Engineering · National Testing Agency (NTA)
JEE Main — Joint Entrance Examination (Main) — Paper 1, B.E./B.Tech
The complete JEE Main blueprint: tier-wise pattern, topic weightage from previous-year analyses, and free chapter-by-chapter study material.
75 questions, 300 marks, 180 minutes+4 / −1 on every question, Section B included2 sessions January and April — the better score counts Free · tutor-verified
JEE Main at a glance
Conducted byNational Testing Agency (NTA)
CycleTwice a year — Session 1 in January and Session 2 in April; the better of the two NTA scores is used
ModeComputer-based test — 20 MCQs plus 5 numerical-value questions per subject
EligibilityPassed Class 12 (or equivalent) in 2024, 2025 or appearing in 2026, with Physics and Mathematics compulsory plus one of Chemistry, Biology, Biotechnology or a technical vocational subject. There is no age limit; candidates may attempt JEE Main in three consecutive years.
LanguagesEnglish, Hindi, and 11 other regional languages
Qualifies you forNITs, IIITs and CFTIs through JoSAA counselling; state engineering colleges; and — for the top 2.5 lakh rank holders — eligibility to sit JEE Advanced for the IITs
Where a JEE Main score takes you
B.Tech at the 31 NITs via JoSAA counsellingB.Tech at the IIITs and other CFTIsGateway to JEE Advanced (top 2.5 lakh ranks)State engineering colleges accepting JEE Main rankB.Arch and B.Planning via Papers 2A and 2BSeveral private universities accepting the JEE Main percentile
⚡ What changed recently
- Section B is now fully compulsory. Until 2024 candidates chose 5 of 10 numerical-value questions per subject; from 2025 onward there are exactly 5 and all must be attempted, which removes the old strategy of skipping the two hardest numericals.
- Negative marking now applies to Section B as well — a wrong numerical answer costs 1 mark, exactly like a wrong MCQ. Under the older optional format numericals carried no penalty, so a habit of guessing them is now actively expensive.
- The exam runs in two sessions, January and April. A candidate may sit both, and the BETTER of the two NTA scores is used for ranking — so Session 1 can be treated as a genuine attempt rather than a rehearsal.
- Ranking is by NTA score percentile computed per shift, not by raw marks, because the paper runs across many shifts. Ties are broken by subject-wise scores in the order Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, then by fewer incorrect answers.
How JEE Main selection works
Know what each stage is for before you spend a single hour preparing.
PRODUCES THE NTA SCORE, PERCENTILE AND ALL INDIA RANK
JEE Main Paper 1 — Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics
75 questions, 300 marks, 180 minutes. Each subject has 20 MCQs and 5 compulsory numerical-value questions. +4 for a correct answer and −1 for a wrong one throughout, with 0 for unattempted.
CONVERTS RAW MARKS TO A COMPARABLE NTA SCORE
Percentile normalisation across sessions and shifts
Raw marks are converted to a percentile within each shift, then the better of a candidate's two session percentiles is taken. This is why raw marks alone never predict rank — the difficulty of your particular shift is normalised out.
WHERE THE RANK IS ACTUALLY USED
JoSAA counselling, or JEE Advanced
The rank feeds JoSAA counselling for seats at the NITs, IIITs and CFTIs. Separately, the top 2,50,000 rank holders across all categories become eligible to register for JEE Advanced, which is the only route to the IITs.
The exam pattern, tier by tier
Marks, timing and negative marking exactly as per the official notification.
JEE Main Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech) — Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics
Scoring — produces the rank used for NIT/IIIT admission and JEE Advanced eligibility300 marks · 75 Q
180 min (200 min for PwD candidates with scribe eligibility), no sectional time lock · +4 for a correct answer, −1 for a wrong one, 0 for unattempted — applied to Section A MCQs and Section B numericals alike.
| Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physics | 25 | 100 | — min |
| Chemistry | 25 | 100 | — min |
| Mathematics | 25 | 100 | — min |
💡 Each subject carries exactly 25 questions and 100 marks: Section A with 20 MCQs and Section B with 5 numerical-value questions, all five compulsory since 2025. Numerical answers are typed, not chosen.
Where JEE Main's 300 marks come from
Three subjects, exactly equal in weight: Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics each contribute 25 questions and 100 marks. Every subject splits into Section A with 20 multiple-choice questions and Section B with 5 numerical-value questions — and since 2025 all five of Section B are compulsory, with no optional choice. NTA does not publish a topic-wise question distribution, so the per-chapter counts below are estimates from previous-year paper analyses. Click any subject to open its chapters:
Physics100 marks · 33.3%
25 questions across 18 chapters. Electricity and magnetism together are the heaviest block, and Modern Physics — Dual Nature plus Atoms and Nuclei — is consistently the highest-yield-per-hour area because its formula set is small and its questions are direct.
Chemistry100 marks · 33.3%
25 questions across 18 chapters, split roughly evenly between Physical, Organic and Inorganic. Inorganic is the most memorisation-heavy and the fastest to attempt; Physical Chemistry carries most of the numerical questions.
Mathematics100 marks · 33.3%
25 questions across 16 chapters. Calculus — Limits, Derivatives, Applications and Integrals together — is the largest single block, followed by Coordinate Geometry. It is usually the most time-hungry subject on the paper.
Subjects in JEE Main
Chapter-by-chapter study material built to the exam's own blueprint.
Topic-wise weightage — what to study first
Question counts per topic, distilled from previous-year paper analyses. Click any topic with a link to open its full chapter.
| Topic | Est. Qs | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Kinematics | ~2 | Very high |
| Laws of Motion | ~2 | Very high |
| Work, Energy and Power | ~1 | High |
| Rotational Motion | ~2 | Very high |
| Gravitation | ~1 | Medium |
| Properties of Solids and Liquids | ~1 | Medium |
| Thermodynamics | ~1 | High |
| Kinetic Theory of Gases | ~1 | Medium |
| Oscillations and Waves | ~2 | Very high |
| Electrostatics | ~2 | Very high |
| Current Electricity | ~2 | Very high |
| Magnetic Effects of Current and Magnetism | ~1 | High |
| Electromagnetic Induction and Alternating Currents | ~1 | High |
| Electromagnetic Waves | ~1 | Medium |
| Optics | ~2 | Very high |
| Dual Nature of Matter and Radiation | ~1 | High |
| Atoms and Nuclei | ~1 | High |
| Electronic Devices (Semiconductors) | ~1 | Medium |
🎯 JEE Main Physics rewards a small number of deeply understood principles applied carefully, not a large formula sheet. Mechanics — Kinematics, Laws of Motion, Work-Energy-Power and Rotational Motion — is the foundation everything else borrows from, and rotational motion in particular is where most candidates lose marks to sign and axis errors. Electrostatics and Current Electricity together form the single heaviest block, and both reward drawing the field or circuit before writing any equation. Modern Physics is the highest-yield area per hour invested: Dual Nature and Atoms and Nuclei have a small formula set and direct questions. Attempt the numerical-value questions with particular care now that Section B carries negative marking.
| Topic | Est. Qs | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Some Basic Concepts in Chemistry (Mole Concept) | ~2 | Very high |
| Atomic Structure | ~1 | High |
| Classification of Elements and Periodicity | ~1 | High |
| Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure | ~2 | Very high |
| Chemical Thermodynamics | ~2 | Very high |
| Equilibrium | ~2 | Very high |
| Redox Reactions and Electrochemistry | ~2 | Very high |
| Chemical Kinetics | ~1 | High |
| Solutions | ~1 | High |
| p-Block Elements | ~2 | Very high |
| d- and f-Block Elements | ~1 | High |
| Coordination Compounds | ~2 | Very high |
| Purification and Characterisation of Organic Compounds | ~1 | Medium |
| Basic Principles of Organic Chemistry (GOC) | ~1 | Very high |
| Hydrocarbons | ~1 | High |
| Organic Compounds Containing Oxygen | ~1 | High |
| Organic Compounds Containing Nitrogen (Amines) | ~1 | Medium |
| Biomolecules | ~1 | Medium |
🎯 Chemistry is the subject where a well-prepared candidate saves time for the other two, because a large share of its questions are recall rather than derivation. Inorganic Chemistry — Periodicity, Chemical Bonding, p-block, d- and f-block and Coordination Compounds — is almost entirely memorisation and is the fastest block to attempt, so it should be revised closest to the exam. Physical Chemistry carries most of the numerical-value questions, with Mole Concept, Equilibrium, Thermodynamics, Kinetics and Electrochemistry the recurring sources. Organic Chemistry is best approached through mechanism rather than product memorisation: GOC governs every reaction that follows it, so a weak GOC makes the entire organic section unreliable no matter how many named reactions are memorised.
| Topic | Est. Qs | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Sets, Relations and Functions | ~1 | Medium |
| Complex Numbers and Quadratic Equations | ~2 | Very high |
| Matrices and Determinants | ~2 | Very high |
| Permutations and Combinations | ~1 | High |
| Binomial Theorem | ~1 | High |
| Sequences and Series | ~2 | Very high |
| Limits, Continuity and Differentiability | ~2 | Very high |
| Application of Derivatives | ~2 | Very high |
| Integral Calculus | ~2 | Very high |
| Differential Equations | ~1 | High |
| Coordinate Geometry (Straight Lines, Circles, Conics) | ~2 | Very high |
| Three Dimensional Geometry | ~2 | Very high |
| Vector Algebra | ~2 | Very high |
| Statistics and Probability | ~2 | Very high |
| Trigonometry | ~1 | High |
| Mathematical Reasoning | ~1 | Medium |
🎯 Mathematics is usually the most time-hungry of the three subjects, so the decisive skill is recognising within seconds which questions to leave. Calculus — Limits, Continuity and Differentiability, Application of Derivatives and Integral Calculus taken together — is the largest block, and Integral Calculus in particular rewards pattern recognition over technique-hunting. Coordinate Geometry is the second heaviest and is where careless algebra costs most, since a single sign error propagates through an entire conic problem. Matrices and Determinants, Complex Numbers, Sequences and Series, Binomial Theorem and Permutations and Combinations are individually smaller but collectively substantial, and each has a small set of recurring question shapes worth drilling until they are automatic. Vector Algebra and 3D Geometry are closely linked and are best studied together.
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FAQs
Frequently asked questions
75 questions for 300 marks in 180 minutes. Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics each carry exactly 25 questions and 100 marks, split into Section A with 20 multiple-choice questions and Section B with 5 numerical-value questions. There is no sectional time lock, so you may move between subjects freely.
No, and this is the change that most affects strategy. Until 2024 each subject presented 10 numerical-value questions of which you attempted any 5, so the two hardest could simply be skipped. From 2025 onward there are exactly 5 and all are compulsory, and they now carry negative marking of −1 for a wrong answer just like the MCQs.
+4 for a correct answer, −1 for a wrong answer and 0 for an unattempted question, applied uniformly to Section A MCQs and Section B numericals. Because a wrong answer costs 1 mark against a possible gain of 4, guessing is worthwhile once you have eliminated two of the four options, but blind guessing has negative expected value.
Generally yes, because the BETTER of your two NTA scores is used — a weaker Session 1 cannot pull down a stronger Session 2. That said, appearing in January only makes sense if your syllabus coverage is genuinely complete enough to produce a meaningful attempt, since the main value of Session 1 is a real score to improve on rather than practice.
Because ranking uses the NTA score, which is a percentile computed within your own shift and then normalised across shifts. A shift with a harder paper produces lower raw marks for the same percentile, so two candidates with different raw marks in different shifts can hold the same NTA score. Ties are broken by subject scores in the order Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, then by fewer incorrect answers.
JEE Main is the qualifying route. The top 2,50,000 rank holders across all categories in Paper 1 become eligible to register for JEE Advanced, which is the only entrance route to the IITs. The JEE Main rank itself is used for JoSAA counselling to the NITs, IIITs and other centrally funded institutes.
No. NTA publishes the syllabus and the 25-questions-per-subject structure, but not how those questions are spread across chapters, and the spread genuinely varies between sessions. The per-chapter estimates shown here come from previous-year paper analyses and are useful for prioritising study time, not for predicting any single paper.
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