 0 questions in Re-NEET 2026.