IIT JAM Preparation 2026: Tips, Strategy & Guide

Registration - 5 Sep '25 - 12 Oct '25

Updated on Sep 5, 2025 17:29 IST

IIT JAM 2026 Preparation must be done meticulously by the test takers in order to ace the examination. For this academic session 2026-2027, the JAM 2026 exam will be held on February 15, 2026, at 100 exam centres across the nation. The IIT JAM Application Process has begun on September 5, 2025, and the last date to complete the application process is October 12, 2025.

The IIT JAM 2026 exam is highly competitive. To stand a chance of getting into a good university, you need to have a well-planned and comprehensive preparation strategy. While preparing for the exam, candidates will understand that the IIT JAM syllabus 2026 is vast. There is a lot of material that you need to cover to be successful in the exam. A preparation plan will help you ensure that you cover all of the JAM 2026 important topics.

This postgraduate Science entrance exam consists of seven test papers or subjects, and candidates are advised to go through the IIT JAM prep tips for the subject that they are appearing for. IIT JAM 2026 will be conducted for seven papers, which are – Biotechnology (BT), Chemistry (CY), Physics (PH), Geology (GG), Mathematical Statistics (MS), Economics (EN) and Mathematics (MA). To apply for admission to a desired programme, a candidate is required to qualify in the relevant Test Paper, satisfy the Eligibility Requirements (ERs) and JAM 2026 Minimum Educational Qualifications (MEQs) of the respective Academic Programmes. Candidates can view the preparatory tips and schema here on this page to ace the IIT JAM examination.

Also Read: IIT JAM 2026 Registration Begins @jam2026.iitb.ac.in; Direct Link, Steps to Apply

Table of content

Step-wise IIT JAM 2026 Preparation Plan
How to Prepare for IIT JAM 2026?
Books to Study for IIT JAM Preparation 2026
IIT JAM Peparation 2026: Mock test
IIT JAM Topper Interviews and Preparation Strategy

Step-wise IIT JAM 2026 Preparation Plan

Aspirants should check the following steps to start the preparation process for IIT JAM 2026.

Step 1: Know the IIT JAM syllabus thoroughly.

Step 2: Understand the IIT JAM exam pattern and marking scheme.

Step 3: Get the best books to study for IIT JAM and other study material.

Step 4: Make a monthly time-table, a weekly time-table, and a daily time-table.

Step 5: Solve past years’ question papers, sample papers, and mock tests- IIT JAM Previous Years Question Papers: Download Last 5 Years JAM Subject Wise Question Paper PDF

Also Read:

How to Prepare for IIT JAM 2026?

IIT JAM is a highly competitive entrance exam, and aspirants need to have an action plan in place to score well in this science entrance exam. Some key points that aspirants need to keep in mind while formulating the IIT JAM prep strategy are mentioned below.

Know the Exam Pattern for IIT JAM 2026

There are separate question papers for each subject for which the IIT JAM is conducted. For each subject, candidates need to attempt 60 questions in a three-hour duration. The IIT JAM exam consists of three sections, that is, A, B, and C. The IIT JAM exam pattern is mentioned below:

Section	Type of Questions	No of Question
A	Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)	30
B	Multiple Select Questions (MSQs)	10
C	Numerical Answer Type (NAT)	20
Total		60

Know IIT JAM 2026 Marking Scheme

There is a negative marking scheme only in Section A of the IIT JAM question paper. Go through the marking scheme of IIT JAM 2026 below:

Section	No of Questions	Marks
A	10 MCQs	1 mark each
A	20 MCQs	2 marks each
B	10 MSQs	2 marks each
C	10 NAT Questions	1 mark each
C	10 NAT Questions	2 marks each

Know the Syllabus for IIT JAM 2026

In order to perform well in IIT JAM 2026, aspirants need to be thorough with the exam syllabus. Candidates can prepare better for the exam by knowing which topics to study in-depth and which require only superficial knowledge. Thus, to score well in the exam, aspirants need to go through the IIT JAM syllabus and then formulate a strategy as per the pointers:

Make a list of topics, subject-wise.
Segregate the topics into easy and difficult as per personal experience
List the topics that carry maximum weightage (as per previous years’ question papers)

Go Through Good Prep Books

Next, aspirants need to make a list of books that they should read in order to perform well in JAM 2026. There are a lot of books available in the market that contain IIT JAM preparation tips. Candidates are advised to buy two to three preparation books for the IIT JAM exam. Books for IIT JAM prep help aspirants determine what topics to study, along with what to expect in the entrance exam.

Prepare a Time-Table

A very important part of the IIT JAM prep plan is to make a timetable. Aspirants are advised to create a monthly, weekly as well and daily prep plan for JAM 2026. While preparing a timetable, special attention should be paid to completing the syllabus and studying all the important topics thoroughly. Apart from this, candidates should also make a timetable for IIT JAM 2026 preparation for the last month. Here, the focus of candidates should be on revising their syllabus and attempting as many past years’ question papers, sample papers, and mock tests as they can.

Refer to Past Years’ Question Papers

Aspirants should solve the last 10 years' IIT JAM question papers. This helps aspirants understand the exam pattern and format of questions asked in the entrance exam. Also, solving past years’ question papers helps candidates identify important topics that would help aspirants score better in the exam.

Solve Sample Papers and Mock Tests

Once candidates complete a particular topic then the best way to determine knowledge of the topic at hand is to solve as many sample papers and mock tests as possible. By solving sample papers candidates can also figure out the best approach to be followed when they head out to attempt the actual IIT JAM question paper. Sample papers also help candidates in finding their strengths and weaknesses.

IIT JAM mock tests and sample papers also help candidates in formulating a time management strategy for the exam. IIT JAM 2026 will be conducted as a computer-based test. So, mock tests for JAM 2026 will help candidates prepare and determine what to expect on the day of the entrance exam.

Books to Study for IIT JAM Preparation 2026

Candidates can go through subject-wise as well as topic-wise books that they should read for IIT JAM prep. In the table mentioned below, aspirants can go through important books to read for JAM test papers like Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biotechnology, Geology, and Mathematical Statistics.

Best books to read for IIT JAM Physics 2026	Best Books to Read for IIT JAM Mathematics 2026
Best books to read for IIT JAM Chemistry Prep 2026	Best Books to Read for IIT JAM Biotechnology 2026
Best Books to Read for IIT JAM Geology 2026	Best Books to Read for IIT JAM Mathematical Statistics 2026

View list of Books

IIT JAM Peparation 2026: Mock test

Candidates who have started their JAM 2026 exam preparation must also attempt the JAM Mock Test 2026 to gain an extra edge in the exam scores. IIT JAM Mocktest will also be helpful for the candidates to understand the JAM exam pattern 2026, and exam difficulty level and also learn how to appear for a computer-based examination.

Elements of IIT JAM Mock Test 2026

In the IIT JAM mock test, candidates can view the different sections present in the test, an online calculator, and a table informing them about the number of questions they answered. There is also a timer indicating the time lapsed while solving the mock test. Other elements that form part of the IIT JAM mock test are:

- Name of paper/ subject
- Exam section (A, B, or C)
- Question type (MCQ, MSQ, or NAT)
- Marking scheme for each question
- Timer
- Scientific calculator
- Zoom in or zoom out tool

Candidates can click on the links mentioned below after the release of the JAM 2026 mock test link to solve the JAM 2026 test paper/ subject of their choice. IIT JAM 2026 mock test is yet to be generated by the exam officials and will be updated soon here:

IIT JAM Official Mock Test Links
IIT JAM Biotechnology Mock Test	IIT JAM Chemistry Mock Test
IIT JAM Mathematical Statistics Mock Test	IIT JAM Geology Mock Test
IIT JAM Physics Mock Test	IIT JAM Mathematics Mock Test
IIT JAM Economics Mock Test	-

IIT JAM Topper Interviews and Preparation Strategy

Aspirants can go through tips and tricks offered by IIT JAM toppers by clicking the links listed in the table below:

IIT JAM 2019 Mathematics Topper Interview: AIR 2, Vikas Didel wants to get into research	IIT JAM 2018 Physics Topper Interview: Javed Akhtar wants to make a career in research
IIT JAM 2018 Chemistry Topper Interview: AIR 4 Ravi Kumar opts for IIT Bombay	IIT JAM 2018 Chemistry Topper Interview: AIR 10 Karan Doda wants to join a PSU
IIT JAM 2018 Geology Topper Interview: AIR 1 Rahul Kumar scores 98/100	IIT JAM 2018 Topper Interview: AIR 13, Subhrajyoti Behera shares prep tips
IIT JAM 2017 Mathematics Topper Interview: AIR 3, Abhay Jindal shares prep tips	IIT JAM 2017 Mathematics Topper Interview: AIR 2, Subhasish Chanda is a cricket fan
IIT JAM 2017 Mathematics Topper Interview: AIR 7 Rati Ludhani is passionate about teaching	IIT JAM 2017 Topper Interview: AIR 8, Aakanksha Jain wants to get into research
IIT JAM Topper shares Prep Tips	Important topics for IIT JAM Syllabus 2024