Best Books for JEE Main 2026 Preparation: Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics

Time required to cover JEE Main syllabus changes from one student to another student. 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.

Students who are preparing for JEE Main exam are advised to first cover the entire JEE Main syllabus. Covering only the high weightage chapters would decrease their chances of getting full/high score in JEE Main exam. Only after covering the entire syllabus, students can check most important chapters for JEE Mains.

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.

National Testing Agency generally conducts the JEE Main exam two times in a year. The first attempt is conducted in January and the second attempt in April. JEE Main 2026 exam dates have been announced by the NTA for both sessions. The first attempt of JEE Main 2026 will be conducted from January 21 to 30 while the second attempt will be conducted from April 2 to 9. Only in the year 2022, NTA conducted JEE Mains in four sessions due to COVID-19. The number of sessions and date for any year is announced by the NTA at the time of release of application form.

There are two question types in JEE Main exam. Multiple choice questions and numerical ability questions. In MCQ, every question has 4 options with only 1 correct answer. Select the correct option. In numerical ability question type, no options are there. Solve them and write answer using keyword and mouse.

JEE Main 2026 exam pattern has been released by the NTA. As per exam pattern, the JEE Main Paper 1 (BE/B.Tech) exam will consist of 75 questions, 25 each from Physics Chemistry and Mathematics. Out of 25 questions, 20 will be MCQs and 5 will be NAV. Students need to answer all 75 questions. JEE Main paper 2A for B.Arch consists of 77 questions of which 25 are from Mathematics, 50 from General Aptitude and 2 from Drawing. In Paper 2B for BPlan total questions are 100 of which 25 are from Mathematics, 50 from General Aptitude and 25 from Planning.

The question paper will have no internal choices within questions and total duration of exam is 3 hours. 

Candidates should take JEE Main mock tests at least once a week. However, in the last month before exam, frequency should be increased to 3 to 4 mock exam per week.

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.

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.

Questions in JEE Mains exam is a blend of all the topics covered in the syllabus. However, there are some topics that are very much important and should be paid extra attentions while preparing for the exam. The list of important JEE Main topics are

Mathematics

• 3D Geometry
• Vector
• Applications of Derivatives
• Definite Integrals
• Limit, Cnntinuity and Differentiability

Physics

• Heat and Thermodynamics
• Electromagnetic Waves
• Ray & Wave Optics
• Kinematics
• Current Electricity
• Magnetism

Chemistry

• Electrochemistry
• Chemical Kinetics
• Thermodynamics
• p-block elements
• Chemical Bonding

Students can download JEE Main previous year question paper from Shiksha page. Candidates are provided JEE Main previous year question papers from the year 2014 to 2026. The papers can be downloaded as PDF and can be practised to prepare for the exam.

National Testing Agency releases the JEE Main exam syllabus online. You can check the syllabus and know the names of chapters and topics. Here we have provded the detail of chapters in JEE Main syllabus.

• 19 Chapters in Physics (Also 1 chapter for experimental skills)
• 20 Chapters in Chemistry
• 14 Chapters in Mathematics

There is less possibility of any increase or decrease in chapters of JEE Main 2026 syllabus. However, candidates are advised to stay updated with the latest syllabus by visiting the JEE Main syllabus page or the official website of JEE Mains.

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. 

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.

Do your research to choose the best book for JEE Main preparation. You can talk to your teachers before you decide. Some books recommended for your preparation are given below:

Subjects	Books
Physics	NCERT Class 11 and 12 Concepts of Physics (Vol.1 & 2) by H.C. Verma Problems and Solutions of Physics by Sashi Bhusan Tiwari
Chemistry	NCERT Class 11 and 12 Concepts of Physical Chemistry by P. Bahadur Organic Chemistry by O.P. Tandon
Mathematics	NCERT Class 11 and 12 Differential & Integral Calculus by Amit Aggarwal Trigonometry and Coordinate Geometry by S.L. Loney

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.