The examination witnessed intense competition this year, with students reporting that the overall difficulty level was slightly higher compared to the previous session. Coaching experts and aspirants have already begun discussing the expected trends for ranks, qualifying marks, and IIT admissions.
JEE Advanced 2026 Exam Conducted Successfully
IIT Roorkee organized both sessions of the JEE Advanced 2026 examination smoothly across the country. The official Question Paper PDFs for Paper 1 and Paper 2 have now been released, enabling candidates to evaluate their performance and estimate their probable ranks.
Students can also expect unofficial answer keys and detailed solutions from major coaching institutes shortly, while the official JEE Advanced 2026 Answer Key is scheduled to be published by IIT Roorkee onMay 25, 2026.
JEE Advanced 2026 Paper 1 Review: Tougher Than Last Year
According to the first reactions from candidates and experts, Paper 1 was considered difficult overall, especially due to the complexity of the Mathematics section.
Several students stated that Mathematics included highly challenging and lengthy problems from chapters such as:
- Functions
- Indefinite Integrals
- Applications of Integrals
The Functions-based questions were particularly reported to be extremely tricky and time-consuming.
There were a total of 48 questions in Paper 1 across Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.
Overall Difficulty Order – Paper 1
Mathematics ≥ Physics > Chemistry
JEE Advanced 2026 Paper 2 Review: Physics Emerged Toughest
The second paper was also reported to be moderate to difficult in nature. However, unlike Paper 1, students felt that Physicswas the toughest subject in Paper 2.
Many aspirants mentioned that the overall pattern and toughness level of Paper 2 were somewhat similar to previous years.
Paper 2 consisted of 54 questions in total.
Overall Difficulty Order – Paper 2
Physics > Mathematics > Chemistry
JEE Advanced 2026 Paper 2 Review – Subject-wise Difficulty Level
| Subjects | Difficulty Level | Topics Covered |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | Difficult | EMI, Current, Wave, Mechanics, Optics |
| Chemistry | Easy to Moderate | Most questions were from Organic Chemistry |
| Maths | Moderate to Difficult | Limits and Continuity, Integrals, Differential Equations |
JEE Advanced 2026 Paper 1 Review – Subject-wise Analysis
| Physics | Chemistry | Maths |
|---|---|---|
| The Physics section was moderate to difficult in nature. Questions were asked from most of the major chapters. | The Chemistry section was easy to moderate in difficulty level, though a few questions involved tricky calculations. | The Mathematics section was moderate to difficult and emerged as the toughest among the three subjects. |
| A few questions were time-consuming, but overall the section remained manageable for well-prepared students. | The questions were well distributed among Organic, Inorganic, and Physical Chemistry. | Questions were well distributed across the major chapters. Lengthy calculations and tricky problem-solving made this section particularly challenging. |
JEE Advanced 2026 Question Paper PDF and Solutions
The official JEE Advanced 2026 Paper 1 and Paper 2 PDFshave been released by IIT Roorkee. Candidates can use the papers to cross-check responses and estimate scores.
Meanwhile, coaching institutes are expected to release:
- Detailed answer keys
- Memory-based solutions
- Video explanations
- Rank predictor analysis
The official answer key will be released on May 25, 2026, while the final results and cutoff are expected on June 1, 2026.
JEE Advanced 2026 Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
Type of Questions in JEE Advanced 2026
| Sections/Paper | Paper 1 | Paper 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Section 1 | Four Multiple Choice Question with only one correction option | Four Multiple Choice Question with only one correction option |
| Section 2 | Four Multiple Choice Question with more than one correction option | Five Multiple Choice Question with more than one correction option |
| Section 3 | Four Numerical Value Questions with answer in a numerical value | Five Numerical Value Questions with answer in a numerical value |
| Section 4 | Four Matching Type Questions with One Correct Option | Four Numerical Value Questions with answer in a numerical value |
Number of Questions Per Subject in JEE Advanced 2026
| Sections/Paper | Paper 1 | Paper 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Section 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Section 2 | 4 | 5 |
| Section 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Section 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Total | 16 | 18 |
Total Number of Questions in JEE Advanced 2026
| Paper 1 | Paper 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | 16 | 18 |
| Chemistry | 16 | 18 |
| Maths | 16 | 18 |
| Total | 48 | 54 |
Marking Scheme in JEE Advanced 2026 Paper 1
| Type of Question | Marking Scheme |
|---|---|
| Single Correct MCQ | 3 marks for correct answer |
| -1 mark for incorrect answer | |
| Multiple Correct MCQ | 4 mark if all correct options are chosen |
| 3 marks if all 4 options are correct but only three correct options are chosen | |
| 2 marks if all 3 or more options are correct but only two correct options are chosen | |
| 1 mark if all 2 or more options are correct but only one option is chosen and it is a correct option | |
| 0 if none of the option is chosen | |
| -1 marks in all other cases | |
| Numerical Value Question | 4 marks for correct answer |
| 0 marks for incorrect answer | |
| Matching Type Question | 4 marks for correct answer |
| -1 marks for incorrect answer |
Marking Scheme in JEE Advanced 2026 Paper 2
| Type of Question | Marking Scheme |
|---|---|
| Single Correct MCQ | 3 marks for correct answer |
| -1 mark for incorrect answer | |
| Multiple Correct MCQ | 4 mark if all correct options are chosen |
| 3 marks if all 4 options are correct but only three correct options are chosen | |
| 2 marks if all 3 or more options are correct but only two correct options are chosen | |
| 1 mark if all 2 or more options are correct but only one option is chosen and it is a correct option | |
| 0 if none of the option is chosen | |
| -1 marks in all other cases | |
| Numerical Value Question | 4 marks for correct answers |
| 0 marks for incorrect answer | |
| Numerical Value Question | 2 marks for correct answers |
| 0 marks for incorrect answer |
Expected JEE Advanced 2026 Cutoff
Experts have released tentative qualifying marks based on this year’s paper difficulty and student feedback. These estimated cutoffs can help aspirants understand their chances of securing admission into IITs.
The official cutoff will be announced along with the results on June 1, 2026.
| Rank list / category | Minimum Marks per subject | Minimum Aggregate Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Common (CRL) | 8 | 85 - 95 |
| GEN-EWS | 7 | 74 - 84 |
| OBC-NCL | 7 | 74 - 84 |
| SC | 4 | 42 - 48 |
| ST | 4 | 42 - 48 |
| PwD | 4 | 42 - 48 |
| Preparatory course | 2 | 20 – 25 |
JEE Advanced 2026 Marks vs Rank (Expected)
| Marks | 2026 CRL Rank (estimated) |
|---|---|
| 333 | 1 |
| 317 | 10 |
| 300 | 50 |
| 288 | 100 |
| 268 | 200 |
| 254 | 300 |
| 238 | 500 |
| 212 | 1,000 |
| 182 | 2,000 |
| 164 | 3,000 |
| 149 | 5,000 |
| 131 | 7,000 |
| 118 | 10,000 |
| 85-95 | Above 10,000 |
What Candidates Should Expect Next
Candidates are now advised to:
- Download the official question papers
- Match answers using unofficial answer keys
- Estimate scores using the marking scheme
- Track the official answer key release on May 25
- Prepare documents for counselling and JoSAA registration
With the exam now concluded, attention will gradually shift toward:
- Final answer key
- Result declaration
- IIT cutoff trends
- Branch-wise opening and closing ranks
- JoSAA counselling process