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JEE Main (Joint Entrance Examination Main)

Joint Entrance Examination (Main) — The largest engineering entrance exam in India with 12+ lakh candidates annually. Serves as the single gateway for admission into 31 NITs, 26 IIITs, and ~38 GFTIs, and serves as the qualifying screening test for the top ~2.5 lakh candidates to appear in JEE Advanced for IITs.

Conducting Body
National Testing Agency (NTA)
Frequency
Conducted Twice a Year (Session 1 in Jan, Session 2 in April)
Mode & Duration
Computer Based (CBT) (3 Hours (180 Minutes))
Exam Month
January (Session 1) & April (Session 2)
JEE Main (Joint Entrance Examination Main) (Joint Entrance Examination (Main)) Examination Guide
Engineering

Official Guide & Assessment Pattern for JEE Main (Joint Entrance Examination Main)

Exam Significance & Admission Purpose

The largest engineering entrance exam in India with 12+ lakh candidates annually. Serves as the single gateway for admission into 31 NITs, 26 IIITs, and ~38 GFTIs, and serves as the qualifying screening test for the top ~2.5 lakh candidates to appear in JEE Advanced for IITs.

Detailed Eligibility Criteria

Class 12 pass or appearing with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics (No age limit)

Exam Pattern & Test Structure

SectionQuestionsMarksDuration
Physics20 MCQs + 10 Numerical (Attempt any 5)100 Marks60 Mins (Integrated)
Chemistry20 MCQs + 10 Numerical (Attempt any 5)100 Marks60 Mins (Integrated)
Mathematics20 MCQs + 10 Numerical (Attempt any 5)100 Marks60 Mins (Integrated)
Marking Scheme:+4 for Correct Answer, -1 for Incorrect Answer, 0 for Unattempted (Both MCQs & Numericals)

Recommended Preparation Timeline & Strategy

Master NCERT thoroughly for Chemistry (Inorganic and Organic are 85%+ NCERT-based).
Solve previous 5 years JEE Main papers (over 60+ real session papers available).
Focus on speed and calculation accuracy in Mathematics where lengthy questions are standard.
Take full-length 3-hour CBT mock tests at the exact same time slot as your exam.

Cutoff Trends & Score Analysis

General Category cutoff to qualify for JEE Advanced hovers around 90-93 percentile (~90-105 marks out of 300). Top 5 NITs Computer Science requires 99.4+ percentile.

Premier Colleges & Universities Accepting Scores

NIT Trichy
NIT Surathkal
NIT Rourkela
IIIT Hyderabad
IIIT Allahabad
DTU New Delhi
NSUT Delhi
MNIT Jaipur

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 75% in Class 12 Boards mandatory for JEE Main?

Yes, for final admission into NITs, IIITs, and CFTIs through JoSAA counseling, candidates must score at least 75% aggregate in Class 12 boards (65% for SC/ST) or be in the top 20 percentile of their board.

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