The JEE Main 2026 January 21 examination, conducted in Shift 1 and Shift 2, featured a balanced mix of conceptual and numerical questions across Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. This detailed analysis covers the complete shift-wise paper review, including answer key discussion, question paper with solutions, and section-wise difficulty level. Candidates can also check the expected cutoffs for JEE Main 2026 along with insights on topic-wise trends to better evaluate their performance and predict percentile outcomes.
The morning shift of the JEE Main 2026 January 21 exam has started. Candidates who have their exams in the morning shift have now entered the centre, and their exams are ongoing. The shift 2 exam will start at 3 pm. Catch here live updates on JEE Main 2026 day 1 exam, includingreporting time, essential documents to carry, dress code,student reactions, paper analysis, memory-based answer keys, questions with solutions and more. Based on initial student feedback and exam analysis, JEE Main 2026 January 21 Shift 1 was slightly tougher compared to Shift 2.
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JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Exam Timings
JEE Main exam is conducted for a duration of 3 hours. Candidates are required to reach their allotted exam centers at least an hour before the exam time. The section below covers JEE Main 2025 Session 1 Exam Timings.
| Paper | For non-PwD Candidates | For PwD Candidates |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech.) | 3 hours | 4 hours |
| Paper 2A (B.Arch) | 3 hours | 4 hours |
| Paper 2B (B.Planning) | 3 hours | 4 hours |
| Paper 2A (B.Arch) & Paper 2B (B.Planning) | 3 hours 30 minutes | 4 hours 10 minutes |
JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Shift-wise Timings
| Duration of examination | First shift | Second shift |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1/ 2A/ 2B | 09.00 A.M. to 12.00 Noon | 03.00 P.M. to 06.00 P.M |
| Paper 2A and 2B | 09.00 A.M. to 12.30 P.M | 03.00 P.M. to 06.30 P.M. |
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JEE Main 2026 Exam Day Instructions and Important Guidelines
Check all the important JEE Main exam day guidelines and instructions that need to be followed by candidates
- Candidates must reach the exam centre as per the reporting time mentioned on their admit card
- No candidate will be allowed to enter the exam centre without NTA JEE Mains admit card, photo ID proof and passport size photograph
- Candidates will be allowed to carry only the following items with them inside the exam centre
- JEE Main admit card 2026 downloaded from the NTA website jeemain.nta.nic.in
- Passport size colour photo
- Valid ID proof ( aadhaar mandatory + others if any )
- Water bottle (transparent)
- Ball point pen
- Photo verification certificate ( If you have )
- Candidates will not be allowed to enter the exam hall after the test starts
- Candidates will not be allowed to leave the exam centre before the paper concludes
- Candidates will be provided fresh masks at the exam centre. Candidate’s own mask will be disposed of at the exam centre.
JEE Main 2026 Jan 21 Shift 1 Student Reaction & Exam Analysis – OUT
After the exam, get here live JEE Main 21 student reactions for shift 1 exam, which tell about how the exam went for lakhs of candidates across the nation. Various experts have provided detailed analysis of the exam and paper, like expected cutoff, toughest & easiest sections, important topics asked and more.
| Sections | Difficulty (Easy, Moderate, Toughest) | Topics Asked |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | Easy to Moderate | Modern Physics, Wave motions, Fluids |
| Chemistry | Moderate | Organic, Physical Chemistry, Isomerism |
| Mathematics | Moderate to Tough | Vector 3D, sequence and series, matrices, differential equations |
| Overall | Moderate and balanced | Modern Physics, Wave motions, Fluids, Organic, Physical Chemistry, Isomerism, Vector 3D, sequence and series, matrices, differential equations |
JEE Main 2026 Jan 21 Shift 2 Student Reaction & Exam Analysis OUT
The JEE Main 2026 January 21 Shift 2 exam has concluded, and initial student reactions and paper analysis indicate that the overall difficulty level of the exam was moderate. The Mathematics section was rated moderate to tough, with questions primarily asked from Vectors, Calculus, Differential Calculus, Coordinate Geometry, Circles, Statistics, Probability, Ellipse, and Inverse Trigonometry.
The Physics section was easy to moderate, featuring questions from Thermodynamics, Fluids, Work and Energy, Electromagnetic Waves, Friction, Gravitation, Potential Energy, and Wave Optics. The Chemistry section was easy, with a higher weightage given to Inorganic Chemistry, although questions from Organic Chemistry were also present. Overall, the paper followed expected trends and was considered balanced across all three subjects.
| Sections | Difficulty (Easy, Moderate, Toughest) | Topics Asked |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | Easy to Moderate | Thermodynamics, fluids, energy, and EM waves, Friction, Gravitation, Potential Energy, Wave optics |
| Chemistry | Easy to Moderate | Questions in Chemistry were from organic, but the weightage of inorganic was more |
| Mathematics | Tough | Vector and calculus, differential, coordinate, circle, statistics, probability, ellipse, inverse trigonometry |
| Overall | Moderate | Thermodynamics, fluids, energy, and EM waves, Friction, Gravitation, Potential Energy, Wave optics, Vector and calculus, differential, coordinate, circle, statistics, probability, ellipse, inverse trigonometry. |
Jee Mains 2026 January 21 Overall Analysis
| Topic | 21 January shift 1 | 21 January shift 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Chemistry | Moderate | Easy to Moderate |
| Maths | Moderate to Tough | Moderate to tough |
| Physics | Easy to Moderate | Easy to Moderate |
Based on initial student feedback and exam analysis, JEE Main 2026 January 21 Shift 1 was slightly tougher compared to Shift 2.
Jee Mains 2020-2026 – PYQs with Solution PDF- Download
Jee Mains 2026 January 21 Expected Cutoffs
Please keep in mind , the cutoffs shown below are based on memory based question and student reaction , it might vary slightly (5-10%)
| Category | shift 1 Cutoff Score | shift 2 cutoff score |
|---|---|---|
| Common Rank List (CRL) | 100-105 marks | 105-110 Marks |
| GEN-EWS | 75-80 marks | 80-84 marks |
| Other Backward Classes (OBC-NCL) | 75-80 marks | 80-83 Marks |
| Scheduled Caste (SC) | 60-64 marks | 65-67 marks |
| Scheduled Tribe (ST) | 55-57 marks | 60-63 Marks |
JEE Main 2026 January 21 Answer Key Shift 1 and 2
NTA will display the Provisional JEE Main 2026 Answer Key of the questions on the NTA website: https://jeemain.nta.nic.in/. An opportunity will be given to the candidates to challenge the Provisional Answer Keys with a nonrefundable online payment of ₹ 200/- per question challenged as processing charges. The provisional Answer Keys are likely to be displayed for two to three days after the exam is over.
| Subjects | Shift 1 | Shift 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | Pdf Download | PDF Download |
| Chemistry | Pdf Download | PDF Download |
| Mathematics | Pdf Download | PDF Download |
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Toughest Shift of JEE Mains 2025 April Shift-Wise Analysis (as per subject experts)
Candidates can check out the shift and day-wise difficulty level ( tentative ) below to get an idea of ‘which was the hard shift of JEE Mains April 2025 (Session 2) –
Note: According to Final Result and shift-wise analysis, the JEE Main 2025 April 2 Shift 1 is currently considered the toughest shift, while the April 2 Shift 2 appears to be the easiest in terms of difficulty level. This JEE Main 2025 difficulty analysis is based on responses from approximately 2,50,000 students, and the insights may evolve as more data becomes available.
| Date and Shift | Difficulty Level | Difficulty Rating (Out of 10) | 99%ile score (Percentile vs Marks) | Cutoff Marks (93.10 %ile) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2 – Shift 1 | Moderate to Tough | 7.5 | 172 | 105 |
| April 2 – Shift 2 | Easy | 5.6 | 204 | 134 |
| April 3 – Shift 1 | Moderate to Tough | 7.3 | 175 | 110 |
| April 3 – Shift 2 | Easy | 5.8 | 200 | 128 |
| April 4 – Shift 1 | Moderate | 7.1 | 177 | 112 |
| April 4 – Shift 2 | Moderate | 7.0 | 179 | 114 |
| April 7 – Shift 1 | Moderate | 6.9 | 180 | 118 |
| April 7 – Shift 2 | Easy to Moderate | 6.2 | 185 | 123 |
| April 8 – Shift 2 | Easy to Moderate | 6.2 | 185 | 123 |
