JEE Main Syllabus 2026 — Paper 1 + Paper 2 Topic-wise Weightage

JEE Main Syllabus 2026 — Paper 1 + Paper 2 Topic-wise Weightage — Highlights

Eligibility & Age Limit

Educational Qualification:

• Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech): Class 12 pass with Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics as core subjects. For NIT / IIIT / GFTI admission via JoSAA: 75% aggregate in Class 12 (65% for SC/ST/PwBD), OR rank in top 20 percentile of your board. Class 12 attempt allowed in current year + previous year (maximum 3 consecutive year attempts at JEE Main).
• Paper 2A (B.Arch): Class 12 with Mathematics + Physics + Chemistry, OR 10+3 Diploma with Mathematics as a subject. 50% aggregate in Class 12.
• Paper 2B (B.Planning): Class 12 with Mathematics as a core subject. 50% aggregate.

Nationality: Indian citizens · OCI cardholders · PIO. Foreign nationals can apply for some private engineering colleges via JEE Main but most NITs/IIITs require Indian citizenship.

How to Apply Online

1. Visit the official portal of NTA (linked in Important Links below).
2. Register with a valid email and mobile number to generate login credentials.
3. Fill the application form with personal, educational, and contact details exactly as on official documents.
4. Upload a recent passport-size photograph and signature in the prescribed format and size.
5. Pay the application fee through the prescribed payment mode (see Application Fee table above).
6. Review all entries carefully, then submit the form.
7. Download and print a copy of the submitted application for your records.

Apply on Official NTA Portal →

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JEE Main Syllabus 2026 — Paper 1 + Paper 2 Topic-wise Weightage — Analysis & Trends

Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech) — Exam pattern

Duration 3 hours · Mode CBT (computer-based) · Marking +4 / -1 / 0 in both MCQ and Numerical sections. Section B (Numerical) has 10 questions per subject but you can attempt only 5 — pick the 5 you're most confident on.

Best-of-two scoring

NTA conducts two JEE Main sessions per year. Your better NTA score across the two attempts is used for the final All-India Rank. The NTA score is a percentile-normalised value, not raw marks — this matters because the two sessions have different difficulty levels and shift normalisation.

Strategic implication: both sessions matter equally. Many candidates underprepare for Session 1 and try to peak in April; this is risky because if you peak too late and miss Session 2 for any reason (illness, accident, paper-leak retest), you lose the safety net.

Physics Syllabus — NCERT Class 11 + 12 + JEE-specific depth

Class 11 Physics (~11 chapters)

• Units + Dimensions + Measurements
• Kinematics — motion in 1D + 2D, projectile motion
• Laws of Motion — Newton's laws, friction, momentum, banking, equilibrium
• Work, Energy + Power — conservation, collisions
• System of Particles + Rotational Motion — centre of mass, moment of inertia, angular momentum, rolling
• Gravitation — Kepler's laws, escape velocity, satellites, geostationary orbits
• Mechanics of Solids + Fluids — elasticity, viscosity, surface tension, Bernoulli
• Thermodynamics — laws, processes, efficiency, entropy
• Kinetic Theory of Gases
• Oscillations — SHM, pendulum, damped + forced oscillations
• Waves — sound, Doppler, standing waves, beats

Class 12 Physics (~11 chapters)

• Electrostatics — Coulomb, electric field, potential, capacitors, dielectrics
• Current Electricity — Ohm's law, circuits, Kirchhoff, Wheatstone bridge
• Magnetic Effects of Current — Biot-Savart, Ampere's law, force on a charge
• Magnetism + Matter
• Electromagnetic Induction — Faraday, Lenz, self + mutual inductance
• Alternating Current — RLC circuits, resonance, transformers
• Electromagnetic Waves
• Ray Optics + Optical Instruments — mirrors, lenses, prism, microscope, telescope
• Wave Optics — interference, diffraction, polarisation, Young's double slit
• Dual Nature of Matter + Radiation — photoelectric effect, de Broglie
• Atoms + Nuclei — Bohr model, radioactivity, mass-energy equivalence
• Semiconductor Electronics — diodes, BJT, logic gates

Physics topic weightage (Paper 1)

Modern Physics (Dual Nature + Atoms + Nuclei + Semiconductors): 5-6 Q · 20-24 marks. Mechanics (Class 11): 6-7 Q · 24-28 marks · Laws of Motion + Work-Energy + Rotational + Gravitation are recurring favourites. Electrodynamics (Class 12 first half): 6-7 Q · 24-28 marks · Current Electricity + Electrostatics + Magnetic Effects + EM Induction. Heat + Thermodynamics + KTG: 3-4 Q. Optics: 3-4 Q. Oscillations + Waves: 2-3 Q.

Chemistry Syllabus — NCERT Class 11 + 12

Class 11 Chemistry (~15 chapters)

• Physical Chemistry: Some Basic Concepts (mole concept, stoichiometry), Structure of Atom, Classification of Elements + Periodicity, Chemical Bonding + Molecular Structure, States of Matter (gases + liquids), Thermodynamics, Equilibrium, Redox Reactions, Hydrogen
• Organic Chemistry: Basic Principles + Techniques, Hydrocarbons
• Inorganic Chemistry: s-Block Elements (alkali + alkaline earth), p-Block Elements (Groups 13 + 14)

Class 12 Chemistry (~14 chapters)

• Physical Chemistry: Solid State, Solutions + Colligative Properties, Electrochemistry, Chemical Kinetics, Surface Chemistry
• Inorganic Chemistry: General Principles + Processes of Isolation (Metallurgy), p-Block Elements (Groups 15-18), d + f-Block Elements, Coordination Compounds
• Organic Chemistry: Haloalkanes + Haloarenes, Alcohols + Phenols + Ethers, Aldehydes + Ketones + Carboxylic Acids, Amines, Biomolecules, Polymers, Chemistry in Everyday Life

Chemistry topic weightage (Paper 1)

Organic Chemistry: 30-35% — recurring favourites are reaction mechanisms, named reactions, GOC (general organic chemistry), stereochemistry. Physical Chemistry: 30-35% — Thermodynamics, Equilibrium, Kinetics, Electrochemistry, Solutions, Atomic Structure. Inorganic Chemistry: 30-35% — Coordination Compounds (3-4 Q alone), p-Block, d/f-Block, Chemical Bonding, Periodicity. Chemistry is widely considered the most scoring subject because many questions are direct NCERT-based.

Mathematics Syllabus — NCERT Class 11 + 12

Class 11 Math (~16 chapters)

• Sets + Relations + Functions
• Mathematical Reasoning
• Statistics + Probability — measures of central tendency, dispersion, conditional probability, Bayes' theorem
• Trigonometry — identities, equations, inverse functions, heights + distances
• Algebra: Complex Numbers + Quadratic Equations, Linear Inequalities, Permutations + Combinations, Binomial Theorem, Sequences + Series (AP, GP, HP)
• Coordinate Geometry: Straight Lines, Conic Sections (parabola, ellipse, hyperbola, circle), Three-Dimensional Geometry intro
• Calculus: Limits + Derivatives (introduction)

Class 12 Math (~13 chapters)

• Relations + Functions (advanced — equivalence relations, function composition, inverse)
• Inverse Trigonometric Functions
• Matrices + Determinants — solving systems, properties, inverse
• Continuity + Differentiability
• Applications of Derivatives — rate of change, increasing/decreasing, maxima/minima, tangent/normal
• Indefinite Integrals + Definite Integrals + Applications
• Differential Equations
• Vectors + Three-Dimensional Geometry
• Linear Programming
• Probability — random variables, Bernoulli trials, binomial distribution

Mathematics topic weightage (Paper 1)

Calculus (Limits, Continuity, Differentiability, Integration, Differential Equations, Applications): 8-10 Q · 32-40 marks — single largest topic block. Coordinate Geometry (Straight Lines, Conic Sections, 3D Geometry): 4-5 Q · 16-20 marks. Algebra (Complex Numbers, Quadratic Equations, Sequences, Binomial Theorem, Permutations/Combinations): 5-6 Q · 20-24 marks. Trigonometry + Inverse Trig: 2-3 Q. Vectors + 3D: 2-3 Q. Probability + Statistics: 2-3 Q. Matrices + Determinants: 2 Q.

Paper 2A (B.Arch) + Paper 2B (B.Planning)

Paper 2A (B.Arch) — 400 marks · 3 hours

Drawing section evaluated manually by NTA-appointed examiners. Topics tested: pencil sketching of urban scenes / public spaces / 3D objects + colouring + composition + memory drawing.

Paper 2B (B.Planning) — 400 marks · 3 hours · all CBT

Planning section covers: general awareness of development issues, government programmes, basic statistical interpretation, simple mapping, urban infrastructure, sustainability.

JEE Advanced cut-off — top 2.5 lakh

From the final All-India Rank, the top 2.5 lakh candidates from Paper 1 are eligible to register for JEE Advanced. Category-wise breakdown of the 2.5 lakh:

JoSAA Counselling — NIT / IIIT / GFTI seat allocation

The Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) at josaa.nic.in conducts a unified counselling across 105+ institutes:

• 23 IITs — entry via JEE Advanced rank only
• 31 NITs — entry via JEE Main rank
• 26 IIITs — entry via JEE Main rank
• 33+ GFTIs — entry via JEE Main rank

6 rounds of counselling: Choice filling + locking → Mock allotment → Round 1 allotment → Round 2 → Round 3 → Round 4 → Round 5 → Round 6. After JoSAA, residual seats are filled by CSAB Special Round (Central Seat Allocation Board). State engineering colleges typically run parallel state counselling using JEE Main rank + state domicile.

Preparation strategy — 12-15 month framework

1. Foundation (months 1-4): NCERT Class 11 + 12 textbooks + standard reference books. Build conceptual depth, not just MCQ shortcuts. JEE Main rewards understanding more than memorisation in Math + Physics.
2. Concept consolidation (months 5-8): Standard texts: H.C. Verma + D.C. Pandey (Physics), R.D. Sharma + Cengage + Arihant (Math), N. Awasthi + Himanshu Pandey + JD Lee (Chemistry). Topic-wise problem solving with timer.
3. Previous papers (months 9-11): Solve last 10 years of JEE Main + relevant AIEEE papers. Patterns repeat heavily — especially in Math and Chemistry. Mark questions you got wrong; revisit weekly.
4. Mock tests (months 12-15): 30-40 full-length mocks at exam-day timing. Focus on shift-wise normalisation insights — Session 1 January papers tend to be slightly easier than April.
5. Session 1 → Session 2 gap: If Session 1 score is below your target, use the 8-10 weeks between sessions for focused weak-topic improvement + 15 more mocks. Don't go silent — many candidates lose momentum in the gap.

Recommended books per subject

• Physics: NCERT Class 11 + 12 · H.C. Verma — Concepts of Physics (Vol I + II) · D.C. Pandey — Understanding Physics series (Mechanics, Electrodynamics, Optics, Modern Physics) · Errorless Physics
• Chemistry: NCERT Class 11 + 12 · O.P. Tandon — Physical + Inorganic Chemistry · M.S. Chouhan or Himanshu Pandey — Organic Chemistry · N. Awasthi — Physical Chemistry · J.D. Lee — Concise Inorganic Chemistry
• Mathematics: NCERT Class 11 + 12 · R.D. Sharma — Objective Mathematics · Cengage Math series (Algebra, Calculus, Coordinate Geometry, Trigonometry, Vectors) · Arihant — Skills in Mathematics
• Previous papers: Arihant — 41 Years JEE Main + 17 Years AIEEE Solved Papers · Disha — Previous Year JEE Main + Mock Test Papers · MTG NEW Pattern JEE Main Mathematics / Physics / Chemistry
• Mocks: Allen / Aakash / FIITJEE / Resonance test series — pick one and stick to it for consistency

Related engineering + entrance pages

• JEE Advanced 2026 — IIT entrance for top 2.5 lakh from JEE Main
• NEET UG Syllabus 2026 — medical-admission entrance via NTA
• UPSC CSE Syllabus 2026 — civil services route (engineering optional available)