JEE Main 2026 Jan 21 Shift 1 Ends; Check Difficulty Level & Student Reactions
JEE Main 2026 day 1 paper analysis and student reactions for shift 1 exam can be checked here. Candidates can get detailed JEE Main shift 1 day 1 exam analysis, including toughest and easiest sections, important topics etc here.
JEE Main Exam Analysis 2026: National Testing Agency conducted JEE Main 2026 January 21 Shift 1 exam today across multiple centres in India. JEE Main morning shift, was held from 9 AM to 12 PM. Now, that day 1 shift 1 has concluded, students and experts have also shared their initial feedback, offering insights into overall level of JEE Main 2026 difficulty, section-wise analysis and important question asked.
Real time updates: JEE Main 2026 Jan 22 LIVE: Complete Exam Day Analysis, Answer Key and Question Papers
As per reaction of students, JEE Main 2026 shift 1 day 1 exam was moderate to tough. Physics and Maths were tough, whereas Chemistry was easy for them. Paper 1 for BTech/BE had 75 multiple-choice questions with a total of 300 marks. NTA is conducting JEE Main session 1 exams on January 21, 22, 23, 24 and 28 for paper 1 BE/BTech and on January 29 for BArch/BPlan.
Also Read: JEE Main 2026 Jan 21 Exam Analysis LIVE
JEE Main 2026 Jan 21 Shift 1 Overall Difficulty Level
According to student reactions and experts, overall JEE Main day 1 shift 1 difficulty level of paper was moderate, with a balanced mix of easy, moderate and some challenging questions. Compared to some previous years, JEE Main Jan 21 shift 1 paper was lengthy but manageable.
Section-Wise JEE Main Shift 1 Paper Analysis 2026
Commonly asked questions
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.
Check table to know section wise difficulty level for JEE Main exam
| Sections |
Difficulty Level |
|---|---|
| Physics |
Moderate |
| Chemistry |
Easy |
| Maths |
Tough |
| Overall |
Moderate |
JEE Main 2026 Jan 21 Shift 1 Student Reactions
Many students described JEE Main shift 1 paper as moderate to tough, however, questions were based on syllabus. While Chemistry was scoring, Mathematics tested endurance and accuracy. Physics was also tough. In maths most question were from vector and 3d. JEE Main 2026 exam was similar to the previous year's exams. Some students said that in Chemistry, there were 5 to 6 options in some questions. JEE Mains generally has 4 options for all questions. This time, some students are claiming that there were 5 to 6 options in some questions.
Expected JEE Main 2026 Cut-off Trends
If upcoming shifts maintain similar difficulty level then, JEE Main cut-offs may remain stable or slightly higher than the previous year. Check table to know expected JEE Main cutoff 2026
| Categories |
Cutoff 2026 Expected |
|---|---|
| General |
93.3045326 |
| Gen-EWS |
81.4387917 |
| OBC-NCL |
80.7456432 |
| SC |
61.3526948 |
| ST |
48.2456783 |
| UR-PwD |
0.0082349 |
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Sanjana Surbhi is education focused content specialist with over five years of experience in education sector. She covers engineering and government exams. She holds Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Patn
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