The exam, mapped question by question.
Everything you need on how JEE Main is structured, how it's marked, and which government body actually runs it — laid out plainly, no jargon.
The National Testing Agency (NTA)
JEE Main isn't run by a university or a private coaching body — it's conducted by a dedicated government testing agency.
The National Testing Agency is an autonomous, self-financed testing body set up by the Government of India in November 2017, under the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education. It was created specifically to take entrance-exam conduct out of the hands of individual boards and universities, and run it as a single, standardized, technology-driven process.
Before the NTA existed, JEE Main was conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). The NTA took over from 2019 onward and has run every session since — building the question bank, operating computer-based test centres nationwide, publishing answer keys, and releasing percentile-based results.
NTA's mandate goes beyond JEE Main — it's the same agency behind several of India's other large entrance tests, which is worth knowing since the exam calendar, application portal, and result format tend to look similar across all of them.
Three papers, three destinations
JEE Main isn't a single test — which paper you sit depends on the course you're aiming for.
Paper 1
- Subjects Physics, Chemistry, Maths
- Questions 75
- Marks 300
- Duration 3 hrs
Paper 2A
- Sections Maths, Aptitude, Drawing
- Questions 77
- Marks 400
- Duration 3 hrs
Paper 2B
- Sections Maths, Aptitude, Planning
- Questions 100
- Marks 400
- Duration 3 hrs
How the 75 questions break down
Every subject follows the same internal structure: 20 questions you pick an option for, and 5 where you type in a number.
| Subject | Section A (MCQ) | Section B (Numerical) | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physics | 20 | 5 | 100 |
| Chemistry | 20 | 5 | 100 |
| Mathematics | 20 | 5 | 100 |
| Total | 60 | 15 | 300 |
How marks are awarded
The same scheme applies across both sections — including the numerical-value questions, all five of which are compulsory.
For every correct answer
For every incorrect answer
For a question left unattempted
Exam day, at a glance
Two sessions a year — January and April. You can sit one or both; NTA counts your better percentile toward the final rank.
Computer-based for Paper 1 & 2B. Paper 2A is computer-based too, except its Drawing section, which stays pen-and-paper.
Percentile, not percentage. Because shifts and days vary in difficulty, NTA normalizes scores into a percentile before ranking.