NCERT Class 12 Physics is printed in two parts. Together they have 14 chapters and 348 pages, and they are the complete syllabus for the CBSE board exam and the Class 12 half of JEE Main and NEET Physics.
Every chapter below links to a free PDF — read it online or download it. Or grab the whole book as one PDF.
Quick answer
- Part 1: Chapters 1–8 — electrostatics, current electricity, magnetism, EMI, AC and EM waves.
- Part 2: Chapters 9–14 — optics, dual nature, atoms, nuclei and semiconductors.
- Total: 14 chapters, 348 pages.
NCERT Class 12 Physics — chapter list
- Electric Charges and Fields — 44 pages
- Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance — 36 pages
- Current Electricity — 26 pages
- Moving Charges and Magnetism — 29 pages
- Magnetism and Matter — 18 pages
- Electromagnetic Induction — 23 pages
- Alternating Current — 24 pages
- Electromagnetic Waves — 14 pages
- Ray Optics and Optical Instruments — 34 pages
- Wave Optics — 19 pages
- Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter — 16 pages
- Atoms — 16 pages
- Nuclei — 17 pages
- Semiconductor Electronics: Materials, Devices and Simple Circuits — 32 pages
How to study Class 12 Physics from NCERT
For boards: the in-text examples and the end-of-chapter exercises are the closest thing to the board paper. Derivations asked in boards come straight from the book — practise writing them, not just reading them.
For JEE and NEET: NCERT gives you the concepts and the standard results. Read the chapter, solve every NCERT exercise, then move to a problem book. Do not skip the “Points to Ponder” at the end of each chapter — they are short and dense with exam-relevant ideas.
A sensible order:
- Electrostatics (Ch 1–2) before Current Electricity (Ch 3).
- Moving Charges and Magnetism (Ch 4) before Magnetism and Matter (Ch 5) and EMI (Ch 6).
- AC (Ch 7) right after EMI, while the ideas are fresh.
- Ray Optics (Ch 9) before Wave Optics (Ch 10).
- Modern physics (Ch 11–13) as one block — they are shorter and score well.
- Semiconductors (Ch 14) last; it stands on its own.