JEE Main Exam 2025 – JEE Main and JEE Advanced are two different examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency. The Joint Entrance Exam, JEE Main, is the first step for students aiming for undergraduate engineering programs like B.E, B.Techs, B. Arch, and B. Planning. JEE Main serves as the qualifying exam for JEE Advanced and is also the basis for the admission into National Institute of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) and other prestigious institutions.
JEE Mains is conducted twice a year, providing two opportunities for students to improve their score in the examination, if they are not able to score better in the first session. In the first attempt of the exam, candidates can learn from their mistakes and can improve in the second chance. This reduces the chance of dropping a year and candidates will not have to waste one more year in the preparation. It is up to the candidate to appear for one session or both sessions. However, if the candidate appears for both sessions, then their best score will be considered for the merit ranking.
Candidates who want to appear for JEE Advanced 2025 will need to qualify JEE Mains 2025 paper. JEE Advanced paper is conducted once a year and candidates can get a maximum of two chances in two consecutive years. The NTA has announced the JEE Advanced exam date which is scheduled for May 18, 2025. Candidates who have passed the Class XII in 2024 or in 2025 can only appear for the JEE Advanced 2025 exam.
JEE Mains vs JEE Advanced Exam Pattern
JEE Mains consists of one paper for each subject (Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics), which consists of 75 multiple-choice questions from Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Candidates will be awarded 4 marks for every correct answer and 1 mark will be deducted for a wrong response. Candidates who will qualify the JEE Main will be eligible for JEE Advanced 2025. There will be two sections for each subject, with each section consisting of 20 questions in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. The section B of every subject will have 5 questions. The optional questions in Section B have been removed by NTA from this year. Candidates can attempt JEE Mains paper in 13 languages while JEE Advanced can be attempted in Hindi and English only.
JEE Mains vs JEE Advanced Syllabus
Both JEE Mains and JEE Advanced syllabus encompasses Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics from class 11 and 12 NCERTs. However, some topics covered in JEE Advanced are not part of JEE Main syllabus. For a detailed syllabus, candidates must check the NTA website which publishes the syllabus annually.
JEE Mains vs JEE Advanced Eligibility
Candidates who want to appear for JEE Mains have no age limit criteria but they must be born on or after October 1, 2000 to be eligible for admission into NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs. However, candidates with reservation gets a 5-year relaxation in the admission process. The JEE Advanced eligibility criteria is different as it takes top 2,50,000 JEE Mains qualified candidates. For more details, candidates can refer to the eligibilitry criteria mentioned on the website.
JEE Mains vs JEE Advanced Exam 2025
Candidates can check the table below for a better understanding of the JEE Mains and JEE Advanced syllabus, eligibility criteria, exam pattern, admission process and exam strategy.
| Feature | JEE Main | JEE Advanced |
| Purpose | Admission to NITs, IIITs, and other centrally funded technical institutions. Also serves as a qualifying exam for JEE Advanced. | Admission to IITs and other premier institutes like IISC, IISERs. |
| Conducting Body | National Testing Agency (NTA) | IITs on a rotational basis |
| Eligibility | Open to all candidates who have passed or are appearing for the 12th board exams. | Only the top 2,50,000 rank holders from JEE Main are eligible. |
| Number of Attempts | A candidate can attempt JEE Main twice a year and for three consecutive years after Class 12. | A candidate can attempt JEE Advanced twice in two consecutive years. |
| Exam Pattern | Paper 1: B.E./B.Tech – MCQs & numerical value-based questions in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.Paper 2 & 3: For B.Arch & B.Planning | Two papers: Both are mandatory. Includes MCQs, numerical-based, and match-the-following-type questions. |
| Mode of Exam | Computer-Based Test (CBT) | Computer-Based Test (CBT) |
| Difficulty Level | Moderate | High (Conceptual and application-based) |
| Syllabus | Covers NCERT-based syllabus from Class 11 and 12. | Covers JEE Main syllabus + additional topics like Thermal Physics, Electrochemistry, and more conceptual questions. |
| Marking Scheme | +4 marks for each correct answer and -1 mark for each incorrect answer. | Varies every year; includes full, partial, and negative marking. |
| Language Options | Available in 13 languages including English, Hindi, Gujarati, etc. | Available only in English and Hindi |
| Number of Questions | Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics – 90 questions (only 75 to be attempted) | Varies every year – around 54-60 questions per paper |
| Scoring System | Based on raw scores and percentile ranking. | Based on raw scores and rank calculation with normalization. |
| Admission Process | Used for admissions into NITs, IIITs, CFTIs, and other engineering colleges. | Used for admissions into IITs, IISC, IISERs, and other premier institutes. |
| Exam Duration | 3 Hours | 3 Hours per paper (Total: 6 Hours) |
| Best Strategy | Strong conceptual clarity, speed, accuracy, and practice. | Deep understanding, logical reasoning, problem-solving ability, and application-based learning. |
