Maths tough, physics lengthy in JEE Advanced: Students
Patna: More than 14,000 students across Bihar appeared for the JEE Advanced 2026 on Sunday with nearly 9,000 candidates taking the test at around 18 centres in Patna.The examination was held in two shifts — Paper 1 from 9am to 12 noon and Paper 2 from 2.30pm to 5.30pm. Students exiting centres in Patliputra described the paper as moderately difficult with mathematics in Paper 1 and physics in Paper 2 emerging as the toughest sections.According to aspirants, coordinate geometry and vectors carried high weightage in mathematics, while questions from Integration were fewer than expected. Physics in Paper 2 was described as lengthy and calculation-heavy.“Topics such as ray optics and rotation dominated the paper. On the other hand, chemistry was relatively easier compared to the other subjects. Overall, the paper was difficult. Now, it all depends on how many questions I attempted are correct. For that, I will match it with the answer keys,” Shashank Shrivastava, a student, said.Students said Paper 1 included four categories of questions — single correct questions (SCQ), multiple correct questions (MCQ), matrix matching and integer-based questions.Academic and former Bihar DGP (retired IPS) Abhyanand said the negative marking pattern was comparatively relaxed this year. “It was not as harsh as it used to be in previous years. However, the Physics questions were a bit tougher than before. Mathematics was challenging but doable with good practice. As for Chemistry, the questions were slightly better than the standard level — we can call it moderate,” he said.Physics expert Anand Kumar Jha said physics in Paper 2 and mathematics in Paper 1 would likely decide ranks. “Compared to last year’s paper, this year’s JEE Advanced was slightly easier, so the cutoff is expected to rise marginally,” he said.Organised by IIT Roorkee this year, the examination is the gateway for admission to IITs and other premier institutions, including IISc Bengaluru.
