JEE Main 2027 Exam Pattern: 75 Questions, Numerical Answers and a 3-Hour Plan

JEE Main Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech) is a 3-hour computer-based test with 75 questions. It is the gateway to NITs, IIITs and other centrally funded institutes, and the qualifier for JEE Advanced.

JEE Main Paper 1 pattern

• Time: 3 hours, one timer for the whole paper. You can move between subjects at any time.
• All questions are compulsory. Until 2024, students answered any 5 of 10 numerical questions per subject. From 2025 there are exactly 5, and all count.
• Marking: +4 for a correct answer, −1 for a wrong one, 0 if left blank. NTA's paper instructions apply the −1 to wrong answers in both sections, so a careless numerical answer now costs marks.

How numerical value questions work

Section B questions have no options. You type the answer using an on-screen numeric keypad, and NTA asks for an integer value: if your working gives 44.8, enter 45. There is no guessing between options here, so these questions reward clean calculation.

Expected dates for 2027

NTA's calendar places Session 1 in late January 2027 and Session 2 in April 2027, as reported at the time of writing. Exact dates, the syllabus and any pattern changes come in the official information bulletin on jeemain.nta.nic.in.

A 3-hour plan

1. First pass (about 100 minutes): go through all three subjects and answer every question you can solve in under 2 minutes. Most toppers start with the subject they are fastest in, often Chemistry.
2. Second pass (about 60 minutes): return to the medium questions you marked for review. This is where most marks are won.
3. Last 20 minutes: numerical questions you skipped, and a check that every answer you meant to save is saved.

Keep one rule: never spend more than 4 minutes on one question in the first pass. A 4-mark question is worth the same whether it is easy or hard.

Practise with the same screen

RankVyuh's JEE Main mocks follow this pattern: 20 MCQs then 5 numerical questions per subject, an on-screen keypad for typed answers, +4/−1 marking and one 3-hour timer. The report shows marks, accuracy and time for each subject, and every solution.