Updated on 28 Feb 2026
By Sakshi Rajawat, Content Writer
Candidates can check the latest updates below for JEE Main 2026 Analysis and session schedules:
JEE Main Session 2 Registration process commenced on February 1 and will remain open until February 25, 2026.
Session 2 Examination Dates are confirmed to take place between April 2 and April 9, 2026.
National Testing Agency completed its JEE Main 2026 Session 1 examination on January 29. This year more than 14.2 lakh students took part in the competition for top engineering positions. Experts consider the overall assessment to be of Moderate to Difficult difficulty. Mathematics remained the hardest subject because students needed to complete lengthy calculations. Physics maintained its scoring system while students used formulas to solve problems and Chemistry required students to study only from NCERT textbooks. The NTA will publish the JEE Main 2026 results on its official website at jeemain.nta.ac.in by February 12. Students can now register for the April attempt to improve their NTA percentile and JEE Main rank.
The section below provides a detailed shift-wise analysis of the JEE Main 2026 January Session. The data was collected through memory-based questions which students answered with their reactions.
The paper on January 28 was considered one of the most challenging days of the session.
Shift 1:The students considered this shift to be themost difficultone from the entire session. The mathematics test required students to solve complex 3D Geometry and Calculus problems through an extremely lengthy examination. The Physics test included challenging questions which tested students' knowledge of Electromagnetism.
Shift 2:The second shift presented moderate to tough difficulties although it required less effort than the first shift. The Chemistry exam featured a balanced combination of Organic and Inorganic questions.
| Subject | Shift 1 Difficulty | Shift 2 Difficulty | Key Topics (Shift 1) | Key Topics (Shift 2) |
| Physics | Moderate | Easy to Moderate | Electrostatics, Optics, Modern Physics | Kinematics, AC Circuits, Gravitation |
| Chemistry | Moderate | Moderate | Reaction Mechanisms, Coordination Compounds | Biomolecules, p-Block, Electrochemistry |
| Mathematics | Difficult | Moderate to Difficult | 3D Geometry, Vectors, Definite Integration | Probability, Matrices, Complex Numbers |
| Overall | Difficult | Moderate-Difficult | Low Scoring | Average Scoring |
January 24 papers followed a balanced trajectory, though Mathematics remained a hurdle for many.
Shift 1: Mathematics was doable but time-consuming. Physics was completely formula-based.
Shift 2: Chemistry saw a higher weightage of Physical Chemistry in the integer section.
| Subject | Shift 1 Difficulty | Shift 2 Difficulty | Key Topics (Shift 1) | Key Topics (Shift 2) |
| Physics | Easy | Easy | Current Electricity, Semiconductors | Thermodynamics, fluids, Logic Gates |
| Chemistry | Easy to Moderate | Moderate | Chemical Bonding, GOC | Atomic Structure, Solutions, Amines |
| Mathematics | Moderate to Difficult | Difficult | Binomial Theorem, Sequences & Series | Permutation & Combination, Functions |
| Overall | Moderate | Moderate | High Scoring | Average Scoring |
The January 23 exam was standard, with no major surprises in the pattern.
Shift 1: Physics was the easiest section. Mathematics had questions that required multiple concepts to solve.
Shift 2: A few questions in Chemistry were directly from NCERT lab manuals.
| Subject | Shift 1 Difficulty | Shift 2 Difficulty | Key Topics (Shift 1) | Key Topics (Shift 2) |
| Physics | Very Easy | Easy to Moderate | Work Power Energy, Capacitance | Rotational Motion, Waves |
| Chemistry | Moderate | Easy | Periodic Table, d-Block | Hydrocarbons, Aldehydes |
| Mathematics | Difficult | Moderate to Difficult | Differential Equations, Circle | Ellipse, Hyperbola, Statistics |
| Overall | Moderate | Moderate | Average Scoring | High Scoring |
January 22 Shift 1 is being cited as the easiest shift of the January 2026 session.
Shift 1: All three sections were relatively manageable. High cutoffs are expected here.
Shift 2: Mathematics was slightly tougher than the morning shift.
| Subject | Shift 1 Difficulty | Shift 2 Difficulty | Key Topics (Shift 1) | Key Topics (Shift 2) |
| Physics | Easy | Easy | Units & Dimensions, Kinematics | Laws of Motion, Magnetism |
| Chemistry | Easy | Easy to Moderate | Metallurgy, Environmental Chemistry | Chemical Kinetics, Equilibrium |
| Mathematics | Moderate | Moderate | Sets, Relations, Heights & Distances | Limit, Continuity, Differentiability |
| Overall | Easy | Moderate | Very High Scoring | High Scoring |
Day 1 set the tone for the exam with a balanced paper.
| Subject | Shift 1 Difficulty | Shift 2 Difficulty | Key Topics (Shift 1) | Key Topics (Shift 2) |
| Physics | Easy to Moderate | Moderate | Heat & Thermo, Dual Nature | EMI, AC, Ray Optics |
| Chemistry | Easy | Easy | Mole Concept, Solutions | Polymers, Chemistry in Everyday Life |
| Mathematics | Moderate | Moderate to Difficult | Trigonometry, Quadratic Equations | Vectors, Area under Curve |
| Overall | Moderate | Moderate | Average Scoring | Average Scoring |
JEE Main 2026 exam has an overall difficulty rating of Moderate. The Mathematics section of the exam presents a greater challenge than other sections. The current pattern of the exam shows the same trends which appeared in 2024 and 2025. Physics remains the easiest subject to score in while Chemistry serves as a ranking advantage for students who excel in NCERT content.
| Subject | Difficulty Level | High Weightage Topics | Ideal Time Allocation | Good Attempt (Out of 30) |
| Physics | Easy (1.5/5) | Modern Physics, Current Electricity, Electrostatics, Thermodynamics | 45 - 50 Mins | 22 - 25 Questions |
| Chemistry | Moderate (2.5/5) | Coordination Compounds, GOC, Chemical Bonding, Electrochemistry | 40 - 45 Mins | 20 - 23 Questions |
| Mathematics | Difficult (4/5) | Vector & 3D, Calculus, Matrices & Determinants, Probability | 75 - 85 Mins | 12 - 15 Questions |
| Overall | Moderate (3/5) | Total Score Potential: 160+ | 180 Mins | 55 - 65 Questions |
Physics: 70 percent of the questions required students to use formulas.
Chemistry: 80 percent of the test questions originated from NCERT material while Inorganic Chemistry content made up a major portion of the test.
Mathematics: 60 percent of the questions involved extended problems which needed multiple calculation steps to solve.
JEE Main Marks vs Percentile trend depends heavily on the difficulty of the specific shift. The process of Normalization holds essential importance to this situation. The Jan 28 Shift 1 difficult shift allows candidates to achieve higher percentiles through lower scores. Candidates need to achieve higher marks during the Jan 22 Shift 1 easy shift to reach the same percentile.
| Percentile | Toughest Shift (e.g., Jan 28 S1) | Moderate Shift (e.g., Jan 24 S1) | Easiest Shift (e.g., Jan 22 S1) | Expected Rank Range |
| 99.9+ | 265 - 275 | 275 - 282 | 285 - 292 | 1 - 1,500 |
| 99.5+ | 230 - 240 | 240 - 250 | 255 - 265 | 1,500 - 7,000 |
| 99.0+ | 180 - 190 | 190 - 200 | 215 - 225 | 12,000 - 15,000 |
| 98.0+ | 160 - 170 | 170 - 180 | 185 - 195 | 25,000 - 30,000 |
| 97.0+ | 140 - 150 | 150 - 160 | 165 - 175 | 40,000 - 45,000 |
| 96.0+ | 125 - 135 | 135 - 145 | 150 - 160 | 55,000 - 60,000 |
| 95.0+ | 115 - 125 | 125 - 135 | 140 - 150 | 70,000 - 75,000 |
| 90.0+ | 85 - 95 | 95 - 105 | 110 - 120 | 1,40,000 - 1,50,000 |
| Qualifying | 80 - 85 | 90 - 95 | 100 - 105 | For JEE Advanced |
Note: These ranges are estimates derived from initial student data and expert analysis.
JEE Main 2025 set the precedence for high competition. The exam saw a massive surge in applicants, crossing 14 lakhs for the first time.
Session 1 (January 2025): The overall difficulty was Moderate. Mathematics was the defining section. The cutoff for the General category increased significantly compared to 2024.
Session 2 (April 2025): Physics became slightly more conceptual. The number of unique candidates increased, pushing the qualifying cutoff to a record high.
| Category | Cutoff Percentile (2025) | Cutoff Marks (Approx) | Difficulty Trend |
| General | 93.1023262 | 95 - 100 | High Competition |
| EWS | 80.3830119 | 75 - 80 | Moderate |
| OBC-NCL | 79.4313582 | 72 - 78 | Moderate |
| SC | 61.1526933 | 45 - 55 | Low |
| ST | 47.9026465 | 35 - 45 | Low |
| PwD | 0.0079349 | 0 - 5 | Very Low |
JEE Main 2024 was a landmark year where the shift in difficulty between sessions was quite visible.
Session 1 (Jan 2024): Held from Jan 27 to Feb 1. The Jan 27 Shift 1 was historically easy, leading to a 99 percentile cutoff at around 235 marks.
Session 2 (April 2024): Held from April 4 to April 12. Mathematics became significantly harder in this session.
| Category | Cutoff Percentile (2024) | Total Candidates Registered | Highest Marks for 99%ile | Lowest Marks for 99%ile |
| General | 93.2362181 | ~14.1 Lakhs | ~235 (Jan 27 S1) | ~151 (Jan 31 S2) |
| EWS | 81.3238777 | - | - | - |
| OBC-NCL | 79.6757881 | - | - | - |
| SC | 60.0923182 | - | - | - |
| ST | 46.6975840 | - | - | - |
In 2023, the NTA re-introduced the 75% criteria for board exams, which added pressure on students. The exam pattern remained consistent.
Session 1 (Jan 2023): Mathematics was tough. Physics and Chemistry were easy.
Session 2 (April 2023): The April session saw a dip in the cutoff marks for 99 percentile in some shifts due to tougher Physics questions.
| Category | Cutoff Percentile (2023) | Average Marks for 90%ile | Toughest Section | Easiest Section |
| General | 90.7788642 | ~85 - 90 Marks | Mathematics | Chemistry |
| EWS | 75.6229025 | ~65 - 70 Marks | Mathematics | Physics |
| OBC-NCL | 73.6114227 | ~60 - 65 Marks | Mathematics | Physics |
| SC | 51.9776027 | ~35 - 40 Marks | - | - |
| ST | 37.2348772 | ~25 - 30 Marks | - | - |
Analyzing the trends from 2018 to 2022 reveals the evolution of the exam from CBSE to NTA and the increasing dominance of Mathematics difficulty.
2022:Known for thetoughest Mathematicspapers in recent history. The cutoff dropped significantly.
2021:Conducted in 4 sessions due to COVID-19.
2020:First year of numerical value questions (Integer type).
2019:First year under NTA; introduced normalization.
2018:Last year under CBSE; only one offline paper.
| Year | General Cutoff Percentile | Organizing Body | Remarks |
| 2022 | 88.4121383 | NTA | Toughest Maths; Low Cutoff |
| 2021 | 87.8992241 | NTA | 4 Sessions; Lowest Recent Cutoff |
| 2020 | 90.3765335 | NTA | COVID Impacted |
| 2019 | 89.7548849 | NTA | Introduction of Percentile System |
| 2018 | 74 Marks (Raw) | CBSE | Offline Exam Mode |
JEE Main exam 2026 subject weight distribution requires thorough examination to assist students who need to get ready for their April Session tests.
The subject of Physics stayed as the easiest subject for students to learn. The questions were strictly based on the syllabus without out-of-syllabus surprises.
Physics Topic Weightage Table:
| Unit Name | Approximate Weightage (%) | Difficulty Level |
| Mechanics | 25% | Moderate |
| Electrodynamics | 22% | Easy to Moderate |
| Modern Physics | 18% | Easy |
| Optics | 10% | Easy |
| Thermodynamics | 10% | Easy |
| SHM & Waves | 8% | Moderate |
| Experimental Skills | 7% | Easy |
Chemistry was balanced but required strong memorization skills for Inorganic Chemistry. Physical Chemistry numericals were calculation-intensive in a few shifts.
Chemistry Topic Weightage Table:
| Unit Name | Approximate Weightage (%) | Difficulty Level |
| Organic Chemistry | 35% | Moderate |
| Inorganic Chemistry | 32% | Easy |
| Physical Chemistry | 33% | Moderate (Calculative) |
Mathematics was the rank decider. The focus was on "Algebra" and "Calculus". Coordinate Geometry had fewer but tougher questions.
Mathematics Topic Weightage Table:
| Unit Name | Approximate Weightage (%) | Difficulty Level |
| Calculus | 30% | Difficult |
| Algebra | 35% | Moderate to Difficult |
| Coordinate Geometry | 15% | Moderate |
| Vectors & 3D | 12% | Moderate to Difficult |
| Trigonometry | 8% | Moderate |
Based on the difficulty level of the January session and the expected number of candidates (approx. 14.5 Lakhs unique), the cutoff for JEE Advanced 2026 is expected to rise slightly. Check the below table for the expected qualifying JEE Main Cutoff 2026:
| Category | Expected Percentile Range | Expected Marks Range |
| General (UR) | 93.5 - 94.5 | 95 - 105 |
| Gen-EWS | 80.5 - 82.5 | 78 - 85 |
| OBC-NCL | 79.5 - 81.5 | 76 - 82 |
| SC | 61.0 - 63.0 | 48 - 55 |
| ST | 47.5 - 50.0 | 38 - 45 |
| PwD | 0.10+ | 1 - 5 |
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