Hardest Shift of JEE Mains 2026 January Sesssion: Complete Shift-wise Analysis for All Days and Shifts

NTA has successfully conducted the JEE Mains 2026 session 1 exam. If you are looking for the hardest shift of JEE Mains 2026 session 1, then go no further. Here, we have provided a detailed analysis of all shifts to find the hardest shift for the JEE Mains January session.

Hardest Shift of JEE Mains 2026 January Session: Get Complete Analysis for All Shifts

Hardest shift of JEE Main 2026 January Session (All Shifts Comparison) - National Testing Agency (NTA) concluded the JEE Main January Session 2026 exam with varying difficulty levels across shifts. While some shifts were balanced or moderate, a few stood out as distinctly challenging. Based on student feedback, expert reviews and sectional performance trends. This article highlights the hardest shift of JEE Mains 2026 session 1 exam, along with a detailed shift-wise analysis of the difficult levels. The Jan 23 shift 2 exam is the hardest shift of JEE Main 2026 January session exam. In contrast, the easiest shift of JEE Main 2026 is Jan 28 shift 2.

JEE Main 2026 January Session: Difficulty-Level Highlights

Candidates can check below the JEE Mains 2026 session 1 highlights for the toughest and easiest shifts.

Difficulty Trends in JEE Main 2026 January Session

The difficulty of JEE Main 2026 varies from shift to shift. However, the following observations stand true while comparing all 10 shifts of JEE Main 2026.

• The JEE Mains exam for session 1 was extremely lengthy across all subjects. Students were hardly able to attempt questions in the Mathematics sections.
• Physics became the scoring subject, though it wasn't easy, but when compared with other subjects, it was less tricky. This section also remained lengthy and conceptually demanding.
• This year, a total shocker was Chemistry, which remained tough in all the shifts. The questions were tricky and lengthy, with a lot more statement-based questions in some shifts.

Also check: 

• JEE Mains 2026 Answer Key Live Updates: Release Date, Response Sheet & Question Papers Soon @ jeemain.nta.nic.in
• JEE Main 2026 April Attempt Registration Live

Hardest shift of JEE Main 2026 Session 1: Jan 23 Shift 2

The most toughest shift in JEE Main 2026 January session exam was shift 2 Jan 23 paper. The subject-wise analysis of the difficulty level for the toughest shift in JEE Main 2026 (Jan 23 Shift 2) will seem like:

Why Jan 23 Shft 2 is the Hardest Shift in JEE Main 2026 Session 1?

• The unusually lengthy paper, Chemistry and Physics sections, left students with less time for Maths
• The physics section required more thinking rather than direct formula application.
  
• Not just one or two, but all three sections were tricky and lengthy, making none of the sections score.

Shift-Wise Difficulty Analysis of JEE Main 2026 January Sessions

Here, candidates can check the shift-wise breakdown of the toughest section in JEE Mains session 1 2026. Candidates can find the analysis for all shifts of the JEE Mains 2026 January session exam and can compare the subject-wise and overall difficulty levels across the shifts.

January 21 - Shift 1

January 21 - Shift 2

January 22 - Shift 1

January 22 – Shift 2

January 23 - Shift 1

January 24 - Shift 1

January 24 - Shift 2

January 28 - Shift 1

Subject-Wise Trends Across Shifts

• Most shifts had a tough maths section.
• Many questions required multiple steps and a high calculation speed.
• Coordinate Geometry, Calculus, and 3D Geometry were frequent pain points.
  Physics

• Physics ranged from scoring to difficult.
• Only in a few shifts (especially January 23 Shift 2) did Physics tilt towards harder, concept-heavy questions.
  Chemistry
• Chemistry was mostly moderate, but statement-based and assertion-reasoning types in some shifts increased its challenge level.

Impact of the Hardest Shift of JEE Main 2026

Knowing which shift is easier or more challenging in JEE Main 2026 helps understand the normalisation process better. For an easier shift, candidates require more marks to get a higher percentile. In case of a tougher shift, students can get a better percentile even at lower scores. This is why knowing which is the toughest shift helps students know about not just their performance but the performance of other students.

• In a tough paper, the overall average scores are lower
• Fewer students score very high marks
• The JEE Main cutoffs in terms of raw marks reduce
• Even moderate scores can fetch strong percentiles

JEE Main January 2026 Shift-Wise Questions with Answer Key Solutions

Before the official JEE Main answer key 2026 is released by NTA, coaching institutes provide the memory-based questions with solutions. Candidates can access the JEE Main 2026 January question paper with solutions for all shifts.