How NTA Determines JEE Main Paper Difficulty Level
Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main 2026 ( JEE Main )
Exam On - 21 Jan '26 - 30 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.
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 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:
News & Updates
Explore Other Exams
Apr '26 | JEE Advanced 2026 registration... |
Apr '26 | JEE Advanced 2026 practice tes... |
Jan '26 | BITSAT 2026 application form -... |
May '26 | BITSAT 2026 application form -... |
3 Nov '25 - 16 Apr '26 | SRMJEEE 2026 Registration (Pha... |
3 Nov '25 - 4 Jun '26 | SRMJEEE 2026 Registration (Pha... |
Feb '26 | COMEDK application form 2026 |
May '26 | COMEDK exam date 2026 |
Jan '26 | WBJEE 2026 application form |
Feb '26 | WBJEE 2026 application form co... |
24 Oct '25 - 31 Mar '26 | VITEEE 2026 application form |
Apr '26 | VITEEE 2026 Mock Test Release ... |
Dec '25 | MHT CET 2026 Application Form |
Apr '26 | MHT CET 2026 Admit Card |
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 7 hours ago
The Anant National University JEE Main Cutoff 2024 was released for all rounds and categories for students under the Homes State and All India quota who were seeking admission to the BE/BTech and BArch courses.
The JEE Main Cutoff 2024 for the BArch course was 22012 for students belonging to the Gene
N
Contributor-Level 9
Answered Yesterday
In 2023, the Dr. D.Y. Patil Institute of Engineering Management and Research, Akurdi JEE Main cutoff ranks varied between 38276 and 208419 for the students belonging to the General AII India quota for BTech admission. Among all the specialisations, the most competitive was Computer Engineering, with
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
No. NTA has not allowed calculators of kind - virtual or physical inside the JEE Main exam hall. Candidates must not carry calculators or any other electronic device in the JEE Main examination centre.
V
Contributor-Level 6
Answered Yesterday
Yes, and in fact, in the JEE Main exam, the weightage of class 11 and topics is almost the same. Candidates have to study topics of both classes 11 and 12 with equal importance.
C
Contributor-Level 6
Answered Yesterday
No. NTA has clearly mentioned that ot will not change the dates of JEE Main exam of there is a clash of dates with any other examinations.
V
Contributor-Level 6
Answered Yesterday
Hi.
JEE Main Score Route
If you have a JEE Main 2026 score, you can apply directly using that.
Your All India Rank (AIR) is used for:
Branch allocation (high-demand branches like CSE, AI/ML, IT, etc.)
Merit-based scholarships
No CU-specific entrance exam is required in this case.
CUCET / Direct Admission R
h
Scholar-Level 17
Answered Yesterday
Hi.
There is no fixed “minimum JEE Main percentile/rank” that guarantees admission to Chandigarh University (CU)'s B.Tech/B.E. in Computer Science Engineering (CSE), because admission depends on seat demand, number of applicants, branch popularity, and round of counselling. But we can estimate a roug
h
Scholar-Level 17
Answered Yesterday
Hi.
Yes — at Chandigarh University (CU), it is possible to get a scholarship for B.Tech/B.E. (including CSE with specialisations like AI & ML / “IBM‑program” etc.) based on your JEE Main performance — but only under certain conditions and only for a small fraction of seats.
How CU's JEE‑based scholar
h
Scholar-Level 17
Answered Yesterday
Hi.
1. Admission is primarily through CUCET
Chandigarh University (CU) uses CUCET, its own entrance test, as the primary criterion for seat allotment in all B.Tech/B.E programs — including specialised CSE branches.
Whether you want CSE – Cyber Security, CSE – Cloud Computing, or CSE – Data Science, you
h
Scholar-Level 17
Answered Yesterday
Hi.
For 2024, the “closing cutoff rank” for CSE (General category, all‑India) was ~ 80,940.
For 2023 it was ~ 63,416, and for 2022 about 47,509 — showing demand has been rising year‑on‑year.
For branches like ECE (or general electronics‑type branches), the 2024 closing rank was ~112,216.
For other bran
h
Scholar-Level 17
What is the Anant National University JEE Main Cutoff 2024?