NUMS Most Important Topics 2026
Which NUMS chapters are actually worth the most marks, ranked by counting every MCQ in the 10 solved NUMS past papers on TestUstad and matching each one to the chapter it tests. Not a list of chapters somebody felt were important: a count of the questions that were really asked.
Start at the top and work down. Every chapter here links to free NUMS MCQs with a written explanation on every answer, no fee and no account needed.
Top 15 most important NUMS topics, all subjects
Every chapter on the NUMS paper on one scale, heaviest first. Covers 150 of the 150 MCQs on the paper.
| # | Chapter | Subject | Expected MCQs | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cell Structure and Function | Biology | 8.7 | Critical |
| 2 | Biodiversity and Variety of Life | Biology | 6.8 | Critical |
| 3 | Comprehension | English | 5.9 | Critical |
| 4 | Force and Motion | Physics | 5.5 | Critical |
| 5 | Chemical Bonding | Chemistry | 4.9 | Critical |
| 6 | Coordination and Control | Biology | 4.9 | Critical |
| 7 | Waves | Physics | 4.9 | Critical |
| 8 | Grammar | English | 4.8 | Critical |
| 9 | Biological Molecules | Biology | 4.3 | Critical |
| 10 | Electromagnetism | Physics | 4.2 | Critical |
| 11 | Circulation | Biology | 3.8 | Important |
| 12 | Digestion | Biology | 3.6 | Important |
| 13 | Thermodynamics | Physics | 3.5 | Critical |
| 14 | Vocabulary | English | 3.5 | Important |
| 15 | Atomic Structure | Chemistry | 3.4 | Critical |
The top 10 in detail
Cell Structure and Function
CriticalCell Structure and Function is 15.8 percent of the NUMS Biology paper and works out at about 8.7 MCQs on the current paper. It is examined mostly on Chromosomes, Cytoplasmic Organelles and Animal and Plant Cell.
Biodiversity and Variety of Life
CriticalBiodiversity and Variety of Life is 12.4 percent of the NUMS Biology paper and works out at about 6.8 MCQs on the current paper. It is examined mostly on Kingdom Animalia, Kingdom Prokaryotae and Kingdom Fungi.
Comprehension
CriticalComprehension is 39.6 percent of the NUMS English paper and works out at about 5.9 MCQs on the current paper. It is examined mostly on Passage Reading, Error Detection and Sentence Completion.
Force and Motion
CriticalForce and Motion is 13.8 percent of the NUMS Physics paper and works out at about 5.5 MCQs on the current paper. It is examined mostly on Projectile Motion, Acceleration and Displacement and Velocity.
Chemical Bonding
CriticalChemical Bonding is 12.2 percent of the NUMS Chemistry paper and works out at about 4.9 MCQs on the current paper. It is examined mostly on Hybridization, VSEPR Theory and Bond Energy.
Coordination and Control
CriticalCoordination and Control is 8.9 percent of the NUMS Biology paper and works out at about 4.9 MCQs on the current paper. It is examined mostly on Chemical Coordination and Hormones, Neurons and Nerve Impulse and Receptors.
Waves
CriticalWaves is 12.3 percent of the NUMS Physics paper and works out at about 4.9 MCQs on the current paper. It is examined mostly on Simple Harmonic Motion, Progressive Waves and Speed of Sound.
Grammar
CriticalGrammar is 32.1 percent of the NUMS English paper and works out at about 4.8 MCQs on the current paper. It is examined mostly on Prepositions, Parts of Speech and Subject-Verb Agreement.
Biological Molecules
CriticalBiological Molecules is 7.7 percent of the NUMS Biology paper and works out at about 4.3 MCQs on the current paper. It is examined mostly on Biological Importance of Water, Proteins and Carbohydrates.
Electromagnetism
CriticalElectromagnetism is 10.4 percent of the NUMS Physics paper and works out at about 4.2 MCQs on the current paper. It is examined mostly on Charged Particle in a Magnetic Field, Magnetic Flux Density and Magnetic Flux.
NUMS most important topics by subject
The full ranked chapter list for each subject on the NUMS paper, with how the numbers for that subject were arrived at stated on the page.
NUMS Biology most important topics
20 chapters, 55 MCQs on the paper
10 solved NUMS past papers analysed (2014 to 2023)
Top 3: Cell Structure and Function, Biodiversity and Variety of Life and Coordination and Control
See all ranked topicsNUMS Chemistry most important topics
23 chapters, 40 MCQs on the paper
10 solved NUMS past papers analysed (2014 to 2023)
Top 3: Chemical Bonding, Atomic Structure and s-Block and p-Block Elements
See all ranked topicsNUMS Physics most important topics
16 chapters, 40 MCQs on the paper
10 solved NUMS past papers analysed (2014 to 2023)
Top 3: Force and Motion, Waves and Electromagnetism
See all ranked topicsNUMS English most important topics
4 chapters, 15 MCQs on the paper
10 solved NUMS past papers analysed (2014 to 2023)
Top 3: Comprehension, Grammar and Vocabulary
See all ranked topicsNUMS chapter weightage at a glance
NUMS Biology: 55 MCQs
All 20 chapters10 solved NUMS past papers analysed (2014 to 2023)
| Chapter | Expected MCQs | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Cell Structure and Function | 8.7 | Critical |
| Biodiversity and Variety of Life | 6.8 | Critical |
| Coordination and Control | 4.9 | Critical |
| Biological Molecules | 4.3 | Critical |
| Circulation | 3.8 | Important |
NUMS Chemistry: 40 MCQs
All 23 chapters10 solved NUMS past papers analysed (2014 to 2023)
| Chapter | Expected MCQs | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical Bonding | 4.9 | Critical |
| Atomic Structure | 3.4 | Critical |
| s-Block and p-Block Elements | 3.4 | Critical |
| Fundamental Concepts of Chemistry | 2.7 | Critical |
| Chemistry of Hydrocarbons | 2.2 | Critical |
NUMS Physics: 40 MCQs
All 16 chapters10 solved NUMS past papers analysed (2014 to 2023)
| Chapter | Expected MCQs | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Force and Motion | 5.5 | Critical |
| Waves | 4.9 | Critical |
| Electromagnetism | 4.2 | Critical |
| Thermodynamics | 3.5 | Critical |
| Nuclear Physics | 3.4 | Important |
NUMS English: 15 MCQs
All 4 chapters10 solved NUMS past papers analysed (2014 to 2023)
| Chapter | Expected MCQs | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Comprehension | 5.9 | Critical |
| Grammar | 4.8 | Critical |
| Vocabulary | 3.5 | Important |
| Writing Skills | 0.8 | Standard |
NUMS most important topics: frequently asked questions
What are the most important topics for NUMS 2026?
The highest-value NUMS chapters are Cell Structure and Function (Biology, about 8.7 MCQs), Biodiversity and Variety of Life (Biology, about 6.8 MCQs), Comprehension (English, about 5.9 MCQs), Force and Motion (Physics, about 5.5 MCQs) and Chemical Bonding (Chemistry, about 4.9 MCQs). That ranking comes from counting every MCQ in the 10 solved NUMS past papers on TestUstad and matching each one to its chapter. Every one of these chapters has free MCQs on TestUstad.
Is it enough to study only the most important NUMS topics?
No, and no honest ranking says otherwise. The top chapters on this page are where your first hours should go because they carry the most marks per hour, but NUMS is a competitive exam decided by a few marks, and the chapters at the bottom of this table still appear on the paper every year. Use this order to decide what to do first and what to revise last, not what to skip.
How does TestUstad decide which NUMS topics are most important?
By counting. Every MCQ in the 10 solved NUMS past papers on TestUstad is tagged to the chapter it tests, which gives each chapter's measured share of its subject. That share is then applied to the MCQs the current NUMS pattern gives the subject, so the figures describe the paper being sat now rather than the older papers they were measured on. Nothing here is an opinion about which chapters feel important, and where TestUstad has not counted real papers for a subject the page says so on that subject's own page instead of implying it did.
How many MCQs is each NUMS chapter worth?
Chapter by chapter, that is exactly what the tables on this page show. The single heaviest chapter on the NUMS paper is Cell Structure and Function at about 8.7 MCQs, and the subject pages break down every remaining chapter the same way.
Can I practise the most important NUMS topics free?
Yes. Every chapter listed on this page links to free MCQs on TestUstad, with unlimited attempts, no daily limit, no card and no account needed to start. Each question carries a written explanation of why the correct option is correct, so a chapter you are weak in teaches you as you work through it.