JEE Main 2026: Syllabus, Exam Pattern & Free Practice
JEE Main (Joint Entrance Examination – Main)
JEE Main is the national engineering entrance exam conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admission to the NITs, IIITs and other centrally funded technical institutes — and it is the qualifying gate for JEE Advanced, the exam for the IITs. It is held in two sessions each year (January and April), and your best score across the two is what counts.
This is a working reference for the exam: the exact paper pattern and marking scheme, the full Class 11 and 12 syllabus by subject, and a practice plan — with free chapter-wise NCERT MCQs and full-length mock tests you can start right now.
JEE Main exam pattern at a glance
| Conducting body | National Testing Agency (NTA) |
|---|---|
| Mode | Computer-based test (CBT), online |
| Subjects | Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics (Paper 1, B.E./B.Tech) |
| Total questions | 75 — 25 per subject |
| Per-subject split | Section A: 20 MCQs · Section B: 5 numerical (all compulsory) |
| Total marks | 300 — 100 per subject |
| Marking | +4 correct · −1 wrong · 0 unattempted (both sections) |
| Duration | 3 hours (180 minutes) |
| Sessions | Two per year (Jan & Apr); best score counts |
| Syllabus | NCERT Class 11 & 12 Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics |
Every question — MCQ or numerical — earns +4 for a correct answer and −1 for a wrong one, with 0 for anything left blank. The change that trips students up: since 2025 all five Section B numerical questions are compulsory (there is no longer a choice of 10), and they carry the same −1 penalty. That makes the skip-or-attempt decision on numericals a real scoring skill — guessing a numerical you are unsure of now costs you, exactly as it does on an MCQ.
JEE Main syllabus & free chapter-wise practice
The JEE Main syllabus is the NCERT Class 11 and 12 syllabus for Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics — nothing outside it. The highest-leverage habit is to finish a chapter in NCERT, then immediately drill it with graded MCQs. Below, each subject links straight to free chapter-wise practice, with difficulty tiers pitched a notch above the real paper (Easy ≈ a typical Main question, Hard ≈ JEE Advanced level).
Physics
Half the paper is problem-solving under time pressure. Mechanics, Electrodynamics and Modern Physics carry the most questions; the numerical section rewards clean, fast calculation.
Chemistry
The most NCERT-faithful of the three, and the fastest to score in. Physical Chemistry is numerical, Inorganic is high-recall (read NCERT line by line), Organic is mechanism-driven.
Mathematics
The biggest differentiator of rank and the most time-hungry section. Calculus, Algebra and Coordinate Geometry dominate; speed comes only from graded, repeated practice.
How to prepare for JEE Main
JEE Main is won by problem-solving speed and accuracy, not by hours of lectures watched. Understanding a concept is step one; converting it into fast, correct answers under a clock is what the exam actually tests, and that only comes from timed practice.
- Finish a chapter in NCERT, then drill it the same day with chapter-wise MCQs — start easy, climb to Advanced level.
- Always practise with negative marking and a timer on. Train the instinct to skip a question you are only guessing.
- Keep a one-line error log keyed by the exact mistake — concept gap, silly slip, or time pressure — and review it the same day.
- From a few months out, do one full-length, timed mock every week and analyse every wrong and skipped question.
- In the final weeks, switch to concept-notes revision and past papers — no new chapters.
JEE Main vs JEE Advanced
JEE Main is the single-correct, pattern-driven qualifier that decides NIT/IIIT admission and who sits JEE Advanced. JEE Advanced (for the IITs) is a separate, harder exam with a variable, unpredictable pattern — multi-correct options, comprehension sets and negative-marking rules that change year to year. Build your foundation on Main-level accuracy first; Advanced rewards the same chapters taken to greater depth, so the practice ladder is continuous.
JEE Main — frequently asked questions
What is the JEE Main 2026 exam pattern?+
JEE Main Paper 1 has 75 questions — 25 each in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics — for 300 marks. Each subject has 20 MCQs (Section A) and 5 numerical questions (Section B), all compulsory. Marking is +4 for correct, −1 for wrong, 0 for unattempted, over a 3-hour computer-based test.
How is JEE Main marked, and is there negative marking?+
Yes. Every correct answer is +4, every wrong answer is −1, and unattempted questions score 0. Since 2025 the negative marking applies to the numerical (Section B) questions too, because all five are now compulsory.
How many questions are there in JEE Main?+
75 questions in Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech) — 25 in each of Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, split into 20 MCQs and 5 numerical questions per subject, for a total of 300 marks.
Is NCERT enough for JEE Main?+
NCERT is the essential foundation — especially for Chemistry, which closely follows it — but it is not sufficient on its own for Physics and Mathematics, which need substantial problem-solving practice beyond NCERT. The right approach is NCERT-first, then graded chapter-wise practice up to JEE Advanced level.
What is the JEE Main syllabus?+
The complete NCERT Class 11 and 12 syllabus for Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. JEE Main does not test anything outside this syllabus, which is why chapter-wise NCERT-aligned practice is the highest-yield way to prepare.
Can I prepare for JEE Main with a free app?+
Yes. Many students self-study with an NCERT-aligned practice platform plus a lecture source for new topics. XamBaaz offers free chapter-wise Physics, Chemistry and Maths MCQs with worked explanations and full-length JEE mock papers with real +4/−1 marking, running in any mobile browser with no download.
Start free JEE Main practice
Free chapter-wise NCERT MCQs with worked explanations, plus full-length JEE Main mock tests. No download — it runs in any browser.
Read next: IIT JEE preparation guide · NEET guide · CBSE Boards guide