MSBSHSE Syllabus for Class 12 Physics (Physics 2020)

What the 2020 Physics Syllabus Covers

The 2020 Physics syllabus is the official board document that lists every chapter, every topic inside those chapters, and the practical experiments you are expected to perform for the academic year 2020-21. It is the reference your teacher uses to plan lessons and the reference the paper setter uses to frame questions. If a topic is not in this document, it cannot be asked in the board paper.

This syllabus was released before the COVID-19 pandemic. When schools closed and teaching time was cut short, the board announced a reduced syllabus for the 2021 examinations [verify]. So the 2020 document remains the full, original scope of the subject, while the reduced version applies only to that one exam year.

That makes the 2020 syllabus useful well beyond the board exam. Entrance tests such as MHT CET and NEET draw from the same core Physics topics, and the full syllabus tells you exactly what the complete course expects. If you are preparing for a competitive exam alongside your board paper, study from the full list, not the trimmed one.

This page walks through the complete chapter and topic list, the portions removed in the reduced syllabus, the marks weightage, the practical scheme, the question paper design, and preparation tips. Keep the official PDF open beside these pages as you read.

Chapter List and Topic-Wise Breakdown

The Class 12 Physics course has 16 chapters. The first seven deal with mechanics, heat, waves and optics; the next six with electricity and magnetism; the last three with modern physics and electronics. The table below gives every chapter with its main topics as listed in the 2020 syllabus [verify]. Read the topic names carefully, because the paper setter frames questions using these exact headings.

Notice how the chapters build on each other. Chapter 1 (Rotational Dynamics) sets up torque and angular momentum, which return in Chapter 11 when you study the torque on a magnetic dipole. Chapter 8 (Electrostatics) gives you the idea of flux, and Chapter 12 reuses it as magnetic flux. If you skip a chapter early, the later ones become harder than they need to be.

Here is a quick check of how a topic list turns into an exam question. Under Chapter 5, the sub-topic "energy in SHM" is listed. A typical three-mark question asks you to show that the total energy of a particle in SHM is constant and equal to E = ½ mω²A². Marks are given for the kinetic energy expression, the potential energy expression, and the addition step. If you write only the final formula, you lose the derivation marks even though the answer is correct.

Some topics appear small in the list but carry a full question. "Meter bridge" and "potentiometer" in Chapter 9 are two such topics: they are usually tested as a diagram-based numerical. Similarly, "Brewster's law" in Chapter 7 and "Davisson-Germer experiment" in Chapter 14 are short topics that often appear as two-mark questions. Do not judge a topic by its length in the textbook.

The practicals are listed separately in the syllabus, not inside these 16 chapters, so a topic missing from the table above is not automatically outside the practical exam. For the experiments themselves, see the practical section of this page and the Maharashtra Board Class 12 Physics practical solutions.

When you finish a chapter in class, open this table and tick each sub-topic you can explain without the book. Any unticked sub-topic is your revision list for that week. Pair this with chapter-wise solutions for Class 12 Physics so that every sub-topic you tick is backed by at least two solved numericals.

Marks Distribution and Weightage

The Class 12 Physics paper is split into two parts: a theory paper of 70 marks and a practical examination of 30 marks [verify]. Your final result is built from both, so a strong practical score can cover a weak theory day, and the reverse is also true. The theory paper is of 3 hours duration [verify].

Weightage means how many marks a chapter usually contributes to the 70-mark paper. The table below gives an approximate split based on the 2020 board exam pattern [verify]. Treat these numbers as a guide for planning revision time, not as a guarantee. The board can shift a mark or two between chapters in any year, and a topic moved into a different question type changes the count without changing the syllabus.

Look at where the marks sit. Electrostatics (Chapter 8), Current Electricity (Chapter 9) and the magnetic chapters (10 to 13) together carry a large share of the paper. Wave Optics (Chapter 7) is the heaviest chapter in the optics unit. Modern Physics and Electronics (Chapters 14 to 16) is compact but scores well because the questions are direct: definitions, laws, and short derivations.

A typical three-mark numerical from Current Electricity, say finding the balance point of a meter bridge, gives one mark for the correct formula, one for substitution with units, and one for the final answer. If you memorise only the answer pattern, you lose the formula mark on a slightly changed question. Practise with Maharashtra Board Class 12 Physics previous year question papers to see how the same chapter is asked at 1, 2, 3 and 4 marks.

Practical Syllabus and Experiments

The 30-mark practical examination is not a formality. It is assessed on the day of the exam as well as through your record book, and the experiments come straight from the list below. Each experiment in the 2020 syllabus is of the "find this value using this apparatus" type, so you are marked on procedure and accuracy, not on theory alone [verify].

The prescribed experiments usually include these, grouped by what they measure:

• Resistance and circuits: resistance of a galvanometer by the half-deflection method, specific resistance of a wire using a meter bridge, EMF of a cell by potentiometer, and verification of Kirchhoff's laws.
• Optics: focal length of a convex lens by the u-v method, focal length of a concave mirror, refractive index of a glass slab using a travelling microscope, and angle of minimum deviation of a prism.
• Waves and oscillations: velocity of sound using a resonance tube, and frequency of a tuning fork by the sonometer.
• Electronics: characteristics of a p-n junction diode, and verification of logic gates (OR, AND, NOT) [verify].

Alongside these, you complete a set of activities (short, one-period exercises) and one project, usually on a topic such as a household circuit, a solar cell model, or a simple sensor [verify].

The evaluation scheme is roughly split as follows: about 6 marks for the record book, 10 for performing the experiment, 8 for the viva, and 6 for the activity and project [verify]. Confirm the exact split with your school, since internal distribution can differ.

Three habits decide your practical marks. First, write the aim and apparatus in your own words before the exam day, so you are not copying from a friend under time pressure. Second, know the formula and the unit of the final answer, because a correct reading with a missing unit loses marks. Third, list two sources of error for every experiment, for example parallax in a lens experiment or contact resistance at the meter bridge ends. For readings and worked procedures, see Maharashtra Board Class 12 Physics practical solutions.

Reduced Syllabus for 2020-21

The syllabus on this page is the full 2020 syllabus. It was printed before the pandemic, so it lists every chapter and every topic. When schools shut in March 2020, the board issued a separate reduced syllabus for the 2021 exams, cutting roughly 25% of the content [verify]. The two documents are not the same, and mixing them up is the most common source of confusion for students searching for the "2020 syllabus" today.

Here is the rule to keep straight: the 2020 syllabus is the full course, and the reduced syllabus applies only to the 2021 examination. If you are preparing for a later exam, or for a competitive exam such as JEE or NEET where the full course is fair game, study from the full syllabus. If you are checking what was examinable in 2021, use the reduced list.

Topics that were typically dropped or trimmed in the reduced version include [verify]:

• Rotational Dynamics: vertical circular motion and its applications.
• Mechanical Properties of Fluids: Bernoulli's equation applications such as venturimeter and dynamic lift.
• Kinetic Theory and Radiation: certain radiation laws and their numerical applications.
• Wave Optics: resolving power of a microscope and telescope, and polarisation by reflection.
• Electrostatics: some applications of Gauss's law.
• Current Electricity: selected circuit-analysis subtopics.
• Semiconductor Devices: parts of the transistor and logic-gate applications.

Do not treat this list as final. The board has revised reduced syllabi more than once, and schools received circulars with the exact deleted portions [verify]. Before you skip any topic, open the board's official website and read the current circular for your exam year. If the circular is unclear, ask your Physics teacher to confirm the deleted portion against the printed textbook chapters. For practice on the portions that stayed, work through Maharashtra Board Class 12 Physics previous year question papers.

Exam Pattern and Question Paper Design

The theory paper is worth 70 marks and runs for 3 hours [verify]. The remaining 30 marks come from practicals, which are assessed separately at school level. The paper is set from the whole textbook, so a question from Chapter 16 can sit right next to one from Chapter 1.

Questions are grouped by type, roughly from easiest to longest. Multiple choice questions test a single idea, very short answer questions need one word or one formula, short answer questions need two or three steps, and long answer questions need a full derivation or a detailed explanation with a diagram. Numericals appear across all sections and carry marks for the formula, the substitution, and the final answer with unit. Internal choice is given in some questions, usually as "Attempt any two of the following" or an OR option in longer questions [verify].

These counts are indicative only; the exact split changes each year [verify].

How to attempt the paper well:

• Read the whole paper in the first five minutes and mark the questions you can do confidently.
• Answer MCQ and very short answer questions first. They are quick marks and build time for derivations.
• In a derivation, write the statement, draw the labelled diagram, then show every step. A final answer with no steps loses most of the marks.
• In numericals, write the given data with units, the formula, the substitution, then the answer with the correct unit and significant figures.
• Keep 10 minutes at the end to check units, labels on diagrams, and any question you left blank.

Practise under timed conditions with Class 12 Physics sample papers and mock tests so the 3-hour limit stops feeling tight.

How to Use the Syllabus for Preparation

Treat the syllabus as a checklist, not a reading list. Open it on the first day, copy the 16 chapter names into a notebook, and write the weightage next to each one. A chapter that usually carries 7 to 8 marks deserves more of your week than one that carries 3 [verify].

Build a plan backwards from your exam date. If you have 20 weeks and 16 chapters, that is roughly one chapter per week with four weeks left for revision and paper practice. Give Electrostatics, Current Electricity, Magnetic Fields, Wave Optics and the Modern Physics chapters two weeks each, since questions from these appear in almost every paper. Keep the lighter chapters such as Magnetic Materials and Semiconductor Devices for the weeks when you have more time.

Keep the checklist visible. Tick a topic only when you can do three things without the book: state the definition, write the formula with units, and solve one numerical. A tick means "I can answer this in the exam", not "I have read this once". If you cannot do all three, leave it unticked and come back.

• Solve at least the last five years' Maharashtra Board Class 12 Physics previous year question papers after finishing each block of four chapters. Note which chapters keep repeating.
• Write one formula sheet per unit, not one for the whole book. For example, the Rotational Dynamics sheet should hold the moment of inertia formulae for a rod, disc, ring and sphere, plus the rolling-body condition v = rω. Revise these sheets in the ten minutes before bed.
• Use Class 12 Physics important derivations and formulas to cross-check your sheet. If a derivation on that list is missing from your notes, add it the same day.
• Attempt one full sample paper every fortnight from January onwards, timed at 3 hours, so you learn how to split time between derivations and numericals.

When a chapter feels finished, do not move on immediately. Solve five numericals from it on the third day and five more on the seventh. Spacing the practice this way is what keeps the formulae available in the exam hall.

Important Derivations and Numericals

A derivation is a step-by-step proof of a formula starting from a known law. In the board paper, derivations usually appear as 3 or 4 mark questions, and marks are given for each correct step, the final result, and the diagram. If you write only the final formula without steps, you lose most of the marks even when the answer is right.

These derivations appear again and again in the Maharashtra Board papers [verify]:

For numericals, always write the given data with units, the formula, the substitution, and the answer with the correct unit. A typical question: "A capacitor of 2 μF is charged to 100 V. Find the energy stored." Marks go to the formula ½CV², the substitution, and the answer 0.01 J. Skipping the formula step costs you a mark even if the number is right.

Solve at least ten numericals per chapter, and time yourself. Cross-check your formula list with Class 12 Physics important derivations and formulas, and practise from Maharashtra Board Class 12 Physics previous year question papers to see how these derivations are actually worded.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Most marks lost in Physics are not lost because the student did not know the answer. They are lost in the last line. A correct numerical with a missing unit, a derivation with one step jumped, or a diagram without labels can quietly cost you 1 or 2 marks per question. Across a 70-mark paper, that adds up fast.

Here are the mistakes that show up again and again in answer sheets, and how to fix each one.

• Missing or wrong units. Writing "F = 20" instead of "F = 20 N" loses a mark. In numericals, the unit must appear in the final answer and in the given data. Watch for conversions: 2 μF is 2 × 10⁻⁶ F, and 100 V must stay in volts before you substitute into ½CV².
• Skipping steps in derivations. Examiners give marks step by step. If a derivation is worth 3 marks, they usually look for the starting law, the intermediate step, and the final result. Write every line, even the ones that feel obvious.
• Misreading the question. "Find the equivalent resistance between A and B" is not the same as "find the current through the 4 Ω resistor". Underline what is asked before you start. Check whether the question wants magnitude only or direction too.
• Untidy or unlabelled diagrams. A circuit diagram without the battery, key, and component values marked cannot earn full marks. Label every terminal, arrow, and value. Draw with a pencil and ruler so corrections stay clean.
• Ignoring significant figures and signs. A negative sign in image distance or acceleration has meaning. Dropping it changes the physics of your answer.

Fix these by building a final check into every answer: does it have a formula, a substitution, a unit, and a labelled diagram where needed? Practise this habit while solving Maharashtra Board Class 12 Physics previous year question papers under timed conditions, so the check becomes automatic in the exam hall.

Download the Official Syllabus PDF

The syllabus PDF is published on the official state board website, mahahsscboard.in [verify]. Open the site, go to the "Subjects" or "Syllabus" section, and select Physics for Class 12. Save the PDF to your phone or laptop instead of only viewing it in the browser. You will need it in March when you plan revision, and a saved file works even when the network is slow.

The PDF is the full 2020 syllabus. It lists all 16 chapters with their sub-topics, the list of practical experiments, the activity and project work, and the marks structure for theory and practicals. If the board later issued a reduced syllabus note for the 2021 exam, that note is usually published as a separate circular or annexure [verify]. Keep both files together in one folder so you do not confuse the full syllabus with the reduced one.

Before you print anything, compare the PDF on the site with the copy you saved. Boards sometimes issue corrections to topic lists or experiment lists after the first upload, and an old download will not show them [verify]. Check the date on the circular page, and re-download if it is newer than your file.

Once saved, use the PDF alongside chapter-wise solutions for Class 12 Physics so each topic you tick off has a matching set of solved problems to test it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the MSBSHSE Class 12 Physics syllabus for 2020?

The 2020 syllabus is the official document listing all chapters, topics, and practical experiments for Class 12 Physics for the academic year 2020-21. It is the reference for teachers and paper setters. Topics not in it cannot be asked in the board exam. The full syllabus covers 16 chapters, from Rotational Dynamics to Electronics.

Is the 2020 Physics syllabus reduced due to COVID-19?

No, the 2020 syllabus is the original full syllabus released before the pandemic. Due to COVID-19, the board announced a reduced syllabus for the 2021 examinations only [verify]. So the 2020 document remains the complete scope, while the reduced version applied only to that one exam year. For competitive exams like MHT CET and NEET, study the full 2020 syllabus.

How many chapters are there in Maharashtra Board Class 12 Physics 2020?

There are 16 chapters in the Class 12 Physics syllabus. The first seven cover mechanics, heat, waves, and optics; the next six cover electricity and magnetism; the last three cover modern physics and electronics. Each chapter has specific topics listed in the syllabus [verify]. The paper setter frames questions using these exact topic headings.

What is the marks distribution for Class 12 Physics 2020?

The theory paper is of 70 marks, and practicals are of 30 marks. The theory paper includes multiple-choice questions, very short answer questions, short answer questions, and long answer questions. The practical exam includes experiments, activities, project work, and viva voce. For detailed mark distribution, refer to the official syllabus PDF [verify].

Where can I download the MSBSHSE Class 12 Physics 2020 syllabus PDF?

You can download the official syllabus PDF from the Maharashtra State Board's website (mahahsscboard.maharashtra.gov.in). Look for the 'Syllabus' section and select Class 12. Alternatively, your school or junior college may provide a copy. Always use the official PDF for accurate chapter and topic lists.

What are the practical experiments for Class 12 Physics 2020?

The practical syllabus includes experiments like verifying Ohm's law, determining resistance using a metre bridge, finding the focal length of a convex lens, and studying the characteristics of a transistor. You also need to perform activities and a project. The exact list is in the official syllabus [verify]. Practicals carry 30 marks, so prepare them thoroughly.