National Testing Agency (NTA)
Two years of syllabus cuts have permanently reshaped JEE Main’s question paper. For 2026, the National Testing Agency (NTA) kept the syllabus identical to 2025 - no new chapters were deleted, none were added. The trimmed syllabus, anchored to the NCERT curriculum for Classes 11 and 12, is what you will be tested on. Studying chapters that were removed in 2024 and 2025 wastes preparation time you cannot recover.
Every topic listed here comes from the official NTA notification released on jeemain.nta.nic.in. The chapter weightages that follow are derived from a five-year analysis of past JEE Main question papers - NTA does not publish official weightages, but the recurrence patterns across 2021-2025 leave the high-impact chapters unmistakable. You can bookmark the JEE Main dates page for the session-wise schedule and download the syllabus PDF directly from the NTA portal once registration opens.
The syllabus reduction that began in 2024 eliminated roughly 15% of the older content. Another small adjustment in 2025 removed vector-specific topics from Physics kinematics. Both changes are still in effect for 2026. That means:
If you are still studying “States of Matter” or “Mathematical Reasoning” because an old book includes them, you are preparing for a test that no longer exists. The lists below settle every deletion with certainty.
If a chapter appears in the upcoming syllabus tables but is listed above as fully deleted, trust the deletion. For example, “Solid State” still appears in both NCERT and JEE Main syllabus - it was not removed, despite confusion on some forums. The NTA’s own document includes it under Physical Chemistry.
Paper 1 tests Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Each subject spans approximately 20 units, including practical/experimental skills. The tables below condense the NTA’s detailed sub-topic list into the areas that appear most frequently. For an exhaustive enumeration, refer to the official PDF.
NTA does not release chapter weightages. The numbers below are drawn from a granular five-year question-frequency analysis (2021-2025), supplemented by the separate January and April 2025 session question counts. They reflect what has repeatedly appeared - not what must appear in a specific shift.
Current Electricity, Mechanics, Thermodynamics, and Modern Physics together form roughly 60% of the Physics section. The remaining chapters still contribute one question each on average; ignoring them voluntarily sacrifices 12-16 marks.
Coordination Compounds and the Periodic Table dominate inorganic chemistry. Organic chemistry has lost several rote-memorisation chapters; the remaining ones demand reaction mechanisms and conceptual clarity.
Calculus and algebra jointly generate about 70% of the Mathematics section. Conic sections have a steady presence but carry lower individual weight. Mastering 3D Geometry, Straight Lines, and Sequences yields high returns with a manageable practice volume.
Based on the 2025 papers, Class 12 questions slightly outnumber Class 11 questions across all three subjects. In Physics, Class 12 contributed 121 questions in January and 109 in April, while Class 11 contributed 129 and 116, respectively - close to an even split. Chemistry showed a stronger Class 12 bias (135 in January, 137 in April vs 90 and 113 from Class 11). Mathematics followed a similar pattern (134 in January from Class 12 vs 116 from Class 11).
The takeaway is not to neglect Class 11. Kinematics, Mole Concept, and Basic Trigonometry form the foundation for many Class 12 problems. A balanced approach in the first phase of preparation is non-negotiable.
For architecture and planning aspirants, the Mathematics syllabus mirrors Paper 1. The additional sections are:
Paper 2A (B.Arch):
Paper 2B (B.Planning):
The drawing test for B.Arch is a practical exam; 100 marks out of 400 depend on those two questions. Timed sketching practice is essential.
Understanding the paper structure turns the weightage data into an execution plan.
In Section B (Numerical Value), all 5 questions are compulsory - no optional choice. This rule, introduced in 2025, continues in 2026. If you have gaps in a topic, you cannot bypass its numerical question.
Lock in the heavy-hitters first. Seven chapters in Physics, six in Chemistry, and eight in Mathematics consistently account for over 60% of marks. Mastering them early builds a score buffer. But do not abandon the rest: a 3.3%-weight chapter like Semiconductors or Biomolecules often asks direct, formula-based questions that can be scored in under a minute.
Filter every resource through the deleted list. When you open a reference book, cross-check the chapter name against the tables above. If it is gone, skip it completely. This alone frees up 15-20% of your study hours.
Practise chapter-wise previous year questions. After finishing a unit, solve the last five years of questions from that unit. The pattern of derivations, trick steps, and common traps will become visible. That is your real weightage.
Take timed mock tests. The JEE Main paper rewards speed. Weightage tables guide your time allocation, but mock test performance shows exactly where your time leaks are. Adjust your study plan after every test to target the chapters that cost you time, not just the ones that cost you marks.
For a structured month-by-month roadmap, use the JEE Main preparation guide. To understand how your raw marks translate into competitive cutoffs, visit the JEE Main cutoffs page. And once your results are declared, the JEE Main college predictor tool will help you map your rank to possible colleges.
Official Website
jeemain.nta.nic.in
