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
Over 10 lakh students take the JEE Main annually across multiple shifts and days. Because the exam takes place over multiple days and shifts, many students wonder how the National Testing Agency (NTA) keeps things fair. This article explains how the NTA sets the difficulty level and ensures a balanced mix of questions. It also highlights what you need to know as a candidate.
- 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 2027
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 guidelines 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 2026 Marks vs Percentile vs Rank: Shift Wise Detailed Analysis
Questions in JEE Main are Decided by a Panel of Multiple Experts
To make the test fair, the National Testing Agency (NTA) creates a large bank of questions written by various subject experts. The NTA builds the JEE Main test papers by choosing questions directly from this shared pool. This process helps keep the JEE Main exam balanced and prevents any single shift from suddenly becoming much harder than the others.
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, fairness is 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 2027 exam is leak-proof and fair for all the candidates.
Commonly asked questions
Clearing the JEE Main exam in first attempt is not a difficult task. Several students clear JEE Main while in class 12. One thing that makes it easy to clear JEE Main with class 12 is that students are in regular touch of most JEE syllabus. To score good marks in JEE Main in the first attempt, it is advised that you study class 11 and 12 topics thoroughly, clear all the concepts and solve mock test papers. Also, NCERT books which you study in class 11 and 12 are the best books for JEE Main preparation. Students must study NCERT properly and solve all the questions in the book and do not memorize the concepts as some students do rather understand the concepts.
A score of 70 marks in JEE Mains is considered average to below-average for General category students. This corresponds to a percentile around 88 to 91.
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.
NTA JEE Main Exam Pattern
Check the NTA exam pattern for JEE Mains 2027 exam below:
JEE Main Exam Pattern 2027 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 2027
NTA conducts JEE Main exam twice every year, in January and in April. Candidates have to register for JEE Main 2027 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.
Read More:
Commonly asked questions
Students who are in class 12 and would also be appearing in JEE Mains exam mostly find it difficult to manage both their class/school and JEE studies. However, all these students have an advantage over others/droppers aspirants as there are many common topics in class 12 and JEE.
To benefit, they must identify all the topics that are common and study those first. Secondly, cover the topics that have more weightage in class 12 and complete them. Before a few days of JEE Mains, study specifically for JEE. This way, they can manage both class 12 and JEE efficiently.
The best way to handle tough topics in any subject is to study the concepts of that particular topic. The conceptual understanding of any topic gives us the clarity to solve theoretical as well as numerical questions from that topic. NCERT text books are the best material to understand the core concepts.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 15 hours ago
The JEE Mains 2027 notification can be expected in the last week of September 2026 or in the first week of October 2026.
A
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 15 hours ago
The JEE Mains 2027 session 1 application form is expected to be released in the last week of October 2026.
M
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 15 hours ago
NTA will release the JEE Main 2027 exam date soon. The expected exam dates are:
- Session 1: Last week of January 2027
- Session 2: First week of April 2027
N
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 17 hours ago
Yes, IEM Kolkata offers JEE Main scholarships to BTech students as financial assistance. Students with rank 1-10,000 in JEE Main are eligible to receive full tuition fee waiver for four-years.
G
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
Yes. Galgotias University accepts both JEE Main and CUET scores for B.Tech admissions. The university states that students with JEE Main/JEE Advanced or CUET scores are given preference in the merit list.
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 4 days ago
No, a JEE Main score alone is not sufficient for direct entry to UG courses at the TUM. For direct entry to UG courses at TU Munich having a qualifying JEE Advanced score is mandatory.
Students with a JEE Main score and a Class 12th completion certificate will need to take the Studienkolleg (prepar
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
Not always. While most reputed colleges prefer JEE Main scores, some private engineering colleges in Indore also offer direct admission based on Class 12th merit, especially under management quota seats. So, if you haven't cleared JEE Main with a strong rank, you may still get into a decent private
T
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
Yes, JECRC University grants scholarship to BTech students based on JEE Main scores. Check below score-wise scholarship:
- Candidates with JEE Main percentile score of 85 to 89.99 (General Category), shall get 15% scholarship on Tuition Fee.
- Candidates with JEE Main percentile score of more than 90 (Ge
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
No. While there is an overlap, the GUJCET syllabus is more aligned with state-level board books and is less advanced than JEE Main.
V
Contributor-Level 8
Answered a week ago
Adamas University cutoff 2026 is out for Round 3 admission to the BTech courses. The cutoff is based on JEE Main entrance exam scores, followed by WBJEE counselling.
In the General AI category, the third-round cutoff ranks ranged between 395391 and 1180505 for BTech admission. With the lowest closing
S
Contributor-Level 10
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