If you are a student aiming to study engineering at top Indian institutes like IITs and other top engineering colleges, knowing about JEE - Joint Entrance Examination is important. The JEE exam is highly competitive, and it is a nationwide entrance exam with great competitive students. This exam covers engineering subjects: Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Simply, the JEE exam is a door opener for future engineers.
The JEE entrance exam is separated into two sections:
Both the exams are known for their challenging and tricky questions to select the best candidates.
However, before getting into detailed information, students need to know the difference between JEE Mains and JEE Advanced. In short, JEE Main acts as a qualifying exam to get into the JEE Advanced exam.
JEE Mains is a national entrance exam that determines the gateway to NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs.
This exam happens twice a year to assess the student’s skills and understanding in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. Getting into IIITs and NIT admission through JEE Mains is highly commanded by engineers because these institutes offer world-class education.
As said before, it also serves as a screening exam for JEE Advanced, which determines the IIT admission.
JEE Mains is conducted by the NTA (National Testing Agency). NTA takes the authority to standardize the entrance process all over India. It establishes a fair and see-through process in online mode through a Computer-Based Testing (CBT) process, allowing for perfect evaluation and quick result processing.
If you’re in 12th category and want to study B.E, B.Tech, B.Arch, or B. Planning in top Indian institutes, you need to prepare for this exam. Through Mains, students can get into,
Also, a good NTA JEE Mains score lets you take the next step.
IIT JEE Advanced is one of the toughest entrance exams globally. This highly competitive exam helps students to get into India’s most prestigious Indian Institute of Technology(IIT) and other top engineering institutes of India.
Not everyone who takes the Mains exam can write Advanced. Those who secure Mains within 2,50,000 rank are eligible to appear in the advanced exam. This strict advanced eligibility criteria selection process ensures that only the best candidates can get into IITs.
This Advanced exam is conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology on rotational basics under the supervision of the Joint Admission Board (JAB). Every year, one of the IITs is responsible for arranging the testing process, ensuring a transparent and rigorous selection process with high standards.
Like Mains, JEE Advanced has been held online as a CBT test since 2018. This JEE Advanced offline exam format helps students to solve a wide range of problems, which makes the exam super tough.
| Criteria | JEE Mains | JEE Advanced |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | For getting into NITs, IIITs,GFTIs and other colleges. | For getting into IITs and top engineering institutes |
| Conducting body | National Testing Agency (NTA) | IITs - changes each year |
| Who can take it | Class 12th graders with at least a 75% cutoff or appearing students. | Top 2,50,000 JEE Mains. |
| How many tries | Twice a year, maximum 6 attempts (3 years) | Only twice in consecutive years |
| Number of Papers | 1 paper for B.E./B.Tech and 2 papers for B.Arch & B.Planning. | 2 papers (both compulsory) |
| Mode of Exam | Computer-based (online) | Computer-based (online) |
| Subjects Included | NCERT-level concepts of Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics | Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics |
| Question Type | Multiple choice questions, numerical value-based questions. | Multiple choice questions, integer-type, and comprehension-based. |
| Exam Duration | 3 hrs | 6 hours (2 papers, 3 hours each) |
| Exam Duration | 3 hrs | 6 hours (2 papers, 3 hours each) |
| Difficulty Leve | Moderate | Extremely high; requires deep conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills |
| Official website link | jeemain.nta.ac.in | jeeadv.ac.in |
Both Mains and Advanced exams cover the same subjects: Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. But the difference occurs with the topics and extent of concepts included in the syllabus.
JEE Mains syllabus covers topics from grade 11 and grade 12th subjects like Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. Students can use the NCERT syllabus for JEE Mains to cover the syllabus. Every year before the mains exam, NTA circulates the syllabus on their official website.
Students need to check the NTA Mains syllabus list before the exam, because they will eliminate certain topics from the syllabus. So it is demanded to review the syllabus to avoid studying removed topics. The questions will strictly adhere to the syllabus processed by NTA.
Some specific topics from Main Syllabus include,
Physics:
Electronic Devices, Electromagnetic Waves, Communication Systems, Kinetics and Laws of Motion, Work, Energy and Power, Thermodynamics, and Modern Physics.
Chemistry:
Chemical bonding, Surface Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Polymers and Environmental Chemistry
Mathematics:
Sets, Functions, and Relations, Statistics and Probability, Mathematical Reasoning, Trigonometry and Coordinate Geometry.
IIT-NIT Advanced exam updates the syllabus every year on their official website, jeeadv.ac.in. The syllabus, which covers classes 11 and 12, is pretty much the same every year but has been revised a bit in 2023. It’s made to see candidates' academic proficiency at the IIT level, the JEE Advanced syllabus incorporates important topics.
The exam has two papers, each three hours long, with questions from Physics, Chemistry, and Math. Students have to do both the papers, and the test evaluates candidates' comprehension, reasoning, and analytical skills.
This exam syllabus comprises additional topics that go beyond the topics of Mains. The additional topics of Advanced include,
Physics:
Experimental Physics, Thermal Physics, Dynamics, Mass and Collision, Electromagnetic Induction, AC & DC, Wave Optics, Modern Physics concept.
Chemistry:
Molecular Theory, Advanced Electrochemistry, Salt Analysis, More detailed in Organic Chemistry, Advanced Thermodynamics and Kinetics.
Mathematics:
3D Geometry, Vector Algebra, Differential Equations, Indefinite Integrals, Continuity & Differentiability, Permutation and Combination.
Yes, JEE Advanced is tougher than Mains. The main reason lies in the complexity of the questions asked. Mains difficulty level is low because the questions focus on fundamental concepts that will be straightforward, but Advanced questions are designed to check the conceptual depth, and complex problem-solving of the subjects.
Also, the time allocated for Advanced is more limited, which makes it even harder for students to crack. Every year, over 10 Lakh students take the Mains exam, but only 2.5 lakh qualify for JEE Advanced. In the end, through the JEE Advanced rank list only around 16,000 to 17,000 students secure seats in IITs and other top institutes, making the success rate highly competitive.
Passing both Mains and Advanced needs a well-planned strategy, continuous effort, and the right resources to study. Since both the exams focus on the same subjects with different difficulty levels.
How to prepare for JEE Mains and JEE Advanced simultaneously?
Here are some of the highly recommended books for JEE preparation.
Physics:
Chemistry:
Mathematics:
The Joint Seat Allocation Authority(JoSAA) is conducting the JEE Mains counseling process. This process consists of different stages, from exam rank, category, college preferences to seat allocation. Based on these criterias, candidates can get seats in NITs, IIITs, Government-funded technical colleges and other top colleges.
Steps in JoSAA Counseling
Candidates who passed JEE Advanced will get a seat based on the All India Rank (AIR). JoSAA handles this process to get into IITs ensuring a translucent seat allocation mechanism.
Key Aspects of JEE Advanced Counseling
To succeed in JEE exams, it is important to understand the key differences between JEE Mains and JEE Advanced. Both the exams are vital for getting into elite engineering colleges in India.
Based on the preparation level, personal interest and with aspirations, candidates can get into JEE. Students who are getting a strong foundation from 8th grade can confidently navigate the success of JEE.
But remember, proper coaching and expert guidance is very important to secure a good position in a successful engineering career. Ultimately, success in JEE is not about reaching the top college, it’s all about evolving into a proficient engineer.
The Mains exam is conducted twice a year that usually happens in January and April. Students can attempt the JEE Mains online exam up to six times, spread across three consecutive years. This re-attempting feature allows the students to improve their scores, and the best score is used for admission and ranking.
No, JEE Mains is not enough to get into an IITs. Aspirants must clear JEE Mains with high rank to get eligible for JEE Advanced. Based on the rank of Advanced exam, aspirants can get admission into IITs.
Based on the previous year trends 99.5 comes under the 5200 to 6200 rank range. This percentile to rank conversion in JEE Mains is not exact, as it depends on the number of candidates attempting the exam.
To be eligible for JEE Advanced, candidates need to qualify JEE Mains with top 2,50,000 rank across all categories.
Students can take the JEE Mains examination up to six times in three consecutive years. This helps students to reach good marks in repetitive attempts.