Difference Between JEE Main 2026 and JEE Advanced 2026 Syllabus: Comparison and Analysis
Aspirants of JEE Mains and Advanced often ask about the differences in the syllabus of both exams. In this article, we have compared the syllabus of JEE Advanced and Mains. We have listed the topics that are included in JEE Mains but not in Advanced and vice-versa. Keep reading to know more.
Difference between JEE Main and JEE Advanced Syllabus: It is usually said that “Mains is for masses and Advanced is for classes”. This statement is justified by the fact that around 10 lakh students appears for JEE Main exam every year. For JEE Advanced only 2.5 lakh students are eligible. Also, the qualifying percent of students in JEE Advanced is around 25%.
JEE Advanced acts as a second screening test for candidates to wish to be admitted to the best engineering institute in the nation - the Indian Institutes of Technology. Thus, there comes a difference in the syllabus of both JEE Mains and JEE Advanced exams.
When comparing the JEE Main and JEE Advanced syllabus, we see that both the exams cover the same subjects (Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics) and are of 10+2 level. Then what exactly is the difference? The difference is that some additional advanced topics are covered in JEE Advanced which are not their in JEE Main syllabus. For example, advanced level of Thermal Physics and electrochemistry are asked in JEE Advanced, but not in JEE Main.
We know that JEE Main is conducted twice a year and JEE Advanced once a year. Students who qualify the JEE Main entrance test and are among the top 2.5 lakh students are eligible to appear for JEE Advanced. The gap between JEE Main and JEE Advanced is for 3 month. Majority of students' initial focus is on JEE Main then after Advanced. Due to this reason there is not much difference in their syllabus. Both exam has Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in common. The only difference in the syllabus is some extra topics are included in the JEE Advanced else rest are same. For example, advanced level of Thermal Physics and electrochemistry are asked in JEE Advanced, but not in JEE Main.
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Let's analyse the syllabus of JEE Mains and JEE Advanced in detail for all three subjects - Maths, Physics and Chemistry below in this article.
- JEE Main and JEE Advanced Syllabus Difference - Maths
- JEE Main and JEE Advanced Syllabus Difference - Physics
- JEE Main and JEE Advanced Syllabus Difference - Chemistry
- JEE Main Syllabus 2026
- JEE Advanced Syllabus 2026
JEE Main and JEE Advanced Syllabus Difference - Maths
Check below the key differences in the syllabus of JEE Mains and JEE Advanced for the Maths sections:
| Topics in Advanced that are not covered in Mains |
Topics in Mains that are not covered in Advanced |
|---|---|
| Sets, Relations and Functions: Symmetric difference of sets, De-Morgan’s laws on union, difference (for a finite number of sets) and practical problems based on them, invertible functions |
Statistics and Probability: Basic statistics, measures of central tendency, and elementary probability. |
| Complex Numbers: Polar representation, properties of modulus and principal argument, triangle inequality, geometric interpretations |
Sets, Relations, and Functions: Basic concepts related to sets, relations, and functions, including types of relations. |
| Quadratic Equations: Symmetric functions of roots |
Linear Programming: Introduction to linear programming and its applications. |
| Sequence and Series: Sums of squares and cubes of the first n natural numbers, properties of binomial coefficients |
- |
| Matrices: Elementary row and column transformations, properties of matrix operations |
- |
| Probability and Statistics: Analysis of the frequency distribution with the same mean but different variance, random variable, mean and variance of the random variable. |
- |
| Trigonometry: General solution of trigonometric equations |
- |
| Two dimensions geometry: Parametric equations of a circle, intersection of a circle with a straight line or a circle, equation of a circle through the points of intersection of two circles and those of a circle and a straight line, equations of tangent and normal |
- |
| Differential calculus (Limit, Continuity, and Differentiability): Tangents and normals, Rolle’s theorem and Lagrange’s mean value theorem, geometric interpretation of the two theorems, derivatives up to order two of implicit functions, geometric interpretation of derivatives. |
- |
| Integration: Definite integrals as the limit of sums, formation of ordinary differential equations |
- |
| Vectors: Scalar and vector triple products, and their geometrical interpretations | - |
JEE Main and JEE Advanced Syllabus Difference - Physics
Check below the key differences in the syllabus of JEE Mains and JEE Advanced for the Physics sections:
| Topics in Advanced that are not covered in Mains |
Topics in Mains that are not covered in Advanced |
|---|---|
| Thermal Physics: Newton’s law of cooling; Blackbody radiation; Absorptive and emissive powers; Kirchhoff’s law; Wien’s Displacement Law; Stefan’s Law. |
Communication Systems: Basic concepts of communication systems including modulation and demodulation. |
| - | Semiconductors: Basic concepts and applications of semiconductors, including diodes and transistors in circuits. |
| - | Electronic Devices: Concepts related to electronic devices like operational amplifiers and their applications. |
The time required to cover JEE Main syllabus generally varies for most students. In general, to complete the entire JEE Main syllabus, students would require around 1 year. The ideal time to start preparing for JEE Main is class 11 as the syllabus for JEE and class 11-12 is similar. Students who are studying in class 11 can point out the topics that are common in both and pay special emphasis to those topics.
JEE Mains syllabus can be completed in 6 months considering that almost every topic of JEE syllabus is similar to class 11 and 12 syllabus. However, completing the syllabus does not mean that candidates will get a good score. JEE Main exam tests your conceptual and analytical understanding of topics. To get a good score, you need to have good understanding of core concepts and also use to of applying them in solving numerical questions.
JEE Main and JEE Advanced Syllabus Difference - Chemistry
Check below key differences in the syllabus of JEE Mains and JEE Advanced for the Chemistry sections:
| Topics in Advanced that are not covered in Mains |
Topics in Mains that are not covered in Advanced |
|---|---|
| Perkins reaction, Qualitative Analysis of Carbonate ions. |
Basic Concepts of Chemistry: Stoichiometry and mole concepts, including calculations and basic numerical problems. |
| Electrochemistry: Equivalent Conductivity |
Environmental Chemistry: Topics related to environmental pollution, green chemistry, and sustainable practices. |
| Nuclear Chemistry: Radioactivity, Properties of alpha, beta and gamma rays, Kinetics of radioactive decay (decay series excluded), carbon dating, Stability of nuclei with respect to proton-neutron ratio, Brief discussion on fission and fusion reactions | Chemistry in Everyday Life: Applications of chemistry in daily life, including drugs and their classifications. |
JEE Main Syllabus 2026
The National Testing Agency (NTA) releases the JEE Main syllabus every year on the official website. The syllabus usually stays the same and includes topics from classes 11 and 12 in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Candidates can refer to the NCERT books for classes 11 and 12 to cover the JEE Main syllabus. It must be noted that NTA had eliminated certain topics from the syllabus a few years back. Aspirants must review the official NTA JEE Main syllabus to prepare for the exam. It is unnecessary to study any topics removed from the JEE Main syllabus, as the exam questions will strictly come from the JEE Main syllabus prescribed by the NTA.
JEE Advanced Syllabus 2026
The IIT conducting the JEE Advanced exam updates the exam syllabus every year on the official website, jeeadv.ac.in. The JEE Advanced syllabus covers topics from classes 11 and 12, remains constant every year, but has been revised in 2023. The JEE Advanced syllabus is made to assess candidates' academic proficiency at the IIT level and thus the JEE Advanced syllabus includes the topics addressing the same. The JEE Advanced exam consists of two papers, and each is three hours long. Questions in each paper come from Physics, Chemistry, and Maths. Both papers are compulsory that tests the candidates' comprehension, reasoning, and analytical skills.
Not both are not same. But some topics are similar in JEE Main and JEE Advanced. Students who qualify the JEE Main exam and are among the top 250000 students are eligible to take the JEE Advanced. Due to this reason majority of syllabi are the same, but a few extra topics are added in JEE Advanced.
JEE Main is conducted for multiple courses and the syllabus is different for each course. The syllabus of JEE Main Paper 1 (BE/B.Tech) includes class 11 and 12 Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics topics. For JEE Main paper 2A B.Arch the syllabus consists of Mathematics, General Aptitude and Drawing. Similarly, for JEE Main Paper 2B B. Plan the syllabus is Mathematics, General Aptitude and Planning. Candidates can check and download the detailed topics-wise JEE Main syllabus on the Shiksha page as well as on the official website jeemain.nta.nic.in.
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JEE Main syllabus is based on class 11 and 12 Physics, Chemistry and Maths topics. If you have focused while studying, then it will be easy to prepare for the exam otherwise, you may find it difficult. NCERT textbook is the best for Chemistry and Physics. You can also refer to other books for exam preparation. There are many preparation books suggested by the toppers of Joint Entrance Examination Main.