180 min ÷ 75 questions = 2 min 24 s each. Aim for about 50 minutes in Chemistry so Mathematics can take about 70.
01JEE MAIN · ENGINEERING
Class 12 now.
Engineering next.
Physics, Chemistry and Maths by chapter weight, a pace target of 2 min 24 s per question and an honest guessing rule.
JEE Main, Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech) · National Testing Agency (NTA)
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01 · VERIFY
Who can apply
- Class 12 (or appearing) with Physics and Mathematics; Chemistry, Biology, Biotechnology or a technical vocational subject as the third subject.
- No age limit is set by NTA, but the year-of-passing window and the number of attempts are defined in each bulletin.
- Admission rules (75% in Class 12 or top-20 percentile for NIT/IIIT seats) are set by JoSAA and the institutes, not by joyjatra.
joyjatra never decides eligibility. Read the official notification for your exact post, category and cut-off date.
02 · THE PAPER
Exam pattern, section by section
Paper 1 · B.E./B.Tech
Each subject has Section A (20 multiple-choice questions) and Section B (5 numerical-value questions). Recent bulletins apply negative marking to both sections; check yours.
| Section | Questions | Marks | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physics | 20 MCQ + 5 numerical | 100 | Mechanics and electricity carry the most marks across past papers |
| Chemistry | 20 MCQ + 5 numerical | 100 | Usually the fastest section: bank time here |
| Mathematics | 20 MCQ + 5 numerical | 100 | Calculus, coordinate geometry and algebra dominate |
| Total | 75 | 300 | 180 minutes, no sectional time limit |
03 · TIME & MARKS
Pace target and an honest guessing rule
Attempt a question when you can eliminate at least one option or have worked it to a definite answer. Skip anything that has used two pace budgets.
With +4 / −1 and four options, a blind guess is worth +0.25 marks on average but swings widely. Eliminating one option raises the average to about +0.67; eliminating two, to +1.5. This is arithmetic, not advice to guess: your calibration decides.
04 · WHAT TO STUDY
Detailed syllabus
3 sections · 50 topic groups. Open a section to see every unit.
01Physics18 topics
- Units, measurement and errors
- SI units, dimensions and dimensional analysis, significant figures, errors in measurement and their propagation.
- Kinematics
- Frame of reference, motion in a straight line, position-time and velocity-time graphs, relative velocity, vectors, projectile motion, uniform circular motion.
- Laws of motion
- Newton’s laws, impulse, conservation of momentum, equilibrium of concurrent forces, static and kinetic friction, dynamics of circular motion.
- Work, energy and power
- Work-energy theorem, kinetic and potential energy, conservative and non-conservative forces, elastic and inelastic collisions in one and two dimensions.
- Rotational motion
- Centre of mass, torque, angular momentum and its conservation, moment of inertia, parallel and perpendicular axes theorems, rolling motion.
- Gravitation
- Universal law, variation of g, Kepler’s laws, gravitational potential energy, escape velocity, orbital velocity and satellites.
- Properties of solids and liquids
- Elasticity (Hooke’s law, moduli), pressure, Pascal’s law, viscosity, Stokes’ law, terminal velocity, surface tension, Bernoulli’s principle, heat transfer, calorimetry.
- Thermodynamics and kinetic theory
- Zeroth, first and second laws, isothermal and adiabatic processes, heat engines, kinetic theory of gases, degrees of freedom, equipartition, mean free path.
- Oscillations and waves
- Simple harmonic motion, spring and pendulum systems, energy in SHM, wave motion, speed of waves, superposition, standing waves in strings and pipes, beats.
- Electrostatics
- Coulomb’s law, electric field and lines, dipole, Gauss’s law and applications, potential, conductors and dielectrics, capacitors in series and parallel, energy stored.
- Current electricity
- Drift velocity, Ohm’s law, resistivity, series-parallel combinations, EMF and internal resistance, Kirchhoff’s laws, Wheatstone bridge, metre bridge, potentiometer.
- Magnetic effects of current and magnetism
- Biot–Savart law, Ampère’s law, force on charges and conductors, torque on a loop, moving-coil galvanometer, bar magnet, para-, dia- and ferromagnetism.
- Electromagnetic induction and AC
- Faraday’s and Lenz’s laws, eddy currents, self and mutual inductance, AC circuits, LCR resonance, power factor, transformers.
- Electromagnetic waves
- Displacement current, characteristics and the electromagnetic spectrum with uses.
- Optics
- Reflection, refraction, total internal reflection, lenses and mirrors, prism, optical instruments; wave optics: Huygens’ principle, interference (Young’s double slit), diffraction, polarisation.
- Modern physics
- Photoelectric effect, de Broglie waves, Bohr model, hydrogen spectrum, nucleus, mass defect, binding energy, fission and fusion, radioactivity.
- Electronic devices
- Semiconductors, p-n junction diode, I-V characteristics, rectifiers, Zener diode, logic gates.
- Experimental skills
- Vernier callipers, screw gauge, simple pendulum, Young’s modulus, surface tension, viscosity, resonance tube, metre bridge, Ohm’s law, focal length, diode characteristics.
02Chemistry18 topics
- Physical: basic concepts
- Mole concept, molar mass, percentage composition, empirical and molecular formulae, stoichiometry, concentration terms.
- Physical: atomic structure
- Bohr model, quantum numbers, orbitals and their shapes, aufbau, Pauli and Hund’s rules, electronic configuration.
- Physical: chemical bonding
- Ionic and covalent bonds, VSEPR, hybridisation, resonance, molecular orbital theory, hydrogen bonding, bond parameters.
- Physical: thermodynamics
- System and surroundings, first law, enthalpy, Hess’s law, entropy, Gibbs energy and spontaneity.
- Physical: solutions
- Concentration, Raoult’s law, ideal and non-ideal solutions, colligative properties, van ’t Hoff factor.
- Physical: equilibrium
- Law of mass action, Kc and Kp, Le Chatelier’s principle, ionic equilibrium, pH, buffers, solubility product, hydrolysis.
- Physical: redox and electrochemistry
- Oxidation number, balancing redox reactions, conductance, Kohlrausch’s law, electrochemical cells, Nernst equation, batteries, corrosion.
- Physical: chemical kinetics
- Rate laws, order and molecularity, integrated rate equations for zero and first order, half-life, Arrhenius equation, collision theory.
- Inorganic: periodicity
- Modern periodic law, trends in atomic radius, ionisation enthalpy, electron gain enthalpy, electronegativity, valency.
- Inorganic: p-block elements
- Groups 13 to 18: trends, anomalous behaviour of the first element, important compounds.
- Inorganic: d- and f-block elements
- Transition elements, properties, KMnO₄ and K₂Cr₂O₇, lanthanoids and actinoids, lanthanoid contraction.
- Inorganic: coordination compounds
- Werner’s theory, IUPAC nomenclature, isomerism, valence bond and crystal field theory, applications.
- Organic: purification and characterisation
- Crystallisation, distillation, chromatography, qualitative and quantitative analysis of elements.
- Organic: basic principles
- IUPAC naming, isomerism, inductive, electromeric, resonance and hyperconjugation effects, reactive intermediates, types of reactions.
- Organic: hydrocarbons
- Alkanes, alkenes, alkynes and aromatic hydrocarbons: preparation, properties, mechanisms of addition and electrophilic substitution.
- Organic: halogen, oxygen and nitrogen compounds
- Haloalkanes and haloarenes, alcohols, phenols, ethers, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, amines, diazonium salts.
- Organic: biomolecules
- Carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, nucleic acids, hormones.
- Practical chemistry
- Detection of elements and functional groups, preparation of common compounds, titrations, salt analysis basics.
03Mathematics14 topics
- Sets, relations and functions
- Types of sets and relations, equivalence relations, functions, composition, inverse functions.
- Complex numbers and quadratic equations
- Algebra of complex numbers, modulus and argument, Argand plane, roots of quadratics, relations between roots and coefficients.
- Matrices and determinants
- Types and algebra of matrices, determinants and their properties, adjoint and inverse, solving linear systems.
- Permutations and combinations
- Fundamental principle of counting, permutations and combinations, simple applications.
- Binomial theorem
- Expansion for positive integral index, general and middle terms, simple applications.
- Sequences and series
- Arithmetic and geometric progressions, arithmetic and geometric means, sums of special series.
- Limits, continuity and differentiability
- Limits, continuity, derivatives of standard functions, chain rule, rate of change, monotonicity, maxima and minima.
- Integral calculus
- Integration by substitution, by parts and partial fractions, definite integrals and properties, area under curves.
- Differential equations
- Order and degree, variable separable, homogeneous and linear first-order equations.
- Coordinate geometry
- Straight lines, pair of lines, circles, parabola, ellipse and hyperbola in standard form.
- Three-dimensional geometry
- Direction cosines and ratios, lines in space, skew lines, shortest distance, angle between lines.
- Vector algebra
- Vectors and scalars, components, dot and cross products, scalar triple product.
- Statistics and probability
- Mean deviation, variance, standard deviation, probability, Bayes’ theorem, random variables, distributions.
- Trigonometry
- Trigonometric functions and identities, inverse trigonometric functions.
Syllabus summarised from the official scheme and NCERT / state textbooks for planning. The notification is the final word.
05 · DESIGN
Preparation plan
A 12-month plan for a Class 12 student, built on the board syllabus so school and JEE preparation reinforce each other. Shift the dates if you are in a drop year.
- PHASE 1
Foundation
- Finish NCERT theory chapter by chapter for Class 11 topics you missed.
- Solve every NCERT example and exercise before any reference book.
- Keep a formula sheet per chapter and a mistake notebook from day one.
- One 25-question chapter test every weekend.
- PHASE 2
Build
- Class 12 chapters in board order, with JEE-level problems for high-weight units.
- Alternate subjects daily; never let one subject sit for more than 3 days.
- Begin timed sectional practice at 2 min 24 s per question.
- Review every wrong answer: concept gap, calculation slip or time pressure?
- PHASE 3
Revise and mock
- Two full-length mocks a week under exam conditions, each followed by a full review.
- Smriti recall cards for formulas, reactions and exceptions.
- Re-solve your mistake notebook every Sunday.
- Balance board revision in the weeks before HS finals.
- PHASE 4
Final weeks
- One mock every alternate day at the real exam slot time.
- No new chapters: strengthen what you already know.
- Sleep 7–8 hours; check the admit card, centre and documents early.
A typical week
| Mon | Physics new topic + 20 problems |
|---|---|
| Tue | Mathematics new topic + 20 problems |
| Wed | Chemistry (physical or organic) + NCERT reading |
| Thu | Physics problems + formula revision |
| Fri | Mathematics problems + inorganic NCERT lines |
| Sat | Timed sectional test + review |
| Sun | Mistake notebook, recall cards and rest |
Habits that hold up
- Never skip the review: a mock without review is half a mock.
- Track accuracy by chapter, not just total score.
- Inorganic chemistry is NCERT line-by-line: read it, do not only solve it.
Start with a 50–30–20 split of learn, practise and revise, then let your own diagnostic results reshape it. joyjatra plans effort; it never predicts rank, cut-off or selection.
06 · ACHIEVE
Practice and question banks
Original practice questions for this exam live in your workspace: chapter practice, full-format mocks with the real marking scheme, a mistake notebook and Smriti recall cards.
07 · SOURCES
Where these figures come from
Reported pattern NTA information bulletin for the 2026 cycle, as reported. NTA revises the bulletin every year; confirm the current one before planning.
Official site: https://jeemain.nta.nic.in/ · Last checked by joyjatra: 2026-10-30
joyjatra.win has no government, NTA, SLRC, APSC, SSC, SLPRB, ASTU, DEE or ASSEB affiliation. Apply only on official portals.
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