The JEE Main 2026 January 21 exam was conducted smoothly by NTA in two shifts: Shift 1 (morning) and Shift 2 (afternoon). As always, students walked out with one big question on their minds: Which shift was tougher? And, why?
Based on student reactions, expert reviews, and early paper analysis, both shifts were not easy, but there were clear differences in difficulty level, especially when it came to Mathematics and Chemistry. In this article, we compare JEE Main 2026 Jan 21 Shift 1 vs Shift 2 so students can clearly understand how both papers performed.
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JEE Main 2026 January 21 Exam Analysis (Out)
JEE Mains 2026 21 Jan Shift 1 Paper Analysis
The JEE Main 2026 21 Jan shift 1 exam was held from 9 AM to 12 PM. Overall, the paper was rated Moderate by most students. Physics turned out to be the most scoring section, while Mathematics consumed the maximum time. Chemistry, which is usually easy, surprised many students this time.
Subject | Difficulty Level | Good Attempts | Expert Analysis & Observations |
|---|---|---|---|
Mathematics | Moderate to Difficult | 14-16 questions | Maths was very time-consuming and the deciding section. Many questions required 3-4 steps. Dominated by Calculus, Vectors, 3D Geometry, and Coordinate Geometry. |
Physics | Easy to Moderate | 18-21 questions | Physics was the most scoring section. Mix of conceptual + numerical. Mechanics, Electrodynamics, and Optics had good weightage. Mostly formula application and fewer tricky questions compared to Maths. |
Chemistry | Moderate to Hard | 16-18 questions | Unlike previous years, where Chemistry was often the easiest, Shift 1 had several statement-based and tricky conceptual questions. Inorganic Chemistry had a slightly higher weightage than Organic Chemistry. |
JEE Mains 2026 21 Jan Shift 2 Paper Analysis
The JEE Mains 2026 shift 2 exam took place from 3 PM to 6 PM. Compared to the morning shift, this paper was rated Moderate to Difficult. While Physics and Chemistry were manageable, Mathematics once again proved to be the toughest section.
Subject | Difficulty Level | Good Attempts | Expert Analysis & Observations |
|---|---|---|---|
Mathematics | Moderate to Hard | 12-14 questions | Very lengthy and calculation-intensive. Required excellent time management. The multi-step calculations made it difficult to complete the section within an hour. |
Physics | Easy to Moderate | 18-20 questions | This was the highest-scoring section. Mostly formula-based, and many questions were similar to previous years' questions. |
Chemistry | Easy to Moderate | 17-19 questions | Heavily NCERT-focused. Inorganic Chemistry had a higher weightage than Organic Chemistry. |
JEE Main 2026 Jan 21 Shift 1 vs Shift 2: Which was tougher?
When comparing JEE Main 2026 January 21 Shift 1 vs Shift 2, most students and CollegeDekho experts believe that Shift 2 was slightly tougher overall. While Mathematics was difficult in both shifts, the overall pressure felt higher in the second session. But why was shift 2 considered tougher?
One major reason was Chemistry. In Shift 1, Chemistry was tricky but still concept-based. In Shift 2, it became more analytical and Inorganic-heavy, which slowed students down in a section they usually rely on for quick marks.
Secondly, the Mathematics section in Shift 2 was calculation-heavy and had more multi-concept questions, combining topics like Calculus with Vectors or 3D Geometry. This made it harder to find easy or quick questions, increasing mental fatigue.
The physics section was a big relief in both shifts. Since it was mostly NCERT-heavy, formula-based and predictable, it helped balance the overall difficulty level and prevented the paper from becoming extremely tough.
So, it would be safe to say that JEE Mains 2026 January 21 Shift 2 was more mentally exhausting compared to Shift 1. Because of the slightly higher difficulty level, students who appeared in JEE Mains 2026 21 Jan shift 2 may benefit from a better percentile at a slightly lower raw score due to NTA’s normalisation process.
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