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Ray Optics and Optical Instruments PYQs (previous year questions) for CBSE Class 12: Ray Optics and Optical Instruments (Physics) had 31 questions across the 50 official CBSE Class 12 papers we tagged (2016–2026), and appeared in 10 of them. Asked in 10 of 10 years. The concepts asked in the most papers: Lens Maker’s Formula, Telescope, Total Internal Reflection.
Year-wise question count
Asked in 10 of 10 years.
Most-asked concepts
Sorted by the number of papers a concept appeared in.
| Concept | Questions | Papers | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lens Maker's Formula | 6 | 5 | 2026, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 |
| Telescope | 5 | 4 | 2026, 2020, 2019, 2017 |
| Refraction Through Prism | 4 | 4 | 2024, 2020, 2017, 2016 |
| Total Internal Reflection | 4 | 4 | 2026, 2025, 2023, 2022 |
| Mirror Formula | 3 | 3 | 2024, 2023, 2018 |
| Lens Formula | 2 | 2 | 2025, 2016 |
| Apparent Depth | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Dispersion | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Image Formation | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Power of Lens | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Refraction | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Refraction at Spherical Surface | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Scattering of Light | 1 | 1 | 2016 |
How to practise Ray Optics and Optical Instruments PYQs
- Start with the concepts at the top of the table. They have come back the most.
- Solve one year’s Ray Optics and Optical Instruments questions from the official PDF against the clock, then check the answer listed below.
- Log every miss as a concept gap, a calculation slip or a misread. Each needs a different fix.
- Once a concept is clean in two papers, move to the next. Then sit a full paper from the year pages.
Questions by year
Each line gives the question number and paper, type, concept, our one-line summary, with a link to the official PDF.
CBSE Class 122026
- Q.9 (Physics (55/1/1)) · MCQ · Lens Maker's Formula: Focal length of each half of a concave lens cut in two PDF
- Q.27 (Physics (55/1/1)) · Short answer · Telescope: Refracting telescope ray diagram, magnification; reflecting telescope merits PDF
- Q.28 (Physics (55/1/1)) · Short answer · Total Internal Reflection: TIR conditions; show a beam cannot enter third liquid layer PDF
- Q.32 (Physics (55/1/1)) · Long answer · Lens Maker's Formula: Derive lens maker's formula; final image from three coaxial lenses PDF
CBSE Class 122025
- Q.8 (Physics (55/1/1)) · MCQ · Apparent Depth: Apparent depth of a coin under water seen near normally PDF
- Q.19 (Physics (55/1/1)) · Very short answer · Total Internal Reflection: Angle for a ray grazing along the surface of a glass rod PDF
- Q.30 (Physics (55/1/1)) · Case-based · Lens Formula: Lens case study: image orientation, magnification, cut lens, focal length PDF
CBSE Class 122024
- Q.16 (Physics (55/1/1)) · Assertion-Reason · Image Formation: Whether plane and convex mirrors can ever form real images PDF
- Q.18 (Physics (55/1/1)) · Very short answer · Refraction: Wavelengths of reflected and refracted light at an interface PDF
- Q.19 (Physics (55/1/1)) · Very short answer · Mirror Formula: Image position and magnification for a concave mirror PDF
- Q.29 (Physics (55/1/1)) · Case-based · Power of Lens: Lens case study: power of cut lenses and lens combinations PDF
- Q.33 (Physics (55/1/1)) · Long answer · Refraction Through Prism: Deviation vs incidence for a prism; index and minimum deviation PDF
CBSE Class 122023
CBSE Class 122022
CBSE Class 122020
- Q.6 (Physics (55/1/1)) · MCQ · Telescope: Effect of a larger objective aperture in a telescope PDF
- Q.7 (Physics (55/1/1)) · MCQ · Lens Maker's Formula: Liquid index in which a glass lens becomes invisible PDF
- Q.8 (Physics (55/1/1)) · MCQ · Dispersion: Colour with smallest minimum deviation through a glass prism PDF
- Q.15 (Physics (55/1/1)) · Fill in the blank · Refraction Through Prism: Refractive index when minimum deviation equals prism angle PDF
- Q.37 (Physics (55/1/1)) · Long answer · Telescope: Telescope ray diagram, resolving power, magnification, Moon image size PDF
CBSE Class 122019
CBSE Class 122018
CBSE Class 122017
- Q.3 (Physics (55/1)) · Very short answer · Refraction Through Prism: Change in minimum deviation of a prism when violet light is replaced by red PDF
- Q.15 (Physics (55/1)) · Short answer · Lens Maker's Formula: Refracted light parameters in water; radius of curvature of a biconvex lens PDF
- Q.20 (Physics (55/1)) · Short answer · Telescope: Ray diagram of astronomical telescope; choose objective and eyepiece lenses PDF
CBSE Class 122016
- Q.4 (Physics (55/1/N)) · Very short answer · Scattering of Light: Why fog blocks clear vision and the phenomenon responsible PDF
- Q.10 (Physics (55/1/N)) · Short answer · Refraction Through Prism: Find an angle for a ray through a 60 degree prism with symmetric passage PDF
- Q.22 (Physics (55/1/N)) · Short answer · Lens Formula: Focal length by displacement method; focal length of a lens combination PDF
Other Physics chapters
- Electric Charges and Fields PYQs
- Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance PYQs
- Current Electricity PYQs
- Moving Charges and Magnetism PYQs
- Magnetism and Matter PYQs
- Electromagnetic Induction PYQs
- Alternating Current PYQs
- Electromagnetic Waves PYQs
- Wave Optics PYQs
- Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter PYQs
- Atoms PYQs
- Nuclei PYQs
- Semiconductor Electronics PYQs
- Communication Systems PYQs
FAQ
How many Ray Optics and Optical Instruments questions come in CBSE Class 12?
In the official papers we tagged: 4 in 2026, 3 in 2025, 5 in 2024, 2 in 2023, 2 in 2022, 5 in 2020, 2 in 2019, 2 in 2018, 3 in 2017 and 3 in 2016. That is 31 questions in all, about 11% of Physics.
Which Ray Optics and Optical Instruments topics repeat in CBSE Class 12?
Asked in the most papers: Lens Maker’s Formula, Telescope, Total Internal Reflection. The concept table lists every one with its count.
Are these official CBSE Class 12 questions?
Yes. Every question is from an official CBSE Class 12 paper hosted on our year pages. The one-line summaries are ours; open the PDF linked beside each question for the full text.