How NTA Determines JEE Main Paper Difficulty Level
Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main 2026 ( JEE Main )
Admit Card - 25 Jan '26
How do NTA prepare the JEE Main question paper and decide the difficulty level of each shift? Let's explore some factors that NTA considers while deciding the questions for JEE Main examination. Read below.
How NTA Determines JEE Main Paper Difficulty Level
Almost more than 10 lakh candidates appear for JEE Main exam every year. The exam is conducted over multiple shifts and days, which raises the question of how NTA decides the difficulty level of the JEE Main exam across all the shifts and how it takes care of the fair distribution of questions across all the shifts. In this article, we will analyse how exactly NTA decides the JEE Main difficulty level and what the candidates should take note of.
JEE Main exam follows a computer based pattern and has questions prepared from a set JEE Main syllabus. Also, NTA has a set
- NTA Follows a Set Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
- Questions in JEE Main are Decided by a Panel of Multiple Experts
- Mix of Easy, Moderate and Difficult Questions
- NTA JEE Main Exam Pattern
- JEE Main 2026
NTA Follows a Set Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
NTA follows the prescribed JEE Main exam pattern, syllabus and marking scheme to prepare the JEE Main question paper every year and across all the shifts. The guideline for NTA is set so that it needs to be followed each year to prepare the JEE Main question papers. The guidelines include:
- JEE Main question paper will have 3 subjects - Maths, Physics and Chemistry. Each subject will have two sections. Section 1 will be MCQs, and Section 2 will be NATs. Candidates have to attempt all the questions, and there will be no optional questions.
- Questions will be framed from a prescribed JEE Main syllabus and will be of class 11 and 12 standard level.
- The marking scheme for all questions will be the same, that is +4 for correct attempts and -1 for each wrong answer.
Also Read: JEE Main 2025 Marks vs Percentile vs Rank: Shift Wise Detailed Analysis
Questions in JEE Main are Decided by a Panel of Multiple Experts
NTA makes a repository of questions which are prepared by multiple subject experts. A pool of questions is created after collecting the questions from these experts. NTA then uses this pool to prepare the question papers for JEE Main exam.
Creating of pool of questions and selecting questions from them for each shift of the exam ensures that there is no sudden spike of difficulty in any shift of the exam.
Mix of Easy, Moderate and Difficult Questions
The National Testing Agency (NTA) ensures that the percentage of Easy, Moderate and Difficult questions in the exam remains balanced across the shifts. Thus, there is fairness maintained in all the shifts.
Continuous Review of the Questions: NTA also ensures that the questions are reviewed before they are finalised. The review takes place in multiple stages, ensuring there are no mistakes from their end. NTA takes all precautionary measures to make sure the JEE Main 2026 exam is leak-proof and fair for all the candidates.
NTA JEE Main Exam Pattern
Check the NTA exam pattern for JEE Mains 2026 exam below:
JEE Main Exam Pattern 2026 for BTech (Paper 1)
| Particulars |
Details |
|---|---|
| Exam mode |
Online (computer-based) |
| Number of sections and subjects |
3 (Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics) |
| Duration of exam |
3 hours (180 minutes) 4 hours for PwD candidates |
| Type of questions |
MCQs: 4 options with only 1 correct option Numerical Value Questions: Questions whose answers are to be filled in as a numerical value |
| Section A (MCQ) |
Mathematics: 20 |
| Section B (Numerical Value) |
Mathematics: 5 In Section B, candidates have to attempt all five questions from each section. |
| How many questions are in JEE Mains |
75 |
| JEE Mains Total Marks |
300 marks |
| Language of paper |
Assamese, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu in addition to Hindi, English, and Gujarati |
JEE Main Paper 2 Exam Pattern (BArch)
| Particulars |
Details |
|---|---|
| Exam mode |
Online (Mathematics and Aptitude) and offline (Drawing test) |
| Number of sections and subjects |
3 (Drawing, Mathematics, and Aptitude) |
| Duration of exam |
3 hours (180 minutes) |
| Sections |
Mathematics (Part I) 20 MCQ and 5 Numerical Value Questions |
| Number of questions |
77 |
| Type of questions |
Mathematics and Aptitude: Objective-type questions Drawing: Questions to test the candidate’s drawing and sketching skills |
| Total Marks of JEE Mains |
400 marks (Drawing section will be of a total of 100 marks, marking of every question will be given along with it) |
| Language of paper |
Assamese, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu in addition to Hindi, English, and Gujarati |
JEE Main BPlan Exam Pattern
| Particulars |
Details |
|---|---|
| Exam mode |
Online |
| Number of sections and subjects |
3 (Mathematics, Aptitude, and Planning-Based Questions) |
| Duration of exam |
3 hours (180 minutes) |
| Sections |
Mathematics: 20 questions and 5 Numerical Value Questions Aptitude: 50 Planning Based Questions: 25 |
| Number of questions |
100 |
| Type of questions |
Mathematics and Aptitude Planning-Based Questions - Multiple-Choice Questions |
| Total Marks of JEE Mains |
400 |
| Language of paper |
Assamese, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu in addition to Hindi, English, and Gujarati |
JEE Main 2026
NTA conducts JEE Main exam twice every year, in January and in April. Candidates have to register for JEE Main 2026 exam, download the JEE Main admit card, appear for the exam, check their result and then register for JoSAA counselling for admission to the NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs. The top 2.5 lakh candidates who pass the JEE Main cutoff for JEE Advanced can apply for JEE Advanced for IIT admissions. JEE Main 2026 session 1 exam date is between January 21 to 30, and the session 2 will be held between April 2 to 9.
Read More:
The time period required to complete the JEE Main preparation depends mainly on the students. Every student has their own pace of study. Ideally, 6-month time is good enough to complete the JEE Main preparation. Students who have started preparing from class 11 or 12 can easily prepare for JEE Main in 6 months considering the topics of JEE syllabus have already been studied in classes 11 and 12.
JEE Main preparation is most effective with classes 11 and 12 as almost 90-95 percent of topics are similar in both exams. This way students can easily complete the entire JEE Main syllabus as well as the syllabus of classes 11 and 12. After the board exams, students get 1-2 months' time where they can focus entirely on JEE Main. Students who have started late for the JEE Main exam can make a 6-month plan where in the first three months they have to focus on revising the syllabus studied in classes 11 and 12. In the next two months focus on solving questions of JEE Main and analyzing the mistakes being made, if any. The last month should be focused on solving mock tests and JEE Main previous year question papers.
JEE Main difficulty level is similar to class 12 board exams. Syllabus of JEE Main is similar to class 11 and 12 syllabus. The questions asked in exam are tricky and need an in-depth understanding of subjects. They need to have conceptual understanding of every topic to score well in exam. Those who study NCERT can get a decent score in JEE Mains.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 days ago
The BAMU Aurangabad JEE Main Cutoff 2025 was released for all rounds and various categories under the All India quota. For the General AI category students, the BTech CSE last round cutoff ranged from 148310 to 399678, wherein G.S. Mandal's Marathwada Institute of Technology (MIT, Aurangabad) was th
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Contributor-Level 10
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Answered 5 days ago
JEE Main 2026 shift 1 exam reporting time is 7 am. The exam centre gates will close at 8:30 am. No candidate will be allowed after this deadline.
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JEE Main memory-based answer keys are unofficial answer sheets created by coaching institutes immediately after an exam, compiled from students' recollections of questions and correct answers, used by aspirants to estimate scores before the official NTA key release, and help in challenging official
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DY Patil Pimpri JEE Main cutoff 2025 was released for admission to the BE/BTech courses for all categories and rounds under the All India quota. The cutoff was published in the form of opening and closing ranks.
For the General AI category, the overall cutoff ranged from 44299 to 167084, wherein B.E
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Answered 6 days ago
JEE Main application process will start with online registration through IIT Kanpur official website. Its process includes filling application form, uploading documents, and paying application fee through online payment modes.
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Answered a week ago
Yes, NTA has released the JEE Main 2026 admit card for the January 22 exam. Candidates can download the admit card from jeemain.nta.nic.in.
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Contributor-Level 6
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Yes, NTA has released the JEE Main session 1 admit card for this date. The admit card for the remaining exam dates - January 28 and 29 will be out in due course.
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NTA has released JEE Main 2026 session 1 admit card for exams on January 21, 22, 23 and 24. For the January 28 and 29 exams, the admit card will be issued soon. Once released, candidates can check the admit card on jeemain.nta.nic.in.
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