KTET Category 3 Physical Science Syllabus 2025 – Detailed Topic-wise Breakdown

The KTET Category 3 Physical Science syllabus is designed for candidates aspiring to teach upper primary classes (Classes 5–7) in Kerala. The exam evaluates both pedagogical understanding and subject expertise through multiple-choice questions (MCQs).
The total exam duration is 2 hours 30 minutes, and the question paper is divided into two major sections.

For qualification standards, refer to the KTET Category 3 Cut-Off Marks 2025
👉 Check the KTET 2025 Exam Date & Schedule
👉 Download the official KTET Category 3 Notification PDF

Exam Structure – KTET Category 3 Physical Science

Section	Area	Focus
Part I	Child Development & Pedagogy	Teaching aptitude & learner psychology
Part II	Physical Science	Physics + Chemistry (80 Questions)

1.Child Development and Pedagogy (General Section):

This section assesses the candidate’s understanding of child psychology, teaching methodologies, and educational philosophy. It focuses on how teachers can support the learning and development of children in the classroom, including knowledge of inclusive education and learning disabilities.Here is the detailed syllabus of this section

• Adolescent Psychology: Adolescence, Problems of adolescence, and Developmental theories

• Theories of Learning: Nature and concept of Learning, Factors affecting learning, Creativity, Theories of learning, etc

• Teaching Aptitude: Teaching, Teacher Roles, Methods and, Techniques of Teaching, Classroom Management, etc

2.Physical science

This section evaluates a candidate's knowledge in Physical science. It also assesses the candidate’s ability to teach this subject effectively to students at the upper primary level.Detailed Syllabus as follows:

PHYSICAL SCIENCE (80 Questions )

 A. PHYSICS 

1. Wave motion: Transverse and longitudinal waves, propagation of wave, medium dependence. Sound - loudness, frequency, wavelength, pitch, reflection and refraction of sound waves, echo, beats, Doppler effect, reverberation, SONAR, sound pollution, resonance and musical instruments.

 2. Light: Reflection - plane mirror, spherical mirror, multiple reflection, image formation by spherical mirrors and its applications. Refraction: Optical density, total internal reflection and applications. Ray diagram and image formation by lens, lens equation, microscopes, telescope, camera, human eye and common defects of eye and its remedy. Dispersion of light, scattering of light, rainbow, Newton's Disc, colour of sky, cloud, snow. Primary colours, secondary colours - complementary colours. 

3. Force and pressure: Thrust, atmospheric pressure, Pascal's law, Archimedes principle, surface tension and capillarity. 

4. Heat: Temperature and temperature scales, modes of heat transmission, boiling, melting, Specific heat capacity, latent heat, regulation

5. Motion: Displacement, velocity, acceleration, equations of motion, graphs of s-t, v-t and their relevance. Circular motion, centripetal acceleration, angular speed, momentum, Newton's law of motion, law of conservation of momentum. Recoil of gun, action - reaction pairs. Centre of gravity, banking of curve. 

6. Gravitation: Mass and weight, universal law of gravitation, acceleration due to gravity and factors affecting it, Solar system, orbits, planets, satellite, escape velocity, space exploration and weightlessness in space. Galaxies, stars, big bang, clusters, nebula, Super Nova, solar and lunar eclipse. 

7. Work and Energy: Conventional and Non-conventional sources of energy, forms of energy - heat, light, sound, mechanical, nuclear energy, mass energy. Law of conservation of energy.

 8. Electricity and Magnetism Natural and artificial magnets, different types of magnets and their properties, magnetic field lines or lines of force. Earth and its magnetism. Magnetic induction, magnetic properties of matter - para, dia and ferro magnetic materials. Static electric properties, electroscopes, electro static induction, methods of charging, lightning and lightning conductors, earthing, current electricity, electric potential, Ohm's law, resistance, conductance, resistivity, conductivity, factors affecting resistance. Resistance in series, parallel, use of voltmeter, galvanometer, ammeter, rheostat, Joule's law of heating. 

9. Effects of current and Electromagnetic Induction Electrolysis, voltameter, Faraday's law of electrolysis, chemical cells, solenoids, electromagnets, electromagnetic induction, AC, DC Generators, electric motors, transmission of AC, self induction, mutual induction, transformers, moving coil microphones, loud speaker. 

10. Electronics Conductors, insulators, semi conductors, doping, different types of diodes and applications, transistor and its applications, ICs.

B. CHEMISTRY

1. Physical changes and Chemical changes: (25 questions) Exothermic and endothermic reactions, electrolysis of water, energy changes in chemical reactions, electroplating

2. Atoms and Molecules Basic concepts, structure of atom, sub atomic particles - electrons, protons and neutrons, Rutherford's gold foil experiment, Atom models, Rutherford's atom model, Bohr model of atom, electron shell model, stability and electronic configuration

3. Metals Properties - metallic luster, malleability, ductility, conducting property, sonority, corrosion - factors responsible for corrosion, prevention of corrosion, reactions of metals with water, air and acids, Displacement reactions of metals, reactivity series, iron - historical background, extraction using blast furnace, extraction of aluminium from bauxite

4. Solutions Definition, components of a solution, water as universal solvent, suspensions, concentration of a solution, solubility, super saturated solution

5 .Coloids -Definition, properties, artificial drinks, chemicals used in soft drinks

6. Nature of matter -Three states of matter and their characteristic properties, surface tension, cohesive force and adhesive force, capillarity, capillarity rise and capillarity dip, applications of surface tension and capillarity. -

7. Separation of Mixtures -Classification of matter, mixtures and pure substances, homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures, methods of separation of mixtures - filtration, sedimentation, decantation, centrifugation, distillation, fractional distillation, differential extraction using separating funnel, chromatography. 8. Periodic table and chemical bonding -Early attempts of classification of elements, Mendeleev's periodic table, periodic law, merits and demerits. Modern periodic table - Moseley's periodic law, nature of elements and electronic structure, valency, representative elements, transition elements, sub shell electronic configuration, classification of elements into blocks (s, p, d & f) and their characteristics.

9 .Periodic trends in properties of elements - Atomic size, number of shells, number of valence electrons, electro negativity, ionisation energy, electro positivity, metallic and non-metallic character

10. Chemical bonding Octet rule, ionic bond and covalent bond, valency and electro negativity, difference in the formation of compounds, comparison of the properties of ionic compounds and covalent compounds, representation of chemical reactions using chemical formula and chemical equation.

11. Non-metals Non metals in food, water and air, reaction of non-metals with oxygen

• Oxygen- Allotropes of oxygen, methods of preparation, uses of oxygen, respiration, combustion and photo synthesis

• Nitrogen- Position in periodic table, inert nature of nitrogen, nitrogen fixation, nitrogenous fertilizers - merits and demerits

• Ammonia- Laboratory preparation, manufacture of ammonia by Haber process, nitrogen cycle

• Hydrogen- Properties, methods of preparation, hydrogen as future fuel-merits and demerits

• Chlorine-Position in periodic table, properties, bleaching action

• Hydrogen chloride - Laboratory preparation, properties, environmental problems of chlorine compounds

• Carbon - Unique nature, allotropes, important compounds, carbon cycle, green house effect, global warming Carbon

12. Organic compounds Classification, catenation, tetra covalency of carbon

13. Acids and Alkalies Constituents of soil and plant growth, acidity of soil, properties of acids, pH, Properties of alkalies, neutralisation, properties of salts - their naming and importance, fertilizers - merits and demerits

14. Gas Laws Boyle's law, Charles' law, Combined gas equation, Avogadro's law

15. Chemical reactions and Mole concept- Factors influencing rate of reaction - concentration, surface area, temperature and presence of catalyst. Mole Concept -Atomic mass and molecular mass, Avogadro's law and mole concept, gram atom and gram molecule, mole concept and balanced chemical equations

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