JEE Main 2025 exam pattern change may lead to reduced cutoff, says expert

For aspiring engineers in India, successfully passing JEE Main is a significant achievement that opens doors to prestigious institutions and lays the foundation for a prosperous career. However, the exam is notoriously difficult, with a challenging pattern and high level of competition. This year, over 14 lakh candidates registered, but only 2.5 lakh qualified for JEE Advanced.
Recently, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has officially announced a change in the exam pattern for the JEE Main 2025 exam. In a statement issued on Thursday, the NTA confirmed that the optional question format in Section B, introduced as a relief measure during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, will be discontinued. The NTA also announced that the application process for the first session of JEE Main 2025 will begin shortly, with detailed information to be made available on the NTA's official website. Additional updates regarding the exam pattern are expected to be released once the registration window opens.
JEE Main is a national-level entrance exam for engineering programs, covering three subjects: Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. From 2021 to 2024, candidates faced a total of 90 questions over a three-hour period. Each subject had 30 questions, divided into two sections: Section A included 20 multiple-choice questions (MCQs), while Section B featured 10 numerical questions.
Candidates were allowed to choose any 5 out of 10 numerical questions in Section B of each subject. This flexibility was intended to help students tackle the hurdles posed by the pandemic and was in place until the JEE 2024 exam. However, from 2025, JEE Main Section B will revert to its pre-pandemic format, comprising only 5 numerical questions per subject, all of which will be mandatory.
Candidates can check the JEE Main exam pattern change notice by clicking on the link provided here.
“The change announced by the National Testing Agency (NTA) in the JEE Main 2025 exam pattern is likely to bring down the cutoff as compared to the previous years,” says Ramesh Batlish, Managing Partner and Head, FITJEE NOIDA, in an exclusive interaction with TOI Education. “This is because there is negative marking and there are no optional questions now,” he explains.
He also underscored the importance of employing a comprehensive approach to studying rather than selective studying, a strategy that some students have implemented in recent years, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic when certain chapters could be overlooked due to the availability of optional questions. “Some students are more comfortable with theory-based topics than numerical problems. So they tend to shy away from the latter. Now, all chapters will have equal weightage. So, students can’t leave out any chapter of Physics, Chemistry or Mathematics,” adds Batlish.
It is essential for the engineering aspirants to have a comprehensive understanding of the JEE Mains exam pattern. Take a look at the total number of questions, marks, and duration of the exam.

The marking scheme remains unchanged, with each correct answer earning 4 marks and a penalty of 1 mark for each incorrect answer. The total score for the exam is 300. Candidates are advised to regularly check the NTA's website for further updates on the registration process and the revised exam format.