The JEE Main 2026 exams for BE/BTech courses finished between January 21 and January 28. The National Testing Agency (NTA) conducted the exam in 10 different sessions. According to students and experts, the exam on January 23, Shift 2 was the toughest. The session on January 22, Shift 2 was also very difficult.
This year, the JEE Main exam pattern and how hard it was felt different from previous years. Many students found the Chemistry section to be difficult and lengthy. Both Physics and Chemistry took up a lot of time, leaving less time for Mathematics . The Maths section, in particular, was described as long and time-consuming.
Knowing which exam sessions were tougher or easier can help students understand their potential scores better. The table below shows how difficult each session was, based on student feedback.
| Dates | Shift 1 Difficulty | Shift 2 Difficulty |
| January 21, 2026 | Moderate | Moderate |
| January 22, 2026 | Easy to Moderate | Moderate to Difficult |
| January 23, 2026 | Moderate | Moderate to Challenging |
| January 24, 2026 | Moderate and very Lengthy | Moderate and Lengthy |
| January 28, 2026 | Moderate and lengthy | Moderate |
Exam Difficulty Details
On January 21, both shifts were considered moderate. Mathematics was the hardest part, especially in Shift 2. January 22, Shift 1 was easy to moderate, but Shift 2 was moderate to difficult because of long and tricky Math questions. On January 23, Shift 1 was moderate and lengthy, while Shift 2 was moderate to hard, with Physics and Maths taking time. January 24 exams were mostly moderate, but both shifts were lengthy, especially Maths and Chemistry. January 28, Shift 1 was moderate overall, and all subjects felt lengthy.
Expected Cutoff for JEE Main 2026
The table below shows the expected cutoff marks for different categories. This is an estimate based on the exam's difficulty level.
| Categories | Expected Cutoff |
| General | 93.30 |
| Gen-EWS | 81.43 |
| OBC-NCL | 80.74 |
| SC | 61.35 |
| ST | 48.24 |
| UR-PwD | 0.008 |
More than 13 lakh students appeared for JEE Main 2026 Session 1. The results and answer keys will be released soon by the NTA.
