How to attempt JEE Mains 2026 questions to maximize score

Updated on Nov 6, 2025 16:06 IST

Scoring high marks in JEE Main 2026 is possible with the right strategy. Attempting the exam in sequence would certainly help in securing essential marks. Get complete strategy to attempt JEE Main 2026 exam, preparation tips and other details here. Read more on Shiksha.

JEE Main is the dream of every engineering aspirant. Most of the students start preparing for the exam from class 8th while some realize their interest and caliber after class 10th board exams. Through JEE Main, every aspirant wishes to bag a seat in one of the prestigious engineering institutes, IITs to be specific. Now, to bag a seat in one of the 25 (Indian Institutes of Technology), IITs it is important to nail the exam with a good score.

NTA (National Testing Agency), the exam conducting authority conducts JEE Main in January and April for admission to the BTech & BArch/Bplan courses offered at the National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) and other centrally funded technical institutes (CFTIs). JEE Main also serve the purpose of screening test for JEE Advanced 2026 for admission at Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

Download JEE Main Previous Year Question Paper with solution	Practice JEE Main Mock Test 2026
Most Important Chapters for JEE Main 2026	JEE Main Chapterwise Weightage 2026

Scoring well in JEE Main 2026 requires a lot of practice and hard work. The article will talk about every aspect that can help a candidate score well in JEE Main 2026. Now, before we move on to the strategies to get a good JEE Main score, let us first under the exam pattern.

Table of contents

JEE Main 2026 Exam Pattern Highlights
How to attempt JEE Main 2026 questions?
How to score well in JEE Main 2026?
FAQs related to JEE Main 2026 How to attempt questions and maximize your score

JEE Main 2026 Exam Pattern Highlights

The first move when planning to prepare for JEE Main is to have a clear understanding of JEE Main 2026 exam pattern. Only then should candidates move toward the exam syllabus. JEE Main 2026 Paper 1 (BTech) of JEE Main comprises objective questions from Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics, having equal weightage. Each question is set to have four options. A negative marking of 1/4th marks also comes attached, for incorrect answers.

Total Questions in JEE Mains Paper-1 (BTech)

There will be a total of 90 questions in JEE Main Paper-1. The paper is conducted by the NTA for admission to BTech courses. Check the table below for the details related to the total questions in JEE Mains Paper-1 (BTech):

Subjects in Paper

Section-A

Section-B

Question Paper Design

Mathematics

Physics

Chemistry

Each subject will have two sections.
Section A will be of Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) and Section B will contain Questions whose answers are to be filled in as a numerical value.
candidates have to attempt all 25 questions
There will be a negative marking of 1/4 marks in both Sections A and B

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Commonly asked questions

Q: How to prepare for JEE Main from Class 11th and 12th?

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 to crack JEE Mains in first attempt?

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: Which book should I refer to prepare for JEE Main exam?

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: How many months are required to prepare for JEE Mains exam?

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.

How to attempt JEE Main 2026 questions?

According to Ramesh Batlish, faculty from a renowned coaching institute, "Students should attempt the exam in the following sequence: Chemistry → Maths → Physics (Though it certainly depends on the strength of the student’s i.e. which subject the candidate is good with)."

Going by previous years’ trends, students generally prefer to attempt Chemistry first as it involves more fact-based questions followed by Maths and Physics. Attempting the exam in sequence would help in securing essential marks. The idea is to ensure to solve fact-based questions first and then move on to those involving calculations.

He further suggests a few tips and tricks to secure high marks in JEE Main. Read below.

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How to score well in JEE Main 2026?

Scoring good marks in JEE Main is certainly possible with the appropriate strategy. The student should keep in mind the sections and topics where he/she can score maximum marks.

Chemistry

It is always a good idea to start with questions of inorganic chemistry, for example, reading well through chapters like P, S-block and Classification of elements and periodicity in the property.

Questions from these chapters are mostly direct and based on direct knowledge of the concepts. Students should focus on important topics like Chemical Bonding & the periodic table, Redox reactions, Carbonyl Compounds & their derivatives etc.

Physics

While attempting Physics, the students must prioritize modern physics (atomic physics, nuclear physics, and the special theory of relativity). There are a number of regular questions from this section. This part has 10 – 15% of the questions. You can solve questions from this section using the direct formula, which also saves you time. Around 20 – 25% of questions are from electricity and magnesium which are the most scoring. If you are well versed with the correct formulas and concepts regarding the direction of the electric and magnetic field (Like the Application of Gauss law, the application of Biot-Savart law, Faraday‘s law, right hand and left thumb rule for current, electric field and magnetic field direction) then you can sort out at least two options from four choices.

Mathematics

Matrices and determinants is a scoring topic of the mathematics syllabus of JEE. It is important to know the various types of matrices and their properties. Like if the question asks about the rank of the matrix then the matrix should be converted to echelon form and then the rank can be computed easily. Quadratic Equations are an important topic of JEE. It is a simple topic that can fetch good marks. It is important to know the formulae of the sum and product of roots. Whenever there is a question on the quadratic equation, one should first calculate the sum and product of roots. Most of the questions can be solved using these two values.

There are around 30 to 40 questions out of 90 that can be solved under the category “easy questions”. This enables a student to secure around 110 marks after assuming certain negative marks. Securing these numbers will ensure the student is among the first 2,40,000 aspirants and thus qualify for JEE Advanced.

Most important don’t panic you have done your best and now just wait for the final day!

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FAQs related to JEE Main 2026 How to attempt questions and maximize your score

Q. What is a good score in JEE Mains 2026?

A. A good JEE Main score is something that will make you eligible to appear for the JEE Advanced exam. A good score in JEE Main can be 250 . Check Marks vs Percentile here

Q. Is NCERT enough for JEE Mains 2026?

A. NCERT books and JEE Main syllabus cover almost all the topics for JEE Main 2026 preparation. Candidates have to be thorough with the class 11 and 12 syllabi of CBSE and also refer to important books for each of the subjects.

Q. Is JEE Mains 2026 registration started?

A. The JEE Mains 2026 registration started on October 31, 2025. The last date to apply is November 27, 2025. Interested candidates must fill and submit JEE Main 2024 application form within the given timelines.

Q. Will questions repeat in JEE mains?

A. Candidates must note that NTA prepares JEE question paper from a large question bank and the questions will be different for each shift. Since JEE Main 2026 will be held in two sessions, it is certain that the questions in one session will not be repeated in the subsequent sessions.

Q. From where can I download the JEE Main question paper PDF?

A. The JEE Mains question papers pdf are available in pdf format. Click here to download JEE Main question paper in a pdf file.

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