The JEE Main 2026 January session (Jan 21–28) consisted of multiple shifts across different days. Each shift followed the official NTA exam pattern, but difficulty level, question style, time pressure, and subject dominance varied significantly.

This page provides a complete all-shift comparison including:

• Overall difficulty trends
• Subject-wise comparison
• Shift-wise analysis summary
• Toughest & easiest shifts
• Mathematics, Physics & Chemistry comparison
• Student reaction patterns
• Performance strategy insights

Shift-wise Difficulty Comparison Table

Subject-wise Trend Analysis

Physics (Jan 21–28 Overall)

Difficulty Trend: Easy–Moderate

Commonly Repeated Topics:

• Electrostatics
• Current Electricity
• Magnetism
• Ray Optics
• Modern Physics
• Semiconductor Devices

Trend Observation:
Physics remained conceptual, formula-based, and scoring across almost all shifts.

Chemistry (Jan 21–28 Overall)

Difficulty Trend: Easy to Moderate

Topic Distribution Pattern:

• Inorganic Chemistry: NCERT-dominant
• Physical Chemistry: Formula-based numericals
• Organic Chemistry: Reaction mechanism + named reactions

Trend Observation:
Chemistry was the most scoring and predictable section across all shifts.

Mathematics (Jan 21–28 Overall)

Difficulty Trend: Moderate to Tough

Common Patterns:

• Lengthy questions
• Multi-step calculations
• Time-consuming problems
• High weightage of Calculus

Dominant Topics:

• Calculus
• Vector & 3D Geometry
• Matrices & Determinants
• Coordinate Geometry
• Probability

Trend Observation:
Mathematics was the rank-deciding section in almost every shift.

Toughest vs Easiest Shifts

Toughest Shifts

1. Jan 22 Shift 2
2. Jan 23 Shift 2
3. Jan 24 Shift 2
4. Jan 28 Shift 2

Most Balanced Shifts

1. Jan 21 Shift 1
2. Jan 23 Shift 1
3. Jan 24 Shift 1
4. Jan 28 Shift 1

Paper Pattern Consistency

NTA Pattern Observed:

• No out-of-syllabus questions
• NCERT dominance in Chemistry
• Concept-based Physics
• Calculation-heavy Mathematics
• Balanced distribution of chapters

Student Reaction Analysis (Combined)

Positive Feedback:

• Predictable paper pattern
• NCERT usefulness
• No surprise topics
• Fair difficulty structure

Challenges Faced:

• Time pressure
• Lengthy mathematics
• Multi-step calculations
• Speed vs accuracy balance

Common Student Opinion:

"Paper was not conceptually shocking, but time management decided ranks."

Performance Strategy Insights

What Worked Best:

• Strong NCERT revision
• Formula memorization
• Concept clarity in Physics
• Speed practice in Mathematics

What Students Learned:

• Maths needs daily timed practice
• Chemistry is scoring with NCERT
• Physics rewards conceptual clarity

Rank & Percentile Impact Trend

Final Verdict – JEE Main 2026 January Session (Jan 21–28)

The JEE Main 2026 January session was:

• Conceptually fair
• Structurally predictable
• Mathematically challenging
• Chemistry scoring
• Physics balanced

Core Conclusion:

Mathematics decided ranks, Chemistry boosted scores, Physics ensured stability.

FAQs – JEE Main 2026 January Session (Jan 21–28)

Q1. Which was the toughest shift in JEE Main 2026 January session?
Jan 22 Shift 2 was considered the toughest overall due to lengthy mathematics, tough physics numericals, and high time pressure.

Q2. Which was the easiest shift in JEE Main 2026 January session?
Jan 21 Shift 1, Jan 23 Shift 1, and Jan 24 Shift 1 were among the most balanced and student-friendly shifts.

Q3. Which subject was most difficult across all shifts?
Mathematics was the most difficult and rank-deciding subject across almost all shifts due to lengthy and calculation-heavy questions.

Q4. Which subject was the most scoring in JEE Main 2026 January session?
Chemistry was the most scoring subject, especially Inorganic Chemistry, which was highly NCERT-based.

Q5. Was the JEE Main 2026 paper based on NCERT?
Yes, Chemistry was heavily NCERT-based, and Physics concepts were also aligned with NCERT theory and formulas.

Q6. Did NTA ask out-of-syllabus questions in JEE Main 2026?
No, there were no out-of-syllabus questions reported in any shift.

Q7. Which section decided ranks in JEE Main 2026?
Mathematics played the biggest role in rank differentiation due to time consumption and complexity.

Q8. How was the overall difficulty level of JEE Main 2026 January session?
The overall difficulty level ranged from Moderate to Moderately Tough, with a balanced conceptual structure.

Q9. Did normalization play an important role in this session?
Yes, normalization played a key role, especially for students appearing in tougher shifts.

Q10. What should aspirants learn from JEE Main 2026 January session papers?
Focus on NCERT Chemistry, strong Physics concepts, and daily timed practice in Mathematics.