Toughest Shift of JEE Mains Till Now - The National Testing Agency is conducting the JEE Main 2026 April session exam in multiple days and shifts. In session 2, so far, students have mixed reactions towards the difficulty level of the different shifts. Some found April 2 shift 1 to be the toughest shift of JEE Mains till now. Across both sessions of the JEE Main 2026 exam, the January 23, shift 2 was considered the toughest. As there Since there are three more shifts to be held in JEE Main 2026, the final analysis related to the exam will be updated here. Meanwhile, check the shift-wise difficulty level below.
Related- JEE Main 2026 Answer Key
This Story also Contains
Toughest Shift of JEE Main 2026 April session- Live Updates
In the april session of the JEE Main 2026 exam, the April 2 shift 1 exam was considered the toughest shift till now.
According to student reactions, the toughest shift in the JEE Main 2026 both sessions was the Jan 23 shift 2.
JEE Main exam allows candidates to pursue undergraduate BTech courses across India. Check the article to know complete details regarding the toughest shift of JEE Mains till now.
There is no concrete evidence regarding the toughest shift of JEE Mains 2026 till now. Many students still consider the Jan 23rd shift 2 exam to have been the most challenging. In session 2, JEE Main April 6 shift 1 paper and April 4 shift 1 are also flagged as difficult by many candidates. However, since the interpretation of the toughness of an exam depends on individual capability, such analysis is subjective.
Check the below given tables for the JEE Main 2026 difficulty level for each shift of April attempt
Parameter | Overall | Mathematics | Physics | Chemistry |
Difficulty Level | Moderate | Difficult (Lengthy) | Easy to Moderate (Lengthy) | Moderate to Tough |
Relative Difficulty | Maths toughest | Toughest & most time-consuming | Easiest section | Between Physics & Maths |
Nature of Questions | Balanced (Concept + Formula) | Conceptual, lengthy & calculative | Calculation-based, lengthy | NCERT-based + some calculative |
Key Topics | — | Vector & 3D, Conic Sections, Matrices, Statistics, Integral Calculus | Optics, Current Electricity, Modern Physics, NLM, Rotational Motion, Electrostatics, SHM | Biomolecules, Chemical Bonding, Mole Concept, Thermodynamics, Equilibrium, Periodic Table |
Class Weightage | Balanced | Mixed (11 + 12) | Mostly Class 12 | Inorganic & Organic from NCERT |
Overall Trend | Moderate paper; tougher than 5 April, easier than January | Very lengthy & time-consuming | Lengthy but doable | NCERT-based, slightly lengthy but scoring |
Parameter | Overall | Mathematics | Physics | Chemistry |
Difficulty Level | Easy to Moderate | Moderate (Lengthy) | Easy to Moderate | Easy to Moderate |
Relative Difficulty | Maths toughest | Toughest section | Easier than Maths | Easiest section |
Nature of Questions | Balanced (Concept + Formula) | Conceptual, lengthy & calculative | Mostly direct, formula-based | NCERT-based + statement-based |
Key Topics | — | Vectors & 3D, Coordinate Geometry, Integral Calculus, Matrices, Statistics, Sequence & Series | Units & Dimensions, Kinematics, Rotational Motion, Electrostatics, Current Electricity, Ray Optics, Modern Physics | Biomolecules, Chemical Kinetics, GOC, Electrochemistry, Solutions, Coordination Compounds, Chemical Bonding, Thermodynamics, p-Block |
Class Weightage | Class 12 dominant | Mixed (Class 11 + 12) | Mostly Class 12 | Inorganic > Physical > Organic |
Overall Trend | Similar to other April shifts, easier than January session | Lengthy but manageable | Scoring and less time-consuming | Slightly lengthy due to statement-based questions but scoring |
Parameter | Overall | Mathematics | Physics | Chemistry |
Difficulty Level | Easy to Moderate | Moderate (Lengthy) | Easy to Moderate | Easy |
Relative Difficulty | Maths toughest | Toughest section | Easier than Maths | Easiest section |
Nature of Questions | Balanced (Concept + Formula) | Conceptual, lengthy & calculative | Mostly direct, formula-based | NCERT-based, direct |
Key Topics | — | Vectors & 3D, Conics, Calculus, Functions, Differential Equations | Optics (Microscope), Current Electricity, Modern Physics, EMI, Electrostatics | D & F Block, Biomolecules, Chemical Bonding, Amines, Coordination Compounds |
Class Weightage | Class 12 dominant | Mixed (Class 11 + 12) | Mostly Class 12 | Inorganic & Organic dominant |
Overall Trend | Similar to other April shifts, easier than January session | Lengthy but easier than tougher April shifts | Scoring and less time-consuming | Very easy and highly scoring |
Parameter | Overall | Mathematics | Physics | Chemistry |
Difficulty Level | Easy to Moderate | Moderate (Lengthy) | Easy to Moderate | Easy to Moderate |
Relative Difficulty | Maths toughest | Toughest but easier than morning | Slightly easier | Easiest section |
Nature of Questions | Formula + Concept-based | Concept-driven, time-consuming | Direct, formula-based | NCERT-based, slightly calculation-heavy |
Key Topics | — | Vectors & 3D, Matrices, Mixed topics | Optics, Electrostatics, Current Electricity, Semiconductors | Chemical Bonding, Electrochemistry, Biomolecules |
Class Weightage | Class 12 dominant | Mixed | Mostly Class 12 | Inorganic-heavy |
Overall Trend | Easiest shift of April session, easier than Jan and morning shift | Lengthy but easier than morning | Scoring but slightly lengthy | Very easy and highly scoring |
Parameter | Overall | Mathematics | Physics | Chemistry |
Difficulty Level | Easy to Moderate | Moderate (Lengthy) | Moderate | Moderate |
Relative Difficulty | Maths toughest | Toughest (more lengthy ) | Easiest in this shift | Between Physics & Maths |
Nature of Questions | Formula + Concept-based | Concept-driven, time-consuming | Direct, formula-based | Calculation-heavy (Physical focused) |
Key Topics | — | Conics, Vectors & 3D, Calculus | Optics, Rotational Motion, Fluids, Modern Physics | Electrochemistry, Coordination, Amines |
Class Weightage | Class 12 dominant | Mixed | Mostly Class 12 | Physical-heavy |
Overall Trend | Similar to morning shift, easier than Jan | Harder than morning shift | Scoring but slightly lengthy | Tougher than morning, time-consuming |
Parameter | Overall | Mathematics | Physics | Chemistry |
Difficulty Level | Easy to Moderate | Tougher (Lengthy) | Moderate | Moderate |
Relative Difficulty | Maths toughest | Toughest (more lengthy than morning) | Easiest in this shift | Between Physics & Maths |
Nature of Questions | Formula + Concept-based | Concept-driven, time-consuming | Direct, formula-based | Calculation-heavy (Physical focused) |
Key Topics | — | Conics, Vectors & 3D, Calculus | Optics, Rotational Motion, Fluids, Modern Physics | Electrochemistry, Coordination, Amines |
Class Weightage | Class 12 dominant | Mixed | Mostly Class 12 | Physical-heavy |
Overall Trend | Overall moderate and similar to April 2 shift | Harder than morning shift | Scoring but slightly lengthy | Tougher than morning, time-consuming |
Parameter | Overall | Mathematics | Physics | Chemistry |
Difficulty Level | Easy to Moderate | Moderate (Lengthy) | Easy | Very Easy |
Relative Difficulty | Maths toughest | Toughest section | Easier than Maths | Easiest section |
Nature of Questions | Concept-based + Assertion | Application-based, Time-consuming | Direct + Conceptual | NCERT-based, Direct |
Key Topics | — | Vectors, 3D, Statistics, Calculus | Electrostatics, Ray Optics, Kinematics | Coordination, Bonding, Salt Analysis |
Class Weightage | Class 12 > Class 11 | Mixed | More Class 12 | Inorganic-heavy |
Overall Trend | Easier than Jan session | Lengthy | Scoring | Highly scoring |
The given table mentions the shift-wise JEE Main difficulty level for the January attempt.
Date & Shift | Physics | Chemistry | Mathematics | Overall Difficulty |
Jan 21 – Shift 1 (Morning) | Easy to Moderate | Tough | Moderate | Moderate |
Jan 21 – Shift 2 (Evening) | Easy | Moderate | Moderate to Hard (Lengthy) | Moderate |
Jan 22 – Shift 1 (Morning) | Moderate to Difficult | Moderate | Moderate (Lengthy) | Moderate |
Jan 22 – Shift 2 (Evening) | Moderate | Moderate to Tough | Difficult (Very Lengthy) | Moderate to Difficult |
Jan 23 – Shift 1 (Morning) | Easy (but tricky/time-taking) | Moderate | Moderate (Lengthy) | Moderate |
Jan 23 – Shift 2 (Evening) | Easy to Moderate | Moderate | Moderate to Difficult | Easy to Moderate |
Jan 24 – Shift 1 (Morning) | Moderate & Lengthy | Easy to Moderate | Moderate to Difficult (Lengthy) | Moderate |
Jan 24 – Shift 2 (Evening) | Easy | Moderate to Difficult | Moderate (Lengthy) | Moderate |
Jan 28 – Shift 1 (Evening) | Moderate to Hard | Moderate to Difficult | Easy to Moderate | Moderate |
Jan 28 – Shift 2 (Evening) | Easy | Moderate (Lengthy) | Easy | Moderate (easier than Shift 1) |
The JEE Main 2026 result will be in the form of percentiles and ranks. Aspirants who appeared in the JEE Mains toughest shift 2026 may get fewer marks compared to those who took part in the easiest shift. Hence, the percentile is calculated using the normalisation. This process is used to ensure that candidates who took part in the tough shifts of JEE Main 2026 are not disadvantaged, nor are those whose exam was easy advantaged. Since the percentile is calculated shift-wise, a 100 percentiler is someone who achieved the highest score in his/her particular shift.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
So far, Jan 23rd shift 2 exam is assumed to be the toughest shift of JEE Mains till now.
Jan 23rd shift 2 exam is considered the hardest shift in JEE Mains 2026.
Based on student reviews, Jan 23 shift 2 is considered to be the toughest shift in JEE 2026 till today. Also, some found April 4, shift 1 and April 6 shift 1 to be tough.
JEE Main January 28 shift 1 was mostly easy.
JEE Main 4 April shift 1 2026 was moderately challenging.
On Question asked by student community
Your changes to get a government college in Bihar are too low.
Access the JEE Main College Predictor to know the possible options.
The link to download the JEE Main session 1 admit card is removed by the officials.
Hello Susmitha,
You can check the JEE Main 2026 April 4th & 5th shift analysis to understand the exam difficulty level, question trends, and subject-wise weightage.
You can find the link below: https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/jee-main-2026-april-4-paper-analysis-shift-1-2-difficulty-level
Hope this helps!
Hello Rahul kaushik,
You can check expert tips on how to crack JEE Main 2026 in the first attempt and explore the best colleges in Raipur, Chhattisgarh for better guidance and decision-making.
You can find the link below:
How to crack JEE Mains 2026 in First Attempt - Experts Tricks
Get Jee mains 2026 session 2 april 4 shift 1 answer key here
Among top 100 Universities Globally in the Times Higher Education (THE) Interdisciplinary Science Rankings 2026
World-class and highly qualified engineering faculty. High-quality global education at an affordable cost
Application Deadline: 15th April | Recognized as Institute of Eminence by Govt. of India | NAAC ‘A++’ Grade | Upto 75% Scholarships
Mark presence in the Modern Architectural field with Bachelor of Architecture | Highest CTC : 70 LPA | Accepts NATA Score
Highest CTC 58 LPA | Avg CTC 11.35 LPA| 150+ Recruiters
NAAC A+ Grade | Ranked 503 Globally (QS World University Rankings 2026)