JEE Main 2025 Session 1 Day 2 BTech Paper Analysis: ‘Mathematics most challenging’; detailed review

The paper held on the first day, January 22, has been considered moderate. Experts reviewed that the mathematics section was a bit challenging in shift 1 but overall the JEE Main question paper was balanced and could be completed within the stipulated time with proper preparation.

JEE Main January 23 analysis 

Ajay Kumar Sharma, national director of the Aakash Educational Services Limited, claims that among the three subjects, Physics was the easiest in the morning session, followed by Chemistry, while Mathematics was the most challenging due to the lengthiness of its questions. The evening shift was rated as easy to moderate in overall difficulty according to Kumar.

Chemistry

According to Kumar, the questions in Chemistry were predominantly easy, in the morning shift. There was a relatively lower representation of Physical Chemistry, with Organic and Inorganic Chemistry forming the majority.

Assertion-reason (AR) type questions were also included and were primarily theoretical.

Chemistry was rated as easy to moderate and was a major time-saver. The section covered almost all chapters, with Organic Chemistry dominating in terms of the number of questions. Inorganic Chemistry was well-represented, while Physical Chemistry featured comparatively fewer questions. Most theoretical questions were directly based on NCERT, ensuring familiarity for the students. However, a few questions were reported to be outside the syllabus, though they were not particularly challenging. Overall, the Chemistry section allowed students to complete it quickly, giving them more time to focus on other sections.

Physics 

Kumar added that questions in Physics in the morning session were relatively easier than the shift one with many students considering the section simplest of all. Mechanics was the dominant topic, while questions on topics like waves, magnetism, and modern physics were also well-represented.

The Physics section in the afternoon shift was considered easy by most students. While the distribution of questions across topics appeared balanced, certain chapters were missing. Key topics like Mechanics, Waves, and Thermodynamics were covered, but chapters such as Optics and Electromagnetism had a stronger presence. Questions from Modern Physics were fewer in number, and chapters like Alternating Currents (AC), EMI, and Magnetism were underrepresented. There were no questions on instrument-related topics, and topics like Laws of Motion and Elasticity were absent.

Maths 

Mathematics was considered the most difficult section by students taking the test in the morning session because of the lengthy questions. Based on student feedback, Kumar said that the questions were asked from Calculus, vectors & 3D geometry, matrices and determinants, quadratic equations, coordinate geometry, and binomial theorem. Many average students found the section too time-consuming.

The Mathematics section in the second shift ranged from moderate to difficult. Questions were evenly distributed across nearly all chapters, with Calculus being the most prominent. Topics such as 3D Geometry, Algebra, Vectors, Binomial Theorem, and Conic Sections also had a significant presence. Although the difficulty level of the questions was not excessively high, many involved lengthy and time-consuming calculations, making this section the most challenging for many students.

According to the academic desk of Vidyamandir Classes, the difficulty level of the morning session appeared to align closely with expectations. According to students, the Mathematics section was relatively lengthy and leaned toward the difficult side, making it slightly more challenging to manage time effectively. The questions were largely based on mixed concepts, which tested the students’ conceptual understanding and problem-solving abilities.

In contrast, the Physics and Chemistry sections in the morning session were reported to be easier, ranging from easy to moderate difficulty levels. Physics was primarily formula-based, and a significant portion around 60% of the questions came from the Class 12 syllabus, while the remaining 40% were based on the Class 11 syllabus. The distribution of questions seemed well-balanced in terms of topics covered.

The Chemistry section was heavily NCERT-based in the morning session as per Vidyamndir, with a good balance across physical, organic, and inorganic chemistry. This provided an advantage to students who focused on NCERT textbooks during their preparation.

Overall, the paper was balanced, with varying difficulty levels across subjects. The Mathematics section stood out as the most challenging in the morning session according to the academic desk of Vidyamandir Classes, while Physics and Chemistry provided some relief. Due to the easy-to-moderate nature of most of the paper, it is anticipated that the cutoff may go slightly higher this time.

In 2024, the overall difficulty of the exam was considered moderate to difficult. The number of candidates achieving a 100 per cent score increased by 13 compared to 2023, with 56 candidates achieving a 100 NTA score in Paper 1 (BE/BTech).

The qualifying scores for JEE Advanced saw an upward trend across various categories:

For general category candidates, the cutoff rose to 93.23 in 2024, an increase from 90.77 in 2023, 88.4 in 2022, and 87.9 in 2021. The qualifying scores for general candidates were 90.3 in 2020 and 89.7 in 2019.

For SC candidates, the cutoff increased significantly to 60.09, up from 51.97 in 2023, 43.08 in 2022, 46.8 in 2021, 50.1 in 2020, and 54.01 in 2019.

For ST candidates, the cutoff rose to 46.69 in 2024, up from 37.23 in 2023, 26.7 in 2022, and 34.6 in 2021. The cutoffs were higher in 2020 and 2019 at 39.06 and 44.3, respectively.

The OBC (non-creamy layer) cutoff also saw an increase, rising to 79.67 from 73.61 in 2023, with previous years’ cutoffs being 67 in 2022, 68.02 in 2021, and 72.8 in 2020.

For EWS category candidates, the cutoff was 75.62 in 2024, up from 63.11 in 2023.

Also read: JEE Main Exam Analysis 2025

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