JEE Main 2026 Jan Session Among the Toughest in Recent Years; Say Students and Experts

With tougher questions, lengthy sections, and a strong focus on conceptual understanding, JEE Main 2026 January session exam is making this year stand out from past. There were questions that had mixed concept which made solving them time consuming. Read details below.

JEE Main 2026 Jan Session Among the Toughest in Recent Years; Say Students and Experts

Many students and experts who have appeared for JEE Mains January session exam from January 21 to 24 have called JEE Main 2026 January session one of the toughest JEE Main exams in recent years. Based on student feedback, shift wise paper analysis, and expert reviews across multiple platforms, it has been noted that the majority have rated exams held till now as challenging and unexpected.

However, two more shifts of JEE Main 2026 January session are yet to be held. Paper 1 is to be held on January 28 with two shifts - 9 am to 12 noon, and then from 3 pm to 6 pm. On other hand, on January 29, paper 2 exam will be held from 9 am to 12:30 pm.

LIVE Now: NTA JEE Main 2026 Admit Card OUT for January 28, 29

Candidates who appeared for exam said that most shifts on January 21, 22, 23 and 24 were lengthy and time-consuming, making it difficult to attempt all questions in three hours. While overall difficulty level ranged from moderate to tough, several shifts included questions that were considered above usual JEE Main level, especially in Physics.

Physics Emerges as the Toughest Section

Physics turned out to be the biggest challenge for many candidates in almost all shifts conducted between January 21 and 24. Students reported that the section had long calculations, concept-based questions, and multi-step problems, which required more time than expected. Many candidates said they had to leave several Physics questions unattempted despite being confident about the syllabus.

Chemistry Not as Easy as Previous Years

Unlike earlier years, Chemistry was the most surprising. Students who took the exam advised that NCERT is no longer enough for JEE Mains chemistry sections. The students rate the exam as moderate to tough, with statement-based questions having six to seven statements to solve. These were tricky questions and required a deeper level on understandig. Physical Chemistry questions were also calculation-heavy, adding to the overall difficulty of the paper.

Maths Same as Always - Lengthy & Time Consuming

Maths remained like every year - lengthy with challenging questions. Since all sections were time taking, students reported not being able to attempt more than seven to ten questions from this section.

Cutoff May Drop

Experts feel that due to the difficult shifts, the cutoff may drop this year for JEE Advanced qualification. However, NTA will release the exact cutoff after the April session.

Read More: JEE Main 2026 January 24 LIVE: Shift 2 & 1 Question Paper Analysis OUT; Student Reactions & Memory Based Answer Keys