JEE Main 2026 April 2 Shift 1 Analysis: Paper 'easy to moderate'; students find maths challenging

The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE Main 2026) shift 1 exam was easy to moderate in difficulty level as compared to the January session. The National Testing Agency (NTA) has conducted the first shift of the JEE Mains 2026 today, April 2, from 9 am to 12 noon. JEE Main 2026 April 2 Exam LIVE

According to the students who appeared in the JEE Main 2026 April 2 shift 1, the overall difficulty level of the exam was easy to moderate. The mathematics section was more challenging, while chemistry and physics were easy and manageable.

The NTA JEE Main exam will be conducted for three hours. The JEE Main 2026 April 2 day 1 shift 1 was held from 9 am to 12 noon, and shift 2 from 3 pm to 6 pm.

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JEE Main 2026 April 2 shift 1 paper review

Hassan, who appeared for JEE Main on April 2, said the shift 1 maths paper was easy but lengthy and time-consuming. He added that the physics and chemistry papers were of moderate difficulty and also lengthy. He expects to score around 228 marks.

Another student said the JEE Mains shift 1 paper was easy, with maths the easiest and physics slightly lengthy. Questions were from previous years and the NCERT. Organic chemistry had less weightage, and in physics, 15 questions were simple, while 10 were time-consuming.

Another student, who appeared for the JEE Main 2026 exam, said that Maths was a tough section, while physics and chemistry were easy to moderate.

The Ujjwal Singh, founding CEO, Infinity Learn by Sri Chaitanya, said: The JEE Main April 2026 shift 1 paper was easy to moderate and student-friendly. Physics was formula-based, chemistry was the most scoring, and mathematics was moderate but slightly lengthy. Strong fundamentals, accuracy, and practice were key for top scores.

JEE Main 2026 shift 1: Section-wise paper analysis

Based on student reactions and coaching experts’ analysis, the section-wise detailed analysis of the JEE Main 2026 April 2 shift 1 exam is given below.

JEE Main Physics analysis

The overall difficulty level of the Physics section in the JEE Main April 2 morning shift was easy. It was easier than mathematics but slightly harder than chemistry, and also easier compared to the April 2, 2025, session 1 paper.

Topic-wise questions

• Two questions from Ray Optics.
• One Question from Modern Physics
• 3 Questions From Electrostatics.
• One Question from (Young's modulus) Mechanical Properties of Solids
• 2 Questions from Kinematics.
• 1 Questions from rotational motion.
• 1 Questions from thermodynamics.

JEE Main Mathematics analysis

The overall difficulty level of the mathematics section was moderate. It was tougher than chemistry and physics but easier than the JEE Main January 2025 session and similar to the 2024 paper.

The section was lengthier and more time-consuming than the others, with many questions being concept-driven rather than formula-based, testing students’ application skills.

Topic-wise questions

• 2 Questions from Vector Algebra and 3D Geometry
• 1 Question from Trigonometry
• 1 Question from Straight lines
• 1 Question from Probability
• 2 Questions from Statistics
• 1 Question from Matrice
• 1 Question from Sequence & Series
• 1 Question from the Quadratic Equations
• 1 Question from Integral Calculus

JEE Main Chemistry analysis

The overall difficulty level of the chemistry section was very easy. Compared to the January session, the JEE Mains April 2 shift 1 paper was simpler and doable. It included several assertion-and-reason questions, with higher weightage given to inorganic chemistry, which had more than 10 questions.

There were mixed questions from inorganic and physical chemistry, while organic chemistry featured statement-based questions.

Topic-wise questions

• 3 questions from coordination compound
• 3 questions from chemical bonding
• 2 questions from salt analysis
• 1 question from biomolecule