The JEE Main 2026 January exam was one of the hardest in recent years, according to students and experts. Many found the questions tricky and time-consuming. The exam was held between January 21 and January 24, with more papers scheduled for January 28 and 29. Some students reported that the exam was harder than expected, especially the Physics section.
Exam Difficulty
Students and experts who took the JEE Main January session exam from January 21 to 24 felt it was very challenging. Many said the questions were harder than usual. The exam was designed to test deep understanding of concepts rather than just memorization. Some questions combined ideas from different topics, making them harder to solve quickly.
Physics Section
The Physics part of the exam was the most difficult for most students. They found many questions required long calculations and involved several steps. This made it hard to finish the section within the time limit. Some students had to leave Physics questions unanswered even though they knew the topics.
Chemistry Section
Chemistry was also tougher than in previous years. Students said that just studying from NCERT books was not enough. Many questions had multiple statements to analyze, which took extra time. Physical Chemistry problems also involved a lot of calculations, adding to the difficulty.
Mathematics Section
The Maths section was as expected – long and challenging. Because all the sections were time-consuming, students found it difficult to attempt more than seven to ten Maths questions.
Future Impact
Experts believe that because the exam was so tough, the cut-off marks for qualifying for JEE Advanced might be lower this year. The National Testing Agency (NTA) will announce the official cut-off marks after the April JEE Main session.
Upcoming Exams
Paper 1 of JEE Main 2026 was scheduled for January 28, with two shifts. Paper 2 was planned for January 29. The NTA released admit cards for these exams on January 25.
