Date: 05/02/2025

Target IIT-JEE / JEE Advanced 2025 (18 May 20225)

Differential Calculus:

1. Limits:

Limits point 1: You should know meaning of limit notation. Always think of RHL and LHL.
Limits point 2: You should be able to evaluate limit graphically and numerically if it is not of indeterminant form.
e.g. lim tan−1 x .
x→∞
Limits point 3: If it is having indeterminant form then you must know the strategy to eliminate indeterminant form by
LST1, LST2, LST3. You must be good in all the three LSTs. For this simply try sheet’s 30 questions by all 3 LSTs.

Limits point 4: Whenever terms are tending to infinity then a simple trick will make question easy. Trick is “take
the largest term as common”. e.g. lim (2 x +3 x +5 x )1/ x just taking 5^x as common will solve the question.
x→∞

Limits point 5: You must remember all the expansions. Useful in limits and some good quality questions of series
and integration.

Limits point 6: Sometimes they ask limit related to sequence. There you will have trick as shown in following example:
Q1. If { an } is a sequence satisfying an =5 an−3 −(2/ an−1 ) then find lim an . Here if you are finding sequence
n→∞
then you will be wasting your time. Here the trick is let lim an be L then lim an−1 and lim an−3 will also be L.
n→∞ n→∞ n→∞
Hence take n tending to infinity of given relation. Which will give you an equation L=5L-2/L i.e. 4L=2/L i.e. L^2 = ½
hence you will easily get L.
a
Q2. If { an } is a sequence satisfying an+2=an+1 +an then find lim n . Here the trick is divide given relation
n→∞ a n−1

a
by an+1 then you will get L=1+1/L where L is lim n . Then solve QE to get L.
n→∞ a n−1

Limits Point 7: Some questions of limit will be on some series, in that case you must know series ideas
(major questions will be solvable by telescopic idea, i.e. splitting Tn term) or you must know Reimann Series.
n
2
e.g. lim ∑ cot−1 2 r 2 for this you should know how to split the Tr. Which is tan
−1

n→∞ r=1 4 r2
(2 r +1)−(2 r−1)
which is tan−1 now easy.
1+(2 r +1)(2 r−1)
2. Continuity and Differentiability:

Continuity point 1: Whenever they are asking continuity at a point then always keep in mind that you have to find
RHL and then LHL and then Value (i.e. f(a)). Then take decision accordingly.

Continuity point 2: Sometimes they will ask continuity in an interval. Then you must have knowledge of all std
graphs. Because of that knowledge you will be able to understand that if this function will be discontinuous, then
it will be discontinuous at following points. Then check continuity at those points only.
1
e.g. 2 if you know that the basic RF 1/x is DC at x=0 then here we will check continuity at the
x −5 x +6
points where denominatoris 0. i.e. x=2,3.
e.g.2 [x^2]: we know that [x] is DC at the points where x= integer, hence here we will check continuity or doubt
continuity at points where x^2 = integer.

Continuity point 3: If you understand basic graphs and confident in Limits, then you will be confident in any
question related to continuity.

Continuity point 4: Remember and understand types of disconitnuity.

Differentiability point 1: Whenever you want to check differentiability then find RHD i.e. limit of
{f(x)-f(a)}/(x-a). Then find LHD. If both are finite and equal then differentiable. If unequal then non-differentiable.

Differentiability poin 2: If LHD and RHD are infinite, then check continuity of f(x) at that point. If it is continuous
then it will be differentiable. If discontinuous then non-differentiable too. e.g. sgn( x). √|x| . it is differentiable at
x=0 (here RHD is infinity and LHD also infinity). e.g.2 sgn(x): Here RHD and LHD are infinity but function
is DC hence non differentiable.

Differentiability point 3: Major students trapped in questions of differentiability because they try to use derivative
to check differentiability. So avoid derivative to check differentiability in the exam.

Differentiability point 4: Graphically differentiability represent smoothness(just like you :D) in the graph at
that point and non differentiability represent sharpness in the graph at that point.

Differentiability point 5: Sometime students take judgement of differentiability by graph, then be careful, if
you are confident about sharp turn then no issues else check by LHD and RHD. e.g. |x^2-5x+6| here we can
see sharp turns at x=2 and 3. Hence non differentiable at x=2,3. e.g.2 x|x|: here students think that there is sharp
turn at x=0 then they are wrong.

Differentiability point 6: If you want to use derivative to check differentiability then first make sure it is
continuous at that point. Then LHL of f’(x) will give you LHD of f(x) and RHL of f’(x) will give you RHD
of f(x).

3. Derivative or Differentiation:

Derivative point 1: You must know definition of derivative as limits. Which is called derivative by first principle
or ab-initio derivative.
Derivative point 2: You must know the proofs of all standard derivatives by 1st principle.

Derivative point 3: You must know the proofs of all 7 derivative rules told in the class. You must remember them.
Derivative point 4: By derivative rules and std derivative formulae you must be able to find derivative of
any given complicate function.

Derivative point 5: Major JEE questions were on DR2 i.e. Derivative of Inverse function. Feel all the steps
properly and get the confidence.

Derivative point 6: They have asked many questions on DR7 i.e. chain rule also. Chain rule is easy but
you might make mistakes if you are ignoring the variable w.r.t. which you are taking the derivative.
So whenever you see dy/dx: see it as derivative of y w.r.t. x. e.g. If they are asking d/dx of y^2. Major
students in hurry write just 2y. Because they think of derivative of y^2 only as 2y. They forget that it is
w.r.t. y. and here they are asking w.r.t. x. Hence you have to use chain rule and write answer as 2y.dy/dx.

Derivative point 7: You must know the tricks for derivative of parametric function, implicit functions and
(f(x))^g(x) type of functions.

Derivative point 8: You must know higher order derivative notations. Atleast you must know d^2 x/dy^2 in
terms of dy/dx and d^2y/dx^2. You must also know how to get d^2y/dx^2 for x=f(t) and y=g(t).

Derivative point 9: Since derivative is easy process, so in JEE questions they involve properties(formulae)
before derivative. If you don’t know properties and differentiating function directly then you will be wasting
your precious time.
x 4 + x 2 +1
e.g. find dy/dx for y= 2 . If you will differentiate directly then you will be on Jupiter planet.
x + x +1
But if you will use properties then you can write it as y=x 2−x +1 now you can easily get derivative.

Practice sheet questions to feel all above points.

4. AOD i.e. Application of Derivatives:

AOD point 1: You must know how to get equation of tangent, normal, LOT, LOST, LON, LOSN for a given
curve and given point.

AOD point 2: Sometime they will talk about tangent/normal but point will not be given. In that case simply
assume point as ( x 1 , f ( x 1 )) and then use knowledge of tangent and given information and solve for x1.

AOD point 3: You must understand RMVT, LMVT, CMVT,TMVT. Also feel the application of RMVT
in LMVT, CMVT,TMVT.

AOD point 4: You must understand how to decide monotonicity and concavity of given f(x). For increasing
function just solve the condition f’(x)>=0. Note here equality can hold true at points but not in the interval.
Similar conditions for decreasing and const function. For concavity just remember that its monotonicity of f’(x).
e.g. f(x) = concave up when f’(x) is increasing, similarly CD when f’(x) is decreasing and Linear when f’(x) is
constant.
AOD point 5: In a non monotonous function you will have critical points where f’(x) = 0 or not defined. Those
are classified as point of extrema (maxima, minima) and inflection. At point of extrema derivative will change its
sign. For maxima it will change from +ve to -ve and for minima from -ve to +ve while x moving from L to R.
For point of inflection there is no change in the sign of derivative.
AOD point 6: There is difference between maxima and maximum. Understand it.

AOD point 7: Major good quality based on AOD are those where they don’t ask monotonicity or maxima/minima
directly. They ask them indirectly. e.g. π e >e π T/F? Here they are indirectly asking monotonicity of x^1/x in [e,pi].
Such questions can be mastered only by practice and experience. Otherwise they are very difficult.

Best Wishes

Team Prime