JEE Main vs JEE Advanced: If you are preparing for either JEE Main or JEE Advanced, then you might be wondering about the difference between these two exams. Here, we are going to discuss the difference between these two exams in terms of Syllabus, difficulty level of the questions. Here, we will highlight some of the key differences between the two exams. This article will be very helpful for the preparation of the exam. Here we will focus on Paper 1, for which most of the candidates appear.
JEE Main vs JEE Advanced: Difference in Exam Pattern
Exam pattern of JEE Main (Paper 1): Key Points
JEE Main (Paper 1) is a three-hour computer-based test conducted twice a year. 90 multiple-choice questions (30 Physics, 30 Chemistry, 30 Biology) are asked in the exam. Each question has four options and out of which only one option is correct. In JEE Main (Paper 1), 4 marks are given for every correct answer and 1 mark is deducted for each incorrect answer. Zero marks are given for unattempted questions.

Exam Duration |
3 hours |
Exam Mode |
Computer based |
Subjects |
Physics, Chemistry, Maths |
Total Number of Questions |
90 (30 Physics, 30 Chemistry, 30 Maths) |
Types of Questions |
Multiple Choice Questions with 4 Options & Single Correct Answer |
Maximum Marks |
360 |
Best Books for JEE Main & JEE Advanced Preparation: Recommended by Toppers & Professors
Exam pattern of JEE Advanced: Key Points
Different varieties of have been asked in JEE Advanced & the exam pattern of JEE Advanced also changes very often. Here are some important points from the exam pattern of JEE Advanced 2019.
Exam Mode |
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Computer based |
Exam Pattern |
Part 1 Physics |
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Section 1 (Maximum Marks: 12) ⇒ This section contains FOUR (04) questions. ⇒Each question have FOUR options. ONLY ONE of these four options is the correct answer. ⇒For each question, choose the option corresponding to the correct answer. ⇒Answer to each question will be evaluated according to the following marking scheme: ⇒Full Marks : +3 If ONLY the correct option is chosen. ⇒Zero Marks : 0 If none of the options is chosen (i.e. the question is unanswered); ⇒Negative Marks : –1 In all other cases. Section 2 (maximum marks: 32) ⇒This section contains EIGHT (08) questions. ⇒Each question has FOUR options. ONE OR MORE THAN ONE of these four option(s) is(are) correct answer(s). ⇒ For each question, choose the option(s) corresponding to (all) the correct answer(s). ⇒Answer to each question will be evaluated according to the following marking scheme. ⇒Full Marks : +4 If only (all) the correct option(s) is (are) chosen; Partial Marks : +3 If all the four options are correct but ONLY three options are chosen; Partial marks : +2 if three or more options are correct but ONLY two options are chosen and both of which are correct; Partial Marks : +1 If two or more options are correct but ONLY one option is chosen and it is a correct option; Zero Marks : 0 If none of the options is chosen (i.e. the question is unanswered); Negative Marks : –1 In all other cases. ⇒ For example, in a question, if (A), (B) and (D) are the ONLY three options corresponding to correct answers, then choosing ONLY (A), (B) and (D) will get +4 marks; choosing ONLY (A) and (B) will get +2 marks; choosing ONLY (A) and (D) will get +2 marks; choosing ONLY (B) and (D) will get +2 marks; choosing ONLY (A) will get +1 mark; choosing ONLY (B) will get +1 mark; choosing ONLY (D) will get +1 mark; choosing no option (i.e. the question is unanswered) will get 0 marks; and choosing any other combination of options will get –1 mark. |
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Section 3 (Maximum Marks: 18) ⇒This section contains SIX (06) questions. The answer to each question is a NUMERICAL VALUE. ⇒ For each question, enter the correct numerical value of the answer using the mouse and the on-screen virtual numeric keypad in the place designated to enter the answer. If the numerical value has more than two decimal places, truncate/round-off the value to TWO decimal places. ⇒Answer to each question will be evaluated according to the following marking scheme: Full Marks : +3 If ONLY the correct numerical value is entered; Zero Marks : 0 In all other cases |
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Part II: Chemistry |
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SECTION 1 (Maximum Marks: 12) ⇒This section contains FOUR (04) questions. ⇒Each question has FOUR options. ONLY ONE of these four options is the correct answer. ⇒For each question, choose the option corresponding to the correct answer. ⇒Answer to each question will be evaluated according to the following marking scheme: Full Marks : +3 If ONLY the correct option is chosen. Zero Marks : 0 If none of the options is chosen (i.e. the question is unanswered). Negative Marks : −1 In all other cases. |
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Section 2 (Maximum Marks: 32) ⇒This section contains EIGHT (08) questions. ⇒Each question has FOUR options. ONE OR MORE THAN ONE of these four option(s) is (are) correct answer(s). ⇒For each question, choose the option(s) corresponding to (all) the correct answer(s). ⇒Answer to each question will be evaluated according to the following marking scheme: Full Marks : +4 If only (all) the correct option(s) is (are) chosen. Partial Marks : +3 If all the four options are correct but ONLY three options are chosen. Partial Marks : +2 If three or more options are correct but ONLY two options are chosen, both of which are correct options. Partial Marks : +1 If two or more options are correct but ONLY one option is chosen and it is a correct option. Zero Marks : 0 If none of the options is chosen (i.e. the question is unanswered). Negative Marks : −1 In all other cases. ⇒For Example: If (A), (B) and (D) are the ONLY three options corresponding to correct answers, then Choosing ONLY (A), (B) and (D) will get +4 marks, Choosing ONLY (A) and (B) will get +2 marks, Choosing ONLY (A) and (D) will get +2 marks, Choosing ONLY (B) and (D) will get +2 marks, Choosing ONLY (A) will get +1 mark, Choosing ONLY (B) will get +1 mark, Choosing ONLY (D) will get +1 mark, Choosing no option (i.e. the question is unanswered) will get 0 marks, and Choosing any other combination of options will get –1 marks. |
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Section 3 (Maximum Marks: 18) ⇒This section contains SIX (06) questions. The answer to each question is a NUMERICAL VALUE. ⇒For each question, enter the correct numerical value of the answer using the mouse and the on-screen virtual numeric keypad in the place designated to enter the answer. If the numerical value has more than two decimal places. Truncate/round-off the value to TWO decimal places ⇒ Answer to each question will be evaluated according to the following marking scheme: Full Marks : +3 If ONLY the correct numerical value is entered as answer. Zero Marks : 0 In all other cases |
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Part III: Mathematics |
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Section 1 (Maximum Marks: 12) ⇒This section contains FOUR (04) questions. ⇒ Each question have FOUR options. ONLY ONE of these four options is the correct answer. ⇒For each question, choose the option corresponding to the correct answer. ⇒Answer to each question will be evaluated according to the following marking scheme: Full Marks : +3 If ONLY the correct option is chosen. Zero Marks : 0 If none of the options is chosen (i.e. the question is unanswered); Negative Marks : –1 In all other cases. |
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Section 2 (maximum marks: 32) ⇒This section contains EIGHT (08) questions. ⇒Each question has FOUR options. ONE OR MORE THAN ONE of these four option(s) is(are) correct answer(s). ⇒For each question, choose the option(s) corresponding to (all) the correct answer(s). ⇒Answer to each question will be evaluated according to the following marking scheme. Full Marks : +4 If only (all) the correct option(s) is (are) chosen; Partial Marks : +3 If all the four options are correct but ONLY three options are chosen; Partial marks : +2 if three or more options are correct but ONLY two options are chosen and both of which are correct; Partial Marks : +1 If two or more options are correct but ONLY one option is chosen and it is a correct option; Zero Marks : 0 If none of the options is chosen (i.e. the question is unanswered); Negative Marks : –1 In all other cases. ⇒For example, in a question, if (A), (B) and (D) are the ONLY three options corresponding to correct answers, then choosing ONLY (A), (B) and (D) will get +4 marks; choosing ONLY (A) and (B) will get +2 marks; choosing ONLY (A) and (D) will get +2 marks; choosing ONLY (B) and (D) will get +2 marks; choosing ONLY (A) will get +1 mark; choosing ONLY (B) will get +1 mark; choosing ONLY (D) will get +1 mark; choosing no option (i.e. the question is unanswered) will get 0 marks; and choosing any other combination of options will get –1 mark. |
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Section 3 (Maximum Marks: 18) ⇒This section contains SIX (06) questions. The answer to each question is a NUMERICAL VALUE. ⇒For each question, enter the correct numerical value of the answer using the mouse and the on-screen virtual numeric keypad in the place designated to enter the answer. If the numerical value has more than two decimal places, truncate/round-off the value to TWO decimal places. ⇒Answer to each question will be evaluated according to the following marking scheme: Full Marks : +3 If ONLY the correct numerical value is entered; Zero Marks : 0 In all other cases.
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JEE Main vs JEE Advanced: Difference in Difficulty Level of Questions
You will notice two major difference between the questions asked in JEE Advanced and JEE Main.
⇒ Difference # 1: Most of the questions asked in JEE Main are based on the application of formulas. Whereas in JEE Advanced, most of the questions are derivation based.
⇒ Difference # 2: Two or more concepts are generally intermixed in the questions asked in JEE Advanced.
If you will go through the previous years papers of JEE Advanced then you will find that in JEE Advanced, questions are framed in such a way that candidates need to apply two or more concepts to solve. This increase the difficulty level of the questions.
Let's learn this difference with the help of an example:
Example of a question expected to be asked in JEE Mains:
Q: Horizontal range of a projectile is equal to the half of its maximum value of its range. Find the angle at which projectile was thrown.
Answer:
Here we have not given options because we are just giving an illustration.
This can be solved as given below
As, R = (u2sin 2x)/g and Rmaximum = u2/g [Here x is angle of projection]
According to the question, R = Rmaximum = u2/g
⇒ (u2sin 2x)/g = u2/g ⇒ sin 2x = 1/2 or 2x = 30o or x = 15o
We know that for same range there are two angle of projections, so, here the other angle is 90o - 15o = 75o.
This question is based on the correct application of the formula. You don’t need to derive anything from the scratch but this is not the case with the questions asked in JEE Advanced. In JEE Advanced, you need to derive expression from scratch to get correct result in many questions. Let's learn it with the help of an example
Example of a question expected to be asked in JEE Mains:
Q:
Answer: Zero.
This questions can’t be solved directly just by the application of the standard formula. Then you need to find differential work done afterwards you need to integrate by applying limits.
JEE Main vs JEE Advanced: Difference in Syllabus
While most of the topics in both the exams are common but as you will go through the syllabus of both the exams, you will find that topics related to practical in Physics and Chemistry are included in the JEE Advanced Syllabus. So, if you are preparing for these exams then you must thoroughly study the practicals of CBSE Class 11 and Class 12. These are important for JEE Main and JEE Advanced as well.
Latest CBSE Class 11 Syllabus: Check here!
Latest CBSE Class 12 Syllabus: Check here!