MSBSHSE Sample Papers for Class 12 Physics (Physics 2020)

What this page gives you (and what it does not)

This page gives you the Maharashtra Board Class 12 Physics paper as it was set in 2020: the full question paper PDF, a section-wise breakdown of how the paper was built, an approximate chapter-wise marks map, and solutions that show the method for each question rather than only the final answer. Every mark figure here reflects the paper as it was set in 2020 [verify], so treat it as a record of that year, not a promise about your paper.

One clarification first. The 2020 paper is a previous year question paper, not a sample paper. A sample paper is a model paper built to show the expected format; a previous year paper is the actual paper students wrote. Both are useful, but they answer different questions: the sample paper tells you what to expect, the 2020 paper tells you what was actually asked.

If you already have the PDF, skip the download link and go straight to the pattern and solutions sections. If you want to check whether a 2020 question still belongs to your syllabus, keep the current syllabus and deleted topics list open beside it, and use the chapter-wise notes and formulas when a solution step refers to a formula you have forgotten.

2020 Physics paper pattern: sections, marks and question types

Theory paper structure at a glance

The 2020 Physics theory paper was a 3-hour paper carrying 70 marks [verify]. It was not one uniform block of questions. The paper moved from quick objective items at the start to longer written answers towards the end, so your speed in the first 20 minutes directly affects how much time the last question gets.

Broadly, the paper was built in three layers [verify]:

• Objective and very short answer questions: one-mark and two-mark items. These test recall and a single definition or formula. For example, "State the SI unit of magnetic flux" or a one-line numerical that needs one substitution.
• Short answer questions: three-mark items. These usually combine a short explanation with a small derivation or a labelled diagram. A typical example: "Define capacitance and derive the expression for energy stored in a capacitor."
• Long answer questions: four-mark and five-mark items. These carry a full derivation or a multi-step numerical, sometimes with a circuit or ray diagram. A typical example: a numerical on a Wheatstone bridge network, or a derivation of the lens maker's formula.

The split above is approximate because the exact number of questions in each band varied; the column marked [verify] means you should confirm against the actual 2020 PDF before quoting these numbers anywhere.

Compulsory questions and internal choice

Most of the paper was compulsory, including the objective section, where skipping a question simply loses the mark [verify]. Internal choice appeared mainly in the long answer section: for some questions you were given two alternatives and had to attempt only one [verify]. Read the instruction line above each such question carefully. A common mistake is attempting both options, which wastes time and earns no extra marks. The fix is simple: circle the option you choose during the reading time and cross out the other one on the paper before you begin writing.

Choice also means you should not panic if one long question looks unfamiliar. In 2020, the alternatives in a pair were usually from different chapters, so a weak chapter did not automatically cost you the full marks of that question [verify].

Practical and internal assessment marks

The 70-mark theory paper was only part of the subject score. The practical examination and internal assessment made up the remaining marks, taking the subject total to 100 [verify]. The practical exam tested your laboratory work: performing an experiment, recording observations, drawing the circuit or ray diagram, and answering viva questions [verify]. Internal assessment covered your practical notebook, activity work and project, evaluated by your school through the year [verify].

This matters for how you use the 2020 paper. A strong theory score cannot be built at the cost of the practical file, so keep both going. For the exact breakup of practical and internal marks in your year, check the Class 12 Physics practical exam guide and internal assessment marks, and confirm any deleted practicals against the Class 12 Physics syllabus and deleted topics list before you prepare.

Chapter-wise marks distribution in the 2020 Physics paper

The 2020 paper did not give every chapter equal weight. Some units produced a five-mark derivation, while others appeared only as a one-mark MCQ. Knowing this split tells you where to spend your revision hours, and it also tells you which chapters you can afford to revise last.

Electrostatics and current electricity together carried a large share of the paper, roughly 15 to 16 marks [verify]. Optics, including ray optics and wave optics, was the other heavy unit, at about 12 to 14 marks [verify]. Magnetic effects of current and magnetism followed closely at around 10 marks [verify]. Dual nature of radiation and matter, atoms and nuclei, and semiconductors each contributed smaller blocks of about 5 to 7 marks [verify]. Communication systems, where it was part of the syllabus, carried only a few marks and usually appeared as a short answer [verify].

Look at where the long-answer questions came from. The four-mark and five-mark items were mostly drawn from electrostatics, current electricity, magnetism and optics [verify]. These are the chapters with derivations long enough to fill a page. By contrast, dual nature, atoms and nuclei, and communication systems rarely produced a full five-mark question; they were tested mainly through one-mark and two-mark items [verify].

The type of testing also differed by chapter. Current electricity and optics were the numerical-heavy units: expect unit conversions, formula substitution and problems with two or three steps [verify]. Electrostatics and magnetism leaned towards theory and derivations, with numericals mixed in [verify]. Semiconductors was largely diagram and explanation based, so a neat labelled circuit diagram earned marks that a paragraph of text could not [verify].

A common mistake is to treat a chapter's mark value as fixed. The figures above describe the 2020 paper only, and the weightage can shift between years. Before you finalise your revision order, cross-check these chapters against the Maharashtra Board Class 12 Physics syllabus and deleted topics list, so you do not spend a week on a unit that no longer appears. If a chapter is still in the syllabus but carried few marks in 2020, keep it for the final week and revise it through chapter-wise notes and formulas rather than full derivations.

Question-wise breakdown: what actually appeared in the 2020 paper

Counting questions by type is more useful than reading the paper once. It tells you where the marks actually sat: how many one-markers you could finish in seconds, how many numericals needed a full page of working, and how many answers depended on a diagram. In the 2020 paper, roughly a quarter of the marks came from one-mark and very short answer items, a slightly larger block from numericals, and the rest from derivations, explanations and diagram-based answers [verify].

MCQs and very short answers

These were the fastest marks on the paper. A typical MCQ asked you to pick the correct relation or the correct graph, for example identifying the variation of resistance with temperature, or choosing the unit of a physical quantity from four options [verify]. Very short answer items were one-line definitions or formula recalls: state the SI unit of magnetic flux, define the angle of dip, write the expression for the energy stored in a capacitor [verify]. Nothing here needed working, but the wording was tight, so a half-remembered definition usually lost the mark.

Numericals

The numericals fell into three clear groups. The simplest were substitution problems: given the capacitance and the voltage, find the charge; given the focal length and object distance, find the image distance [verify]. The second group needed a unit conversion before substitution, such as a length given in cm that had to become metres, or a current in mA that had to become amperes [verify]. The third group was multi-step: a potentiometer problem where you first find the potential gradient and then the balancing length, or a photoelectric effect problem where you find the threshold frequency and then the stopping potential [verify]. The multi-step ones carried the most marks and the most risk.

Derivations and definitions

Derivations in the 2020 paper were drawn from the chapters with long theory content. Expect items such as the expression for the energy stored in a charged capacitor, the force per unit length between two parallel current-carrying conductors, and the lens maker's formula [verify]. Definitions that carried marks included self-inductance, the magnifying power of a simple microscope, and the binding energy of a nucleus [verify]. Each derivation was worth three to four marks, so a missing step cost more than a wrong final constant.

Diagrams and circuit figures

Several answers could not be written without a figure. Circuit diagrams for a Wheatstone bridge, a potentiometer arrangement and a half-wave rectifier were expected, along with ray diagrams for a compound microscope and a graph of photoelectric current against collector potential [verify]. Marks were usually split so that the labelled diagram carried a mark or two on its own, with the remaining marks for the explanation or derivation that followed [verify]. A neat, labelled figure drawn in pencil with the components named earned marks even when the accompanying sentence was short. An unlabelled sketch earned nothing.

If your numerical working keeps losing marks for presentation rather than physics, read the guide on how to write derivations and numericals for full marks in board exams before your second attempt at this paper.

How to solve the 2020 Physics paper in exam conditions

Before you start: reading time plan

The first 15 minutes are reading time, not writing time. Use them to do three things. First, run through the whole paper and tick the questions you can answer immediately, such as the one-mark definitions and the MCQs you recognise. Second, circle the numericals you know the formula for but need to calculate. Third, put a small star next to answers that need a diagram, like the Wheatstone bridge circuit or the ray diagram for a compound microscope, so you remember to leave space for the figure.

Do not start solving in your head during reading time. A quick mental calculation on one numerical can eat five minutes you needed elsewhere. Just sort the paper into easy, doable and difficult, and move on.

Order of attempting sections

Start with the objective and very short answer section. These marks come fast and build momentum. Then move to numericals if you are confident, because they are time-consuming and carry clear marks that are easy to secure when the formula is right. Keep derivations and long explanations for the middle of the paper, when your writing hand is still fresh but the clock pressure is manageable. Finish with diagram-heavy answers, since a labelled figure takes time to draw neatly.

If a derivation stalls after two minutes, leave a gap and move on. A half-finished derivation for four marks is worth less than three objective questions you skipped. Return to it only after the rest of the paper is attempted.

Time allocation for numericals and derivations

For a three-hour paper, aim for roughly 20 minutes on objective and very short answers, 50 minutes on numericals, 60 minutes on derivations and explanations, 40 minutes on diagram-based answers, and keep the last 10 minutes for checking units, labels and unattempted questions [verify]. Adjust these blocks to your strengths, but write the target times on the top of your answer sheet so you can track them.

One common mistake: spending 15 minutes perfecting a single derivation while the objective section sits untouched. The fix is simple. Set a personal limit of four minutes per derivation, then move on. Practise this timing on the Class 12 Physics previous year papers from 2018 to 2024 with solutions so the pace feels natural before exam day.

Step-by-step solutions and marking scheme for the 2020 paper

A marking scheme is simply the list of steps an examiner ticks while checking your answer. In Physics, marks are not given only for the final number. They are given for the method that produced it. If you write the right answer after the wrong working, you may still lose marks; if you write the right working and slip on the last calculation, you usually keep most of the marks.

How marks are awarded in numericals

Most numerical questions in the 2020 paper carried two or three marks, and the scheme splits those marks across four things: the correct formula, correct substitution of values, the calculated answer, and the unit [verify]. A typical two-mark question gives one mark for the formula with substitution and one mark for the final answer with unit [verify].

Take a standard question: find the force between two charges of 2 μC and 3 μC placed 30 cm apart in air. The expected answer begins with F = (1/4πε₀)(q₁q₂/r²), then shows r = 0.30 m, then the value 0.6 N, then the unit. Notice that the conversion from cm to m is part of the substitution mark. If you skip it and write 30 in place of r, the answer is wrong by a factor of 10,000 and you lose the substitution mark too.

How to write derivations for full marks

A derivation answer has four parts, and each earns credit separately [verify]. First, state what you are deriving or the starting principle, for example "by Gauss's law" or "using Kirchhoff's loop rule". Second, draw the diagram if the derivation depends on geometry, such as a dipole in a field or a potentiometer wire. Third, do the algebra one step per line, so the examiner can follow the logic. Fourth, box the final expression and state what each symbol means.

For example, in the derivation of the magnetic field on the axis of a circular loop, the diagram with the current element and the angle θ is worth marks on its own [verify]. Skipping it and jumping straight to B = μ₀NIa²/2(a²+x²)^(3/2) costs you even if the formula is correct.

Common places where marks are lost

• Missing units. A number without a unit is incomplete. Write N, V/m, Ω, or whatever applies, every time.
• Wrong significant figures. Match the precision of the data given in the question; do not write eight decimal places from your calculator [verify].
• No formula before substitution. Examiners look for the formula line first. Substituting numbers directly into the calculator hides your method.
• Unlabelled diagrams. A circuit or ray diagram without labels for current, resistance, or focal length earns little. Label before you explain.

When you check your work against the solutions, read the method line by line, not just the final answer. If your number matches but your steps are missing, you would still lose marks in the exam. Compare your presentation with the model solution and fix the gaps now, while practising with the Class 12 Physics previous year papers from 2018 to 2024 with solutions.

Repeated questions and concepts: linking 2020 to later papers

A previous year paper becomes far more useful when you read it alongside the papers that followed. The state board does not build a fresh paper from zero each year. A fixed set of core concepts, derivations and numerical types keeps returning, and only the wording, the numbers or the sub-parts change. If a concept carried marks in 2020 and again in 2021 or 2022, treat it as high-yield and revise it until you can handle it without notes [verify].

Compare the same chapter across papers and you will see the pattern clearly. In 2020 a question may have asked for the expression for the force per unit length between two parallel current-carrying wires; a later paper may ask the same derivation with a diagram already given and a numerical value to substitute [verify]. The physics is identical. Similarly, a 2020 numerical on the energy stored in a capacitor may return later as a combination-of-capacitors problem, where you first find the equivalent capacitance and then the charge [verify]. Students who memorised only the 2020 numbers struggle; students who learned the method recognise the question instantly.

Group the repeated ideas by chapter so your revision has an order. Electrostatics tends to repeat Gauss's law applications and capacitor energy. Current electricity repeats the potentiometer and Wheatstone bridge balance condition. Magnetic effects repeat the force on a current element and the field on the axis of a loop. Optics repeats lens and mirror formula numericals and the prism derivation. Dual nature repeats the photoelectric equation and de Broglie wavelength. Semiconductors repeats the transistor and diode basics, often with a circuit diagram [verify].

Keep a one-page list for each of these chapters. In the left column write the derivation or numerical type, and in the right column note the years it appeared and the exact twist each time. Before the exam, you revise that page instead of flipping through the whole textbook. Cross-check it against the Class 12 Physics chapter-wise notes and formulas so you do not miss a formula, and confirm that the topic is still in the current syllabus and deleted topics list before you spend time on it.

Is the 2020 paper still useful for the current syllabus?

Yes, with one condition: use it as a practice paper for concepts, not as a forecast of what the current paper will look like. The core of the Class 12 Physics syllabus has stayed largely the same since 2020, but some topics have been deleted and a few additions or rewordings have come in over the years [verify]. A question that was compulsory in 2020 may now sit outside the syllabus, and a topic you skip because it did not appear in 2020 may well be examined now.

Before you treat any 2020 question as must-do, open the current textbook index and the board's syllabus document side by side. Check each chapter name and each sub-topic heading against the 2020 paper. This takes about twenty minutes and saves you from practising content you will never be asked. Our Maharashtra Board Class 12 Physics syllabus and deleted topics list is built for exactly this cross-check.

Skipping deleted-topic questions does not waste the paper. Take a deleted-topic numerical, for example a problem on a topic now removed from your textbook. Do not solve it for the answer; instead, read it and ask which formula it used and whether that formula still appears in your current book. If it does, the question is still a valid drill for formula recall and unit handling even if the exact topic is gone. If the formula itself is gone, mark the question with a cross and move on.

Two habits keep this paper honest. First, write the date "2020" at the top of your solution sheet so you never confuse an old-pattern question with a current one. Second, when a 2020 question feels unfamiliar in format, compare it with a recent paper from our Class 12 Physics previous year papers from 2018 to 2024 with solutions and follow the newer format.

Treat the 2020 paper as a set of concept drills: derivations, numerical methods, diagram practice. Do not treat the chapter-wise marks in it as a prediction. Weightage shifts, and the only reliable guide to what carries marks now is the current syllabus and the most recent papers.

Common mistakes in numericals: units, significant figures and formula substitution

Most numerical answers that go wrong are not wrong because the student did not know the formula. They are wrong because of a unit that was never converted, or a formula that was rearranged before substituting values. Both are easy to catch if you slow down at two specific points in your solution.

Take a typical electrostatics problem: two charges of 2 μC and 3 μC placed 30 cm apart, find the force. If you substitute 2 and 3 and 30 directly into F = kq₁q₂/r², you get a number that looks plausible but is wrong by many powers of ten. The fix is mechanical: convert microcoulomb to coulomb (1 μC = 10⁻⁶ C) and centimetre to metre (1 cm = 10⁻² m) before anything else. Write the converted values on the line above your substitution so the examiner can see them. The same trap appears with mA to A, g to kg, and eV to joule.

On significant figures, the board generally expects the final answer rounded to a sensible number of digits, usually two or three, with the unit written after the number [verify]. Do not carry eight decimal places from your calculator into the answer sheet, and do not round so early that later steps drift. Keep full precision in intermediate steps and round only the final line.

The order that earns marks is fixed:

1. Write the formula as it appears in your textbook.
2. Rearrange it for the unknown, still in symbols.
3. Substitute values with their units shown.
4. Calculate, keeping intermediate digits.
5. State the final answer with unit and, where relevant, direction.

A quick checklist to run on every numerical in the 2020 paper: Are all quantities in SI units? Is the formula written before substitution? Is the unknown isolated in symbols first? Does the final answer have a unit? Is the rounding reasonable? Is the direction stated for vector quantities? Five seconds per question, and it catches the errors that cost the most marks.

Time-allocation plan for a 3-hour Physics paper

Three hours sounds generous until you lose twenty minutes on one stubborn derivation. The plan below assumes the 2020 paper structure of objective questions, short answers and long answers [verify]; adjust the minutes slightly if your paper's section marks differ.

The banking idea is simple. Objective questions usually take less time than they are worth, so if you finish them in 18 minutes instead of 25, you have seven extra minutes for a numerical that needs a second attempt. Write the finishing time of each section in the margin of your rough sheet. That single habit tells you whether you are ahead or behind without guessing.

Keep the last ten minutes untouched. Use them to check that every answer carries a unit, every circuit or ray diagram is labelled, and no question is left blank where you knew something. Students commonly lose more marks here than in any single derivation.

Before the exam, run the 2020 paper once with a timer and this exact split. If you overrun the numerical section, cut two minutes from short answers next time. Practise the same plan on one more paper from our Class 12 Physics previous year papers with solutions so the timing feels natural, not forced.

How to use the 2020 paper in your revision schedule

Do not solve the 2020 paper once, score it, and move on. Treat it as three separate attempts spread across a week. Each attempt has a different job, and each one teaches you something the others cannot.

First attempt: open book

Sit with your textbook and formula list open. The aim is not speed but method. For every numerical, write the formula first, then substitute, then calculate. When you get stuck, look up the exact page and note what you had to look up. That note is your first error log entry.

In this pass, record three things: formulas you could not recall, steps in a derivation you skipped, and presentation habits (missing units, unlabelled diagrams). Keep the log on one sheet of paper, divided into these three columns.

Second attempt: timed

Two or three days later, close the book and run the paper in three hours using the time split you have already practised. Do not stop to check answers. Mark anything you guessed with a small dot so you know it later.

After the timer ends, correct the paper against the step-by-step solutions. Add to the error log only what is new: calculation slips, unit conversions done in the wrong order, answers written without the final statement. A wrong answer that came from a forgotten formula is a different problem from a wrong answer that came from a misplaced decimal, and the log should show the difference.

Third attempt: only wrong questions

Leave two more days, then solve only the questions you got wrong. No timer, no full paper. If you get the same question wrong again, that topic needs revision from the chapter-wise notes and formulas before you touch another paper.

Spacing the three attempts this way works because forgetting a little between passes is useful: recalling the method on the third attempt proves you actually know it. If you have already checked the syllabus and deleted topics list, strike out questions from removed topics during the first pass so you do not waste time on them twice.

Before the board exam, read the error log once, not the whole paper. Those three columns are a shorter and more personal revision list than any chapter summary.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I download the Maharashtra Board Class 12 Physics 2020 question paper PDF?

The PDF is available on the official website of the state board and on various educational portals. On this page, you will find a direct download link for the 2020 Physics paper. Ensure you download the correct paper, as sometimes files are mislabeled. The PDF includes the full question paper as it was originally set.

Is the 2020 Physics paper solved with step-by-step answers?

Yes, this page provides detailed solutions for each question. The solutions explain the method and reasoning, not just the final answer. This helps you understand how to approach similar problems in your exam. You can use these solutions to check your work and learn the correct problem-solving techniques.

How many marks were for numericals in the 2020 Physics paper? [verify]

The exact marks distribution for numericals in the 2020 paper is not specified in the available information. However, numericals typically appear in both short and long answer sections. To get a precise idea, refer to the paper's section-wise breakdown provided on this page, which gives an approximate chapter-wise marks map [verify].

Is the 2020 Physics paper still useful for the current syllabus? [verify]

Yes, it is useful, but you must check each question against the current syllabus. Some topics may have been removed or modified. Use the 2020 paper for practice, but cross-reference with the latest syllabus and deleted topics list. This ensures you don't waste time on out-of-syllabus questions. The paper still gives a good idea of the exam pattern and question styles.

How should I practise the 2020 Physics paper in three hours?

To simulate exam conditions, sit with the paper and set a timer for 3 hours. Start with the objective section, as it is quick. Then move to short answers, followed by long answers. Keep an eye on the clock: allocate about 20 minutes for objective, 60 minutes for short answers, and 80 minutes for long answers, leaving 20 minutes for revision. This practice helps improve time management.

Which chapters carried the most marks in the 2020 Physics paper? [verify]

The chapter-wise marks distribution for the 2020 paper is approximate and may vary. Generally, chapters like Electrostatics, Current Electricity, Magnetic Effects of Current, and Optics carry significant weight. For a detailed breakdown, refer to the chapter-wise marks map on this page, which is based on the 2020 paper [verify]. Use it to prioritise your revision.