The first shift of the JEE Main 2026 exam, held on January 22nd, was found to be moderately difficult. Students and experts have compared it to previous years, especially JEE Main 2025. The exam took place from 9 AM to 12 PM for lakhs of candidates appearing for the engineering entrance exam.
Exam Difficulty: Section by Section
Mathematics: This section was considered the toughest. Many students found the questions lengthy and time-consuming. Some felt it was a bit easier than last year, but it generally required more time to solve.
Physics: The Physics section was described as moderate to challenging. It focused on understanding core concepts. While there were some tricky questions, it was not as difficult as some of the hardest Physics papers seen in earlier years.
Chemistry: This subject was generally seen as easy to moderate. Most questions were based on the NCERT syllabus, making it a scoring section for many students. This is a common trend in past JEE Main exams.
JEE Main 2026 Shift 1 vs. Previous Years
The overall difficulty level of JEE Main 2026 Shift 1 is quite similar to the 2025 exam. Mathematics has consistently been the most challenging section in previous years, and this year was no different. Physics usually falls in the moderate range, and Chemistry remains the easiest. The first shift of 2026 followed this usual pattern.
| Year | Difficulty Level (Shift 1) |
| 2026 | Moderate to difficult |
| 2025 | Moderate to difficult |
| 2024 | Moderate |
| 2023 | Moderate |
| 2022 | Physics moderate, Math tough |
| 2021 | Moderate |
Was it Harder or Easier?
Based on initial feedback, the JEE Main 2026 Shift 1 was neither extremely easy nor very hard. It was comparable to last year's exam. Students who found this shift tougher might benefit from the normalization process when results are announced. Normalization can help students score higher percentiles if the exam difficulty is higher than the average of all shifts.
