JEE Advanced 2026 Chemistry Analysis: Toughest, Easiest, Tricky Questions

JEE Advanced 2026 Chemistry: Overall Analysis

Chemistry had 16 questions in Paper 1 and 18 questions in Paper 2. According to the question-level analysis, Paper 2 Chemistry contained more highly difficult questions than Paper 1.

In Paper 1, 3 of the 16 chemistry questions were classified as difficult, while 6 were moderate and 7 were easy. In Paper 2, 7 of the 18 Chemistry questions were classified as difficult, 8 as moderate, and only 3 as easy.

Chemistry – Paper 1

The Chemistry Paper 1 results show quite some variation in student performance across the 16 questions, really. Some questions were answered successfully by a large portion of candidates, while others ended up with really high wrong response rates and also partial-mark percentages.

From the above data, it can be seen that Question 14 had the highest rate of full marks in Chemistry Paper 1, at 60.69%, followed by Question 13 at 44.84%. This indicates that these questions were comparatively more manageable for candidates.

However, Question 8 had the lowest rate of full marks at just 3.40%, followed closely by Question 5 at 3.79%. Question 10 had the highest wrong-response rate of 67.06%, showing that although only 11.73% of candidates left it unanswered, a large majority of those who attempted it selected an incorrect response.

Question 5 stands out because 50.43% of candidates received partial marks, while Question 8 had 43.92% partial marks. This suggests that many students were able to solve part of these questions but failed to meet all the requirements for full marks.

Chemistry – Paper 2

Chemistry Paper 2 also showed a wide variation in student performance. While some questions had comparatively high full-mark percentages, several questions had extremely low full-mark percentages and very high wrong-response rates.

From the above data, it can be seen that Question 2 had the highest rate of full marks in Chemistry Paper 2, at 43.67%, followed by Question 10 at 41.85% and Question 7 at 42.12%. These questions were comparatively better handled by candidates.

In contrast, Question 15 had the lowest rate of full marks at just 0.55%, while Questions 14, 17 and 12 had full-mark rates of only 1.21%, 2.69% and 2.78%, respectively. Question 13 recorded the highest wrong-response rate at 66.51%, followed by Question 5 at 65.05% and Question 15 at 64.53%.

Question 6 stands out because 36.34% of candidates received partial marks, while Question 9 had 20.56% partial marks. This indicates that a considerable number of students were able to make partial progress but could not complete the questions correctly. Overall, Chemistry Paper 2 contained several questions where conceptual clarity, careful calculation, and complete problem-solving were essential for securing full marks.

Read the freely downloadable ebook for proper analysis: JEE Advanced 2026 Question Analysis: Hardest, Easiest & Tricky Questions Explained

JEE Advanced 2026 Chemistry Paper 1 and 2 Analysis

Paper 1 Chemistry was a mix of conceptual, numerical, and statement-based questions. In the external analysis, they mostly rated Chemistry in Paper 1 as easy to moderate, but yeah, a few questions here and there were tricky and pretty calculation-intensive.

Toughest Chemistry Questions in Paper 1 and Paper 2

According to the high wrong-answer rate and very few full-mark scorers (ranked by difficulty index) from the response data, these were the five toughest questions of Paper 1:

Paper 2

The toughest chemistry questions of Chemistry Paper 2 are given below in the table. Based on the Difficulty Index, Q14 and Q15 from Paper 2 were the hardest Chemistry questions, with both having a Difficulty Index of 86.5.

JEE Advanced Chemistry Paper 1 Question 4

Solution:

Answer: option (C)

Why This Question is Most Difficult

• The problem requires students to understand the selective reduction of different functional groups rather than simply applying one reducing agent.

• Students have to know that LiBH₄ reduces the ester, while BH₃ reduces the carboxylic acid.

• The presence of multiple stereocentres and wedge-dash bonds makes the products difficult to compare.

• Students have to carefully track the relative stereochemistry of the products P, Q, R and S.

• A simple comparison of the functional groups is not enough; students must determine whether the products are identical or diastereomers.

• The problem tests conceptual understanding of organic reactions and stereochemistry, making it a moderate-to-difficult-level JEE Advanced problem.

Easiest Chemistry Questions in Paper 1 and Paper 2

Most full-marks scorers, fewer wrong answers, and a low skip rate are the basis of the easiest questions. Based on these, the questions with the lowest difficulty index values were recorded for the following questions:

Paper 2

The five questions with the lowest difficulty index in Paper 2 were:

Q7 was the easiest Chemistry question in Paper 2, with a difficulty index of 38.6. It focused on periodic properties and had a very low non-attempt rate of just 4.9%.

Q2 on ONO bond-angle order and Q10 on hydrogen-like species transitions were also among the more approachable questions.

JEE Advanced Chemistry Paper 1 Question 14

Solution:

Correct answer: option (A)

Why This Question is Easy

• The question is easy because students have to identify the molecular shapes of the given species using VSEPR theory.

• Most of the species have standard and well-known geometries, such as T-shaped, seesaw, and square pyramidal.

• Students only need to count the number of species having each molecular shape.

• Since the shapes can be identified quickly, it is a relatively easy JEE Advanced question.

Trickiest Chemistry Questions in Paper 1 and Paper 2

Difficulty and trickiness are not the same. Some questions may be attempted by many students but still produce a high percentage of wrong answers.

Paper 1

Q10 was the biggest trap in Paper 1 Chemistry. Its trap rate was 76%, meaning a very large proportion of students who attempted the question failed to answer it correctly.

This highlights an important JEE Advanced trend: a question can look approachable but still be dangerous if students do not carefully check every condition and option.

Paper 2

Paper 2 had some exceptionally high trap rates. Q15 was the biggest trap of the entire Chemistry paper. Its trap rate of 99.2% means that almost every student who attempted it was caught by the question's difficulty or calculation requirements.

JEE Advanced Chemistry Paper 1 Question 10

Solution:

Correct answer: 8

Why This Question is Tricky

• The question is tricky because it requires students to identify all possible isomers of a square planar complex with different types of ligands.

• The bidentate glycine ligand (gly⁻) makes the arrangement more complicated than a simple square planar complex.

• The problem tests conceptual understanding of coordination chemistry, ligand orientation, and isomer counting, making it a tricky JEE Advanced question.