Shift 1 Today vs Earlier Years: Is JEE Main 2026 Shift 1 Harder or Easier

JEE Main 2026 shift 1 was rated moderate to difficult and comparable to recent years, especially 2025 with Mathematics as challenging section, Physics moderate and Chemistry relatively easier, with no major changes from past exam trends. Check whether JEE Main 2026 shift 1 was harder or easier. 

JEE Main Shift 1 Today vs Earlier Years

JEE Main Shift 1 Analysis: National Testing Agency conducted first shift of JEE Main 2026 Session 1 from 9 AM to 12 PM, with lakhs of candidates appearing for BE/BTech entrance exam. After shift 1 exam, students and experts began comparing JEE Main session 1 paper with previous years, especially with 2025 and earlier sessions, to understand difficulty level. 

According to initial student reactions, JEE Main 2026 Shift 1 was overall moderate. Mathematics was considered toughest section due to lengthy and time-consuming questions, though some candidates felt it was slightly easier than expected compared to last year. As per JEE Main shift 1 exam analysis 2026, Physics ranged from moderate to challenging, with focus on concepts, while Chemistry was mostly easy to moderate and closely followed NCERT syllabus.

JEE Main Section-Wise Comparison: Overall Difficulty 

In JEE Main, Mathematics has usually been time-consuming section in past years, including 2025 and earlier exams. In 2026 JEE Main Shift 1 as well, Maths had long and concept-based questions, making it tougher than Physics and Chemistry, which follows recent exam trend.

Physics has received mixed reactions in previous years, sometimes being moderate and sometimes a bit tough. In JEE Main 2026 Shift 1, Physics was mostly moderate with some tricky questions, but it was not as difficult as toughest papers seen in earlier years.

Chemistry has been the easiest and most scoring section because it follows NCERT syllabus. This trend continued in 2026 shift 1, with most students finding Chemistry easy to moderate.

JEE Main Shift 1 Today vs Earlier Years

Candidates can check table to know JEE Main shift 1 difficulty level of last few years below 

JEE Main 2026 Shift 1 was overall moderate to difficult, similar to previous years, especially 2025’s first shift. Mathematics was the toughest section, Chemistry was easier and scoring, and Physics was of medium difficulty, following the usual pattern.

Is JEE Main 2026 Shift 1 Harder or Easier? 

Overall, student feedback and expert opinions indicate that JEE Main 2026 Shift 1 was similar in difficulty to the 2025 paper. The exam was neither very easy nor extremely tough, with Mathematics once again being the most challenging section. Compared to previous years, the shift was not unusually easy, nor was it harder than recent January sessions, especially 2025.  If this shift turns out to be tougher than the afternoon or later shifts, candidates may find that slightly lower raw marks could get into higher percentiles in results due to normalisation process.