JEE Main 2026 Session 1 (21 Jan) Paper Analysis by ALLEN

Chemistry and Physics Were Moderate, and Math was Lengthy

The first session of JEE Main – January 2026, the country’s largest engineering entrance exam for admission to BE and BTech courses, began on Wednesday. The exam was conducted in computer-based mode.

The paper analysis was based on student feedback. According to student feedback, the Chemistry and Physics papers in the morning shift on the first day were moderate, while the Maths paper was lengthy, but easier than last year.

The paper can be rated three out of five for difficulty. Students did not encounter any technical issues on the first day. The paper pattern was similar to last year’s, with questions based on statements, matching lists, single correct, and numerical values.

The evening shift was more difficult than the morning shift, and it can be rated four out of five for difficulty.

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Chemistry Paper Analysis – Moderate Difficulty

The Chemistry paper in the morning shift was moderate. The calculations in Section B were difficult, making it more time-consuming to complete the questions. According to NCERT topics, 52% of the questions were from the 11th-grade syllabus and 48% from the 12th-grade syllabus.

The questions covered almost the entire syllabus, with two questions each from chemical bonding, salt analysis, aromatic compounds, and mole concepts. One question each appeared from all other topics.

In the evening shift, 24% of the questions were from inorganic chemistry, 36% from organic chemistry, and 40% from physical chemistry. Due to the calculations involved, the evening shift paper was more difficult than the morning paper.

Physics Paper Analysis – Balanced and NCERT-Based

The Physics paper in the morning shift was moderate. Fifty percent of the questions were from the NCERT-based 11th-grade syllabus, while the remaining 50 percent were from the 12th-grade syllabus.

Most of the questions were from electrodynamics, mechanics, heat and thermodynamics, waves and wave optics. Other questions were related to magnetism, gravitation, modern physics, geometry, optics, fluids, errors, and semiconductors.

The Physics paper in the evening shift was easy, with questions from mechanics, wave optics, electrodynamics, modern physics, magnetism, and fluids.

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Mathematics Paper Analysis – Lengthy and Calculation-Heavy

The Maths paper in the morning shift was tough and lengthy. In which 36 percent questions were asked from class 11th syllabus and 64 percent questions were asked from class 12th syllabus.

36 percent questions were asked from Algebra, 28 percent from Calculus, 12 percent from Vector 3D, 8 percent from Trigonometry, 16 percent from Coordinate Geometry.

The paper in the evening shift was tough in which 32 percent questions were asked from Algebra, 32 percent from Calculus, 12 percent from Vector 3D, 8 percent from Trigonometry, 16 percent from Coordinate Geometry.

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Overall Difficulty Level – Student & Expert Feedback

There were some questions in the Maths paper that required lengthy calculations. Based on student feedback and ALLEN faculty analysis, it can be said that the paper was overall normal.

Chemistry and Physics were also moderate. There were no complaints of any technical issues- Dr. Brajesh Maheshwari, Director, Allen Career Institute, Kota

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Dr. Brajesh Maheshwari

Sh Brajesh Maheshwari (Co-Founder Director & HOD Physics, ALLEN) is a Motivator, Academic Expert, and a Mentor. He has inspired millions of students to achieve glorious success in various competitive examinations. He is a great mentor and famous for his innovative methods of deriving new formulae and tricks, making it easy for students to solve problems.