Jump to a section

Physics - Wave Optics

Practise 38 NEET previous year questions on Wave Optics, compiled from papers spanning 2010 to 2026. Each question is pulled directly from the actual exam paper it appeared in, so you're practising in the exact style and difficulty NEET tests.

Wave Optics has been asked in 14 of the 39 years of NEET papers analysed (1988–2026), with 38 questions in all. 39% of them were easy, 42% moderate and 18% tough. Most of its questions came from 2024, with 5 questions that year. In the last three years (2024–2026) it had 9 questions across 13 papers, about 0.7 per paper.

The chapter's 5 topics are not weighted equally: Youngs Double Slit Experiment (18 questions, 47%), Polarization of Light (7 questions, 18%), and Diffraction of Light (6 questions, 16%) have been asked the most. Youngs Double Slit Experiment has also led over the last five years, with 6 questions. Youngs Double Slit Experiment has produced the most tough questions (3).

  1. 1In Young's double slit experiment, using monochromatic light of wavelength , the intensity of light at a point on the screen where the path 2026 (Cancelled)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  2. 2In interference and diffraction, the light energy is redistributed. If it reduces in one region, producing a dark fringe, it increases in an2026 (Cancelled)Interference of Light
  3. 3An unpolarized light beam travelling in air is incident on a medium of refractive index 1.73 at Brewster's angle. Then -2025Polarization of Light
  4. 4The intensity of transmitted light when a polaroid sheet, placed between two crossed polaroids at from the polarization axis of one of the p2025Polarization of Light
  5. 5If the monochromatic source in Young's double slit experiment is replaced by white light, then2024Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  6. 6An unpolarised light beam strikes a glass surface at Brewster's angle. Then2024Polarization of Light
  7. 7Two slits in Young's double slit experiment are 1.5 mm apart and the screen is placed at a distance of 1 m from the slits. If the wavelength2024 (Re-NEET)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  8. 8Interference pattern can be observed due to superposition of the following waves: A. B. C. D. Choose the correct answer from the options giv2024 (Re-NEET)Interference of Light
  9. 9A beam of unpolarized light of intensity is passed through a polaroid , then through another polaroid , oriented at and finally through anot2024 (Re-NEET)Polarization of Light
  10. 10For Young s double slit experiment, two statements are given below: Statement I : If screen is moved away from the plane of slits, angular s2023 (All India)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  11. 11In a Young s double slit experiment, a student observes 8 fringes in a certain segment of screen when a monochromatic light of 600 nm wavele2022 (Phase 1)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  12. 12After passing through a polariser a linearly polarised light of intensity is incident on an analyser making an angle of with that of the pol2022 (Phase 2)Polarization of Light
  13. 13If the screen is moved away from the plane of the slits in a Young's double slit experiment, then the:2022 (Phase 2)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  14. 14The Brewsters angle i b for an interface should be2020 (Phase 1)Polarization of Light
  15. 15In Young s double slit experiment, if the separation between coherent sources is halved and the distance of the screen from the coherent sou2020 (Phase 1)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  16. 16Two coherent sources of light interfere and produce fringe patterns on a screen. For central maximum, the phase difference between the two w2020 (Phase 2)Interference of Light
  17. 17In a double slit experiment, when light of wavelength 400 n m was used, the angular width of the first minima formed on a screen placed 1 m 2019 (All India)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  18. 18In a Young's double slit experiment, if there is no initial phase-difference between the light from the two slits, a point on the screen cor2019 (Odisha)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  19. 19Angular width of the central maxima in the Fraunhoffer diffraction for is . When the same slit is illuminated by another monochromatic light2019 (Odisha)Diffraction of Light
  20. 20Unpolarised light is incident from air on plane surface of a material of refractive index . At a particular angle of incident i it is found 2018Wave Theory and Wavefronts
  21. 21In Young s double slit experiment the separation d between the slits is 2 mm, the wavelength of the light used is 5896 and distance D betwee2018Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  22. 22Young s double slit experiment is first performed in air and then in a medium other than air. It is found that 8 t h bright fringe in the me2017Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  23. 23Two Polaroids P 1 and P 2 are placed with their axis perpendicular to each other. Unpolarised light with intensity I 0 is incident on P 1 . 2017Polarization of Light
  24. 24In a diffraction pattern due to a single slit of width a the first minimum is observed at an angle 30 o when light of wavelength 5000 is inc2016 (Phase 1)Diffraction of Light
  25. 25The intensity at the maximum in a Young s double slit experiment is I 0 . Distance between two slits is d = 5 , where is the wavelength of l2016 (Phase 1)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  26. 26The interference pattern is obtained with two coherent light sources of intensity ratio, n . In the interference pattern, the ratio, I max I2016 (Phase 2)Interference of Light
  27. 27A linear aperture whose width is 0.02 cm is placed immediately in front of a lens of focal length 60 cm. The aperture is illuminated normall2016 (Phase 2)Diffraction of Light
  28. 28For a parallel beam of monochromatic light of wavelength , diffraction is produced by a single slit whose width a is of the order of the wav2015 (Phase 1)Diffraction of Light
  29. 29In a double-slit experiment, the two slits are 1 mm apart and the screen is placed 1 m away. A monochromatic light of wavelength 500 nm is u2015 (Phase 1)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  30. 30At the first minimum adjacent to the central maximum of a single-slit diffraction pattern, the phase difference between the Huygen s wavelet2015 (Phase 2)Wave Theory and Wavefronts
  31. 31Two slits in Young s experiment have widths in the ratio 1 : 25. The ratio of intensity at the maxima and minima in the interference pattern2015 (Phase 2)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  32. 32A beam of light of = 600 n m from a distant source falls on a single slit 1 m m wide and the resulting diffraction pattern is observed on a 2014Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  33. 33In the Young s double slit experiment the intensity of light at a point on the screen where the path difference is is K , ( being the wave l2014Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  34. 34In Young's double slit experiment, the slits are apart and are illuminated by photons of two wavelengths and . At what minimum distance from2013 (All India)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  35. 35A parallel beam of fast moving electrons is incident normally on a narrow slit. A fluorescent screen is placed at a large distance from the 2013 (All India)Diffraction of Light
  36. 36In Young's double slit experiment the distance between the slits and the screen is doubled. The separation between the slits reduced to half2013 (Karnataka)Youngs Double Slit Experiment
  37. 37A parallel beam of light of wavelength is incident normally on a narrow slit. A diffraction pattern formed on a screen placed perpendicular 2013 (Karnataka)Diffraction of Light
  38. 38A lens having focal length and aperture of diameter forms an image of intensity . Aperture of diameter in central region of lens is covered 2010 (Screening)Interference of Light

Frequently Asked Questions

1.How many questions are available for Wave Optics?

This chapter includes 38 questions compiled from NEET papers spanning 2010 to 2026.

2.Are these questions only from NEET, or from other exams too?

These are NEET questions specifically for the Wave Optics chapter. Questions from other exams like AIIMS or JIPMER are organised separately under their respective exam sections.

3.Is Wave Optics an important chapter for NEET Physics?

Wave Optics has appeared in 14 of the 25 years of NEET papers covered here, with 38 questions across 21 papers - about 2 per paper it appears in.

4.What is the difficulty level of Wave Optics questions in NEET?

Of the 38 questions analysed for this chapter, 39% are easy, 42% moderate and 18% tough. 2024 had the most, with 5 questions.

5.Which topics in Wave Optics should I focus on?

These topics have carried the most weightage in Wave Optics:

  • Youngs Double Slit Experiment - 18 questions (47%)
  • Polarization of Light - 7 questions (18%)
  • Diffraction of Light - 6 questions (16%)
  • Youngs Double Slit Experiment has produced the most tough questions (3).
6.Is Wave Optics's weightage in NEET going up or down?

Across all 21 papers analysed, Wave Optics has averaged about 1.8 questions per paper. In the last three years (2024–2026), that average has fallen, at about 0.7 questions per paper. Use the year-wise numbers on this page for the exact trend before you decide how much time to give it.