JEE Main 2026 April 2 Exam Analysis Shift 1 & 2 OUT; Check Difficulty Level & Good Attempts

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

Vikrant
Vikrant Shukla
Deputy Manager
Updated on Apr 2, 2026 18:36 IST
JEE Main 2026 Session 2 paper 1 analysis is out for both the shifts. The Day 1 exam was conducted for the both shifts successfully. We have shared here the detailed JEE Mains 2026 session 2 analysis for shifts 1 & 2. The analysis consists of overall difficulty level, types of questions asked in the exam as well as good attempts.

JEE Main 2026 Session 2 paper 1 analysis is out for both the shifts. The Day 1 exam was conducted for the both shifts successfully. We have shared here the detailed JEE Mains 2026 session 2 analysis for shifts 1 & 2. The analysis consists of overall difficulty level, types of questions asked in the exam as well as good attempts.

JEE Main 2026 April 2 Exam Analysis Shift 1 & 2 OUT

JEE Main 2026 April 2 Exam Analysis Shift 1 & 2 OUT

JEE Main April 2 Exam Analysis Shift 1 and 2: The JEE Main 2026 Session 2 paper 1 is over for both the shifts.As per the student feedback received, the JEE Main 2026 April 2 Shift 2 exam was rated as moderate to difficult. Maths proved to be time-consuming and challenging due to extensive calculations in Vectors and 3D Geometry. Chemistry was considered easiest and most scoring section, Physics was rated moderate, making overall paper balanced yet slightly more challenging than earlier shifts. Experts suggest a score of 220+ for a 99th percentile based on 62-66 good attempts, and advise students to prioritize NCERT revision for Chemistry and time management for Maths for the upcoming days.

LIVE Now: JEE Main 2026 April 8 Question Paper with Solutions

As per the student feedback received for shift 1, the paper was Moderate in difficulty. Compared to Session 1 in January. Many students from the morning shift reported that the Shift 1 paper on was easier than several shifts in the January session of the JEE Main exam.

The JEE Main 2026 Session 2 paper followed traditional structure as Maths was most demanding, due to moderate to high difficulty and lengthy, multi-step calculations, with significant focus on Vectors & 3D Geometry, Calculus (Integration and Differential Equations), and Coordinate Geometry. Physics was easy to moderate, offering a scoring opportunity through formula-based questions from Modern Physics, Thermodynamics, Current Electricity, and Mechanics. Chemistry was easy and time-saving due to direct alignment with NCERT textbooks featuring a mix of statement-type and theoretical questions, with prominent weightage given to Coordination Compounds, GOC, Chemical Kinetics, and Inorganic Chemistry (specifically p-block and d-block elements). 

Here is the JEE Main 2026 session 2 shift-wise analysis based on student reactions, expert opinions, and expected trends.

JEE Main 2026 April 2 Shift 1 Paper with Answer Key Solution JEE Main 2026 April 2 Shift 2 Paper with Answer Key Solution
Table of contents
  • JEE Main 2026 Session 2 Analysis Key Highlights (Day 1)
  • JEE Main 2026 Session 2 Day 1 Shift-Wise Analysis
  • JEE Main 2026 Session 2 Shift-Wise Difficulty Summary (Table)
  • What Next?
  • JEE Main 2026 Exam Schedule & Shift Timings
  • JEE Main Analysis 2026 - Expected Cut-off & Marks vs Percentile
  • Expected JEE Main 2026 Cutoff
  • About JEE Main 2026 Session 2
  • How does the JEE Main analysis help?
View More

JEE Main 2026 Session 2 Analysis Key Highlights (Day 1)

From the below points we will be sharing a summary of the over analysis of the JEE Main 2026 session 2 exam. This will consist of what students think about each subject, how difficult or easy they found the question paper to be as well as what cut off they are expecting.

JEE Main 2026 Session 2 Day 1 Shift-Wise Analysis 

Shift 2 (Afternoon Session) - OUT

Subject 

Difficulty Level

Key Highlights & Important Topics

Physics

Moderate

Balanced mix of conceptual and formula-based questions. Ray Optics had high weightage (2-3 questions). Other key topics included Electrostatics, Thermodynamics, and Mechanics.

Chemistry

Easy to Moderate

Remained the most scoring section, largely NCERT-centric. Physical Chemistry dominated the numerical section (8-9 questions). Key topics included Coordination Compounds and Chemical Kinetics.

Mathematics

Moderate to Tough

The most challenging and time-consuming section with multi-step calculations. Prominent topics were Calculus, Vectors & 3D Geometry (2 questions), and Coordinate Geometry.

Want to know what your JEE Main 2026 Percentile will be based on your marks?

Check out the JEE Main Percentile Predictor 2026 by Shiksha.com, which predicts your percentile after analysing several years’ marks vs percentile data. 

JEE Main Percentile Predictor 2026

Shift 1 (Morning Session) - OUT

Subject
Difficulty Level Key Characteristics Important Topics
Mathematics Moderate to Difficult Most demanding and lenghty; deep conceptual clarity and speed to solve multi-step calculations. Vectors & 3D Geometry, Calculus (Integration & Differential Eq.), Coordinate Geometry.
Physics Easy to Moderate Highly scoring and formula-based; questions were direct with numericals. Modern Physics, Thermodynamics, Current Electricity, Mechanics.
Chemistry Easy to Moderate Easiest and most time-saving; based on NCERT theoretical and statement-type questions. Coordination Compounds, GOC, Chemical Kinetics, Inorganic (p-block, d-block).
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JEE Main 2026 Session 2 Shift-Wise Difficulty Summary (Table)

Shift

Physics

Chemistry

Mathematics

Overall Difficulty

Good Attempts (Expected)

Shift 1

Easy to Moderate

Easy

Moderate to Difficult

Moderate

62 - 66 Questions

Shift 2

Moderate

Easy

Difficult

Moderate to Difficult

63 - 68 Questions

What Next?

Based on Day 1 trends, upcoming shifts are expected to follow a similar pattern, with slight variations in difficulty levels. Students appearing in the next slots should:

  • Focus on NCERT-based Chemistry revision
  • Practice time-bound Maths solving
  • Revise formula-based Physics concepts

JEE Main 2026 Exam Schedule & Shift Timings

As per the JEE Main 2026 exam dates released by NTA, The B.E./B.Tech (Paper 1) exams are held in two shifts on a daily-basis, while Paper 2 (B.Arch/B.Planning) was conducted in a single shift on January 29, 2026.

Event

Shift 1 (Morning)

Shift 2 (Afternoon)

Exam Timing

09:00 AM - 12:00 PM

03:00 PM - 06:00 PM

Reporting Time

07:00 AM - 08:30 AM

01:00 PM - 02:30 PM

Gate Closing

08:30 AM

02:30 PM

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   What is the difficulty level of JEE exam? What is it all about?
A: 

The difficulty level of JEE Main exam is a little high than the class 12 board exams. Students who are studying in class 12 can score good marks in JEE Main by studying a little extra for the JEE. Students who have studied NCERT textbooks of Physics Chemistry and Mathematics thoroughly can get good marks. The joint Entrance Examination, popularly known as JEE Main is for admission into NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs for B.Tech and architecture courses in India.

Q:   Is one month sufficient for JEE Main preparation?
A: 
One month is not sufficient for JEE Main preparation if a student has not started preparing or have not studied earlier for the exam. As the syllabus of JEE Main is vast, studying all the topics and remembering them take a lot of effort. However, class 12 student can get a decent score in JEE Main if time after the bard exam is devoted exclusively for the JEE preparation. Since most topics of JEE Main and class 12 are similar, students need to revise all the topics and solve previous year JEE Main question papers. Start solving JEE Main mock test papers at last 3-4 days before the exam to make yourself comfortable with the exam.
Q:   How can I crack JEE Main 2026?
A: 

Students who are preparing for JEE Main 2026 must start their preparation by studying NCERT books. It will help in building strong foundation of concepts. Study chapters that have high weightage in JEE Mains and also topics that have been asked in recent years. In the last month before exam, solve mock tests and previous year papers.

Q:   What is the qualifying score in JEE Main?
A: 
There is no minimum qualifying marks in JEE Main. Exam. However, any candidate who wish to appear in JEE Advanced need to obtain the minimum cutoff marks in JEE Main. Candidates gets all India rank in JEE Main on the basis of the score they get in the exam. Admission to the institutes like NITs, IIITs and GFTIs is given on the basis of all India rank of candidates. Candidates who wish to apply for JEE Advanced need to get the minimum JEE Main qualifying cutoff marks only after which they can apply for admission to IITs.

JEE Main Analysis 2026 - Expected Cut-off & Marks vs Percentile

As per students who appeared in the exam and coaching experts a score of 100-120 marks is generally a safe range for admission to NITs, correlating roughly to the 95-97 percentile depending on shift difficulty. Check here the JEE Main college predictor to know about the colleges based on your ranks.

Expected JEE Main 2026 Cutoff

Category

Cutoff 2026

Unreserved (UR)

93.3045326

Gen-EWS

81.4387917

OBC-NCL

80.7456432

SC

61.3526948

ST

48.2456783

UR-PwD

0.0082349

The start of JEE Main 2026 Session 2 indicates a balanced and predictable paper pattern, giving well-prepared students a fair chance to perform. As more shifts conclude, a clearer picture of normalization and percentile trends will emerge.

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Who got 300-300 in JEE Mains 2026?
A: 

As per the provisional answer keys released by NTA, Arnav Gautam has secured 300 out of 300 marks in the JEE Main 2026 session 1 exam. Another student who has claimed to have scored 300/300 in JEE Main 2026 is Pasala Mohith

Q:   What is a good score in JEE Mains 2026?
A: 

A good score in JEE Main 2026 will be the score that either qualifies you for JEE Advanced or for admission to NIT/IIIT/GFTI of your choice.

About JEE Main 2026 Session 2

JEE Main is one of India’s most competitive entrance exams, which serves as a gateway to undergraduate (UG) engineering programs. JEE Main 2026 Session 2 (April Session) exams was conducted on April 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, 2026. Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech) was on April 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8, while Paper 2A and 2B (B.Arch/B.Planning) was on April 7. The Session 2 exam was conducted in multiple shifts across several days in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode to determine candidate’s eligibility for Joint Entrance Examination Advanced (JEE Advanced)

  • Exam Mode: Online (CBT)
  • Subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics
  • Total Questions: 90 (with internal choices)
  • Marking Scheme: +4 for correct answer, -1 for incorrect

How does the JEE Main analysis help?

The JEE Main 2026 analysis helps in understanding difficulty level, anticipating types of questions which might be asked in the exam as well as to know about the student reactions to gauge their experience. JEE Main analysis 2026 help students to get an idea about the upcoming sessions of JEE Main exam. 

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   How to crack JEE Mains in first attempt?
A: 

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.

Q:   Is 70 a good score in JEE Mains?
A: 

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.

Q:   How to prepare for JEE Main from Class 11th and 12th?
A: 
Starting the JEE Main preparation from class 11 or 12 is the best time. As JEE Main syllabus consists of topics from class 11 and 12, students can easily cover all the topics along with school. Students can begin by checking the topics that is covered in both school and JEE Main and give special attention to them. For all three subjects, study NCERT and also take help from reference books. Understand the concepts thoroughly and solve numerical problems. To crack JEE Main along with class 12, students should devote at least 2-3 hours for JEE beside class 12 studies. Regularly solve JEE Main mock test and solve previous year question papers to evaluate the performance.
Q:   How many months are required to prepare for JEE Mains exam?
A: 

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.

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Commonly asked questions
Q:   How to check JoSAA opening and closing rank?
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Candidates can check JoSAA opening and closing ranks on the official website. They have to enter the details asked to check the list of courses and colleges based on the OR and CR of each counselling round.

Q:   Which book should I refer to prepare for JEE Main exam?
A: 
It is advised that students begin their JEE Main preparation with NCERT books. NCERT class 11 and 12 books for Physics Chemistry and Mathematics are the best to understand basic concepts and solve numerical problems. Along with NCERTs, students can refer to additional books like H. C. Verma and Irodov for Physics. In Mathematics, students can take help from Arihant books. For Chemistry R C Mukherjee, O P Tandon and P Bahadur are best.
Q:   What is the difficulty level of JEE Main?
A: 

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.

Q:   How should I prepare for JEE Mains and Advanced together?
A: 
Students can prepare for both Mains and Advanced together but it is not a wise idea to prepare together as both exams have different syllabus, exam pattern and difficulty level. The difficulty level of JEE Advanced exam is much higher than JEE Mains. If preparing together for both the exams, make a list of topics that are asked in JEE Main as well as Advanced. Solve questions from these topics from NCERT as well as additional books. For JEE Mains, students can stick to NCERT but for JEE Advanced students need to take help from books like HC Verma.

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Conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), the session 2 is crucial for students aiming to improve their scores from Session 1 or secure a strong percentile for admission into top institutes like National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs). Lakhs of engineering aspirants will be appearing for the JEE Main exam across major cities in India as the exam will take place on April 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8, 2026.

Note: This is a developing article and it is being updated in real-time with the latest JEE Main analysis 2026 of the session 2 as and when the shift gets over. Candidates are advised to bookmark this page or keep it open in their browser, to keep track of latest analysis & other exam related updates.

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About the Author
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Vikrant Shukla
Deputy Manager

Vikrant Shukla - Deputy Manager

Role: News Writer & Editor

Education: Graduation in Mass Communication, Master's in Political Science

Expertise: Engineering Exams

About: Vikrant has 9+ years of experience in content

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Answered 3 days ago

The JEE Mains cutoff of 2026 has not been released yet. However, in 2025 the closing rank for the general category for BTech in AI and ML was 1843344. In 2024 the closing rank for SDEC BTech AI and ML was 737084.

A

Anjali Sharma

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 3 days ago

No, Cluster Innovation Centre does not accept JEE Mains for BTech admissions. Students must appear for the CUET exam and participate in CSAS counselling. No other admission tests including JEE are considered by the college.

P

Pallavi Karan

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 4 days ago

Yes, students can get admission in DIT University Admission Office BTech without appearing for JEE Main. The univeristy offers direct admissions to top 10% of Class 12 board toppers. Students can connect with the university to know more.

A

Anupama Garg

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 4 days ago

If you qualified for JEE Advanced, then study for it; otherwise, look for the best college at your rank. 

V

Vaibhav Pandey

Beginner-Level 1

Answered 4 days ago

The cutoff for of OBC category students for admission to I2IT Pune is approximately 95 percentile.

V

Vaibhav Pandey

Beginner-Level 1

Answered 5 days ago

No, JEE Main is not compulsory for taking admission in BTech at ICFAI University Jharkhand. The college offer admission based on screening of application and interview. The college offer merit-based admission based on past academic performance. For final selection, weightage is given to their academ

...Read more

R

Raj Priya

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 5 days ago

Yes, candidates must appear for JEE Mains to qualify for Poornima Institute of Engineering and Technology BTech course. The institute folllows REAP guidelines to select candidates for BTech admissions. Only if some seats are left vacant after admission process can candidates be chosen without JEE Ma

...Read more

S

Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 6 days ago

No, VIT Vellore BTech admission is not decided through JEE Mains scores. Candidates who wish to apply for BTech must appear in VITEEE only in order to qualify for VIT Vellore admission. No other entrance exams have been mentioned as alternatives to VITEEE.

S

Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 6 days ago

NMIT Bangalore reserves 2% seats for candidates with JEE Main score of at least 75. JEE category aspirants are eigible for Merit Scholarship seats, provided they score a minimum of 85 NTA score and not less than 80% aggregate in PCM in Class 12. The ranking is based on JEE Main NTA score.

N

Nishtha Shukla

Guide-Level 15

Answered 6 days ago

No, JEE Main is not compulsory for taking admission in the BTech programme at JECRC University. Candidates can get admission based on their merit in Class 12 exam. However, students with JEE Main score are preferred more for admission. 

R

Raj Priya

Contributor-Level 10