Are NCERT Books Enough for JEE Main Preparation

Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main 2026 ( JEE Main )

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JEE Main CSAB special counselling

22 Jul '26 - 18 Aug '26

Updated on Jan 21, 2025 14:28 IST
Read this article to know why NCERT books are considered the best to master the basics for JEE Main entrance examination. The NCERT books serve as the foundation for JEE Main preparation. The students must thoroughly learn the topics in the NCERT textbook to score well in JEE Main.

Preparing for JEE Main 2025 and not sure about the best preparation material? Read this article to get insights on how NCERT books are the best to master the basic concept of JEE Main entrance examination.

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Is NCERT Enough for JEE Mains: To prepare well for JEE Main 2025, candidates must refer to the appropriate study material. The most widely preferred material by the experts is NCERT books. Good books are the best resources that can help in securing a decent rank in JEE Mains. Moreover, in the case of exams like JEE Main and JEE Advanced, we can't leave any loopholes. A student's performance in these exams will ensure the college he/she may get. 

While preparing for JEE Main, this is a very common question that comes to every candidate's mind is which books to refer for getting the best results? As the competition level is quite high in JEE Main, everyone wants to perform well and reserve their seats into BE or BTech (4-year undergraduate programs) courses in the National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), Centrally Funded Technical Institutes (CFTIs) and other engineering colleges across India.

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Why are NCERT books recommended for JEE Main?

The JEE Main exam also holds importance because seats are limited and the syllabus is huge. Sometimes, a few questions from NCERT books appear in the JEE Main exam. However, if you are well-versed in your basic concepts from NCERT, you will be able to solve all your questions with a high level of accuracy.

The official syllabus of JEE Main entrance exam and NCERT books cover almost all topics, and students prefer them for preparation. The syllabus of JEE Main and that of CBSE's Class 11 and 12 board is almost the same. Students can consider NCERT books as one of the best reference materials.

NCERT books for JEE Main Chemistry

Chemistry is one of the subjects in Paper-I of JEE Main examination. Over the past few years, it has been noted that few questions of the inorganic Chemistry section, inorganic reactions and p-block elements for JEE Main exam have been directly taken from NCERT books. Basic concepts and solutions from NCERT Chemistry Class 11 and 12 books can be useful to revise basics during JEE preparation. But, for topics like Physical Chemistry, one may require other JEE Main books and study materials.

NCERT Book for JEE Main Physics

Another subject in JEE Main Examination  Paper-I is Physics. In this case, I would advise candidates to take reference from other books as well and they must not become completely dependent upon NCERT for Physics preparation. Candidate can also join coaching classes for JEE Main exam because some of the topics and concepts in Physics subject requires expert advice. For Physics, a candidate will require some extra learning outside NCERT books. One can also read the NCERT exemplar as it is good for JEE Main.

NCERT Book for JEE Mains Mathematics

For JEE Main's Mathematics section, every year questions have been repeated in JEE Main question papers from the NCERT books. Candidates must prepare all the questions given in the NCERT books.

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Is it enough to learn from NCERT textbook to clear JEE Main?
A: 

While NCERT books are good to begin the JEE Mains preparation, students should not study only NCERT. As JEE Mains exam is known to test candidates conceptual and analytical skills, and to have all the knowledge that would help in achieving a good score, candidates must also refer other study materials as recommended by teachers to prepae for the exam.

Q:   Are NCERT books enough to prepare for JEE?
A: 
The NCERT books alone are not enough to crack JEE because they will give knowledge only in concepts and make you understand that But only if you solve some JEE level problems you may get the real feel of JEE exams. The previous year papers help you with this. Also, do the mock tests if you are going to choose computer based test. There is myth that pen and paper is easy that computer based. Actually it is true but the real fact is pen and paper is not lengthy as the candidates need to deal with OMR whereas in CBT the papers will be little lengthy as you need to just make a click. So focus on whatever you read and solve many problems. If you can then join better join a good IIT coaching center.
Q:   Which chapters are important in Physics Chemistry and Mathematics for JEE Main exam?
A: 
Candidates can check here the important chapters for JEE Main Physics Chemistry and Mathematics Physics Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism (Equal importance) Modern Physics Optics Heat and Thermodynamics and Waves Sound Measurement and errors Chemistry Gaseous State Chemical Kinetics Organic Chemistry Reactions of Benzene Ores and Metallurgy Thermodynamics Polymers Environmental Chemistry Mathematics Algebra Trigonometry Analytical Geometry Differential Calculus Integral Calculus Vectors.
Q:   What are the best books for JEE Main preparation for Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics?
A: 

Do your research to choose the best book for JEE Main preparation. You can talk to your teachers before you decide. Some books recommended for your preparation are given below:

SubjectsBooks
Physics
  • NCERT Class 11 and 12
  • Concepts of Physics (Vol.1 & 2) by H.C. Verma
  • Problems and Solutions of Physics by Sashi Bhusan Tiwari
Chemistry
  • NCERT Class 11 and 12
  • Concepts of Physical Chemistry by P. Bahadur
  • Organic Chemistry by O.P. Tandon
Mathematics
  • NCERT Class 11 and 12
  • Differential & Integral Calculus by Amit Aggarwal
  • Trigonometry and Coordinate Geometry by S.L. Loney

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Some problems with NCERT:

There is no doubt NCERT books are great preparation material but there are some problems with them as well. Here are they:

  • NCERT books don’t have a good number of practice problems 
  • Sometimes questions are asked from paragraph or line of the NCERT (Chemistry/Physics/Maths) book
  • So, it's important to read each line and paragraph for the NCERT book
  • NCERT books might not be sufficient for JEE Advanced preparation

Important points to remember

  • NCERT is a good option for chemistry subject. Students can practice exercises given in the NCERT books as well.
  • S L Arora for physics will be a good option and for Maths subject, R D Sharma is a good option
  • For better understanding, students can solve previous year papers of JEE Main and must give as many mock as they are really very important
  • JEE mains is also about speed, so make sure you get a good time-bound practice of the examination

Best Books for JEE Main Preparation other than NCERT

Books for JEE Main Physics Books for JEE Main Chemistry

Books for JEE Main Mathematics

  • Concepts of Physics (Part I)-HC Verma
  • Concepts of Physics (Part II)-HC Verma
  • IIT JEE Physics-DC Pandey
  • Problems in General Physics-I.E. Irodov
  • Physics for IIT-JEE-Resnick, Halliday, Walker
  • Problems in Physics-S.S. Krotov
  • Organic Chemistry-Morrison Boyd
  • Organic Chemistry-O.P Tandon
  • Modern Approach to Chemical Calculations-R.C. Mukherjee
  • Numerical Chemistry-P. Bahadur
  • Concise Inorganic Chemistry-J.D. Lee
  • NCERT Textbooks for Mathematics
  • IIT Mathematics by M.L. Khanna
  • The Pearson Guide to Complete Mathematics for JEE by SL Loney
  • NCERT Textbooks for Mathematics
  • Objective Mathematics Vol 1 and Vol 2 by R.D. Sharma
  • Complete Mathematics (TMH) by Ravi Prakash, Ajay Kumar, Usha Gupta
  • Arihant Skills in Mathematics- Set of 7 books by Dr. SK Goyal, Amit M Agarwal

Also Read: Is it easy to crack JEE Main 2025? Check deep insights

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Write here...

Answered 4 hours ago

Sorry, but even under the SC category, securing a seat in an NIT with a JEE Main CRL rank of 632000 is not possible.

A

Akanksha Yadav

Contributor-Level 7

Answered 6 hours ago

The rank needed for admission to the BTech course would depend on the course, round and branch you are applying for. For the General HS category, the Round 2 cutoff was 770798 for the BTech CSE course. So, this category students need a rank of at least 770798 to be considered eligible for admission.

...Read more

N

Neerja Rohatgi

Contributor-Level 10

Answered Yesterday

Yes, several colleges convert a good JEE Main percentile directly into a fee waiver. Graphic Era's GECET-linked scholarships and UPES's merit scholarships can cut your fees by up to 50%. This makes originally expensive private colleges much more affordable for high scorers, so it's worth applying ev

...Read more

T

Tasbiya Khan

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 days ago

No, JEE Main is not required to get admission in BTech at Rajalakshmi Engineering College. Admissions under the government quota rely primarily on Class 12 marks through TNEA counseling. However, JEE Main scores may be considered for admission.

R

Raj Priya

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 days ago

Yes, most Coimbatore colleges, including PSG Tech, Karunya, and Kumaraguru, primarily admit students through TNEA counselling, which is based on Class 12 merit rather than JEE Main. JEE Main is mainly relevant if you're targeting government institutes like NITs. So a strong Class 12 score alone can

...Read more

T

Tasbiya Khan

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 2 days ago

No, I don't think you can get into B.Tech EEE at Ajay Kumar Garg Engineering College, Ghaziabad with JEE Main rank of 5,30,000 as General, non-UP domicile candidate. Typically, closing rank for EEE close much earlier around 3,00,00.

A

Akanksha Yadav

Contributor-Level 7

Answered 2 days ago

Absolutely. Unlike government colleges with very tight cutoffs, most private engineering colleges in UP admit students across a wide score range, and several also accept students without a JEE Main score at all. Your branch choice and college reputation still matter, but private colleges generally o

...Read more

T

Tasbiya Khan

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 3 days ago

No, JEE Main is not mandatory for BTech admission to SVSU Meerut. While JEE Main scores are accepted for BTech application, students can qualify directly through the university's SNET examination or Class 12 merit.

A

Al Kashaf

Contributor-Level 9

Answered 6 days ago

No, JEE Main has not been mentioned as an accepted entrance exam for BTech at GLA University.

Candidates who want to apply for BTech at this institute must appear in their own entrance exam called GLAET. 

Admissions are based solely on scores obtained in this exam along with performance in PI rounds.

S

Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 6 days ago

Yes, along with the CUET UG score, DIT Dehradun also select students based on JEE Main and on the merit of Class 12. On-campus admission counselling is conducted by the university, for which 25% of seats are reserved for Uttarakhand candidates who have scored 95% or above in Class 12. Direct admissi

...Read more

R

Rashmi Sinha

Contributor-Level 10