Circular Motion-Previous Year NEET Questions with Solutions

NEET typically asks 1–2 questions from Circular Motion every year, worth 4–8 marks. The chapter is part of the Laws of Motion and Mechanics section of Class 11 Physics. While the number of questions varies slightly, the chapter has appeared in every NEET paper since 2013. Motion in a vertical circle and banking of roads are the most consistently tested subtopics.

Motion in a vertical circle is the single most important Circular Motion topic for NEET. It tests minimum speed conditions, tension at top and bottom, and the result T_L − T_H = 6mg. Banking of roads is the second most important — covering optimum speed, banking angle, and maximum speed with friction. Master these two subtopics and you cover the majority of NEET circular motion questions.

Circular Motion is moderate in difficulty for NEET. The formulas are limited and follow directly from Newton's second law. The challenge is applying them correctly in applied contexts — vertical circles, banked roads, conical pendulums. Students who practise all NEET PYQs from this chapter find the questions very manageable. Weak FBD drawing skills are the most common reason for errors.

The minimum speed at the top of a vertical circle for a particle to maintain contact with the track is v_min = √(gr), where g is acceleration due to gravity and r is the radius of the circle. This condition arises when the normal reaction becomes zero. Below this speed, the particle loses contact with the track. This is one of the most frequently tested results in NEET Circular Motion questions.

One week before NEET, revise Circular Motion in this order: review the 4 key formulas, re-solve every PYQ you got wrong during preparation, and solve 5–10 new questions from exemplar or mock tests under timed conditions. Focus on setting up FBDs quickly. Do not re-read theory — that time is better spent on active problem-solving at this stage.