JEE Main 2025 session 2 begins on April 2; how to tackle negative marking in exam?

NEW DELHI: Two days are left for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2025 session 2. The National Testing Agency (NTA) will commence the JEE Mains 2025 session 2 from April 2. The engineering and architecture entrance exams will continue till April 9.

A crucial part of the JEE Main session 2 exam is negative marking which needs to be dealt with cautiously. As per the marking scheme of JEE Mains, one mark will be deducted for each incorrect response. Experts believe that the relative speed and accuracy of candidates plays an important role in acing the exam and negative marking requires strategic thinking.

According to a coaching expert, “taking negative marking lightly has led many JEE aspirants to jeopardize their performance by attempting to guess answers, assuming that losing just one mark for a wrong answer is worth the risk of gaining four marks for a correct one. However, this mindset is flawed and statistically inadvisable.”

NTA has issued the JEE Main 2025 session 2 admit card out on the official website, jeemain.nta.nic.in for April 2-4 exams.

JEE Main 2025 session 2: How to tackle negative marking?

Here are some tips and advices accumulated from the coaching experts on how to approach questions with the risk of negative marking:

Don’t guess

During the exam, read a question and evaluate your confidence level. If you are able to recall the concept, then attempt the question. In case you are not sure about how to approach it, it’s better to drop the question altogether. Answering based on guesses would increase the risk of losing marks.

Cut-down wrong options

For multiple-choice questions, use the process of elimination to cut down the options. Try to eliminate two incorrect options, and your chances of getting the right answer would improve. However, if you're unable to eliminate any options, it’s suggested to skip the question.

Time management is key

Even with negative marking, time management is crucial. Try not to spend a long time on a single question, especially if you are unsure about it. If a question is taking more than two minutes and you are still unsure, mark it for review and move on. Focus on questions you can solve confidently first, and revisit the tricky ones later if time permits.

Beware of tricky and lengthy questions

If a question seems unusually tricky or lengthy, evaluate if it’s worth taking the risk. Sometimes, it’s better not to attempt such questions rather than waste time and risk losing marks. Also, avoid questions which are easy but have lengthy calculations as you will miss two-to-three questions because of one such question.

Prioritise quality over quantity

The quality of your attempts matters more than the quantity. Focus on solving questions accurately instead of rushing to answer as many as possible. A correct answer earns you more marks than two incorrect answers deduct. For example, aiming for 50 accurate attempts with high precision is often more beneficial than attempting 75 questions with several incorrect ones.

Strike a balance between questions

Avoid being overly cautious and skipping too many questions, as this may lead to an unnecessarily low score. Similarly, attempting excessive questions without confidence can harm your results. A good strategy is to aim for around 85–90% of the questions with strong confidence in their accuracy, leaving the rest unattempted if unsure.

Trust your instincts

It's natural to overthink under exam pressure. If you’ve prepared well for the test, trust your instincts. If a question doesn’t align with what you’ve studied or feels outside the scope of your knowledge, trust yourself and move on. Maintaining a cool approach and a strategic approach will prevent unnecessary losses.