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Toughest Shift of JEE Main 2025 Revealed - Analysis & Paper Review
Toughest Shift Of JEE Mains 2025 - JEE Mains 2025 analysis can provide aspirants with insightful information on what to expect for this year's exam. Aspirants can also find the details of the toughest shift of JEE Mains 2025 below. An overall comparison has been made between the January and April session. The toughest shift of jee mains 2025 for January and April session has also been given below separately. This data is based on intensive research, student feedback, JEE Main paper analysis and expert insights.
LiveJEE Main 2026 LIVE: NTA to declare session 1 result on February 12; cut-offs, marks vs percentileFeb 8, 2026 | 7:13 PM ISTRead More
Candidates may need a score of around 158 to 190 marks to secure a 99th percentile, with the exact requirement varying based on the difficulty level of different shifts in JEE Mains 2026.
This Story also Contains
- Toughest Shift of JEE Mains 2025
- Toughest Shift of JEE Mains 2025 Session 1
- Toughest Shift of JEE Mains 2025 Session 2
- Toughest JEE Mains Paper Ever
Toughest Shift of JEE Mains 2025
The toughest shift of JEE Mains 2025 is the slot in which students face the highest number of difficult questions. The January 28 Shift 1 JEE Mains paper was supposedly the toughest shift of JEE Mains 2025. A detailed analysis of this paper is given below followed by some questions:
JEE Mains 2025 January 28 Shift 1 Question Paper Analysis - Toughest Shift of JEE Mains 2025
The analysis of toughest shift of JEE Mains 2025 January is given below:
Overall Difficulty Level - January 28, Shift 1 had a high difficulty level across Mathematics and Physics. This made it leading to lower overall attempt rates.
Mathematics Section - Mathematics was lengthy and included intensive calculations, with questions from calculus, vectors, 3D geometry and probability requiring multi-step reasoning and significant time investment.
Physics Section - Physics had concept-driven and multi-concept numerical questions. Especially from chapters like mechanics and thermal physics. This made it more challenging than typical JEE Main standards.
Chemistry Section - Chemistry was comparatively moderate and NCERT-based.Out of all three, it was the most scoring section. Although, it lacked sufficient simplicity to fully offset the difficulty of Maths and Physics.
Time Management Impact - The demanding Mathematics and Physics sections needed extreme time management which most of the students were not prepared for.
Normalization and Score Impact - Due to its elevated difficulty, this shift is expected to benefit candidates through score normalization, ensuring fair percentile calculation relative to easier shifts.
Toughest Shift of JEE Mains 2025 Session 1
The session 1 or the January session was comparatively easier than the April session. This is because it was considered easy to get a higher percentile mark in the January session than the April session. January 28 Shift 1 JEE Mains 2025 was the toughest shift of the entire 2025 JEE Mains exam, not only the session 1. A detailed analysis of the question paper has already been done above. The top 3 toughest shift of JEE Mains 2025 session 1 are listed below with toughest ones first:
1. January 28, 2025 Shift 1 - toughest shift of JEE Mains 2025 April.
2. January 28, 2025 Shift 2 - Maths section was lengthy; Physics was tricky; Chemistry was moderate
3. January 23, 2025 Shift 1 - Maths section was lengthy; Physics was moderate; Chemistry was easy.
JEE Main 2025 Shift | Overall Difficulty Level | Mathematics | Physics | Chemistry | Key Observations |
January 28, 2025 – Shift 1 | Very Tough (Toughest among listed) | Tough & Lengthy | Tough | Moderate | High overall difficulty due to demanding Maths and Physics, leading to lower attempt rates |
January 28, 2025 – Shift 2 | Tough | Lengthy | Tricky | Moderate | Maths required significant time investment, while Physics involved concept-based tricky questions |
January 23, 2025 – Shift 1 | Moderate | Lengthy | Moderate | Easy | Maths was time-consuming, but relatively easier Chemistry helped balance the paper |
Toughest Shift of JEE Mains 2025 Session 2
As discussed above, JEE Mains 2025 session 2 was comparatively tougher than session 1. Reason being, students got more time to prepare and until then, they got accustomed to the difficulty level of JEE Mains 2025 standard of questions. As students prepared better, the competition also toughened and pressure also increased. This made it harder to get a good percentile and therefore, the April session was considered tough. But unexpectedly, the overall toughest paper is that of the Session 1 itself. Experts, students feedback and a thorough paper analysis has proven the same. Below, we have given the top 3 toughest shift of JEE Mains 2025 session 2.
April 3, Shift 2: Widely regarded as the hardest, particularly for Math, with a tougher Chemistry section.
April 4, Shift 2: Also noted as a challenging shift due to Physics level of difficulty.
April 4, Shift 1: Another difficult shift mentioned alongside April 3, Shift 2.
JEE Main 2025 Shift | Overall Difficulty Level | Mathematics | Physics | Chemistry | Why the Shift Was Considered Tough |
April 3, Shift 2 | Very Tough (Hardest among listed) | Tough & Lengthy | Moderate | Tough | Mathematics was time-consuming, while Chemistry included tricky and less-predictable questions, reducing overall attempt rates |
April 4, Shift 2 | Tough | Moderate & Lengthy | Tough | Moderate | Physics featured concept-heavy and numerical-intensive questions that increased difficulty |
April 4, Shift 1 | Moderate to Tough | Lengthy but Manageable | Moderate | Moderate | Mathematics required careful time management, but Physics and Chemistry remained largely balanced |
Toughest JEE Mains Paper Ever
There is no single toughest JEE Mains paper ever. Throughout the JEE Mains journey, students solve a lot of question papers of all the difficulty levels - easy, moderate and hard. Below is a comprehensive list of all the toughest JEE Mains paper ever. Practicing this will surely help you understand what is the highest standard of JEE Mains and prepare you for the worst.
JEE Main 2020: Physics was quite complex with numericals requiring multi concept applications whereas chemistry was easier.
JEE Main 2021: Mathematics had a lot of challenges with complex calculus and probability problems.
JEE Main 2025 (Jan 28 Shift 1): Widely considered one of the hardest shifts. With difficult Physics and lengthy Math sections.
JEE Main 2019 (Specific Shifts): Some shifts in this year also saw tough Physics sections.
JEE Main 2026 Rank Predictor
Use the JEE Main 2026 Rank Predictor to estimate your expected rank based on your scores or percentile and plan your college options smartly.
Try NowTo understand better, go through the table below. This will help you get a clear understand of analysis:
JEE Main Year / Shift | Physics Difficulty | Mathematics Difficulty | Chemistry Difficulty | Overall Difficulty Level | Key Reason for Toughness |
JEE Main 2019 (Specific Shifts) | Tough | Moderate | Easy–Moderate | Moderate–Tough | Physics involved concept-heavy numericals and mixed-topic questions |
JEE Main 2020 | Very Tough | Moderate | Easy | Tough | Physics had complex, multi-concept numericals requiring deeper analytical skills |
JEE Main 2021 | Moderate | Very Tough | Moderate | Tough | Mathematics featured difficult calculus and probability questions |
JEE Main 2025 (Jan 28 Shift 1) | Very Tough | Very Tough | Moderate | Very Tough | Lengthy Mathematics and high-level Physics combined to reduce attempt rates |
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A score of 110 in JEE Mains is expected to be equal to 94 to 95th percentile. This score may not secure your admission in top NIT institutes for the general category, but candidates from OBC, SC, ST, and EWS categories have a good chance of getting into NITs and
Here are the best engineering colleges for 35,000-50,000 rank in JEE Main 2026 examination -
- NIT Jalandhar
- NIT Jaipur
- NIT Bhopal
- NIT Goa
- NIT Patna
- NIT Surat
- NIT Raipur
- IIIT Trichy
- IIIT Ranchi
- IIIT Nagpur
- BIT Mesra
No, JEE Main Answer Key for 2026 session 1 is not out yet. NTA will release the JEE answer key 2026 on February 4.
With 100 marks in JEE Main exam, you can apply for several IIITs depending upon the branch of the course. Candidates with 100 marks in JEE Main are likely to secure seat in IIITs like IIIT Manipur , IIIT Nagpur, IIIT Dharwad, IIIT Sri City , IIIT Trichy and other
With 77 marks in JEE Main, you can expect engineering colleges like NIT Mizoram, NIT Meghalaya , and NIT Arunachal Pradesh. Consider private colleges like GITAM, Lovely Professional University, SRM Institute of Science and Technology , Chandigarh University, and Amity University for better branch options.
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