Physics toughest in JEE Advanced 2026, say students and experts

Students and experts described Physics as the toughest section in JEE Advanced 2026, while Mathematics was moderately difficult and Chemistry relatively easy. Paper II was more challenging due to length and conceptual demands, with time pressure affecting many aspirants.

Hyderabad: Physics questions emerged as the toughest to crack in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced 2026 conducted on Sunday. Students reported the mathematics section to be moderately difficult and the chemistry to be relatively easy.

The JEE Advanced comprised Papers I and II. Both the papers were conducted for 180 marks each, with 60 marks allotted to each mathematics, physics and chemistry subject.

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Among two papers, students considered Paper II to be tougher as it turned out to be lengthy, demanding conceptual understanding and lengthy calculations. The IIT aspirants said mathematics section was slightly difficult and physics questions were tough to answer, as they required a strong conceptual clarity besides quick problem-solving skill, and chemistry was relatively easier, although there were a few questions that were confusing.

As for paper I, the chemistry section had several direct and NCERT-books-based questions, which were easy, while the mathematical problems were moderately difficult but required lengthy calculations.

“The mathematics section consumed a lot of time as it required a lot of calculations. Physics questions were tough to crack. Overall, my examination went well,” said Dhanush Kumar, an aspirant who appeared for the test.

According to coaching experts, Paper II was considered tougher than Paper I. “Across both papers, physics was regarded as the toughest subject, followed by mathematics, while chemistry was comparatively easier. Students aiming for top scores need to perform well in Paper II. Although two sections had no negative marking, time pressure made the paper challenging for many students,” M Uma Shankar, All India IIT Coordinator, Sri Chaitanya.

Last year, scoring above 90 per cent helped students get an all-India rank within the top 10, and it is expected to be similar this year as well, he said, adding that expected cutoff for the open category may be around 20–25 per cent.